Topic: Wii U Has 8 GB of Internal Storage

[Ceric]

I see a lot of people comparing this to the PS3.  Which is a false comparison because its more like the 360.  You have to take in addition to gaming functionality patching the PS3 gets patched most of the time to enable more media functions.  New Codex, more efficient video support, etc.

Wii U isn't going to have these features.  So I doubt it will need as much space for patches.  Though that branches me into the irony that this discussion has brought to my attention.

Nintendo is trying to get the hardcore and casual support.  They put a universal remote functionality into the Gamepad.  Yet, they are supporting the least amount of media.  That is what casual people will use a system for.  Blu-Ray/DVD player that can happen to play the occasional game.  In all honestly my PS3 is Blu-Ray/DVD/DLNA/Netflix player that can happen to occasional play games.  When it was time to pick a platform for Skylanders it was meant for the Wii I know this but I picked the PS3 one.  Why?  Because it is my Blu-Ray/DVD/DLNA/Netflix player I know where the remotes are and the rest of the family use it.  My poor Wii Blinked with the Hulu update for about 3 months before I finally got another SD Card to put into it so I can download my Secret Santa gifts, which DK2 looks really ugly on a large screen.  Wii just didn't give me a reason to consistantly use it.  Wii U is on track to not give me a reason to consistantly use it.  Compared to that this space junk is a non-issue.

[BranDonk Kong]

XBox 360 only has 4GB unless you get the 250GB (or is it 320GB) model now, or buy one of their supremely over priced hard drives. 8GB is more than I thought they would include. Also the size of a hard drive doesn't have as much to do with the cost (not the price) as you'd think, a 500GB HDD might sell for $40 more than a 250GB HDD, but the cost to build one over the other is minimal.

Anyway, if you're bitching about this, you shouldn't be, and you should be happy that the price will be lower because of this, and you certainly will not *need* a larger HDD at launch (or probably any time soon after), and you can just add whatever USB HDD you want.

[broodwars]

Is it right to make all four of us pay for 32 GB cards when only one of us used it?  Does it make a lick of business sense to price your item higher and limit those who you can sell it to based on a feature that few will use and those that do will be able to easily and optionally take care of on their own?

You know what?  You're right.  Nintendo shouldn't make us pay for any feature we don't need.  So while we're on that kick, how about we strip out that awful Wii U GamePad while we're at it?  Nintendo didn't have a single game at E3 that makes me want to play games with that thing, and that's probably an $80-$100 controller with the cost getting passed on to me.  I'm sure many core gamers like me would be just fine with just the likely $20 Pro controller that (unlike the GamePad) probably has a battery life longer than 2-3 hours.

Yeah, that logic doesn't work, does it?  Just because you don't use a feature, that doesn't mean you exclude other gamers by not including it.  Nintendo hyped this device last year as a machine for us, the core gamers who do download lots of games, who do care about storage.  Judging by this topic, there's a great many people here who care about having storage on the Wii U, and for people like us 8 GB is a joke.  To me, it shows that Nintendo still doesn't know what they want with the Wii U.  I wonder how many 3rd parties are going to bother supporting a Nintendo digital platform where their userbase by default has very little storage?  It's not like 3rd parties need much of a reason to ignore a Nintendo digital platform after the mess that was WiiWare.

Anyway, if you're bitching about this, you shouldn't be, and you should be happy that the price will be lower because of this

This is Nintendo we're talking about, the company that charged $250 for the 3DS just because they could.  I'm not convinced the kind of savings you're thinking of would be passed on to us.  I think Nintendo saves a lot of money on HDD costs, and they pocket the difference while charging us the same price they were originally.

[Ceric]

Is it right to make all four of us pay for 32 GB cards when only one of us used it?  Does it make a lick of business sense to price your item higher and limit those who you can sell it to based on a feature that few will use and those that do will be able to easily and optionally take care of on their own?

You know what?  You're right.  Nintendo shouldn't make us pay for any feature we don't need.  So while we're on that kick, how about we strip out that awful Wii U GamePad while we're at it?  Nintendo didn't have a single game at E3 that makes me want to play games with that thing, and that's probably an $80-$100 controller with the cost getting passed on to me.  I'm sure many core gamers like me would be just fine with just the likely $20 Pro controller that (unlike the GamePad) probably has a battery life longer than 2-3 hours.

