Problem #512

[Dakare]

So I'm sure you people have heard me complain about the Wii's memory (or lack of). And if not, here's my grip:

• Only 512 Megabits
• It has SD card capibility, but not able to read channels or games off of the cards
• Transfering games from system to cards (and it's only the save files at that) is a pain
• Two USB ports in the back with no word on hard drive avaiblity

Well, turns out I'm not the only one. IGN's Nintendo team has expirenced the limits of the Wii's memory on all three of their Wii's. So Matt has decided to write a nice little editorial with complimentary video about the issue that I fully agree with.

I don't see what Nintendo's issue is. Matt is right in the fact that they are losing money because if people run out of space, they don't feel like clearing the memory to be able to download the game.

So what's everybody's thougts and comments about the issue and editorial?

 

[animaldude]

People need to stop complaining about Wii add-ons... It is my actual opinion that Nintendo is purposely not doing what IGN writes editorials about because they don't want to seem to be controlled by the public's opinion. I think that if we stop complaining about the Wii, wii might eventually actually get a dvd add on, a voice chat head set, ect. Nintendo is very lazy... it takes the forever to improve the system and they said the Wii was in a console race of their own in the beginning so that they didn't have to meet up to the other current generation console's standards (meaning amount of memory, ect.) Nintendo recently announced they won't be making online features for VC games.... LAZY

 

[Dakare]

Well, the online VC things is kinda understandable because they want to keep the games as close to the original as possible, but it's still kinda iffy with that. They put in the ablity to save tracks in Excite Bike and Machrider, but that was technically in the original (Famicom version could save the tacks to cassette tapes), and with Pokemon Snap they put in the ability to export photos to the message board, but they also had places where you could take the game and print the photos out. But then there is the thing with Mario Kart and Wave Race 64 where you can't save your ghost times, even though you could save them to the N64 memory cards in the originals. And I personally think think that they should allow the games that could use the X-band modems (look it up) to be able to be played online.

Wow, I really got off topic. So back on topic, I think they need to be swayed by the public or else they'll start losing customers because the customer won't be getting what they want.

 

[yoyolll]

I think there's a reason nintendo isn't being swayed by the public. All the competitors (microsoft, sony, etc) are working their asses off to please everybody and nintendo's just sitting there doing whatever the hell it feels like doing. It's the best way to go.

Also, nintendo sees video games as what they were originally created for: a cure to boredom, not an alternate lifestyle. By making gaming easier and more pleasing, the competitors are cutting off gamers' connections to real life.

We all know people who have been dominated by video games (in fact, many are on this site) and nintendo is pleasing the public in a limited way in order to break off addictions.

This might not be even close to what they're doing, but it's what's happening.

And if it is what they're trying to do, then kudos to nintendo for not seeing money as more important than the uncorrupted lives of people all around the world.

 

[webmasterbob]

Yoyoll I must say that despite as much as we do disagree, I really am full for you on this one. I don't see myself as a hardcore gamer, at least not in the purest of definitions of a hardcore gamer. I love video games; if that were not the case I would not have dedicated a large amount of my time to creating and operating Zelda Sages. However, there is a point where anything you love can go to a bit of an extreme.

I do understand the argument and it is rather stupid that Nintendo does not allow running of VC game off an SD card. Seriously, if Apple can do it for an iPod why not Nintendo with the Wii? Until such a solution is available, it's not much to just delete the game and download it again when you want to. Erasing the game only erases just that, the game. All your save data is kept. You still own the game to, it's not like with iTunes where if you delete a song by accident you need to call Apple and beg them to redistribute your download.

 

[Dakare]

I understand that you can delete and re-download games and still keep the save files, but you have to admit that 512 is extremely weak. I just feel that in trying to widen the audience, Nintendo is alienating the hardcore gamers that stayed with them for so long and that bought the Wii for the continueation of Nintendo's classic series' and for being able to play the old games that got them into gaming in the first place.

It's also extremely foolish to not have playback from the SD cards, even if it's just NES or TG16 games. But then again, al the VC games were cartridge games anyway, so I don't see any problem with having all games be able to playback from SD cards.

EDIT: I was at Best Buy the other day, and found a "Pocket Hard drive" that was about as big as a DS. It had 250 gigs, and guess what? It was only $150. Why can't Nintendo just release something like that? If 250 GB is worth $150, then 20 GB can't be worth too much. It wouldn't be hard at all.

 

[Versac]

EDIT: I was at Best Buy the other day, and found a "Pocket Hard drive" that was about as big as a DS. It had 250 gigs, and guess what? It was only $150. Why can't Nintendo just release something like that? If 250 GB is worth $150, then 20 GB can't be worth too much. It wouldn't be hard at all.

Be careful when you cite prices. The main thing that sets the Wii apart is its use of pure flash memory.

I'll say that agian. The Wii uses pure flash memory.

Flash memory, when compared to a standard hard drive as used by the 360 and PS3, is phenomenal in its small size, lightning-fast transfer speed, and high price. I can't believe that a Wii has any less that $150 worth of flash memory in it. Think about how much Nintendo's actually making with that kind of production cost.

On a related note, price scales linear to exponential memory. In other words, memory is purchased at a bulk discount. A 150 GB hard drive will usually be only half* as expensive as a 750 GB drive.