Wii Warm Up: New storage theories
by Alisha Karabinus 
{ May 5th 2008 at 9:00AM }
Now that Iwata has said that folks at Nintendo might be considering doing something about the storage crisis, it's time to get our speculation on about what will happen. Will we hear an announcement at E3? Perhaps before, or -- gasp -- after? We would hate to wait! And what'll it be? A new model with a built-in hard drive? Considering the continuing difficulty some people have with simply laying hands on a Wii, that seems unlikely, but multiple SKUs have worked for the other systems. Still, that sort of solution seems far, far less likely than an upgrade allowing larger SD cards or additional plug-in flash memory. Do you think we'll see a solution by the end of the year, and do you care to guess just what it might be?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
s.mario @ May 5th 2008 9:22AM
Not a rats ass chance in hell...Nintendo knows how to make consoles that sell, and they also know how to alienate fans...
Eternityx @ May 5th 2008 9:29AM
Hmm, SDHC SD support 1 month after WiiWare and...Flash Drive Support...by Q1 2009..
Randy @ May 5th 2008 9:36AM
I don't know. Nintendo has been known to make some strange and sometimes misguided decisions. If they really plan to address the space issue, then I hope they do it elegantly, like through the use of SDHC cards and mass-storage support. An external HD would suffer a similar fate to other peripherals because it complicates game development in order to use a periphieral that may or may not be available.
grp110nyr @ May 5th 2008 11:39AM
I agree. SD makes the most economical sense to Nintendo, Dev's and the consumer. But then again who am I to say what is right.
samfish @ May 5th 2008 10:03AM
I think they'll announce something at E3 this year. Either an HDD or flash memory solution.
I also fully expect them to eventually boost the amount of flash memory in the Wii just because they can and it's silly not to.
Eternityx @ May 5th 2008 10:06AM
Yea, considering how cheap flash is now from 2 some years ago, they really should up the storage even though it sucks for me cause I got mine on release day -_-.;;. Flash memory is a must, my USB ports are starting to rot from non-use and oxidation....
jorojoserojas @ May 5th 2008 10:07AM
Hey Samfish, this is way off topic, but the other day I was out at MicroCenter and I happened to see God Hand lying in a bargain bin. It was the only copy they had, so I snagged it since it was really cheap - and because you (among others) so heavily recommended it! Haven't got around to playing it just yet, but I can't wait to try it out.
samfish @ May 6th 2008 1:22AM
Oh ho ho! Well you're in for a treat, then! Just make sure you finish all the other games you haven't played first since no other game will ever compare afterwards!
yourfaceisanadvert.com @ May 5th 2008 10:14AM
If i was the good ol ninty I would release a a new base for the wii to stand on with a solid state hard drive that connects through one of the USB ports in the back, it would mean the wii would keep the simple design and have some much needed extra memory. Just a thought. :)
Worst Review Ever @ May 5th 2008 10:18AM
Word. That's the exact same idea that I've had.
Smicks @ May 5th 2008 12:56PM
Damn it! My idea first!
Michael @ May 5th 2008 10:22AM
SD.
Jay @ May 5th 2008 10:47AM
I think it might just be a system update with USB mass storage support
They can make their own (or outsource to SanDisk, etc) with Wii branding that matches the console, but any external HD or jump drive would work.
jsa3mm @ May 5th 2008 12:14PM
I am hoping it's just a jump to SDHC. It would seem like the best solution for everyone.
Tee @ May 5th 2008 12:24PM
Can SDHC compliance just be added? Is that a software or hardware based hack?
Nate @ May 5th 2008 1:24PM
Yes it can be added via software.
Randy @ May 9th 2008 9:55AM
As long as the HW bits are implemented correctly, then it's simply a software update to enable it.
Maxx the Slash @ May 5th 2008 12:41PM
My guess it they might make those small Flash Drive memory sticks compatable. That way they wouldn't have to make any external hard drive or anything like that.
Timdogg @ May 5th 2008 12:46PM
So what is going on on the homebrew front to hack the Wii compatible with a different memory source???
CJLopez @ May 5th 2008 1:52PM
Let's see who's first, Nintendo or Scene
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=110072
GhostHawk @ May 5th 2008 12:53PM
I hope it doesn't use that particular USB device "Pleomax". My wife's 12 GB version died after only 2 weeks of use. They really suck!
SoshiKitai @ May 5th 2008 2:22PM
My theory: They'll use a Metriod to be their new storage device.
