
Yesterday, it was announced that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would amazingly be just 13GB on Wii U and 13.4GB on Switch. Considering that it's one of the most ambitious projects Nintendo's ever undertaken, that's quite impressive, and its relatively small size will no doubt entice many buyers into picking up a digital edition. With that being said, it's just come out that—either way—those who opt to get the game for Wii U will still have to give up some memory storage.
The Japanese site for Breath of the Wild just recently outed that if the game is bought on disc, it will have to install a 3GB data pack onto the internal memory or a USB storage device (though USB sticks are out, apparently). This isn't entirely surprising given the apparent size of the game, and it wouldn't be the first time Nintendo has done this; Xenoblade Chronicles X had a 2GB patch that cut down on loading times significantly, while about 8GB of other patches helped out with smoothing the experience even more.
What do you think? Which platform are you buying Breath of the Wild for? Drop us a comment in the section below.
[source nintendo.co.jp, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 131
If it's for load times shortening, okay. If this is for setting the stage for DRM, no.
EDIT: Nevermind. Missed the "Wii U" part.
I just want this game to run smoothly on the Wii U. If installs help with that, I'll put up with it.
Will the same apply for the Switch version?
I will buy the switch version, looks a lot cleaner and noticed no frame rate drops.
Also loading is many times faster on a cardridge SD Card.
So switch version for me it is.
I'm going with the Switch version, but this may be good news for some who want the game on Wii U; I can only imagine that this update smoothes out the experience.
@thesilverbrick
My guess would be no. If it's specifically for the disk release on Wii U then it's about load times. I'd imagine that the cartridges on the Switch will be just as fast if not faster than an external HDD on the Wii U.
I really want the switch bundle (assuming there is one). But I will probably play this on WiiU to save $$.
There is a fair chance I will get the switch version after a price drop too.
I'm assuming that extra base file size on Switch is what's unpacked to internal storage on Wii U?
Anyway, the install made a big difference in Xenoblade. I know some may not like it, but when it's open world, streaming everything from disc smoothly isn't really viable.
@Gauchorino Highly doubt it's a DRM push, most likely for smoother loading times and to ensure the Wii U disc drive doesn't grow wheels and mow my lawn.
@Gauchorino A bit late in the day to set the stage for anything on Wii U, no? I mean, they're basically sweeping the stage at this point.
@thesilverbrick I don't think so; the game is basically the same size on Switch, and cartridges load way faster.
I've noticed that the Wii U has a hard time running open world games for some reason. First Xenoblade X and now this. Heck, I bet that's why Playtonic cancelled Yooka Laylee's Wii U port: they couldn't get the game working on it in time for a sensible release date.
It's nothing too complicated so I had no problem with this.
Definitely going to want a 128GB SD card for the switch if BotW is anywhere near typical for digital downloads on Switch. 32GB sure won't cut it for long.
I'm probably screwed by this. Gotta check storage space remaining.
Most likely Wii U, unless it's apparent that the slowdown is significant. Which would mean no new Zelda for me for a year or two more.
@3MonthBeef Breath of the W1ld"?
I'm getting both versions.
Switch for portability and Wii U as it's the last game for it and will become a collectors item.
Damn collector side of me is stupid like that.
As a Zelda collector and fan, of course Im getting Breath of the Wild collectors edition (No luck and still looking for Master edition) for Switch and regular edition for Wii U
@Phin68
That won't have been the problem with Yooka Laylee. Open world games struggle because you can't load everything into the RAM at once. So they have to load things from disc slowly in the background as you move around the world.
Levels in a game like Yooka Laylee will fit in the RAM fairly easily.
I only have the 8GB Wii U. Will this actually fit on the hard drive? It only leaves you about 3GB after all the system updates you have to install.
It's easy to make a game big, data wise. It's a son of a woof-woof to make a game as big as this that small. Hats off to Nintendo, because this will mean faster load times and better performance for all.
Switch version for me.
...of course there's a 3GB patch..
..and I will be holding my gamepad like this after every GB downloads!...
@8itmap_k1d Whoops! Missed the "Wii U" part...
The only folks who might have a problem with this are those with an 8GB Wii U SKU with no external HDD. I have a 750GB external that isn't nearly filled, so it wouldn't be a problem for me. But, that won't matter because I'll be getting this game as my first Switch title.
Switch I was so glad they went to cards and dropped disc based games there are so many downsides to having disc
Wii U physical
@Jim_Purcell it supports at least 256gb
@Dezzy "I only have the 8GB Wii U. Will this actually fit on the hard drive? It only leaves you about 3GB after all the system updates you have to install."
