
The Wii U doesn't have the same range of apps as its competitors, but it has been able to boast of Netflix since day one. The app itself did its best to put the GamePad to use, but was never as slick or feature-rich as it could have been.
A fresh update has now gone live to improve matters, with a re-design that brings the Wii U version into line with apps on rival systems and with up-to-date smart-TV versions. That means a change in layout and support for multiple profiles within one account, so you can have separate viewing histories if you so please.
What the update does do is ditch the dual screen approach, where the GamePad would show separate information in a unique interface. The app's similarity to that on other hardware carries across to this, with the GamePad always mirroring the TV and the Select button bringing up the same basic on-screen information as found elsewhere, as opposed to toggling between detailed information and a mirrored picture. The plus side is that it's now running much faster than it used to - at least in our brief testing - though there are no unique features beyond the fact, of course, that there's off-TV viewing. In this age of tablets, however, we're not sure that'll be quite as big a selling point as it once was.
The update is live in Europe and North America, so check it out and let us know what you think.
Thanks to all that sent this in.
Comments 64
I still wish it let you use other controllers, but I"ve noticed if you do it just right, you can turn the gamepad off and not have it on while the movie/show plays. You just have to go to menu, turn it off, and then put Netflix back on while what you're watching is still playing.
But I'm really glad for the update. Now I really don't need to use my old Wii at all; unless I get the urge to play a Gamecube game.
I would have embraced this update 2 years ago before I got my iPad for school. Now? I mean, it's an appreciated offer, but I think using a tablet (or Smart TV) is much more convenient.
Ehh, I don't really use Netflix that much anymore, especially after Viacom's (the parent company of Nickelodeon) contract expired and they removed all Nickelodeon series. I used to be able to stream Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom... lots of great cartoons from my childhood. (Although I'm still technically a child, I guess.) They at least still had quite a few decent Cartoon Network shows, like The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey, but most of those are gone, too. Oh well, I'll be quiet now; This is "Nintendo Life," after all, and not "Let's Rant About the Lack of Cartoons on Netflix... Life."
Oh, NOW they finally updated to the profile system! Too Late, Netflix/Nintendo! Everybody already knows that I watched BOTH MLP movies and Bill Nye The Science Guy!
I've been wishing for multiple profiles for the Wii U version ever since I got it. Thank you Netflix!
Netflix Wii U is my main hub for all my TV viewing, well, and PS4. Depends which input my TV happens to be on at the time.
I'll roll with this, sounds like an improvement
'Bout time. The app ran sooo bad I basically gave up on it.
How about adding Dolby 5.1 support Nintendo/Netflix??
Hopefully they made next episode transitions part of this update as well, it was something severely lacking. Having to select the next episode manual was just as cumbersome. Also I think today is a general update Netflix day as there was an update for Windows modern app as well as Windows phone.
(‘▽ ‘人)
Watching netflix crashed my whole system; it completely turned off. Has anyone else run into this problem? Its really annoying.
@MoonKnight7 Same thing happened to me today...did this update break Netflix?!
@Neko_Rukiafan
It must have, cause I've seen other people say the same thing. Dude, not cool if it causes a hard crash. I'm not using it again until it's fixed.
About time they updated this. Netflix on the Wii U was the worst along with the 3DS.
P.S - so far I have not had any issues.
Decent update! I really enjoy Netflix on Wii U. I think its the most convenient and comfortable device for Netflix. It starts up so fast, and its so great being able to lay down in bed and watch. iPhone/Vita/3DS screens are too small, and iPad/other tablets the device is FAR too skinny that its difficult to hold at times. You can't always be in a comfortable position watching on iPad tablet, while the Wii U pad is thick, has grips, and rests.
Finally. Now I can separate the fiancées recently watched movies that I don't care for separate from my lisf
I am still waiting for a netflix Wii U patch where I can play a VC game while my kids watch something lol
I already bought a second monitor to do this because I couldn't do it on my GamePad... thanks Netflix.
@Tman Is it true that Netflix lacks 5.1 on Wii U? Some nights I watch NF on my Wii U and sometimes on my PS3 and PS3 always seems to have better sound, that would explain it. I have both consoles hooked up via HDMI into a Sony receiver and then HDMI into my tv. NF on Wi U always seems to take longer to get into HD mode as well, only 1 or 2 seconds on PS3 but 8 or 10 on Wii U. And my wife always liked the PS3 interface better.
Did they add a display to the Wii U? PS3 would show SD or HD if I hit the start or select button. I forget which but it's 1 of the those 2 middle ones. Guess I'll check it out tomorrow and report back.
