You'll Need To Update Your Wii U To Play Wii Games

Well, it's not as if the discs don't have plenty of space on them to include the update.

My only concern is they said that you can only play VC content in Wii mode which means the Pro Controller won't be compatible with any of the older VC titles.

I think this is a clever tactic from Nintendo to get people to set up their console to the internet. With the Wii there was a huge amount off Wii's that were not connected to WiiConnect24. Plus there is no excuse for people in 2012 to not have wifi.

They should include the most recent OS update in every bluray-like Wii U disc. As they did in DVD-like Wii discs.

If you buy Wii U next year it will have a more recent OS update built-in, as it happened in the newer Wiis.

I used to take my wii to a friends house to get Internet to download games years ago. Dark days for anyone living where no wifi signal is accessible with a brand new HD game console in this age otherwise you're stacking wii's and switching the a/v cable to change from Nintendo land to your Mario Galaxy file, wowsers.

@childofacid You're living in a huge fantasy world if you think everybody has access to good WiFi...and then proceed to blaming them(when in many areas it just still can't be helped)? Wow...

Now to access Miiverse and all that(key features that will heavily use Internet, if not be revolved around it) an update makes much more sense, but just so you can play your Wii games on it? Ridiculous, tbh. Luckily some might be keeping their old Wiis.

Except for people like @Chriis here who is living in the dark ages while he talks to us on the internet, this shouldn't be a big deal. I doubt it's a big file size. Just set up the internet, download the update (do it overnight if it's so slow) and then turn the internet back up. It cannot be that difficult.

I'm keeping my Wii, so not like this matters at all.

@Chriiis Maybe that was a presumptous fallacy on my part but I still stand by my opinion.

@iphys You have a time machine to travel back in time and include a Wii U firmware update on all old Wii disks?

I can't wait. Updating on day 1 isn't an issue for me since I had to do that with the 3DS. Besides...I like waiting for the Update bar to fill up. It's made me feel happy since the 3DS updates that added Video Recording, Swapnote, and Folders.

Obviously not everyone in the World has Wifi access (my granny for example) but the vast majority of people who are interested in purchasing a Wii U are more than likely to have it.

It is 2012 after all

Woooow, this is so bad. Nintendo has really fouled up the Wii U launch.

@kyuubikid213 The 3DS folders update was the best. Oh the clutter of my small pre-folder updated, pre-XL bottom screen.

With the Wii, I didn't have internet access a tone point. I bought a newer game, and it told me I needed an update. I didn't bother thinking of the fact I had no internet, and clicked it. It updated. The casual crowd without wi-fi will just click it anyway, and everyone else probably has wi-fi.
EDIT: after reading, I thought that it wasn't clear enough I meant you don't necessarily need internet, not that Wii games will magically have Wii U updates on them. So they could load an ad for a disk, and the casual crowd won't bother thinking "I don't have internet" for any updates when they put in the magic disks of bettering.

@Mahe

Thats a little over the top isnt it? people are buying the Wii U to play Wii U games not Wii Games that they've been able to play for the last 6 years anyway

edit: unless you were being sarcasitic in which case I apologise

@Marios-love-child

I think it's safe to assume that was sarcasm.

@McHaggis

Its never safe to assume anything round here lol

I don't belive that discs will not have updates in them. They know the majority of people don't have the time to go online even with their computers.
They are just not telling that.

Wait.
What.
I still don't have home internet due to the placement of my home in an oak forest in a rural town.
...

My landlord won't permit me getting internet. They would need to drill a couple of holes in the house. So she forbids it.
I am without internet unless I'm at my local library.

so no, there is no excuse for you too assume that everyone should have internet.

@Red_Kinetic

Can you not get internet through your landline telephone?

Historically Nintendo have done all they can to prevent consumers in the minority from being left out. Several games for the Wii contained some form of update for the system, I believe that key titles such as NSMBU and Nintendo Land will come with any required updates, however that is just an educated guess.

all I have is a terrible cell phone. no landline phone, no cable TV, no internet.

with all due respect then there isnt much point in owning a Wii U (or any modern console for that matter)

@childofacid I just find it odd to force people to connect to use something that should be out of the box; even if they want to encourage Internet use, Internet features like Miiverse isn't an issue to have to update for, something like backwards compatibility shouldn't need it.

I didn't mean it to come across as a personal attack, just a general statement; you just happened to bring up what I'm making a point at.

@XCWarrior I've been making posts through my cell, not a computer if that's what you were implying.

All the other features were ones that needed internet, so it didn't matter so much if you didn't have the internet needed to update. But this isn't good at all.

@QyetCapri Yeah, I'm in the same situation but my parents have to pay monthly for a certain amount of bandwidth each day(600 mb I believe). But sadly we don't have nearly enough to watch a lot of videos or anything. Just to check e-mail, nintendo life, facebook, etc.

No big deal to me. I don't think this hurts Nintendo at all personally. Most people do have wifi of some sort, and if they don't, they would be missing out on alot the WIi U has to offer anyway.
Hopefully this makes things more difficult for pirates too.

