[SquiddyCracker]

Thanks to fellow gaffer Hobby for finding this in a translation of the Nintendo JP Wii U website:

Let me just re-translate that stuff so as to not cause confusion. This all comes from the JP Wii U site's Q&A section: Q. Can download software saved to USB media be played on another Wii U? A. No. Download software can only be used on 1 Wii U per 1 USB media. Q. Where is software that I purchased a download for saved to? A. Internal memory or USB media. Download software can't be saved to the SD card. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/suppo...are/index.html

Figured this needed a thread of its own as a lot of people were interested in just getting a large SD card to save their digital games on. You can still save downloaded software to external HDs and the internal storage (8GB for the regular Wii U, 32GB for the Wii U deluxe).

[TriGen]

Kind of weird, but I would imagine if you wanted to go heavy digital you would need more than an SD card.

[Wario64]

So why have a large SD card?

[amtentori]

downloaded software not tied to your nintendo account??? you can't login to your nintendo account on a new console to transfer your content there???

Oh ffs

[fabricated backlash]

Thanks to fellow gaffer Hobby for finding this in a translation of the Nintendo JP Wii U website: Figured this needed a thread of its own as a lot of people were interested in just getting a large SD card to save their digital games on. You can still save downloaded software to external HDs and the internal storage (8GB for the regular Wii U, 32GB for the Wii U deluxe).

So what's the SD slot for then? You can't Download stuff from the Browser anyway. Is it just for Wii stuff?

[Bomber Bob]

just use an usb sd card reader

[Kyoufu]

I'm not planning on using an SD card at all. USB HDD for me.

[Drago]

Pretty ridiculous

I was going to get a usb HDD eventually so this doesn't matter to me but it really sucks for those using SD. What a stupid limitation.

I guess using a usb sd reader is the only solution then

[Baconsammy]

It's stupid, but it doesn't really bother me since Nintendo is the last company right now I'd want to buy digitally from. They've got a lot to prove before I start doing that.

[RionaaM]

Nintendo, what's the reason for this? Why don't you let us choose where we prefer to store our games? Why the restrictions? This is good for nobody.

[H_Prestige]

That's some great DRM Nintendo. You'd think they'd offer something at least as good as PSN/XBL, but no, still living in the stone age. Won't be buying anything from the eShop.

[Sandfox]

downloaded software not tied to your nintendo account??? you can't login to your nintendo account on a new console to transfer your content there??? Oh ffs

He's saying that you can't take your HD over to your friends house a play a game off of it. This says nothing about downloading games onto another console.

[CrunchyFrog]

what about a usb sd card reader?

[SapientWolf]

Downloaded software can only be played on the Wii U it was originally bought from.

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

[Phazon]

Nintendo, what's the reason for this? Why don't you let us choose where we prefer to store our games? Why the restrictions? This is good for nobody.

Maybe because loading times on retail/digital games would be slooooow.

A lot of SD-cards don't have good read speeds, but almost every HDD does have nice speeds.

[CuboidFX]

That's some great DRM Nintendo. You'd think they'd offer something at least as good as PSN/XBL, but no, still living in the stone age. Won't be buying anything from the eShop.

How is this DRM?

[ChosenPredator]

Nintendo definitely giving themselves a hard grind with some people it's going to be even harder when the other two brothers decide to show up.

[Penguin]

Such an odd change since both the Wii and the 3DS allow it...

Wonder if the SD card is only for Wii stuff then?

[Ken]

Nintendo, what's the reason for this? Why don't you let us choose where we prefer to store our games? Why the restrictions? This is good for nobody.

It makes for "the best possible gaming experience."

[Wario64]

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

Carry your Wii U around. People will do it anyway since apparently you don't need a HDTV to play

[fabricated backlash]

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

Think again, I called this months ago. They'll introduce accounts and still tie the games to the hardware.

Classic Nintendo. They must work overtime to come up with shit like this.

[Foshy]

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

Yeah, that's the whole reason for having purchases bound to an account. Really sucks it this is true

[DreadPirateRoberts]

just use an usb sd card reader

I think the whole point of wanting to save games to a large SD card rather than a USB hard drive is just that it'd be cleaner, if you have to use a USB reader it kind of defeats the purpose (for me at least).

[Visualante2]

Hardware DRM

[Spieler Eins]

I won't go digital for any retail game, so I imagine that the premium WiiU storage should cover me okay for this gen.

[MikeE21286]

Why external HDDs and not SD. Seems weird.

[bryehn]

Why are they stepping backwards from even the 3DS? People can hack shit more easily via USB than an SD card if that's their problem.

Betcha this comes down to a 2-3 cent licencing fee per console.

[Aphallatosis]

HD yes, but SD no makes no sense, unless maybe they're worried about people buying really shitty SD cards that games will have problems running from.

[H_Prestige]

How is this DRM?

The part where you can only play downloaded games on the console they were bought from.

