Iwata Explains Wii U Storage and Hard Drive

Nintendo of Japan have uploaded a new Nintendo Direct presentation to outline the Wii U's storage solutions and premium features.

The Wii U's storage had been highlighted in the news recently - SD cards for download purchases are out, and USB hard-drives are the way forward for Nintendo's new console.

Today company boss Satoru Iwata described the USB solution in more detail. Players can only use a single external hard-drive at one time (at launch), with up to 2TB per drive available. There are plans to support simultaneous drives with data exchange in the future however.

When connecting for the first time, the Wii U formats the device to its own file system so you won't be able to read the data on a PC for example. Nintendo are also recommending Y cables (split USBs) or an AC adapter for additional power - especially with the larger capacities.

What about SD cards?

Iwata confirmed what C3 readers had thought - it can hold Wii Virtual Console, WiiWare and Wii saves but no Wii U save data or games.

Iwata also outlined the Nintendo Network Premium, reiterating the additional incentives for available to account holders - earn 10% back on purchases, with points redeemable on virtual console and eShop software.