Wii U storage expansion?

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  wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww on 30/12/2021 - 13:00

  You could probably buy an external HDD enclosure & add your own 1-2TB HDD

  Example of enclosure
  https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/hard-drives-&-ssds/enclo…

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  vccox on 30/12/2021 - 13:10

  I was wondering about that but Centrecom said it's probably not a good idea…not sure why?

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  spackbace on 30/12/2021 - 13:29

  https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/expanded-storage-for-your-wii-…

  Using a USB Flash Drive With Your Wii U
  Your first external storage option for the Wii U is a standard flash drive. These are available online relatively cheaply, and can double your Wii U's storage with little effort. It seems like a natural choice, so what's the catch?

  As it turns out, Nintendo recommends against using a USB flash drive for your Wii U. Because these devices have a limited number of read/write cycles before they wear out, they're not designed for regular use like a game requires. A flash drive, especially a cheap one, could die and result in lost data.

  So, while your existing flash drives will work with your Wii U, it isn't recommended. In other words, use them at your own risk.

  I'd say that's a pretty BS excuse, considering the cheap cost of USB storage these days. USB drive would be my choice, unless you really care about game saves and can't redownload the game that's installed on there

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  Guybrush57 on 30/12/2021 - 13:54

  +1

  You only need AC power for 3.5" external HDDs. You can get a 2.5" external HDD up to 2TB (off the shelf or build your own by putting a 2.5" HDD into a 2.5" enclosure) then use a Y-splitter USB cable. This cable plugs into your 2.5" HDD then splits into two USB connectors which you will plug in to two USB ports on your Wii U.

  One connector supplies data + power. The other connector is for extra power. This should ensure the 2.5" HDD gets enough juice to run.

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  FireRunner on 30/12/2021 - 13:54

  +1

  You don't need to use externally powered drive for a Wii U. However, a normal HDD will draw too much power for a single Wii U USB port.
  You'll need something like this Y-Splitter USB cable so you can draw power from two USB ports
  I've also used a USB flash drive for a while without issue (changed to a hard drive when I needed more storage)
  Also found an SSD in an enclosure doesn't need the Y-power splitter cable but it's serious overkill since the Wii U's USB ports are all USB 2.0

  • 

    meeowth on 30/12/2021 - 14:03

    +2

    FireRunner is correct, I use an internal SSD drive in an enclosure and a Y-cable to make sure the wiiu ports supply enough power. You can get lucky and not need a y-cable, but lots of SSDs need a little over the 500mA of power that a single wiiu usb port provides.

    You can ignore the warnings against using SSDs, modern ones are good enough for PCs, they are good enough for a WiiU.

    A thumb drive on the other hand I would advise against. A decent thumb drive would cost more than an internal + enclosure setup

    • 

      FireRunner on 30/12/2021 - 14:19

      +3

      Depends what capacity OP wants, 256GB or less a flash drive would probably be the cheapest option.
      Could get a 1TB or 2TB external hard drive for $58 or $69 respectively + the y-splitter cable for large capacity storage
      Or if there's an unused HDD or SSD lying around, then an enclosure + y-splitter cable would be the cheapest option

      • 

        meeowth on 30/12/2021 - 14:27

        +1

        I find a lot of consoles rejecting the cheaper 64-256 flash drives that popup on OzB, they see the horrible write speed and assume the drive is faulty. Even when the drive is on an informal compatibility list post on a forum. I might be unlucky though