That's actually a very good question...
I'm sure the patch will fit if you only have the necessary system updates installed, but remains to be seen how much cleaning you have to do before getting to the required space. ;p
If it doesn't fit, then you had better find a hard drive or some such. x___x
It was a very dumb move in the first place for Nintendo to even release an 8GB version... don't blame yourself.
Nintendo hasn't sold me on Switch being a launch purchase for me yet, so I think I'll be buying a physical copy of Zelda for Wii U. I'll wait for the reviews to come out and for Digital Foundry to do their tests before putting down my money though.
Wii U version for me, not spending an extra £340 for what is essentially the same experience. We can convince ourselves that the differences on the Switch are worth it but the Wii U was what it was originally developed for so that's good enough for me...reminds me of the GC and Wii version of Twilight, in years to come we'll consider the two versions to be virtually identical.
Can't say I saw this coming. Reminds me of an old Penny Arcade strip: just replace Devil May Cry 4 with this Zelda game, the PS3 with the Wii U, and the Xbox 360 with the Switch.

Oh, and replace the PS3 disc with a Wii U disc and the Xbox 360 disc with a Switch cartridge.
@cra1g0s
The difference with Twilight Princess (and the problem with Breath Of The Wild) is that the GameCube already got another Zelda game before that, Wind Waker, which already was "the one Zelda that Zelda fans bought the GameCube for".
Now, "the one Zelda that Zelda fans bought the Wii U for" is... is Breath Of The Wild. The other two Zelda games the Wii U got are remakes. So yeah, Zelda fans bought a Wii U for what is essentially a Switch launch title.
Cool, i got 450 gigs waiting for it
@3MonthBeef you are aware they are talking about a 3gb dl for the physical copy of wii u right? Not the 13gigs digital dl
@AlexSora89 That was the reason for me buying a Wii U seeing the video of them riding the horse around the open world, well that and Hyrule Warriors. Then they announce its on the switch, a brand new console? Well, why did I just buy the Wii U?
@Moshugan
I never blame myself!
A 0.4 gb size difference between the Switch and Wii U version of Zelda kinda proves to me that the Switch is going to be to Wii U what the Wii was to Gamecube. People expecting Switch games to look significantly better than Wii U are in for a big dissapointment. And thats including me...damn.
@Bunkerneath
Precisely.
At least you got Hyrule Warriors and a bunch of other stuff, like Smash, Super Mario 3D World, and Mario Kart 8's own Hyrule Circuit.
My question of the week is...Does the dock support USB HDDs and USB Ethernet adapters cause I can't stand playing games on wireless. That half second delay can change a lot.
Both!
@ccanfield1 So there are people who base their purchases on what digital foundry say. How sad 😔
Well, finally some use for those 32 GB, either on Wii U or Switch.
I'm a physical buyer and up until now I barely used the internal storage of my Wii U. And if the Switch is going to have 32 GB internal storage too -as they say- it means that it's not going to follow the PS4 and Xbox One way, which requires the installation of games both with digital and physical editions, and it takes the SAME space either way.
So I wouldn't worry about this, it must be an exception.
@Vegaphil I agree, Digital Foundry has a bad rep for jumping the gun a bit. I remember when they did a framerate test for Halo 5 and complained that the FPS was sub 60 (about 40-45 fps). But this was the E3 build they were testing and they were talking like the game already WAS a complete mess. When the game came out it ran at a constant 60fps and Digital Foundry made a video on it being one of the best looking games for Xbox one.
In other words they judge unfinished builds of games and they then flip flop fir views. I have my criticisms and concerns for the Switch but deciding your purchase on the back of someone elses opinion is silly.
@Marshi Aonuma has stated that the gameplay on both systems will give the same experience, but there will be higher resolution and faster loading times. I imagine Mario Kart 8 and eventually Smash Bros. 4 port won't differ much visually from their Wii U counterpart.
That is not to say those games could be made to look better on Switch if they take the time to implement more advanced shader/lighting and whatnot. But why would they? All these games have a particular artstyle, which is more proof to aging than the "hyperrealism" of other games. So to cut down on development costs and free the developers up for other games, I don't expect them to make the effort.
For that reason, I won't buy Mario Kart and the eventual Smash Bros. and I really doubt I will buy Splatoon 2. I haven't put in enough time in the first game to justify purchasing a second game in the franchise.