Yeah, that logic doesn't work, does it?  Just because you don't use a feature, that doesn't mean you exclude other gamers by not including it.  Nintendo hyped this device last year as a machine for us, the core gamers who do download lots of games, who do care about storage.  Judging by this topic, there's a great many people here who care about having storage on the Wii U, and for people like us 8 GB is a joke.  To me, it shows that Nintendo still doesn't know what they want with the Wii U.  I wonder how many 3rd parties are going to bother supporting a Nintendo digital platform where their userbase by default has very little storage?  It's not like 3rd parties need much of a reason to ignore a Nintendo digital platform after the mess that was WiiWare.

Your analogy is flawed and you know it.  A more apt analogy would be taking the screen out of the Gamepad.

I will say that Nintendo has done a terrible terrible job in making the case for the Gamepad with what they shown this year.  I would say the same for Kinect with Microsoft ("Hey this game is Kinect enabled as a glorified voice command system"), but I digress.  Besides the ZombiU and Rayman Usage and that was Ubisoft.

Did Nintendo have there Ducks in a row?  Lord no.

Did Sony or MS have there Ducks in a Row?  For console you would really need Ducks to line up and for Vita I don't know if Sony just likes shooting itself in the foot.

Though if you look back when the specs where first hinted at you'll notice my hope was just to go ahead and make the Internal 8GB a fast game staging area.  use the really fast Flash and make it an uber buffer for the disc and download games.

I honestly be surprised in a way if Nintendo doesn't sell a Bundle that comes with a USB Harddrive and all the Controllers.

[smallsharkbigbite]

"Is it right to make all four of us pay for 32 GB cards when only one of us used it?  Does it make a lick of business sense to price your item higher and limit those who you can sell it to based on a feature that few will use and those that do will be able to easily and optionally take care of on their own?"

The model has already been set by the xbox.  You want to sell a gimped 8 gig model fine.  But have a higher gig model available for the core.  Right?  Not too hard to figure out.  Well I guess it is. 
 

"Anyway, if you're bitching about this, you shouldn't be, and you should be happy that the price will be lower because of this, and you certainly will not *need* a larger HDD at launch (or probably any time soon after), and you can just add whatever USB HDD you want."

That's where I gaurantee you're wrong.  The Wii-U will not be cheaper because it doesn't have a hard drive.  It will only drive Nintendo profits because it is cheaper.  The Wii-U will cost what the market will bear.  Remember the time period when the xbox 360 was cheaper than the Wii?  Is that because those Wii components were just so darn expensive? 
 

"I see a lot of people comparing this to the PS3.  Which is a false comparison because its more like the 360.  You have to take in addition to gaming functionality patching the PS3 gets patched most of the time to enable more media functions.  New Codex, more efficient video support, etc."

Do these video games turn into full length blu ray movies?  I get the Wii wasn't close to PS3 as an online console.  But the Wii-U is supposed to bring 1080p, voice chat, better online experience?  I fail to see how Wii-U games won't at least compare to PS3 games as an experience unless you are already conceding that Wii-U won't have as good of online as current gen. 
 


 

[Ceric]

"I see a lot of people comparing this to the PS3.  Which is a false comparison because its more like the 360.  You have to take in addition to gaming functionality patching the PS3 gets patched most of the time to enable more media functions.  New Codex, more efficient video support, etc."
 
Do these video games turn into full length blu ray movies?  I get the Wii wasn't close to PS3 as an online console.  But the Wii-U is supposed to bring 1080p, voice chat, better online experience?  I fail to see how Wii-U games won't at least compare to PS3 games as an experience unless you are already conceding that Wii-U won't have as good of online as current gen. 

A lot of the patches for PS3 have absolutely nothing to do with games was the overall point.  Nothing to do with the games.

[broodwars]

Your analogy is flawed and you know it.  A more apt analogy would be taking the screen out of the Gamepad.

Here's my justification for that analogy: Nintendo's response to those who don't like the pitifully low storage on the Wii U is to go out and buy your own HDD.  Similarly, their response to those who don't like the gimmicky, expensive Wii U controller is to go out and buy a GamePad Pro with the screen taken out.  That's basically all the GamePad Pro is, really: a black GamePad with the screen removed and some different triggers.

For console you would really need Ducks to line up and for Vita I don't know if Sony just likes shooting itself in the foot.

You really don't want to get me (as a Vita owner) started on Sony's utter failure in handling the Vita.   

[smallsharkbigbite]

A lot of the patches for PS3 have absolutely nothing to do with games was the overall point.  Nothing to do with the games.

Please enlighten me then.  What are these 2 gig patches doing if they don't fix known glitches, make the online experience better, or enhance the overall utilization of the game?  Just a few examples would be great.

[Ceric]

A lot of the patches for PS3 have absolutely nothing to do with games was the overall point.  Nothing to do with the games.

