Console bricking

Bricking is a situation where a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, game console or router, becomes permanently inaccessible as a whole and therefore no longer function. The term "bricking" comes from the device now capable of being used like a brick after no longer functioning. In video games, bricking mostly happens after a console-breaking bug in certain games, improper modding of the console (causing corruption of the firmware), or less commonly, malware.

Causes
Usually in general consumer electronics, bricking often occurs after interrupting the device's firmware update, or attempting a certain update for the device. A common practice done to older consoles (mostly prior to the sixth generation) is modding, which allows full access to them, but it is a difficult and challenging practice because there are risks of bricking the concerned device if it is not modded properly, and some devices are harder to mod than others. Modded consoles can also be prone to bricking because of malicious homebrew applications, in a similar manner to computer malware. However, this is rarer as bricking a console with malware can often be intentional, and not many homebrew malware is made for game consoles.

Some games are also reported to be capable of bricking consoles with some glitches; examples are Mighty No. 9 (unpatched Wii U version only) and Anthem. Therefore, such games can also be classified as malware because they perpetually block access to their platforms.

Avoidance

 * If you're modding your console, follow a reputable guide. An example would be https://3ds.hacks.guide.
 * DO NOT FOLLOW A VIDEO GUIDE FOR MODDING CONSOLES. Most are outdated and may break your console.
 * Keep your device plugged in while modding it, or makes sure you have a battery level above 70% (if you're modding a handheld console).
 * Generally, it is not a good idea to modify or delete system files. Only do this if you know what you're doing.
 * Turn off your console before unplugging it.
 * Avoid installing updates during an electrical storm, or in places where you may lose power.

Unbricking consoles
There exists some methods to unbrick a device, also using hacking methods from computers. Some companies also provide methods to unbrick their devices without having to perform hacks, like reinstalling its official firmware, but this is very rare. Unfortunately, a bricked device is generally hard, or even impossible to repair, which may cause unbricking to be a nightmare to perform, even for professionals.