@Snader Actually thats a good point. It is a Wii U port after all. Its just we haven't seen anything that goes beyond much what the Wii U can do. Id like to see what the Dragon Quest heroes ports look like. Because with several hundred characters on screen on the Ps4 DQH1 looked great. Id be very curious to see how the switch version holds up.
@AlexSora89 I must admit I dont understand these people who buy a system for a certain game. If you are only buying console Y for game Z, why would you buy the system BEFORE game Z is out? Only to then complain if game Z doesn't come to the system? It makes no sense to me.
Sure, I bought a Wii U with Breath of the Wild in mind. But now its coming to Switch I will get it for that. Does that mean I wasted my money on the Wii U? No, because I have the several other amazing games that made the Wii U worth it. If I was going to be vuying a Wii U with ONLY Breath if the Wild in mind, then I still wouldnt have bought a Wii U yet.
Getting the Wii U version. The £300 difference in price, and the almost identical file size suggests there's no benefit in getting the Switch version.
I don't even think I have 3gb of storage on my wii u
thankfully I'll probably only play the switch version (I'll be picking up both copies)
Miiverse will be the only difference
All over the Wii U version, the Switch can wait now until more games release. Well Splatoon 2 anyway 😃
Wii U version. As with any console I won't be buying a Switch until it's worth having. Usually around two years after release.
Unless the reviews notice a performance dip of the Wii U version compared to the Switch then it's the Wii U version. It was originally designed for it and will be the crown in my Wii U library. Plus my Switch purchase won't be until Splat2 is released and even though there are a lot of great games on the way, Zelda is at the top of the pile.
Plus Wii U versions could retain a lot more value in years to come.
Out of curiosity, does anyone have a translation of the full block of text on the Japanese website where this is mentioned?
I get the feeling that it's more of a case of you need it for the best experience, rather than it being mandatory as the article implies.
This was how XCX was, and if it was mandatory, then that would essentially make the Wii U version 16GB, which doesn't make sense if the Switch version is only 13.4GB.
Both (eventually).
Buying the Wii U version as a collector's piece but want to play on Switch as it seems to be the definitive version.
Of course do wonder if the Wii U version will also launch on 3rd March or will they do a Twilight Princess?
Fine by me
@KiWiiU_Freek same here
@FX102A
It's already been confirmed that the U version will also release on March 3rd.
I'm hoping it gets a digital pre-order so it'll be downloaded and ready to go when I get home from work at 230am est time.
Pretty annoying. I'm practically out of memory on my Wii u. I have a 32gb stick in it. I'm not getting a Switch.
@DragonEleven The 3GB is only for the disc version. If you download you get a 13GB version, which will include the data in the 3GB install already. So it's 3GB or 13GB, not 13+3.
I'll get this one on Wii U. We haven't seen latest game build running on Wii U to compare both versions. Though Switch version still have frame rate issues, and only 900p on dock mode.
I feel like Nintendo just want everybody get BotW with Switch. Wii U version doesn't get mentioned at all.
Doesn't matter, I have a 500 GB harddrive hooked up to my Wii U, which I bought in its early days to prepare for the flood of great games that sadly never materialized.
I'll probably get both switch and U versions anyway, like I did with TP for both Wii and GameCube. Then I can do my own comparison as well.
Down to disc read speed. No such issues with memory card/cartridge. Switch will be fine
@Jim_Purcell Yep, likewise. I was already looking through the options.
@Braok It actually supports 2 TB.
Slightly off topic, but does anyone else think that there might be a slight sales spike for Wii U consoles now, for those that were uninspired by the Switch, or disappointed with the price and the lineup of games thus far? Because you can still get the Mario Kart 8/Splatoon bundle for roughly £230.00, plus £40.00 for Zelda if that is what you have been waiting for; so for £270.00 give or take, you could get a Wii U with 3 top games, and an incredible back catalogue to get through, which is still £10.00 cheaper than what they are wanting for just the Switch alone, not including extra controllers etc. Just a thought.
Personally, I'm not fussed. After what I consider to be the worst launch line up in gaming history, I decided to wait until Black Friday/ Christmas when the new Mario game is out, or at the very least in August when Splatoon 2 is out, as, with the exception of Zelda, and Bomberman to a lesser extent (hardly a system seller), there is NOTHING until Splatoon 2 that is coming out that interests me (not including Mario Kart 8 as it is just an updated port).
So the idea for me was to get Zelda for Wii U, and attempt to plough my way through my massive, uncompleted/unfinished/unstarted back catalogue of Wii U games before I got a Switch......................that WAS the plan.