OMG! They FINALLY added profiles? I had seriously given up hope it would ever happen. Netflix has been on the Wii U since day 1 and has remained virtually unchanged. So ridiculous, but better late than never I say. Now if they would just add support for other controllers, but that will probably take another 3 years.
@rjejr Yes, sadly Netflix on the Wii U does not support 5.1. Well, unless they added that with this update...
A welcome update. The user interface looks better now.
Profiles are great. I don't really get the rest (after a cursory look). No reason for it to be showing on the Gamepad for me, since I'm watching the TV. And the other controls seem to be hidden. I think pressing Y got me to search.
F-i-n-a-l-l-y. It's gonna be awkward to use the GamePad (well, for my parents), especially with how there's no simple way to turn its screen off (well, I'll be looking back into it), but otherwise we've been using a PS3, which with our knockoff TV, the edges of the screen get cut off because the system has no inherent scaling options, and Netflix on there doesn't have it built in. Suppose whenever I'd get a PS4 we could have the best of both worlds (if on Wii U played Blu-ray), but this is a great step.
Now, about the 3DS Netflix...
@Smash_kirby This is the "feature" I hate the most on the 360 version of Netflix, and there is NO way to disable it, so I always use the Wii U instead. About 80% of the time, it decides I don't want to watch the scene during the credits. 33.3% of the time (I think it is?) it starts playing another episode and stops to ask if you're still watching. IMO, selecting the next episode manually is way less effort, especially when I don't want to marathon the same show or watch some random recommended movie.
@rjejr @vio Yes it doesn't have 5.1 support and still doesn't with the update. It is quicker I've noticed and haven't experienced any crashes. I would like to use the Wii remote also. The wife uses the Wii Netflix in the bedroom and prefers it to using the gamepad that needs a charge every few hours of use. The Wii has also had profiles for probably 2 years!!
Somebody mentioned other controllers you should be able to use like amazon prime, I agree but I suppose it must be something to do with the software and is it super hd it does state that but if you want super hd your supposed to pay Netflix more, anyway it looks a lot smoother on screen the last layout looked dated and scrolled like you was stood across the road with the gamepad.
@Not_Soos I THOUGHT Nick had shows on there! My memories of watching spongebob on netflix were real!
In other news, I actually called their support about this when I first got my Wii U about having profiles. They said they were working on it (this was 2 years ago).
Come on people no Dolby 5.1 isn't Netflix fault. Nintendo did not license Dolby tech which is pretty much standard on all platforms. This is pretty much why Wii U doesn't play DVD'S or BLU RAY. Every one knows Wii U discs are BLU RAY discs with rounded edges and Nintendo won't pay a small license fee to play video.
Nintendo are cheap skate twits who HATE High definition/Internet and all modern technology. They go back on every major multimedia initiative they venture on because they don't invest properly and budget to the extreme. Even their hardware projects - it is always about cutting corners and cost.
As for the PS3 CELL is infinitely more powerful than the Wii U's overclocked Wii tri core. That's why PS3 is a far better multimedia system. No 3rd party has ever made use of the 3.2 GHZ Cell and it's 6 SPU'S ,hence why Sony's PS3 first party projects look next gen compared to the best on Wii U and 360.
Still needs Wiimote support. Using Netflix on the Wii U is a pain due to the battery life being so bad and the charging cable being so flimsy.
@liveswired
Nintendo doesn't HATE new/modern technology. They just like to pretend it doesn't exist until it fits their specific needs inside their little bubble.
Awesome stuff. The Wii U app is now my favourite way of watching Netflix since my laptop is rather dead. They are being very kind and considerate to their customers by continuing to improve and support the Wii U the app and make it a better experience.
Thanks, Netflix. That was a nice surprise this morning when watching Fate/Zero
still cant turn the gamepad screen off?
far better, runs wonderful now. However Im now used to streaming via plex server straight to the wii u, its excellent because it converts all movies to html5 on the fly so works amazing on the wii u browser regardless of movie file format.
Okay, I've been watching Netflix since I posted and it's locked up on me twice. Hope we get another update to fix this update...
Oops: Watching my first movie after the update, my Wii U just shut down with no warning after one hour of "inactivity" while it was still playing.
I think the dev team forgot something.
FINALLY! I share an account, so this is a welcome change!
Update seems to have broken something for me too. I constantly get the 'Netflix is having a hard time streaming this title' message on everything. Sometime it takes 10 minutes, sometimes instantly.
Stinkin'.....FINALLY.
I use Netflix on my Wii U pretty much every day, and this was a loooooong time coming. The old version was a nightmare.
@AVahne agreed.