Please enlighten me then.  What are these 2 gig patches doing if they don't fix known glitches, make the online experience better, or enhance the overall utilization of the game?  Just a few examples would be great.

4.11
Network
The Internet browser has been improved for better support of interactive features and content display.> See details

Other
Your "PlayStation®Network account" is now a "Sony Entertainment Network account". You can continue using your current sign-in ID and password to sign in to PlayStation®Network.

New for 4.11: System software has been improved.

4.10
Setting the date and time automatically

The option [Set Automatically] has been added under Settings (Settings) > Date and Time Settings (Date and Time Settings). > See details

4.00

    Upscaler output and Cinema conversion are now supported for Blu-ray Disc™ (BDMV) content. "Blu-ray Disc™" and "Blu-ray™" are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
    You can now select the items you want to update under   (System Settings) > [Automatic Update]. This feature is exclusively for use by PlayStation®Plus members.
    Two new system languages have been added: [English (United Kingdom)] and [Portuguese (Brazil)] are now available under (Settings) >   (System Settings) > [System Language] .

3.73
Video

    3D playback* of Blu-ray Java™ ("BD-J") content is now supported. You can now enjoy
    BD-J content recorded on Blu-ray 3D™ discs.
    DTS-HD audio output is now supported while playing Blu-ray 3D™ content*.

Photo

MPO (Multi-Picture format) files for 3D photos and multi-angle photos can now be displayed under photo (Photo) and in photo (Photo Gallery).

3.61

Sony Network Change

3.50

The PS3™ system can now play 3D content on Blu-ray 3D™ discs.

3.4

PlayStation®Plus subscription service

    The PlayStation®Plus subscription service package is now included on PlayStation®Network.
     > See details

PlayStation®Network area of Photo Gallery

    [PlayStation®Network Area] has been added under Settings (Photo Gallery). You can now use Photo Gallery to browse photos from Facebook® or Picasa™ Web Albums. You can also share photos from Photo Gallery with your Friends in PlayStation®Network.
     > See details

Video Editor & Uploader

    Using the video editing and uploading feature, you can now edit video content that is saved on your PS3™ system's hard disk and upload it to Facebook or YouTube™.
     > See details

Facebook® is a service that helps you connect and share with the people in your life. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. YouTube and Picasa™ Web Albums are trademarks of Google Inc.
Other new or revised features in version 3.40
Settings

    [Deep Color Output (HDMI)] has been added as an option under Settings (Display Settings).
    [Automatic Download] has been added as a feature under Settings (System Settings). This feature is exclusively for use by PlayStation®Plus members.  > See details
    The default setting for [System Auto-Off] under Settings (Power Save Settings) has been changed to [After 2 Hours].

Photo

    You can now print a photo in Settings (Photo Gallery).  > See details
    You can now delete a photo in Settings (Photo Gallery).  > See details

Friends

    You can now see the trophy level of a Friend by selecting the Friend's avatar.

Thats not even reaching back that far.  You can find more here

[smallsharkbigbite]

Those are PS3 operating system patches, not in game patches which I thought was what we were discussing.  None of those should take up additional space because they are just overwriting the existing used memory. 
 
I think alot of the GAME patches add value and clearly the developers do or they wouldn't waste their time doing it.  But that's subjective.  What's not subjective, is if you don't patch you'll lose access to multiplayer components because they aren't going to have multiple versions of the game running on their servers.  So unless you want to lose a significant part of the game, you'll patch.  Doesn't matter what is in it. 

[Caterkiller]

I can buy any hard drive I want? That's great! I see no problem with this what so ever.

[UncleBob]

You know what?  You're right.  Nintendo shouldn't make us pay for any feature we don't need.  So while we're on that kick, how about we strip out that awful Wii U GamePad while we're at it?  Nintendo didn't have a single game at E3 that makes me want to play games with that thing, and that's probably an $80-$100 controller with the cost getting passed on to me.  I'm sure many core gamers like me would be just fine with just the likely $20 Pro controller that (unlike the GamePad) probably has a battery life longer than 2-3 hours.

You're in luck!  Here you go!

[broodwars]

You're in luck!  Here you go!

Looks like we both agree that, right now, if you already own one of the other HD consoles, there's no reason whatsoever to buy a Wii U.  And, incidentally, my Xbox 360 came with a 120 GB HDD.

Sheesh, dude, and I thought NinSage was the big Nintendo apologist here. 

[UncleBob]

Oddly, I've never told anyone that they should have to have any particular system from any particular manufacture for any particular reason.

Buy what you like to play what you like.  If you don't like the Wii U, fine... stick with your 360 if that makes you happy.