I caved in yesterday and pre-ordered a Switch lol. For two reasons really, first and foremost, because I really, really, REALLY want one as I think the console just looks incredible. And secondly, I have saved every GAME gift card I received for nearly 12 months, every time I traded stuff in for store credit it all went on the same gift card, every Reward Point I have ever earned since last July was all saved up to go towards a Switch, and I currently have over £300 worth of rewards and gifts to go towards it, so I thought why the hell not. If I was paying with real money then I would undoubtedly wait until at least August for Splatoon 2, but as I'm not, meh. I want to walk into the store on March 3rd and get a Switch, Zelda and a Pro Controller. Plus my other reasoning was that with so little time to game due to married life, work and children, if Zelda is my only game, then I might, just MIGHT actually get somewhere with it as opposed to stopping half way through and never going back to it.
I will still also get Zelda for the Wii U though as I have had that pre-ordered since the 9th of March 2015, and I don't sell or trade Wii U games as I think they will become collector games the likes of Saturn and Dreamcast proportions (and they're also just that damn good TBF). WindWaker and Twilight Princess for example are £58.00 each in my local CEX and they are in HORRIBLE condition. Plus, I love my Wii U very much and will most definitely NOT be packing it away or selling it, so it's nice to give it that final bit of love with what will undoubtedly be a great game, and one that it was originally planned for
This kind of thing is annoying but not too bad on a system where you get 500GB or 1TB of storage space, but on a system where you only get 32GB . . . Even if you buy all digital it seems like there's going to be an issue with running out of space if more games require mandatory installs just to run; and I expect a few of them will.
Other than expecting people to go out and buy lots of expensive SD cards, I'm not sure Nintendo has thought this kind of thing out too well.
I've Zelda pre-ordered for my WiiU, but, those thinking it may become rare/a collectors item akin to TP (GC)...HaHa.
I'll get this for WIi U and bought years ago WD 1tb HDD (when 1TBs started to be last season, cost me 80€) so I don't think it's full yet
that HDD has worked like a charm, quiet little thing next to the Wii U.
I have to go with this plan. I have to. I'd love to preorder Switch but I know I don't have money for it this spring.
@Marshi
I never asked to understand people who do. I was just saying there are, though, and that I feel bad for them.
Not to mention what happened with Rayman Legends...
Eh. I have room. That's fine.
I'm going Wii u on this for sure. I buy games for gameplay not graphics. Nothing has convinced me that the switch version offers anything new with the exception of portability and graphics yet but I'll wait until the game is reviewed before I buy to make sure.
My understanding of this is that it's being done to improve load times. Now since all 13GB of game data can fit on one Wii U disc, will the 3GB just install from the disc, or will you actually need to download it?
I'm getting the Switch version either way, but it has me curious.
@chardir I had forgotten that the 13GB only applied to the digital version... but it still seems strange that they wouldn't include it on the disc for people who don't have their Wii U connected to the internet... it should still work, it'd just be a bit slower at loading, like XCX.
I'm getting both anyway. The Wii U's swansong will be celebrated when it comes out.
I'll get Zelda for Switch if I can get the Special edition. Sorry Wii U, but Zelda deserves to be played in the best conditions it can.
Plus, I was getting the Switch anyway, this just cements the decision.
Although, it makes me a bit more understanding of the delays... Getting this to run properly on the Wii U must have been a pain.
A 3GB install isn't bad, especially if it will ensure a smoother experience for prospective owners of the Wii U Disc version (like me).
"though USB sticks are out, apparently"
Wait wait wait... what??? Why??? I have most of my stuff installed on a fast USB 3.0 stick (that caps at 2.0 because of the Wii U ports, I know that) so as to not have to deal with mechanical HDD latency, and it turns out I won't be able to install it to USB? Why Nintendo? Games load faster off a GOOD usb stick than they do off a USB 2.0 HDD, I timed load times with a stopwatch on Resident Evil Revelations off of several storage solutions, cause I speedrun that, and a USB stick was much faster than a HDD so why? Granted I believe I still have enough internal memory free since I only have RER on internal for the fastest experience and everything else on external, but still... I'm bummed out by that :/.
I'm glad I'm getting the switch version and be done with this stuff.its funny how people are complaining about launch line up.on the n64 there was only 2 games for launch for almost a month after release. Super Mario 64 and wave race 64.
