I had the firmware problem, and when I called Nintendo about it, he said it was likely because when I downloaded the first update the internet connection was likely interrupted for a split second at a critical time. When I got my new one, I didn't even had to download anything. My advice to you would be to try to connect to the internet as soon as possible because if by a small chance your system does mess up, you cannot transfer your old saves from system to system, trust me I tried for a long time, and I guarantee you will eventually want your system on the internet. Hope this helps.