........may pirates never learn how to multiply these creatures.
TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) @ May 5th 2008 2:52PM
You mean Space Pirates!
They're pirates...but in SPACE...
Ethan @ May 5th 2008 2:47PM
A proprietary USB stick that's been crippled in order to not work with anything else.
Mr Khan @ May 5th 2008 4:59PM
my thoughts exactly. Somewhere in the 3-5 GB range, and Nintendo will send out a firmware update with a whole stack of drivers needed to read the files
Or just format the USB devices memory to something other than Windows, Mac, or Unix derivative standards, but it will be small, and they will make damn sure it can't interact with outside devices
XionPH @ May 6th 2008 2:09AM
I already posted my thought about this in a topic about a possible Wii Hard drive. For those that read through that, sorry for this repost, but now it is enhanced with little bit of research!
Nintendo will not be opening up the USB ports to 3rd party flash drive solutions. I can get a 32gig flash drive 135 bucks. For less then 20 bucks I can get 4 gigs. 5 dollars more and I double that to 8 gigs.
Nintendo, I am sure, knows how much money they can make off of USB ports. If they open up the USB ports to third party solutions then you can be sure they will not make any more money on storage devices because people are going to take advantage of the cheap flash storage devices out there.
I think if they come up with something more intuitive though, like the previously mentioned stand that has some integrated memory, then that would be the way to go. It would give companies a chance to release bigger and more interesting games through Wii Ware. There are a lot of things they could do with a downloadable game if they had more then 512 to work with.
I do think that flash USB is a good option. It is generally cheaper in higher densities then SD cards. I'm really not sure why they went with SD anyway, perhaps a deal they made when the decided to put DS games on SD cards. Whatever they release it will not be as much as we are hoping for, and it will be at a price higher then it should be. They will claim that it is so much more then the 512 that it's worth it a higher price. The reason that flash sticks will be profitable is that as you double flash memory the cost to manufacture it does not also double. Thats why a 512 stick can be bought for 7 bucks, and a 1 gig for 10, and 2 gig for 12-15, and a 4 gig for 20 and so on. The very fact that people are willing to pay 50 bucks for a few gig is insane, but it's exactly what Nintendo is counting on. I'm not willing to pay more then $10 per gig myself.
XionPH @ May 6th 2008 2:10AM
I already posted my thought about this in a topic about a possible Wii Hard drive. For those that read through that, sorry for this repost, but now it is enhanced with little bit of research!
Nintendo will not be opening up the USB ports to 3rd party flash drive solutions. I can get a 32gig flash drive 135 bucks. For less then 20 bucks I can get 4 gigs. 5 dollars more and I double that to 8 gigs.
Nintendo, I am sure, knows how much money they can make off of USB ports. If they open up the USB ports to third party solutions then you can be sure they will not make any more money on storage devices because people are going to take advantage of the cheap flash storage devices out there.
I think if they come up with something more intuitive though, like the previously mentioned stand that has some integrated memory, then that would be the way to go. It would give companies a chance to release bigger and more interesting games through Wii Ware. There are a lot of things they could do with a downloadable game if they had more then 512 to work with.
I do think that flash USB is a good option. It is generally cheaper in higher densities then SD cards. I'm really not sure why they went with SD anyway, perhaps a deal they made when the decided to put DS games on SD cards. Whatever they release it will not be as much as we are hoping for, and it will be at a price higher then it should be. They will claim that it is so much more then the 512 that it's worth it a higher price. The reason that flash sticks will be profitable is that as you double flash memory the cost to manufacture it does not also double. Thats why a 512 stick can be bought for 7 bucks, and a 1 gig for 10, and 2 gig for 12-15, and a 4 gig for 20 and so on. The very fact that people are willing to pay 50 bucks for a few gig is insane, but it's exactly what Nintendo is counting on. I'm not willing to pay more then $10 per gig myself.
CJLopez @ May 6th 2008 1:02PM
Sounds reasonable, and plausible, hope you are wrong and Nintendo do gives support for third party Flash Drives.
They want (is "want" written correctly. For some reason, it seems odd the the way I wrote it :P) to take advantage where Sonny and M$ are losing money, cuz on the PS3 and 360 we can change the HDD and they don't have to be Sony neither M$ brand to change em
XionPH @ May 6th 2008 7:01PM
Hey folks, sorry for makeing the double post.