I'm getting it on Switch along with the Switch itself
also at least if you get the Wii U version the install isn't that big and it's better than installing the WHOLE game to the HDD like you have to on PS4 and XB1
@Slim1999 those were two very very very good games
@Hikingguy
Being nearly 31 and having been gaming for 26 years, I would say that yes, I have experienced older console launches to answer your question.
However, by console launches, I am referring to mainstream, universal console launches seen by Sega, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Consoles that actually made it to each region.
I am therefore not including things like The Jaguar or even Nintendo's own Virtual Boy in those sentiments, as I am fully aware of their downfalls, each for their respective reasons.
But from the NES to the Switch, the Master System to the Dreamcast, the original Xbox to Xbox One and PS1 to PS4, I personally do not think that thus far, there has ever been a weaker launch day lineup, with the exception of Zelda. I also think Bomberman looks very cool, but I would hardly consider it a system seller.
@Hikingguy
And I should also point out, that I'm in the UK, so naturally, am going by Western releases as opposed to worrying about what the rest of the world gets.
If The Switch just came with one, just ONE extra MUST have game as well as Zelda such as Mario Odyssey, and then perhaps a couple of extra big hitters by the end of April such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (fully aware that it launches in April) as well as Splatoon 2 and a new Luigis Mansion or F-Zero or Metroid or anything TBH, then I'd say that in the space of LESS than 2 months, that they had a pretty damn good lineup to keep people's attention for a long time. As it stands, the next big hitter that isn't a port isn't arriving until August, and then their "face that runs the place" doesn't arrive until Christmas.
Either way, I hope what they ARE offering, regardless of how slim I, and clearly many others think it is, I hope that it is enough for people to get up, buy a Switch, and remember that Nintendo is still a thing, and what they do is pure magic (personal opinion there), and I'd hate to be in a gaming world without them.
This is quite unacceptable to me.
Almost as off-putting as had they announced day one DLC.
I will have to put on my thinking cap regarding whether I even want the game on launch now.
"though USB sticks are out, apparently"
They claimed you couldn't use one at all with Wii U, but I still used a cheap stick for a long time with my Basic Edition Wii U. For those with the 8 GB version and no USB storage, I'd just recommend snatching an 8 GB memory stick for a few bucks: I'd be astounded if that wouldn't work.
i can afford this since i have enough storage but i hope its built into the switch cart
@Hikingguy
But you have to remember, we as consumers these days for some reason insist on more.
20-30 years ago there was not all the IP's to launch with anyway, because they hadn't been created yet, so major launch titles would have been smaller.
Now that Nintendo for example has a massive library of IP's to work with over 30 plus years, they should have ensured IMO that at least their franchise player is ready at launch, which clearly he is not.
Not having a go, but it almost seems like you're preaching to the wrong choir here, as I will purchase, and have purchased every Nintendo console, because I know that there will ALWAYS be at least 10 games that I LOVE for them. I've also pre-ordered my Switch already, despite my disappointment with the launch day games. And to top it off, I'm a Nintendo guy through and through. I love(d) Sega (Dreamcast is my second favourite console ever with N64 being my favourite), I think Microsoft and Sony are doing a great job, but, at the end of the day, my go to brand, the ones I will always defend whilst never insulting someone else's choice of platform/brand.....is Nintendo. I'm nearing 31, and Nintendo are the only ones who can make me feel like a 5 year old again. For that, and for a lifetime of memories and some of the best times of my life, I will always be forever grateful.
People are getting this on the Wii U?
Interesting that for WiiU's last game it embraced pre-installation of disc content for performance issues. (Yeah XBCX had the download packs which was a weird setup, but this is the most PSXBox like step WiiU had.
And should be a reminder to all how completely awesome cartridges are on the Switch. Nobody seems to be highlighting that the Switches biggest feature might be cartridges and how antiquated optical media is for gaming purposes.
@Ryu_Niiyama I like the new avatar. It's wonderfully appropriate as it's the very same expression every one of us made as we were watching the Switch presentation last week and they started bringing out 1, 2, Switch!
@Dezzy
It's not recommended by nintendo but you can go out and get a USB memory stick. They are fairly cheap and will definitely get you out of that bind. They work like a charm too. I've been using a single 16 gig one and it works really great.
@amiiboacid AFAIK even though it supports SDXC the max isn't supported (at least officially). I'm sure people will get 2TB working but it's probably better to keep around multiple SD cards...
@The-Chosen-one there's actually been multiple reports, including on this site in Alex's recent video, that the Switch version of Zelda also suffers from frame rate drops.
Literally the only difference is load times and 1080p.
