Wii U for Dummies?

[AzBat]

My wife has always been a Nintendo fan. We currently only have the GameCube, but she is starting to get interested in Wii, Wii U & Switch. Had an older gentleman(probably 50+, we're in our 40's) at Walmart talk to us how he got into Switch just for Zelda Breath of the Wild. His last console was the Nintendo 64 when it first came out. Anyway, almost convinced my wife to get the Switch for Christmas but she decided she wanted to get one now, but didn't want the Switch yet because she wanted to keep the price low(under $200). So I'm looking into getting her a used/refurbished Wii U via eBay or our local shops GameStop or GameXchange. This way she can also play any Wii games she missed(Mario, Zelda & Animal Crossing).

Anyway, I have a lot of dummy questions...

I'm confused on the 8gb/Basic vs 32gb/Deluxe SKUs. Are there any other differences other than color & internal storage?

How does storage expansion work? Does it support both SD card & USB devices?

Also are all games available digitally? How does the DRM work? Are they tied to an account, console or both?

Can disc games be installed to storage? Do they require the disc to play?

Does the system require something like a GamerTag? If so, does that account follow you to the Switch?

Is there a Live Gold subscription equivalent?

How do pay for digital content? Can I link PayPal?

Are there any NES, SNES or GameCube games available for sale digitally from Nintendo? Can they follow you to the Switch?

Are there cross-saves for games that are on both the Switch & Wii U?

How's the media services like Netflix, etc work compared to Xbox One's apps? Which ones are available? Can they be played on the tablet?

I might have more questions later.

Tommy McClain

 

[Rikimaru]

Deluxe SKU also has vertical stand. https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012...c-and-deluxe-differences-outlined-by-nintendo
DRM tied to both.
Games only on USB, but I'm using microsd to USB adapter.
Disc games could no be installed, and drive is quite noisy.

 

[AzBat]

Deluxe SKU also has vertical stand. https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012...c-and-deluxe-differences-outlined-by-nintendo
DRM tied to both.
Games only on USB, but I'm using microsd to USB adapter.
Disc games could no be installed, and drive is quite noisy.

Thanks for the link. That helped a lot. Wife really wanted the white one. Figured I could add a 32gb SD card to give me the same functionality as the black version. The stands are probably worth it.

Games only on USB? Confused on why the SD card reader is included then? Just game saves?

How is the pricing on digital games? Really loathe physical media. Haven't bought or played a physical game in about 3 years.

Tommy McClain

 

[BRiT]

I think the WiiU digital games are tied to the hardware and NOT your "gamertag". I don't know if that's for their "VirtualConsole" only or main console WiiU games too. If it Is, then that is annoying enough that I'd look into "modded" WiiU to be able to launch the games from USB Drives or sdxc cards.

 

[Reznor007]

Games only on USB? Confused on why the SD card reader is included then? Just game saves?

How is the pricing on digital games? Really loathe physical media. Haven't bought or played a physical game in about 3 years.

SD card is for games that let you save screenshots or similar stuff. Also for back compat with original Wii.

Pricing on digital is mostly retail price. Most games are available as digital, with some exceptions such as Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival(requires amiibo included with physical game). Some "retail" games are digital only such as the latest Fatal Frame game, and there are also some smaller Nintendo releases like NES Remix or Pushmo World(great puzzle game). Games that are in the Nintendo Selects line are often popular games that have dropped to $20. Quite a bit of indy available as well.

WiiU has NES, SNES, N64, GBA, DS, TG16 games available digitally through the virtual console service for $5-10 usually.

Games are DRM tied to your system.

No online fees, and there is a Nintendo Network ID system for online username/etc.

Not sure about Paypal support, I just use my debit card. Stores carry Eshop prepaid cards as well.

No cross saves for WiiU->Switch as of yet.

WiiU has Netflix, Amazon(if I remember right), Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll that I know of, possibly more. They can be used on the tablet just fine.

I have a USB hard drive that I use with my mine, and went 100% digital for WiiU.

 

[AzBat]

Thanks for the replies guys. Sounding like the 32gb model is the best value. It also sounds comparable to what I'm used to as far as the logistics of the games & ecosystem. Will probably need to invest in some USB storage though. I think most of my questions were answered but going to go over with the wife to see if there is anything else that needs answered. I'm sure I will be back. Thanks again for the help!

Tommy McClain

 

[shredenvain]

Thanks for the replies guys. Sounding like the 32gb model is the best value. It also sounds comparable to what I'm used to as far as the logistics of the games & ecosystem. Will probably need to invest in some USB storage though. I think most of my questions were answered but going to go over with the wife to see if there is anything else that needs answered. I'm sure I will be back. Thanks again for the help!

Tommy McClain

I picked up a used Wii U deluxe in black in February of 2016. At the time I got it mainly for Windwaker HD. So far I haven't had to add any external storage for games. I have digital versions of Windwaker and the metroid prime trilogy as well as fast racing neo. With those titles and some virtual console Zelda's I still have a little more than half of the 32gbs left.

I own both twilight princess and breath of the wild on disc and to me the drive isn't noisy to the point of distraction.
My only issue is the way certain apps like YouTube work with the tablet remote. It only allows video selection on the tablet while the video plays on the screen.

