Wii U requires large firmware update for online features, first brick reported

With the launch of the Wii U, many customers were in for a shock when they realised that they need to download a giant firmware update to access the online part of the system. Worse yet, according to PCMag, those who manage to shut down the console in the middle of the 5GB firmware update will have expensive paper-weights on their hands, as this bricks the system.

Ben Fritz – a writer for the Los Angeles Times – posted a warning on Twitter for other Wii U owners. “Warning: don’t unplug your Wii U during the 2 hour plus software update or the console stops working,” he tweeted. While almost every system warns you against shutting it down during a firmware update, most other systems have a backup in place in case of an accidental shut down, such as the PlayStation 3 attempting to redownload the update as soon as the console starts up again. This could be a major problem to those who are prone to suffering power outages. This is no helped by the fact that the firmware update is a hefty 5GB, and will require quite a bit of time to download.

Just came out and already bricked

It was recently revealed that the Wii U has a limit on the number of user accounts that can be created on the system. The user accounts are tied to game saves, settings, browser bookmarks and play history. Along with this, Nintendo has revealed that eShop purchases can be played by any users on the same system, unlike on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 where you have to be signed in to the user account you used to purchase the game.

According to developers, the system also does not have a system-wide achievement system like the one present on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. This can come as quite a shock as achievements have become a standard on all platforms, with even PC games having achievements from Microsoft's Games for Windows Live and Valve's Steam.

"There are no Wii U accomplishments that are system wide," 5th Cell co-founder Jeremiah Slaczka revealed on NeoGAF. "Scribblenauts Unlimited loosely has them in the form of 'Global shards' a giant check list of global things to spawn and do in the game that aren't area specific."

Nintendo seems to be really focusing on the touchscreen on its controller for the console. Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo hopes that the Wii U’s innovative GamePad controller with the screen will help the console be different from what Microsoft or Sony would be doing, and hopes to change the way people think about a gaming console.

With the Wii U, Nintendo promises that it won’t miss out on multiplatform games, because the hardware will be much closer to what Sony and Microsoft will have to offer. "We have not successfully kept the momentum of the Wii for about the last two years because third-party publishers have released a smaller number of game titles and Nintendo has also decreased new games for the platform in preparation for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U," said Iwata at an annual meeting with shareholders.