@NEStalgia I actually changed it to because I was getting annoyed yesterday with some of the responses. I usually stay out of the fray and away from the regular negative nelsons but it was getting ridiculous. I like 1 2 Switch as a party game. I'll admit I was hoping for hogan's ally when they opened the trailer, but I am not particularly bothered about it the way some people are.
Besides even when annoyed, Nocchi is adorable. I'll change it to something more positive later.
That's Nintendo pissing off the people who go for the Wii u version, like me. Luckily I have a big harddrive, but its still annoying. I wonder: Do I still need to insert the disc after the update?
@Henmii
It doesn't sound like it's a 3GB download like Xeonoblade. It sounds like it just copies some data packages from the disc to the HDD so it can read them faster (and/or simultaneously with the disc to boost speeds.) I imagine it's the data it needs to load the open world map at boot to avoid the Lego City "start the game, go make dinner, come back, and wait for the game to finish loading" situation.
@Ryu_Niiyama It's a new console launch from Nintendo. Negativity has surround that since the NES. ("Who would launch a video game console after video games are a proven failure?!") WiiU's dismal public image just throws some gasoline on the burning crude field this time It's all the traditional negativity surrounding a Nintendo launch, wrapped up in 4 years of WiiU negativity like a big comfy blanket.
Hogan's Alley! Now that's a name I haven't heard anyone but me mention in a long, long time. Still have my cart, somewhere. Though, sadly, even blowing into it over and over and over rarely made it boot to something other than a garbled screen. Back then I had alcohol based cleaners. I wonder if DeOxit would have helped? Hindsight is at least 60/20...
I think 1, 2, Switch would have been better received if it weren't $50, were a pack-in game, weren't the lead-in to the entire Switch presentation, and weren't $50. Also it would help if it weren't $50. Not being $50 also couldn't hurt.
But honestly the placement in the presentation is probably what set off the internet hate. If they opened with Mario, presented FIFA, and Bomberman, unveiled Arms, and THEN showed the party game for "that other audience" people would have ignored it, kept talking about Arms and Mario, and tuned back in when they were done talking about the party game. But making it the intro set the mood for "oh no! They're trying to make it the Wii again!! PANIC! PANIC!!" Even I worried for a while they were trying to do that while knowing they were going to get to the good stuff later.
In retrospect that was the ONLY downer of a game they showed, everything else was like E3 2013 with knock-down hit after knock-down hit. But first impressions are important, and 1, 2, Switch set the stage. Even the awesome Zelda trailer at the end didn't cancel the negative buzz among the chattering netizens from the first impressions being a dorky quick draw game.
@gatorboi352 Um... Alex Olney's report said that it did have some moments of slowdown but "overall the Switch really did seem to handle Breath of the Wild far better than the Wii U did so, top marks" and this is on an "old build" according to him.
https://youtu.be/oVz2pAJ19TQ?t=12m23s
That is literally another difference. This can also be seen in the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon video when explosions are going off with no slow down. Do the latest builds on Wii U match the Switch? I guess we won't truly know until we see both running side by side but I'd bet on significantly better performance on the Switch.
I just want to make a PSA (Public Service Announcement) as I've noticed people touting cartridge based games as some magical way to eliminate load times. They can be faster, but don't forget that games have gained more to load into RAM at orders of magnitude since carts ruled the console gaming scene. Also, more obviously, games with as little to load as 3DS games (with tiny textures and limited geometry) have significant load times.
So, don't expect instant loads. Just trying to temper expectations.
@NEStalgia,
Maybe. But no matter what, I think its bad that this download is forced on you.
@Henmii There's a way around it, but it costs $300 dlls
@aaronsullivan maybe so, but I do know this much: whatever difference there may be isn't worth the $360 upgrade for me to play it.
Purchasing this on Wii U for sure.
@NEStalgia I get what you are saying and I agree somewhat. However, I am not sure from a design perspective where else they could have put the 1 2 Switch reveal. It followed the introduction to the tech and the new unique features of the joycons. It makes sense from a marketing perspective to follow that up with the tech demo game. Plus 1 2 Switch showcases the majority of the joycon tech unlike ARMS which shows mainly the motion controls. I am not exactly excusing 1 2 Switch (however like I said I am not really bothered by it either) but I do get what Nintendo was aiming for...its just gamers are a pretentious bunch honestly (IMO).
I know Game and Wario flopped, but perhaps if they had tried again with the Wario Ware branding then people wouldn't have minded so much. I felt that Wario Ware Smooth Moves did the exact same thing that 1 2 Switch is trying to do (tech demo) but it was more palatable.