 

[AzBat]

I picked up a used Wii U deluxe in black in February of 2016. At the time I got it mainly for Windwaker HD. So far I haven't had to add any external storage for games. I have digital versions of Windwaker and the metroid prime trilogy as well as fast racing neo. With those titles and some virtual console Zelda's I still have a little more than half of the 32gbs left.

I own both twilight princess and breath of the wild on disc and to me the drive isn't noisy to the point of distraction.
My only issue is the way certain apps like YouTube work with the tablet remote. It only allows video selection on the tablet while the video plays on the screen.

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like external storage may not be that necessary. Wouldn't expect my wife to have very many games either.

As for the drive, never had any issues with noise on any of my devices. So I doubt I would care about the Wii U. My main problem is with discs & having to find them & insert them. So the convenience of digital is more important to me than drive noise.

So the YouTube all wontvplay videos on the tablet? That's a bummer. Could you get around the limitation by playing them on the tablet via a web browser? Does it even have a web browser?

Tommy McClain

 

[Reznor007]

YouTube does play video on the tablet just fine. I used it that way last week. We participate in a power savings program during the summer so we don't use the TV until 7pm, and often during that time I'll watch YouTube or Netflix on the gamepad only.

And yeah Wiiu has a web browser. Even has an amusing feature that lets you hide the web page behind a curtain on the TV while you get a page ready on the tablet, then reveal it on the TV for others to see.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Surely there are other devices (tablets) way better suited to YouTube than the Wuublet? It's big, clunky, and very low res.

 

[Goodtwin]

Surely there are other devices (tablets) way better suited to YouTube than the Wuublet? It's big, clunky, and very low res.

Sure, but if its the device you have its perfectly functional. The 480p screen actually looks better than you would think. Because it is such a small screen the pixel density is pretty decent. I have used my Wii U for nearly 200 hours as a web browser. The Youtube app is ok, but I actually like using Youtube in the web browser more.

 

[Rangers]

I mean the Wii U may not be the best console ever but calling it's users "dummies" seems a bit harsh!

Oh, wait.

 

[AzBat]

YouTube does play video on the tablet just fine. I used it that way last week. We participate in a power savings program during the summer so we don't use the TV until 7pm, and often during that time I'll watch YouTube or Netflix on the gamepad only.

And yeah Wiiu has a web browser. Even has an amusing feature that lets you hide the web page behind a curtain on the TV while you get a page ready on the tablet, then reveal it on the TV for others to see.

LOL that's interesting. So it's not totally useless outside of games. Thanks for the reply!

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

Surely there are other devices (tablets) way better suited to YouTube than the Wuublet? It's big, clunky, and very low res.

What Goodtwin said. I'm interested in it's functionality. Not saying I'd use it, but it's there if I need it.

Tommy McClain

 

[Reznor007]

Another often unmentioned feature is that the system includes a video chat app so you can talk to people on your friends list. The gamepad has a camera centered above the screen,along with a microphone. I never tried it with anyone so I'm not sure what the quality is like, but it's there.

 

[shredenvain]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like external storage may not be that necessary. Wouldn't expect my wife to have very many games either.

As for the drive, never had any issues with noise on any of my devices. So I doubt I would care about the Wii U. My main problem is with discs & having to find them & insert them. So the convenience of digital is more important to me than drive noise.

So the YouTube all wontvplay videos on the tablet? That's a bummer. Could you get around the limitation by playing them on the tablet via a web browser? Does it even have a web browser?

Tommy McClain

Sorry it took me a while to respond. The YouTube problem with the wiiu is that if you are watching videos in the living room with family or friends only the YouTube logo shows on the TV until you play a video. So the person holding the wiiumote is the only one that can see the video que lists.

 

[cal_guy]

YouTube does play video on the tablet just fine. I used it that way last week. We participate in a power savings program during the summer so we don't use the TV until 7pm, and often during that time I'll watch YouTube or Netflix on the gamepad only.

And yeah Wiiu has a web browser. Even has an amusing feature that lets you hide the web page behind a curtain on the TV while you get a page ready on the tablet, then reveal it on the TV for others to see.

Your not likely saving much electricity using your Wii U rather than using your TV. You'll save a lot more electricity if you got a real tablet.

 

[Reznor007]

WiiU's max power consumption is 35w in game. Using a video app is probably less. My TV is 250w+ Sure, a tablet uses less, but buying a half decent tablet merely for that purpose wouldn't be sensible when I already have the WiiU. Plus once Switch gets streaming apps, I can drop that last 35w anyway.

 

[orangpelupa]

Btw nodded wii u also works just fine online right?

So if later on you've got any problem with it, there's an option to mod it

 

[AzBat]

My thread so I can necro if I want. LOL

Never did buy the Wii U. But my wife just bought a used original Wii with 7 games for $60.

Too bad Nintendo closed all the Wii & Wii U digital stores. Now I need to find some physical games for the wife & kids so they will leave me Series X alone.

I suspect in 15 years we will finally get a Switch. LOL

Anyway, we're looking at some of these:

• Animal Crossing: City Folk
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Mario Kart Wii
• Mario Party 8 or 9
• New Super Mario Bros Wii
• Super Mario Galaxy 1 or 2
• Super Smash Bros Brawl
• Wii Sports - how this one wasn't one of the 7 games we got I have no idea LOL, it did come with Wii Play though

Any other suggestions?

No Pokemon or multiplatform games please. Kids are 5 & 7. We did get Just Dance 2 & Michael Jackson Experience. Not sure if there are any better dance games.

Tommy McClain