8GB Wii U only has 3GB of usable storage space

8GB Wii U only has 3GB of usable storage space
David Scammell Updated on by

Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more

The Wii U Basic console may ship with 8GB of Flash memory, but only 3GB of that is actually available to use, Nintendo has revealed.

Discussing the console’s storage space in the latest Nintendo Direct (translated by Kotaku), Nintendo confirmed that the Wii U Basic actually contains 7.2GB of available memory after formatting – and that 4.2GB of that is reserved for profile and system data,

That leaves players with just 3GB of usable memory.

That’s just enough to download a copy of New Super Mario Bros. U, which weighs in at 2GB, but just a tad shy of the 3.2GB required to download a copy of Nintendo Land.

The 32GB Wii U Premium console, meanwhile, ships with 24.8GB of usable storage space.

Both models will, of course, be compatible with external hard drives, allowing players to boost their total available storage space by purchasing a third-party HDD or USB Flash drive.

Nintendo doesn’t recommend using the latter, though. According to Kotaku, a USB Flash Memory drive’s “cycling capability can impact gameplay”.

Wii U launches in the UK on November 30. If you’ve pre-ordered one, have you ordered a hard drive to go with it?

Source: Nintendo Direct/Kotaku