Just down to 1/10 of the onboard storage now, an improvement. XD
Ouch! Perhaps the Xenoblade packs may have to go.
@Nintendude789
Yep. The Switch isn't really worth buying for about a year! Whereas this game is worth buying immediately.
@Ryu_Niiyama
That's a good point about the 1, 2, Switch presentation following the Joycon presentation. I see how they might have thought of that making sense. But I think they're blissfully unaware of particular concerns their core customer base has. I think Iwata was starting to understand that about 2 years into the WiiU and made comments about that. I think he may have been alone in understanding that. The Wii was a poison for Nintendo. It was a flash of success followed by long term damage. Like finally managing to light a campfire for dinner despite the damp wood only to realize you've set the whole forest on fire to do it. It made them money, it put them back on the map, but the brand damage from everything Wii endured into the WiiU among their intended customers. The Switch reveal was a moment of reinvention to present themselves back to their real target market after that experiment dried up, and they had the whole market on the edge of their seat cautiously optimistic mumbling "just don't screw this up, just don't screw this up" and they first game they show is a flash back to everything that was wrong with the Wii and it's target market, after all the work they did to distance Switch from Wii branding. From seats edge there was a collective "oh geeze they learned nothing at all! They're STILL doing this!" In reality they did learn, and they're not still doing that, and the rest of the demo showed that. But the first impression sent an unfortunate message to the very group they couldn't send that message to. You're right, from a presentation flow it made sense to follow the Joycon. From a "knowing your market" perspective it was just a big blunder in the presentation format that yielded predictable results. They would have done better putting 1, 2, Switch absolutely anywhere but first. Gamers wouldn't have been put off by it, and "blue ocean" non-gamers weren't watching the presentation anyway. They'd find out about it from secondary sources.
@Henmii I don't think it's an internet download though. Just an install of CD content to the local storage/HDD. If it makes the game run better, I don't think it's asking too much to say "systems must have at least 3GB free" for the swan song game of the system. I imagine not many WiiU owners don't have at least that amount of storage free. If it makes the game run and load at part with Switch, it's a good deal.
I actually wish they did that earlier in WiiU's life cycle. It would make loading and disk thrashing much better. PS4/XBOne requires FULL GAME installs for pretty much every game. 20+GB for most games. That 250GB HDD they promoted gets eaten up very very fast. Zelda just requires 3GB out of 13GB to be installed. PS4 games have patches that are larger than the full Zelda disc image!
Darn. I barely have room on my Wii U to store all my current games on. I can maybe install a few NES titles and that's about it.
Twilight Princess on GCN sells for $50 used yet I got it on Wii for $2.00 used. I'm definitely buying Breath of the Wild on Wii U so it will sell for $50.00 used while it only sells for $2.00 used on the Switch.
@aaronsullivan Fair point about cartridge load times, and we're not talking SNES instant-load. But I think a lot of people don't realize just how slow a 2.5" 5200RPM HDD is and how much slower than that random access time on a BD drive is. BD is PITIFUL. It was designed for continuous streaming of content such as audio/video. It was never designed for efficient random access. The servos just can't track that fast. But contrary to popular (i.e. PSXBox) belief, 2.5" 5400RPM spinners aren't all that much better. There is "load time" into RAM, but that load time is not bottlenecked by the RAM, but by the storage medium. Even the cartridges, but we're talking orders of magnitude faster than disc and HDD. There's a reason PC gamers tend to prefer RAID0 for gaming rigs, data integrity be darned!
I think Switch BotW was quoted (from timing the treehouse video) at 17 seconds to start from Home and 24 seconds or so for loading the save (meaning loading world geometry.) Now compare that to XBXC on WiiU which I believe uses much of the same internals as BotW (thus Monolith's involvment)
Launch isn't the only asset though. Entering shops, dungeons, etc can have lots of hidden delays because unlike initial boot that can be streamed relatively sequential, this is all random access, and flash has virtually no random access penalty.
Players that use a PS4/XBO with an SSD already have cartridge type performance or better. But they also have to consume their storage for the games. And most PS4/XBO players are not using SSDs, and even WiiU owners who are (such as myself) don't get the real performance (other than the random access) out of the measly USB 2.0 port.
Good PSA, though, not knocking that, you're right some might expect instant loads like the NES/SNES era where the cartridges were actually the game hardware itself rather than flash memory. But I do think, for physical buyers, cartridges are the single most significant feature of the switch and that can set it apart quite nicely from the PC twins.
