Wii Erase Disc
Image: Forest of Illusion

As you'll no doubt know if you've used a games console in the past decade, the process of packing it up for resale or donation to another person is a lengthy one.

It's no longer a case of simply unplugging said console and boxing it up for a new lease of life; most modern machines will have game installs, WiFi connection data and perhaps even personal information – like your credit card or bank account – saved to their internal memory.

Therefore, before one gives away an old system, you have to say a little prayer to the deity called 'Factory Reset', a process which, to the uneducated, is perhaps a little more obtuse than it should be.

Turns out Nintendo thought of this during the Wii era and produced a special disc expressly for this purpose:

The disc was produced, it seems, to aid retail stores who wished to re-sell Wii consoles while at the same time protect the data of those trading in the machines.

When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense – especially as over 100 million Wii consoles were sold, many of which will have changed hands more than once over the years – and is proof that Nintendo really does think of everything.