@Marios-love-child Actually with none of the things Red mentioned above, wouldn't you want a game console(Wii U)?

@Chriiis

I suppose you would need some form of entertainment yes

I didnt mean it to come across as sounding hash, I just simply ment that all Modern Consoles now require a decent internet connection to get full use of the features and benifits that they offer.

Pretty standard stuff in this day & age

Without internet access there isnt much point in having one IMO

Also if you can afford to buy a Wii U surely you can afford decent internet access

So basically all that comes on the Wii U when you get it is the ability to play Wii U games and perform an update?

This is surprising. I'm also a bit put out by having to launch a Wii app for compatibility. It's a long drop from pipe dream hopes about a resolution bump on the old Wii games.

Basically, though, if you have a bunch of Wii games and no Internet, keep the Wii around!

There's still no NIC or ethernet port, correct? Besides large swaths of middle America still not having access to broadband - that's America's fault, not the individuals - there are I'm sure still people without Wi-Fi or people for whom their home wi-fi connections doesn't cover every square of their home. My parents wi-fi never reached their Wii and my connection was very faint. The online Miiverse stuff makes sense for a wi-fi update but Wii game play really needs to be out-of-the-box, or at the very least on the Nintendo Land and SMBU (I'm just not calling them "new" anymore) discs.

No wonder their E3 showing was a lackluster, Nintendo is a mess with their 3DS and now WiiU launches.

I believe this already happened with wii games on the wii

@Marios-love-child It's not only about being able to afford it; there are many areas without access to decent Internet, if they have it at all. It's not always the customer's fault.

Btw, you don't need it to play Wii U games, though it would most likely boost the fun with online.

@Chriiis

Thats a fair point, I guess i'm just judging it by the Standards in the UK, Broadband Internet is pretty much available everywhere here at very reasonable prices and most companys offer unlimited broadband so you can download away to your hearts content at no extra charge.

I do stand by my first point though that the reason people will be buying the Wii U is to play Wii U games. Everyone has had 6 years to play Wii games so it shouldnt be a big deal

@Marios-love-child It's not a big deal but it still should have been one of those 'out-of-the-box' things seeing as it doesn't require Internet nor does it heavily rely on it.

That's what I was trying to say; I don't get why they would force an update for something like that.

Nintendo will handle this the same way they have on the Wii, by including the updates on the retail discs, and of course subsequent runs of the console will have the latest version preloaded. It's unfortunate that they didn't have these features ready in time to have them loaded on the first-run systems, but my guess is they wanted to just get them into manufacturing quickly to maximize the supply so they hopefully won't run into shortages like with the Wii.

Also, remember the vast majority of people able to purchase a Wii U in the launch window won't be affected by this shortcoming.

@THENAMESNORM

Unfortunately, the games you mentioned are already being printed in large quantities as they're both launch titles (and one is a pack-in game in some regions). If Nintendo had the firmware ready in time for them to go onto those discs, they would just have put it on the system. My guess is you'll have to wait at least a month before firmware is available on the game discs.

Seems weird but im fine with it.

At least it can play all wii games, unlike the xbox 360 being able to play most, but not all the original xbox games.

not a problem for me.

Seeing as how I won't be able to purchase one of these on launch day (hell, I probably won't get one 'til after Christmas), I don't see an issue with it. Plus, I wouldn't be playing my Wii games on the Wii U, unless I see a very good reason to import my data.

Well, to play my Xenoblade and Last Story discs (my wii still reads Brawl and Prime Trilogy, though) , I will need that update. Maybe it will be out of the box later on.

The point that rjejr about not having ethernet port is not a good thing to me, specially when you need a strong connection to download big demos and even games. That is something I like about the PS3, as I will prefer the reliability of the wired connection.

Lol! For almost anything you have to update the console, because almost nothing comes standard on the Wii u! As the commenter from Super smash brothers would say: FAILURE!!!

The most surprising thing is that even Miiverse doesn't come standard, while Nintendo almost called it the best thing since sliced bread!!

Is it just me or is most of this thread debating as if WiFi ethernet as the only way to connect to a Broadband modem?
Wireless routers are becoming more common internet gateways as nearly every connected device, from fridges, to smartphones, to TVs , as well as PCs and game consoles, relies heavily on a wireless network in order to interact, so it makes sense for Nintendo to follow suit, so to speak.
However, if you have broadband but not a wireless router, I'm pretty sure that I read that the Wii USB to Ethernet adapter works with the Wii U, so you should still be able to get online if that is the case.
That said, having a "blue hose" trailing from the back of your console through the house to your modem may not make you popular with the "household authoritiy" either!
As far as the availability of decent broadband, unfortunately that's in the hands of your local telcos and government.

@Marios-love-child

IMPOSTER!!!!!!!!

Or can Mario really not keep it in his pants!

@MariosLoveChild

He certainly has been putting it about, I notice you're from the UK as well, maybe we're related

@Marios-love-child & @MariosLoveChild MariosLoveChild got an account before Marios-love-child.