Just be happy you're getting such a massive AAA title on the WiiU.
@ccanfield1 I thought I've read it all.till you're post.its really really sad you let other people tell you what and what not to buy.if I done that I'd miss out on a lot of of d games,movies and TV shows.and I thought people couldn't be more stupid..
@Dezzy
Wii U is dead.
Hey, so long as it doesn't take literally all day to install? I'll deal with it. I have been forced through far worse ringers on Sony platforms, nevermind the PC.
Don't see any reason to buy for wii u
Just like what Xenoblade Chronicles X did.
Both!!
Seriously? I don't even have one entire GB on my WiiU! Doesn't help I have the SSB & Splatoon version, SSB alone takes up 13GB.
I don't even understand how my VC games are taking up so much memory.
Great, now I have to get one of those overpriced hardrive thingies. I love the WiiU, but it's data storage optione are ridiculous. SD Cards can't even help expand it's storage like 3DS & Wii.
Looks like I might have to delete SSB, or something, or wait, and get the Switch version years later... Or not get the game, I hate missing out on every new Zelda game at release time. I couldn't even get "Skyward Sword," because I don't have a Wii-mote Plus.
@nobboysbro @Nintendude789 for those who dont own/want a Switch? dafuq...
Anyway, time for me to clear up some space on my Wii U.
@Devlind,
Hahaha, uh no!!
@NEStalgia,
Hmm, you may be right about the install being not a download. And you are also right about ps4/xboxone: Having to install the entire game is just terrible!
@Slim1999 That's not what my post was meant to imply. What I was saying is based on the information I have, I am happy playing Zelda on my Wii U and waiting to purchase Switch until a new exclusive game, like Mario Odyssey, comes out to purchase the system.
Now if after the games come out on March 3rd, I find out there are more significant benefits to the Switch version of the game versus the Wii U version than we know of now, I might reconsider. If it is just the resolution difference between the two, that isn't enough reason for me to buy an entire new system now. Since I will really only be playing this at home, the portability factor for this game doesn't really matter to me either.
I'm not letting other people make decisions for me. I just like to make informed decisions.
@Vegaphil I just like that they break down the performance of a game in a very detailed way. Often I am trying to decide what system I should buy a game for and knowing which system the game runs best on is definitely a factor in me making that determination.
@Hikingguy
I have read what you have written elsewhere regarding your son, and naturally, I can only say how sorry it is to hear/read, as I cannot imagine (and I never want to have to obviously as I'm sure you will understand) what you must have gone through and what it must have felt like.
However, as someone else mentioned, I think it is wonderful that you have those memories with your son, and maybe even more so that those memories were made by quality time with each other, and in a typical, fun and colourful Nintendo world
I know you said you were no longer getting the Switch on day one because your son is no longer with us, but, do you not think that if you DON'T get one at launch, that he may be sitting over the edge of his cloud, looking down at you with his arms crossed, frowning and complaining that he is missing out on enjoying watch his Dad play on the latest Nintendo console
I am not trying to sell you a Switch, nor sound patronising, as I clearly know that you canot value the life of a loved one with a material item, but, after everything you have no doubt gone through, maybe you should think about treating yourself with something special
@Hikingguy
Hey, no need to apologise, you have a right to mention him any time you like. He is your son after all, no one else's. And if Nintendo was something you both enjoyed, then where better but to mention him than on a Nintendo site
@Hikingguy
After the games lineup was announced, Splatoon 2 was going to be the game that I waited for before plunging in, but, alas, I caved lol. Still can't wait for it though, along with Mario Odyssey
@Ichiyama It's not significant. it's hardly noticeable actually. The game was designed from the ground up for wiiU. don't make yourself wait.
@nobboysbro Gamepad features. the game was designed for wiiU ya know? Heck, Link even uses a second screen in the game, which seems awkward when you no longer have it on switch.
@gatorboi352 Not 1080p. Only 900. There is almost no difference, except switch owners don't have a gamepad as a Sheila slate.
Something I want to know- is the install on the disc or will it need to be downloaded from the eshop?
@Jaded_Drybones and that's not even a thing anymore either; Nintendo actually stripped out the gamepad functionality to be more in line with the Switch.
@gatorboi352 Don't remind me. Sold out a unique Zelda gameplay experience for money. Sad.
I have the 32gb version of the wii u. I have plenty of room on the HD. Does anyone know if there is a advantage to buying digital vs physical copy of BOTW? Will I possibly have better frame rate and loading times on the digital version or no? Thanks
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