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RUMOR: Double USB Hard Drive coming to Wii? March 13, 2009

Filed under: News — DarkWish @ 1:33 pm

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According to a rumor from QJ, Nintendo is working on a “double USB hard drive”. The hard drive part is self-explanatory, but what does the double mean? Maybe it means it uses both USB ports on Wii or maybe it means the hard drive will have space for two more USB ports on it. Regardless, I’m not sure I believe this rumor.

The rumor goes on to state that the hard drive mounts on the back of Wii and is supposed to look like a part of the console. There will be a firmware update that enables the use of the hard drive. Anything downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel can be transferred to the hard drive, and supposedly it will have some sort of protection against piracy.

According to the rumor, the hard drive will be released in 32 GB and 64 GB models. I find it very hard to believe that Nintendo would release a hard drive for a few reasons. First, we don’t need a hard drive. It wouldn’t solve any problems. Second, 32 GB is way more than enough and would probably be impossible to fill unless someone downloaded every single game on the Wii Shop Channel. And lastly, Nintendo is releasing an update as a storage solution (which should hit at the end of this Month, if my sources are correct).

What do you think? Could there be any truth to this rumor?

Note: Image above is just a mock up.

[Via QJ]



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  • Homer T. Nacho Cheese
    At newegg.com:

    8 GB SDHC (class 6) flash memory: $15.45
    16 GB SDHC (class 6) flash memory: $33.99
    32 GB SDHC (class 6) flash memory: $76.99

    Class 6 SDHC cards have a data transfer rate of 6 MB/s

    250 GB Western Digital USB Hard Disk: $64.99
    They have less expensive drives as well, as low as $35 for an 80 GB drive.

    Hard Drive data transfer rate: 480 MB/s (max). I would not count on it being that fast, especially if other USB devices are in use, and maybe the Wii cannot process data that fast anyways. But I can guarantee it would be a heck of a lot faster than SDHC.

    So, maybe the author did not think of cost and speed when he wrote this. A hard disk solves both of those issues. It also solves capacity issues. If I want to download a bunch of games and a lot of Guitar Hero songs, I am very sure I would fill up an SDHC card.

    Also, another problem with SDHC cards is that many of them will fail over time (if there are a lot of write operations). Hard disks will also fail +/- 1.5 years of their warranty period. If you get SDHC, make sure it has a lifetime warranty.
  • Jovan
    LMFAO!!! This has got to be the most disagreeable argument I have ever read about the Wii, no offense but whoever on this page says that the does not need some form of a HD hard drive needs to go and kill themselves.
    I dont need to be told that all I need to do is go and download something or buy more expansion. A company of Nintendo's stature should be able to provide all that we are asking and more. After all Nintendo has been in business long before Sony and Microsoft. I belive Nintendo needs to pull there heads out of there you know whats if they truly want to stay on top. Nintendo has the most sold consloes simply because during the holidays Nintendos Wii system happens to be the cheapest console for parents to buy there kids(not saying I myself dont enjoy it) but i am sick of wanting more... Hey, dont get mad at me but you dont see anyone on the PS3 & 360 sites complaining about what more their console owners need.
  • DarkWish
    @Remus153: Trust me, dude. I've done my research. Wii already has the hardware to play SDHC cards. Those that have the Homebrew Channel installed can already use SDHC cards without modding their Wii in any way. That means the technology is there, Nintendo just has to enable it with a simple firmware update. Maybe they'll make that a part of the storage solution.
  • JesseZojo
    I agree with DarkWish. There's plenty of space with just a SD card. Heck, I just have a 1 GB SD card in it...and it is nowhere even a quarter full.
    I just need to be able to view my games that are saved on the SD card on the Wii Menu...instead of having to swap games out.
  • Remus153
    ... How to start. You just can't upgrade from SD to SDHC only with firmware update on most hardware. Even if 2 gb is ok right now for your need, maybe that if they got more room they can offer more service. More DLC, Bigger WiiWare or what ever Nintendo can think of(and you know how they can be imaginative). By the way 32 and 64 sond more like flash memory for me. It could be like a usb ssd drive. But I must agree with you a hard drive is not necessary like the xbox360. But who want an xbox360 without harddrive?
  • DarkWish
    The only reason the vast majority think we need a hard drive is because they haven't thought things through completely. A SD card is definitely enough. I have plenty of games saved on my SD card, along with save files, some Guitar Hero: World Tour DLC, and more with plenty of room to spare and it's only a 2 GB SD card.

    All we really need is a storage solution so that we can move things easily to and from the SD card and then we're set. That is the big problem everyone has. And all Nintendo has to do is enable SDHC cards with a firmware update and that solves the problem for those that can fill up a 2 GB SD card. While a hard drive would be nice, it is not NECESSARY. There's a difference.
  • While I agree that this particular rumor is likely BS, I fail to see what you mean by "First, we don’t need a hard drive. It wouldn’t solve any problems.".

    We do need a hard drive and the vast majority of the internet would disagree with you - also, it would solve a ton of problems as the other commentors already pointed out.

    -Age
  • What are you talking about it won't solve any problems? Many people have nearly bought everything on the Wii Shop channel, so people would buy it.

    Also, some games actually do take up a lot of memory for saves. Like Brawl. It's so big, you can't even move it to an SD card.
  • Nick
    Won't solve any problems? What are you talking about? It might be that not everybody needs it, but people have been complaining for a storage solution since the Wii came out. Whether or not this is a rumor, this is gold for Nintendo. Especially with WiiWare games. People who need it will buy it, people who don't probably will too, "just in case." I say this because you have to remember that a majority of Wii owners are regular consumers, not gamers or tech-savvy people, and won't know the difference when a salesman tells them "oh, you have a Wii? You need to get this new accessory for it!"
  • WSHMKR
    Seems kind of useful I guess. However it is coming too late. We are at the brink of USB 3.0, which will solve the issue of slow transfer speed for stuff.

    Just because a hard drive is used, I could imagine it would take a long time to transfer stuff from each game SD card over to the hard drive. Will it be compatible with as a normal hard drive to use on a computer? Who would Nintendo be using to make their harddrive, SeaGate, Western Digital, etc?

    Can you play the games directly off of the hard drive? If not, then the only benefit is that instead of having 5 SD cards you now just have one hard drive. But hey, you can buy a 16GB+ SD card and solve that same issue today!

    I cant see Nintendo doing this rumor.
  • Don't need a hard drive!? I've easily got the gamesave, WiiWare and VC titles to cram up every bit of the internal memory (and I'm nowhere near the "hardcore" mark... I understand some people have them all). It'd be nice to avoid swapping them constantly... but I will concede that this is not a problem for most users. While I can imagine a million reasons for such a device, none of them seem to fit the needs of Nintendo's ideal market audience.
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