Clarification about 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl errors: More than meets the eye'

I wanted to take a few moments to clarify a story that was posted a few days ago, "Super Smash Bros. Brawl errors: More than meets the eye." Written by Ron "I called the Wii nunchuck a Wiichuck" Workman, this post has drawn a lot of ire and even caused a bit of confusion, so I do feel it necessary to clear a few things up.

If anything, Ron's post needs to be viewed as an "investigative" piece, and should not be taken as official information and/or confirmation from Nintendo. In his own words, Ron did some "Matlockery" into the situation that has been arising with Super Smash Bros. Brawl disc errors on the Wii console. In the original article, Ron cites a few unnamed sources as well as some anecdotal evidence to make his point that Nintendo's position regarding "contamination" on the lens may not be the only reason behind these disc errors.

To be clear, Nintendo has not officially gone on record regarding percentages or numbers of users who have experienced Super Smash Bros. Brawl errors in Japan or North America. A spokesperson for Nintendo of America has issued the following statement on the matter:

Nintendo of America has received some reports that a very small number of Wii consoles cannot properly read the dual-layered disc for the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl game. Upon examination, Nintendo has preliminarily determined that this disc-read error is caused by the soiling of the consoles’ optical lens by environmental factors such as excessive dust and cigarette smoke. Nintendo is offering to clean these systems free of charge, and recommends that consumers do not attempt to clean the systems on their own. Information regarding the cleaning service can be found at support.nintendo.com or by calling customer service at 1-800-255-3700.

While I will always back Ron (or any other writer on Destructoid) and his sources, his original article should be viewed as investigative and purely speculative. We're sorry if this has caused any confusion or if it made baby kittens cry.