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Why is Netflix on Wii U awful?

The Horror the horror

The Horror the horror

Banned
Been continuing with my 24-marathon, and I've noticed that watching it on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. That was until I learned that watching any Netflix show on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. To be specific, the shows re-stream every 5-10 minutes and freezes at 25%, usually with an error message that pops up after a minute of being stuck at 25%. This hasn't been a problem on my PS3 or my laptop.

Has anyone else's Netflix experience on the Wii U been less than grand lately?
 
B

balohna

Member
It's been fine for me. I mostly stream on PS3, but used my Wii U a few times to try it out. I really like having the controls and descriptions on the gamepad, and being able to see the time slider at all times.
 
G

GamerJM

Banned
In my experience it worked fine, no buffering or loading hiccups. And being able to go back and fourth between Gamepad and the TV is great.
 
G

gloone

Member
I never had any problems with Netflix on the Wii U. Works really good for me and it's sweet to be able to switch the video to the gamepad with just a button press.
 
S

Sendou

Member
PS3 is the superior Netflix machine. I can use my regular TV remote with no hassle (don't want gaming console controller getting all nasty). Otherwise I guess you could setup Netflix for kids to watch via GamePad if they have low standards (if you have no iPads might be closer to the truth).
 
T

Timeaisis

Member
I never use netflix on either my Wii U or PS4 because they are both terrible. Has to re-load every 20 minutes, usually stops at 25%, and the picture quality is always jumping around.

So yeah, it's pretty crappy.

Luckily, PS3 netflix is great and I've had zero problems with it.
 
B

Byronic Hero

Member
Netflix apparently hates having any kind of consistency on all of the devices it can be installed on. My biggest problem with it is that you are unable to switch users. I'm stuck under my brother's account whenever I want to use Netflix on my Wii U. I've resorted to using my PS3 for Netflix and my Wii U for Hulu Plus.
 
B

Bulzeeb

Member
The Horror the horror said:
Been continuing with my 24-marathon, and I've noticed that watching it on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. That was until I learned that watching any Netflix show on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. To be specific, the shows re-stream every 5-10 minutes and freezes at 25%, usually with an error message that pops up after a minute of being stuck at 25%. This hasn't been a problem on my PS3 or my laptop.

Has anyone else's Netflix experience on the Wii U been less than grand lately?
Click to expand...

I've had the 25% stuck problem before, I usually need to close the app and try again, there was one time when i needed to reboot the console. I haven't had anything like this using streaming services through the web browser
 
The Horror the horror

The Horror the horror

Banned
balohna said:
It's been fine for me. I mostly stream on PS3, but used my Wii U a few times to try it out. I really like having the controls and descriptions on the gamepad, and being able to see the time slider at all times.
Click to expand...

Really? At first I thought it was the program or my Internet speed, but then discovered that shows would stream flawlessly on the PS3. None of the hiccups that plague the Wii U.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
I've had no issues with Netflix on the Wii U.

In fact, I actually tend to get BETTER performance and less buffering on the Wii U as opposed to my PC. Both are hooked up to the exact same screen, but I usually switch to the Wii U because it performs better.

The one thing I absolutely can't stand about the Wii U netflix app is that you can't control it with the WiiMote :(
 
stuminus3

stuminus3

Member
Ha, on the other hand, the Wii U is the only device in my house (except for my gaming PC, which is wired directly to my router) that will consistently play Netflix at a high quality.

I wish they'd update the app so it looked more like the PS3 one, though. And it's crazy that you can't turn the pad off while you watch without making the video stop playing.
 
F

flatearthpandas

Member
Because Netflix isn't updating it or really supporting it. There are also no plans to bring the profile feature to the Wii U app, last I heard. I've noticed this issue as well. You have to close the app and reopen it to fix it.

It's a real shame because if it was kept up-to-date it would be hands-down the best Netflix interface available.
 
V

Vilix

Unconfirmed Member
The Horror the horror said:
Been continuing with my 24-marathon, and I've noticed that watching it on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. That was until I learned that watching any Netflix show on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. To be specific, the shows re-stream every 5-10 minutes and freezes at 25%, usually with an error message that pops up after a minute of being stuck at 25%. This hasn't been a problem on my PS3 or my laptop.