The funny thing is, though, you seem to be in a tizzy because the Wii U has a small internal storage with the option to expand that.  You're trying to make it sound as if that's a reason not to get a Wii U.

But a Wii U without the Game Pad and with a 120 GB hard drive is... still your XBox 360.  Still no reason to get one.

A Wii U with a Game Pad and with OPTIONAL storage is... not a 360.  Reason to get one?  Up to you.

[MegaByte]

propriety storage needs to be going the way of the dodo. Which is why i think its GOOD that nintendo gives you the option to get your own storage rather than requiring you to by storage with the console.

+1

[Ian Sane]

This isn't a deal breaker for me but it is something I'm concerned about.  I have to see if it will have a negative effect.  Although other things have made me have a wait-and-see approach it is just another thing to put off my potential Wii U purchase.

I'm not even that interested in stuff like DLC but it can still effect my enjoyment of the system.  Let's say that because of this third parties start excluding the Wii U on DLC.  Core gamers that own multiple systems then decide to not get the Wii U versions of games because of the lack of DLC.  Third parties notice that the Wii U version always sells the least, come to the conclusion that third party games don't sell on the Wii U, and scale back support.  Hell, I noticed this on the Gamecube.  It's lack of online meant that for any online third party game the Gamecube version was always the worst because it just outright lacked a feature the other versions had.  The sales reflected that.  No one bought those game unless the Cube was the only system they owned.  Third parties noticed that the Cube version always sold the worst.  These seemingly minor decisions can have a ripple effect.

And what Nintendo either never realizes or is too arrogant to admit is that NO ONE is going to cut them slack.  They don't have a good relationship with third parties and they're not popular with core gamers.  No one will tolerate any of their bullshit.  No one will make an exception for them.  So if the next systems have much larger storage space as a standard and downloading retail titles becomes a big thing, then no is going to just give the Wii U a pass on this.  They don't have the clout or the reputation to expect that.  Give the core gamers and excuse not to buy or the third parties an excuse to not support it, and that's what will happen.  That's why the Cube failed.  They burned all their bridges with the N64 and then just did a half-assed effort with all sorts of little goofy mistakes and no one cut them slack.

[tendoboy1984]

Considering how good Nintendo is at compressing file sizes, 8 GB is plenty. I have a 16 GB SD card in my 3DS, and an 8 GB SD card in my Wii. Both cards have plenty of "blocks" left (8 GB has over 50,000 blocks, 16 GB has over 100,000 blocks).

And you can expand the storage of the Wii U by using a USB hard drive or SD card. There are plenty of options for those that want bigger storage.

And I'd love to know why Time is reporting rumors as fact. Nintendo hasn't said how much internal memory the Wii U has.

[broodwars]

The funny thing is, though, you seem to be in a tizzy because the Wii U has a small internal storage with the option to expand that.  You're trying to make it sound as if that's a reason not to get a Wii U.

Actually, I don't think it's directly a reason not to get a Wii U.  I'm saying it's a reason for developers to not support the Wii U with digital games and DLC that the "stupid masses" aren't going to have the storage space to hold.  It's the same crap Nintendo pulled on the Wii, and it didn't work then either.  And that may be a reason to not get a Wii U.

But a Wii U without the Game Pad and with a 120 GB hard drive is... still your XBox 360.  Still no reason to get one.

In that scenario, it would come down to the games, which the Wii U won't have at launch. None of the Wii U exclusive games are system-sellers for me, and only Pikmin 3 interests me at all.  And I can play all the non-exclusives on platforms I already own, so they don't justify the likely $200-$300+ Wii U price.

But with a large HDD at launch, Nintendo would be telling 3rd parties that they have their back.  They've ensured that there's plenty of space for the average gamer to download essentially whatever they want.  3rd party developers see that, and there's no reason for them to hold back on developing digital games for the Wii U (aside from Microsoft money hats, of course).

And before you rush to point to the 4 GB 360 again, Microsoft has spent 2 console cycles building up their online infrastructure and ensuring that their audience is both informed about and enticed to download digital titles.  As for Sony, the PS3 you can get off store shelves these days comes with a 250 GB HDD, and their online store has a steady flow of demos and sales to keep interest high in their digital store.  Nintendo, meanwhile, has a laughable at best record with promoting their online store.

A Wii U with a Game Pad and with OPTIONAL storage is... not a 360.  Reason to get one?  Up to you.

I've been quite explicit since the thing was announced that I had no interest whatsoever in the GamePad.  Nintendo had an opportunity to convince me why that controller was so necessary that they've spent 2 abysmal E3 press conferences on it, and they have failed to present a convincing argument.