@davetheshrew yeap, I use PLEX for everything. Without it our Wii U would've been seen as nothing but useless by my mates. I always play HD video through it and tell them the Wii U is an excellent multimedia hub 😁
@liveswired Nope,Wii U can still produce better results when programmed properly. The problem is almost no one is willing to push the system to it's limits. Nintendo is a gaming company and not a big conglomerate.
It's definitely an improvement.
Apart from the search function, which is now a complete hassle. You can only access it from 1 point in the menu (at the very beginning), so if you've browsed up or down you have to scroll all the way back to find it. And then the touch-enabled keyboard is miniscule on the Gamepad, making it actually faster to type using the control stick and buttons. :/
Ok, at first I didn't like the fact that the gamepad now shows the same thing as the TV, but then I realized that this actually lets me do something I wanted for a long time: I can watch Netflix with the TV on mute and listen with headphones on the gamepad. For those of us with small children and/or light-sleeping wives, this is great.
What I didn't like: The app now has its own small keyboard and it doesn't make use of the Wii U's keyboard.
That's awesome! Now if they just update the 3DS with this too, then I'll finally be able to wrestle my profile from my kids!
@Tman @vio No 5.1 means I'll just stick w/ my PS3. Thanks for the info.
@Captain_Gonru Yeah the keyboard's pretty bad... It's like they just randomly updated some stuff but forgot to see how it actually looked/functioned afterward.
Profiles are the only plus to me. The credits now play in a small window and the next episode starts automatically. Do not want. I have to turn the sound off on the Gamepad since it is now playing there redundantly. Why break the unique features of the Wii U Gamepad to add profiles?
Glad it only took them over a year to be bothered to add the feature, but I already bought a Roku that handles most of the streaming now.
Well it's about darn time Profiles were added to the Wii U version of Netflix.
@MrGuinea I don't think SpongeBob was ever on there, accept for maybe the first movie. As a matter of fact, it might still be on there. The Jimmy Neutron and Rugrats movies are still available to stream, but none of the TV series.
@Uzuki Pfft. You're still watching Bill Nye. What a loser nerd.
I gotta say I'm joking because I don't trust people to know.
Anyway, even the Wii had profiles. I have no idea why the Wii U version sucked so much. Anyway I've got to redownload it.
If I didn't have Netflix on my TV, My computer, and my Wii, I'd probably care about this.
Well it still outputs only stereo so it is unusable
@luchacomics Thats literally impossible. The Wii U can only run one application at a time.
@Ayronom yes I know it was designed that way originally, but I dont see why it doesnt have enough CPU power to do both
@Uzuki @DarthNocturnal holy fork they have bill nye???? omggg.
@AVahne I got the extended battery my thing lasts for hrs, or at least 2 to 3 days depending on how much i use it.
@Ayronom you can open up some stuff with an app open like miiverse and the eShop but your mostly correct, heck most of the stuff you can semi multitask when playing with a game take almost no resources of the system.
I'm not sure why you'd want to eShop when a game is open but whatever floats your boat i guess?
My Netflix updated yesterday and now the video freezes (but not the audio, though) and it is choppy while it plays.
What can I do? It never did that before the update.
@Asaki Finally, someone else who agrees the "Auto-Play" feature is a horrendous bummer. I much prefer to listen/watch the credits. I rarely watch two episodes in a row. Is it that cumbersome to take two seconds and click on a new episode? Clearly we're in the minority. I miss the old un-updated Wii U interface.
Also, there's no swipe functionality on the touchscreen; you used to be able to move your finger along horizontally and see more options, but now you have to touch a tiny arrow and use the joystick/d-pad. And the keyboard is tiny! Kinda chaffs that they just brought over the Xbox/PS version instead of updating this specifically with Wii U features in mind. Blah.
I wish the Wii U Netflix had a option that is the only thing I hate about the Wii U Netflix
I dont like it. I hate autoplay (when an episode ends) and the pad now is difficult to use because the buttons are smaller.
Took years to implement profiles on Wii U? Great, because I switched to PS3's Netflix and probably won't be coming back.
A couple of important things guys:
1. You can access the search window by pressing Y on the gamepad.
2. You can DISABLE the auto-play function for TV shows! Go to the Your Account page on Netflix's site. Then go to Playback Settings. Remove the check mark from "Play next episode automatically".
Hope this helps!
@vio Thanks for telling me how to disable the auto-play. Hopefully that will help with my other problem since the update that when I'm watching a tv show, my whole WiiU freezes once the show ends and it goes to the auto-play "Next episode will start in 20 seconds" screen. It's happened to me EVERY TIME that I've watched something since the update!
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