Wii U spring update now live, promises to speed up software load times

Wii U spring update now live, promises to speed up software load times

Owning a Wii U can feel like an exercise in patience: games and apps can take up to 30 seconds to load, and downloaded software needs to be manually installed. Thankfully, Nintendo heard its fans lamentations, and has issued the first of two major updates designed to mitigate the problem. In addition to dramatically speeding up software load times, the update revises how the Wii U handles downloads and installs. Rather than manually having to install software, the system will automatically update, download and unwrap patches in the background, even if the console is powered down. The system update also puts the finishing touches on the Wii U Virtual Console, which is promised to launch officially in the coming days. Nintendo's old VC can be accessed a little quicker now, too, as the update now allows users to jump directly into the sandboxed Wii ecosystem by holding the B button during start up. All in all, a pretty solid update to a system that needs a little fixing. Check out the full list of changes after the break.

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Nintendo Wii U’s spring update, Panorama View arrive next week

Nintendo Wii U's spring update arrives next week

Nintendo's Wii U game console is getting its promised spring update next week, said company president Satoru Iwata in a Luigi-filled video presentation this morning. The update is said to launch software dramatically faster than before, as Nintendo demonstrated in a video last month. Iwata also said the update adds continuable downloads while the console is off, and that Virtual Console won't arrive until the following week -- should you wish to directly launch into the Wii menu, you'll be able to hold down the B button as the console is starting up.

That said, if you wanna play those VC games directly from the Wii U menu, you'll need to re-buy them for $1 apiece for NES games and $1.50 for SNES games. A variety of games were shown off as available at the Virtual Console's launch, including classics like Super Mario World and Punch-Out! Apparently GameBoy Advance and Nintendo 64 games are planned for inclusion on the VC in the coming months, but no definitive date was given. He also said Panorama View will arrive next week for free, and it sounds like it'll be a separate download from the software update.

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Source: Nintendo Direct

PSA: Nintendo TVii now live on Wii U in North America, no download required

Nintendo TVii is now available on Wii Us in North America, arriving right on time with Nintendo's 24-hour window of "December 20." The service -- which promises to unify the console's disparate media services under a single application, dubbed "TVii" -- doesn't yet support the promised TiVo or Netflix integration it was announced with, but the former is said to arrive in January, while the latter is expected in "early 2013." To start using it, just turn on your Wii U and select Nintendo TVii -- if you're already all up in Acorn Plains with your Raccoon Suit on, just head into the Home menu. Also, maybe take off that Raccoon Suit you're wearing before the family gets home.

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Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times

Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times

The Wii U launch didn't go quite as smoothly as consumers would've liked, with a major update to sit through right after unboxing, and support for various video streaming services absent on day one. Well, head honcho at Nintendo Satoru Iwata has taken to YouTube and announced from his cream studio that the next system update is due late December. It's primarily being pushed out to improve the frustratingly slow software loading times on the new console -- an issue we highlighted in our review. Iwata only makes a fleeting appearance at the beginning of the video before it moves on to talking up the latest Dragon Quest iteration, but if you've got a decent knowledge of Japanese, the embed awaits you below.

Continue reading Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times

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Source: GoNintendo

PlayStation Plus cloud storage boost landing ‘soon’ with system update v4.25

If you've been sat impatiently tapping your fingers on the desk waiting for that extra PlayStation Plus storage, then you might want to give that hand a break. According to the PlayStation blog, it's coming, and soon. The capacity bump will come in PS3 system update v4.25, and once installed, you'll just need to head over to the Saved Data Utility under the XMB's Game column to see it. Our friends over at Joystiq have pushed Sony for a more concrete time on the update's release, but if you've already maxed out that current 150MB, there's light at the end of the cloud tunnel.

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PlayStation Plus cloud storage boost landing 'soon' with system update v4.25 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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