You wanted to complain about hypothetically being forced to pay for a relatively-cheap HDD you don't think you'll use, and I countered with a complaint about the useless, gimmicky, expensive controller Nintendo would be forcing me to buy with the GamePad.  Somehow I think you would be getting the cheaper end of that hypothetical.

[rlse9]

I can understand only including a small amount of storage but 8GB seems really small.  Isn't the standard for modern phones, iPads, other tablets, etc. 16GB?  Why not at least bump it up to 16GB, that seems like it'd probably be enough for most people, 8GB seems like it could be small, not so much for more serious gamers who are going to need a hard drive regardless but even for more casual gamers who may want to just download a game here or there and not want to buy a hard drive.

I wonder if Nintendo will be smart and have a "gamer" bundle with the pro controller and a hard drive packed in.  Seems like it'd be something that would sell well.

[UncleBob]

I've been quite explicit since the thing was announced that I had no interest whatsoever in the GamePad.

The Wii U isn't for you then.

There's a specific reason why the GamePad has been front-and-center of every single Wii U media piece.  The GamePad is the thing that sets the Wii U apart from the PS3/360.  If you already have one of those and don't care about the GamePad, then stay the course with your PS3/360.  Use the $250+ and buy some games and be happy.

[broodwars]

I've been quite explicit since the thing was announced that I had no interest whatsoever in the GamePad.

The Wii U isn't for you then.

There's a specific reason why the GamePad has been front-and-center of every single Wii U media piece.  The GamePad is the thing that sets the Wii U apart from the PS3/360.  If you already have one of those and don't care about the GamePad, then stay the course with your PS3/360.  Use the $250+ and buy some games and be happy.

Eh, not necessarily.  Nintendo does have their Pro controller for people like me.  As I said before, it all comes down to whether Nintendo can ensure compelling software.  I disagree with your assessment that it's the hardware that makes Nintendo unique.  For me, it's always been the software that's been the "Nintendo difference".  After all, I tolerated the horrible Wii years for the handful of great games it got.  If Nintendo can bring the must-buy software, I can tolerate their gimmicky hardware issues.  So far, they just haven't.  Pikmin 3 looks cool and all, but it's just not enough to be worth $250-$300+ purchase.

[Chozo Ghost]

The GamePad is the thing that sets the Wii U apart from the PS3/360.

But what is the thing that will set the Wii U apart from the PS4/420? We all know Sony and Microsoft are copying the idea as we speak, so what will the Wii U have that sets it apart from its 8th generation competitors?

[UncleBob]

broodwars already said it.  Nintendo games.  But if you're not excited about 2D Mario, Pikmin and games like Nintendo Land - not to mention knowing that you're going to get a great quantity of games from Nintendo like we've gotten on every single other Nintendo system (outside of the Virtual Boy) - and you're not interested in the GamePad, then there's no reason to get a Wii U.  Nintendo's changed, you've changed, relationships change, couples grow apart and move on.  Maybe it's time for you to move on.

[NWR_insanolord]

Still, I'm personally probably never going to need more than the 8GB because I'm not downloading anything but patches and firmware updates.

That still might not be enough, because I know from experience on the PS3 that patches can frequently be hundreds of megabytes in size, or even gigabytes in size. The worst example I can recall from memory was the patch for Battlefield Bad Company 2 which was like 2 gigabytes or something like that. The reason the patch was so huge is because EA bundles their DLC in with it, so even if you have zero interest in buying that DLC you still have to download it anyway just to be compatible with the other players who might have it.

Do you see what I'm saying? When you start dealing with patches that are hundreds of megs or 1 or 2 gigabytes then that 8gb is going to be eroded real fast, because even if you don't buy DLC its going to be required for you to download it anyway for compatibility reasons.

This does make me wonder if Nintendo will stick to their usual policy on whether to allow third parties to patch their games.  Will that relax that restriction for Wii U, or given the small size will they still enforce that policy?  That alone would probably be a deterrent for some developers. 

Nintendo changed their policy recently. We've already seen one third party 3DS game patched, and I think several more are in the pipeline.

[Chozo Ghost]

broodwars already said it.  Nintendo games.  But if you're not excited about 2D Mario, Pikmin and games like Nintendo Land - not to mention knowing that you're going to get a great quantity of games from Nintendo like we've gotten on every single other Nintendo system (outside of the Virtual Boy) - and you're not interested in the GamePad, then there's no reason to get a Wii U.  Nintendo's changed, you've changed, relationships change, couples grow apart and move on.  Maybe it's time for you to move on.

The relationship could be made to work. All it would take is a little compromise...