Not being able to store them on SD sucks too, since that would have solved the problem of having ugly hard drives sticking out of the system.

[Vic]

just use an usb sd card reader

.

[NateDrake]

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

It doesn't say that it doesn't work like that. Only you can't take the USB HDD and plug it into another Wii U and play it there -- like a friends Wii U. It's too vague to know how the accounts and everything will work.

[Baconsammy]

Wait what? They have accounts now but you can't play your digital games on other Wii Us? If true, **** you, Nintendo. That can't be true.

[tenchir]

what about a usb sd card reader?

I don't see why USB card reader wouldn't work. Does the Wii U format the ext HDD with their own propietary file system? That could be why SD slot is not supported since it will use FAT32.

[Nibel]

Every sane person would use the internal or USB storage, or am I wrong?

Yeah, SDcard-GAF is probably offended, but I hate them anyway - they think they are gaming's Pop-GAF

[Zee-Row]

I wish it was more like the Xbox 360 System where I can log my account into a friend's console and play one of my games on it and then once i log out it turns back into a demo.

[dwu8991]

what nintendo is doing is making you pay for all your games !

literally

[fabricated backlash]

It doesn't say that it doesn't work like that. Only you can't take the USB HDD and plug it into another Wii U and play it there -- like a friends Wii U. It's too vague to know how the accounts and everything will work.

You know, with Nintendo you simply never know. I'm still maintaining that downloads are bound to the original hardware. It's just that magical Nintendo flair.

[H_Prestige]

It doesn't say that it doesn't work like that. Only you can't take the USB HDD and plug it into another Wii U and play it there -- like a friends Wii U. It's too vague to know how the accounts and everything will work.

That's still lame. Doesn't the 360 let you do this?

[Wario64]

Every sane person would use the internal or USB storage, or am I wrong? Yeah, SDcard-GAF is probably offended, but I hate them anyway - they think they are gaming's Pop-GAF

You're not wrong but SD card is easier to carry your content around. But that's moot since downloaded content is only playable on the original console, lols


PS3 allows you to activate up to 2 consoles. X360 allows you to play your content on another X360 provided that you login to your XBL Gamertag.

Nintendo: carry your Wii U lulz

[antonz]

SD card probably provides the best chance of compromising the system so Nintendo is not taking any chances. That said if you plan to download heavily digitally would be stupid to want to use SD cards. 500GB hard drive in the $50-$60 range

[Sandfox]

Wait what? They have accounts now but you can't play your digital games on other Wii Us? If true, **** you, Nintendo. That can't be true.

If the games are tied to accounts you should be able to redownload them off the E-shop.

[SapientWolf]

It doesn't say that it doesn't work like that. Only you can't take the USB HDD and plug it into another Wii U and play it there -- like a friends Wii U. It's too vague to know how the accounts and everything will work.

That's what I meant. You can do exactly that with Steam and XBLA. I can take my games around on a portable USB and play on any machine after I log in.

[dwu8991]

Wait what? They have accounts now but you can't play your digital games on other Wii Us? If true, **** you, Nintendo. That can't be true.

True, you can't or won't be able to play on DD games on another wii u system

[Baconsammy]

That's still lame. Doesn't the 360 let you do this?

With the 360 I just copy a game to a thumb drive along with my profile and then I can play that game on any 360 I feel like.

If the games are tied to accounts you should be able to redownload them off the E-shop.

Then what? When I go home I'll need to download it again? What's the point of forcing portable storage if you cant actually use it effectively? Nintendo.

[kami_sama]

Well, I don't think it's going to be only on one console. I think it's more like having a key file on the game install that is for one console. You would be able to download the game on another console, but the key file wouldn't be the same, so you can't transfer installs between systems.

[Plinko]

This sounds like the bigger story. I thought that your content would be portable if you could authenticate with your account. That's how XBLA and Steam work.

Nintendo allowed you to transfer your stuff to a new Wii and currently allows you to move it to a new 3DS. I highly doubt they wouldn't let you transfer it to a new Wii U. To assume so when the 3DS is doing otherwise is asinine.

Edit: Why I replied to your post is beyond me. That was meant to reply to somebody who implied that you couldn't move it to a new Wii U.

[cloudyy]

Wait what? They have accounts now but you can't play your digital games on other Wii Us? If true, **** you, Nintendo. That can't be true.

People were really expecting this? haha, I can't see nintendo letting you "sharing" accounts over multiple consoles like on psn.

[NateDrake]

That's what I meant. You can do exactly that with Steam and XBLA. I can take my games around on a portable USB and play on any machine after I log in.

We need more details on the account system. You may be able to log in on another Wii U and play your content. Something we need to wait on.

[Crewnh]

If the games are tied to accounts you should be able to redownload them off the E-shop.

Brb, going to download 17GB Tekken Tag Tournament 2 at friends house.

[Instro]

Well not being able to move your HDD around to plug and play with any WiiU is not an issue, the question is whether or not you can log into your account and download them to another WiiU to play.