Topic: Should Nintendo make a Wii U USB 4 port adapter?

During the SSBU 50 "adjective here" things video they showed a Gamecube adapter which requires 2 USB ports (black and gray, somebody please tell me why they are colored that way), and they recommended a Wii Ethernet adapter that plugs into a USB port for online, and not in the vid but they also want us to use an external HDD where they recommend a Y-cable which takes up 2 USB ports. 2+1+2 = 5, and the Wii U has 4 USB ports.

They make a lens cleaning kit (I did some research before I decided to post this forum thread) so why not a USB port extender/adpater whatever it's called?

https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/browse/subcategory.jsp?categor...

http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_...

Some bus-powered hard disc drives draw more current than the USB 2.0 specification and might not run stably, so we cannot guarantee that such devices will run properly on Wii U without the use of a supplemental power cable called a y-cable that draws power from two USB ports. For best results, we recommend using a external storage device with its own power supply that connects to the Wii U system via the USB port on the console.

They actually recommend using a HDD with its own power source. With a dedicated power source, the Y-cable is unnecessary.

So the 4 ports on a Wii U are enough for the Gamecube Controller adapter, the Ethernet adapter, and the HDD.

Really, when you buy an external, you should get one that can have a dedicated power source.

As a side note, I don't understand why Nintendo keeps recommending the Wii LAN adapter when they don't even sell it anymore.

I think you can use a USB powered hub, anyway. It doesn't matter what brand it it is. They recommend using a self-powered external HDD, but their support page also says a y-cable will work, and from my experience, the portable Toshiba(which requires a y-cable) worked better than the self powered Toshiba that they specifically recommended. With that, I say to each their own.

Taking up 2 USB ports via y-cable is probably the main reason why they recommend using a self-powered HDD in the first place.

Oh, I knew there was more, we also have our Skylanders Swap Force portal plugged in. And I'm pretty sure the new Trap Team portal requires a USB port as well though naturally we'll be unplugging the old portal. If I ever break down and get Disney Infinity 2.0 I'm guessing that portal would require a USB port as well. I bought a USB port extender for my PS3 - turned 1 into 3 - b/c of needing ports for the PS Eye, Skylanders Giants portal and charging the PS3 controllers.

I just think it would be nice if Nintendo took the Gamecube adapter box and switched out the 4 ports for USB ports. Or even if they just added 2 USB ports on the back or side of it. That would probably be the best solution. Would certainly make it easier than messing around trying to find those back 2 ports on my Wi U in the entertainment center, I can't pull it out far enough to see the back, have to do it all by feel.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Ya. The Xbox One only has 3 USB 3.0 plug-ins, and only one of them is on the side, but it has the LAN hookup in the back, which is what some people could use a USB port for the LAN adapter on Wii U.

Why not just use a powered USB hub if you need more USB ports?

can you try it and see if it works?

also i think they should, release a 4 port one that connects via y-cable, and has a Ethernet port on the end (unless someone can link me to such a thing) because as it stands i got a 500GB HDD plugged via y-cable in the back and my nyko Ethernet adaptor in the front, and if i wanna play Smash online I won't be able to use the GCN adaptor, unless I move everything from the system mem to the HDD and keep smash on the system mem and just not use the HDD when using the GCN adaptor, ughhh why only 4 plugs xD~

I plugged HDD to WiiU this way, so yes, it works.

I have a powered (i.e. from the wall) 4 port USB hub behind my Wii U. On it I have the Ethernet adapter and a single cable from a portable external HDD. So I have three spare ports behind my Wii U and I haven't had a single problem with it. You can grab these things from like the stationary section of your local shops.

They still sell those things here in the NL. They're horribly outdated and not even that fast though. Stable, maybe, but not fast. if you have an excellent wireless network you might as well use that instead.

You have absolutely zero idea what you're talking about. They're Fast Ethernet, 100Mbps full-duplex with all the low latency that Ethernet offers. Buy one and test it out if you don't believe me. Because I have and it is. Meanwhile the WiFi built in to the Wii U is only on the 2.4Ghz band and it's wireless N. So at most you're getting 70Mbps and I doubt you'll even get that. I don't know what sort of card the Wii U has built in beyond "2.4Ghz N", you could be N150 and limited to something closer to 30Mbps.

It is overpriced, by my estimate it should be at least $10AU cheaper than the $37AU RRP. But it's not "horribly outdated" and it's certainty fast enough. Faster by all measures than the default WiFi option at least. Plus unless you have 'nets better than 100Mbps any better than that is a waste. The only time you'll hammer it will be when you're downloading a game. You're not going to be running backups from or to your Wii U....