Topic: Wii U External Hard Drive Compatibility

Hey guys, I am needing to get an external hard drive for my Wii U soon seeing as it only has 1GB on it remaining. I'm thinking about getting an external hard drive that has only 80GB. The drive is USB 2.0 but do you guys think it will work? Here is a link to it on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Storite-FAT32-Portable-External-Drive/d...

I believe one of the stipulations is it has to be a drive that plugs into the wall for its own power as the Wii U doesn't supply enough through its USB connections. That is what I have read at least.

It appears the one you have linked doesn't do that.

Here is a link to just the external drive section there:
http://www.newegg.com/Desktop-External-Hard-Drives/SubCategor...

EDIT: Ah, that is a vendor link on the first one there. Not buying from Newegg. Removing that one.

It has to be self powered, and you're also going to need a Y-Cable

Ohh I see. Thanks that makes a lot of sense.

Or you can use a powered USB hub. Also 80GB drives aren't that easy to come by in my neck of the woods - is a 500GB too expensive an option?

My external hard drive is not self powered, but does use a Y-cable.

It's the Western Digital (WD) Passport 320GB, its quite old now though.

One last question. So let me get this straight, the external hard drive does not need a power supply as long as there is a y-cable. Will the y cable supply enough power so that the games can run off of the hard drive?

@LegoNintendo
If the external hard drive does not have an external power source (AC Adapter), then you will need a Y-cable for it to work. Personally I think getting a hard drive without an external power source is better since they're generally cheaper and Y-cables are pretty cheap.

Y-cable or powered hub. If you're looking in shops, I think you'll find that y-cables are pretty scarce, but powered USB hubs are pretty easy to find.

Yes you can play Wii U games off installed on the Hard Drive just by a Y-Cable no problem!

Does USB 3.0 work well with the Wii U?

Doesn't work at all (Reverts back to 2.0) and what can be problematic is some usb 3.0 drives expect to be able to draw more than can be taken from 2 ports via usb 2.0 which means in that instance a y-cable cannot be used (Needs either to be mains powered itself or to use a powered hub).

I think I'd use a powered hub with a USB 3.0 just to avoid the y-cables which can only be ordered online and very likely from China rather than using the cable that comes with it. Having said that the Seagate portable I have for backups works just fine via a y-cable.

I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005J7YBRW/ref=oh_aui_detai...
with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W8EDOM/ref=oh_aui_detai...

This is what I have
Drive http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAS8AA0/ref=twister_B00EHFJGW2?_e...
Y cable http://www.amazon.com/Power-Shape-Micro-SuperSpeed-Cable/dp/B...
They've been working fine with no trouble for about a year now, and my WiiU gets alot of use.

This is incorrect. It has to have its own power source or you'll need a y-cable. It never needs both.

Also, a powered USB hub is an option, and may be the most attractive considering price, availability, and utility.

I assumed Amiibo meant USB-powered, i.e., didn't need an external power source, but yeah, it's a bit confusing anyway! I'm going to work up a doc for my blog on the topic, because it's not that clear cut; especially when you're thinking about backups.