Has anyone else's Netflix experience on the Wii U been less than grand lately?
Click to expand...

I have almost the same problem on my 360. The shows at 25% of loading and locks up.
 
B

bobbychalkers

Member
It works 90% of the time for me, it used to be much worse thoug but they actually patched it not too long ago so it stopped freezing once you boot it up on some occasions. If they actually patched in the most current version it would probably be my favorite player. The Hulu player on the other hand is complete, utter shit. Buffers, random freezes etc. I've contemplated cancelling my account multiple times over it.
 
T

TalonJH

Member
Probably because they're responsible for their own apps and they haven't put as much time into the Wii U's because they felt like it wasn't a priority compared to the other platforms.
 
T

Tucah

you speak so well
Yeah, it's pretty awful. It constantly buffers and although browsing on the gamepad is a nice option having no option to turn off the gamepad is pretty annoying. The PS3 app is still the best.
 
Z

zruben

Banned
The Horror the horror said:
Been continuing with my 24-marathon, and I've noticed that watching it on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. That was until I learned that watching any Netflix show on Wii U has been a pain in the ass. To be specific, the shows re-stream every 5-10 minutes and freezes at 25%, usually with an error message that pops up after a minute of being stuck at 25%. This hasn't been a problem on my PS3 or my laptop.

Has anyone else's Netflix experience on the Wii U been less than grand lately?
Click to expand...

the 25% is a common problem and it can happen in any platform. It's related to the Netflix servers and/or, the DNS settings of the device you're watching.

I know the nintendo threads are kinda harsh today, but... c'mon... Netflix? really?
 
S

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
Quick fix for that 25% stalling nonsense is to delete the Netflix userr data in the system settings (not the application itself). Will require you to relogin when you launch but will fix it...until a week later when it happens again.

The fact that it doesn't start up the next episode of a show automatically is annoying, makes me stick to streaming on XBOX and PC. I know, it doesn't take up too much energy to press "next episode"...but when Netflix binging, mustering up the energy to do anything is annoying.
 
J

Joseph Flemming

Member
I use to have issues with the WiiU Netflix app, but since the last update (Fall?) I havent had to much issues other than the standard Netflix hitch. I have Comcast, pay for extra speed...

I will say this, my speed has suspiciously picked up since the Netflix/Comcast deal was announced a couple weeks ago. Net Neutrality Failure?
 
Wiz

Wiz

Member
Worked great for me when I was watching Pokemon last weekend. I think it's a solid Netflix app.
 
S

Steve Youngblood

Member
Oh, it also used to lock up my system about 50% of the time upon initially loading the app. But that problem seems to have gone away as of one of the system updates over the summer.
 
F

Frodo

Member
Watched more than a few movies and series on Netflix on the Wii U and that never happened to me. I'd try deleting Netflix and installing it again.

But Netflix is usually bad throughout all platforms. It was causing PS4s to freeze at launch and I've heard it is also bad on X1. Don't know if it any platforg got a patch, but this is more related to the code Netflix uses than to Wii U. It is not like Nintendo themselves made the code for app, is it?
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
Sendou said:
PS3 is the superior Netflix machine. I can use my regular TV remote with no hassle (don't want gaming console controller getting all nasty). Otherwise I guess you could setup Netflix for kids to watch via GamePad if they have low standards (if you have no iPads might be closer to the truth).
Click to expand...
(The iPad Mini has the same pixel density as the gamepad. Just a heads up.)
 
L

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
I haven't had any problems with it. It does stick at 25% for about 10 seconds in the initial load the past two weeks or so, but once it's going, it's completely fine for me.

My only problem is that you need the gamepad on to use it, and when my stupid dog chewed through my charging cable, I was unable to watch Netflix for a week or so.
 
M

Miletius

Member
Netflix on Wii U works like a charm for me. Never have had any complaints, and it's even really nice to take the pad upstairs and continue watching.
 
U

Uncle00Jesse

Banned
Even since the update a few months ago, Netflix and YouTube work amazingly well. Better than any other platform because of the gamepad
 
R

Ricky 7

Member
Works fine for me, the one I have a problem with is the Xbox One Netflix app. I hate the layout and some episodes won't play at all but that might be more to do with the fact that I'm watching the American version on a UK console but I don't have this problem on my smart TV so I don't know. =/
 
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