Nintendo comments on ‘Wii U’ long OS load times and system crashes

Nintendo has commented on the two problems, long OS load times and system crashes, that is currently plaguing the launch of their Nintendo Wii U system

[Wizziokid]

"We are aware that users are experiencing load times when they launch or switch between applications. We are exploring ways to enhance features for consumers’ overall experience."

Good to see a fast response and clarification that they are working on fixing things.

[caseh]

Shame their response is faster than switching between apps. :)

[reynod]

They should have just given an Android phone complementary, that would have switched apps faster :P not to mention better browser lol.

[decrypt]

Long OS load times.. few solutions:

1. Hibernate or sleep instead of shutdown
2. Uninstall unneeded apps
3. Get an SSD

oh shit where are my manners, its a console... hahaha.

[gaffyh]

I don't even understand how the lag is possible. It has 1GB of system RAM for God's sake!!!!

[DeadlyFire]

Should have thrown a small ARM chip in there and a custom ARM OS. I know Microsoft has ARM in next Xbox. Windows RT(ARM edition) proves it to me.

[extermin8or]

lol can't believe I thought that then, decided it was too corny and to post and then saw you'd already beaten me too it :p

[Kennytaur]

@decrypt

Those are all possible and have a helping effect on consoles too. At least you tried....

[SilentNegotiator]

An entire GB of memory for the OS and it loads slowly? Hmmm, maybe the RAM really is as slow as has been said.

[sjaakiejj]

Lol I love how people ignorantly claim that ARM is the end-all be-all for console processors. They're pretty rubbish for anything but mobile systems since focus is on battery life, not performance.

[nukeitall]

@gaffyh:

"I don't even understand how the lag is possible. It has 1GB of system RAM for God's sake!!!!"

It's easy! It's a company that has little experience writing operating systems. Nintendo has never been stellar at making cutting edge software, and the OS is one of the most advanced pieces of software ever made.

Nintendo is really an entertainment company that dabbles in technology and not the opposite.

[lashes2ashes]

I agree. Now they need to explains the wii games upscaling lol. I'm playing xenoblade and my tv is on 1080p right now and it looks a lot better. So is it the wii u or my tv that is upscaling the game. I have seen other people talking about this so it's not just me.

[reynod]

Get a dolphin emulator, it will look even better in native 1080p :P

PS: try using something asides your grammas laptop.

[DivineHand125]

Its good that the wiiU can upscale games to 1080p so no need for remaster like on ps3. Can it play and upscale gamecube games too?

@reynod stop trying to down play the wiiU. Dolphin does not run the games in 1080p native since the original files were set to run in sd not sure if its 480p or lower so it must be upscaled aswell.

[T900]

@divinehand

Dolphin infact renders Wii games at 1080p, hence in any case the results will be better than Wii U upscales.

I have personally seen Dolphin running Wii games vs a Wii running the game. The difference is night and day. Dolphin almost makes Wii games look like PS3 or 360 games.

[Qrphe]

According to DivineHand, this isn't 1080p natively.

http://thejayzone.com/pics/...

This level of ignorance can be anything but blissful.

Edit: Wii games look better on the Wii U only due to the HDMI cable used instead of a component one. Everyone here makes it seem like upscaling is something more advanced than simple image-stretching.

[dirthurts]

The Wii U isn't upscaling. It's the TV set. It's taking the digital signal and upscaling that.
Your set probably doesn't upscale well with an analogue signal (usually the case)like the original Wii used, which is why you didn't get the effect before the new system.

[wampdog29]

It's your television and something I have been telling all the Wii SD graphics haters for the last 6 years. Obviously, the Wii output was analog so you needed to buy a receiver capable of upconverting analog input to a digital, upscaled signal.

[Monstar]

It's the Wii U, they upscale Wii games to HD.

[Deku-Johnny]

@reynod, it's not native 1080p if you're having to use an emulator that's the whole point in the word 'native'.

[fr0sty]

When an emulator runs a game, it actually takes the polygon meshes and renders them at whatever resolution it is set to run at. This is a native render. So, if your emulator is set to output at 1080p, you are getting a native 1080p render AT THE POLYGON LEVEL. However, when you add textures to those polygons, unless new high resolution textures are added (like many of the Ps3 re-releases of PS2 games), you are still getting the exact same texture resolution. So, you'll have nice sharp 1080p polygons with blurry textures that were made for 480p (and due to Wii's tiny RAM, sometimes even at that res they were blurry). That said, emulators can also run filters on the textures to improve them some, but as they say, you can't polish a turd.

So, technically an emulator does run at native 1080p, but that doesn't mean it'll upscale an old game to look as good as a new one. In no way can upscaling ANY wii game come out looking as good as what we consider a good looking PS3 or 360 game.

As for Wii U, I'm not sure if it's set to emulate Wii games at native 1080p or if it's rendering at 480p then upscaling (stretching) to 1080p. If it's emulating, I don't see why it couldn't render native 1080p.

[donman1]

Very good that they are working on correcting that problem. It is not acceptable for a new console with 1GB of memory dedicated to the OS to have up to 11sec or more when going from game back to the main menu. I hope they get this fixed by the end of Dec.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Ram is not everything you need to get faster os load speeds. The processor is a big factor in these types of things and apparently the wii u does not have too great of a processor.

[3GenGames]

Writing optimized code is much much much more important than anything over all. With C that's kinda hard to do, but if they know how a C compiler optimizes, they can help it along a decent amount.

[andyboy157]

I'm amazed that they only gave the system 1gb of ram. You can buy 8gb of pc ram (not some no name brand either) for as low as $20 now. That's $20 at a retail level.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

This could be the worse online of all consoles. Nintendo's first time in HD gaming, Tv, true online. They have to learn what MS and Sony already have experience in for the past 6-7 years. They will get it right with wiiU2.

Just saying they are noobs to this stuff.

[deafdani]

That comment just shows you don't have a Wii U. The online infrastructure in the Wii U is leagues beyond what PS3 and Xbox 360 offer, with an impressive social network built into it.

The problem here isn't the online. The problem is that, as of now, the Wii U is painfully slow for switching and loading applications. Once they're loaded, they actually run pretty fast.

And I know it's better because I own all the consoles, no fanboy speak here. If Nintendo solves this issue with an update (they shpuld, there's always room for optimization), this console will be absolutely amazing, as far as OS and online, that is.

The games is still a wait and see scenario, but it's already off to a pretty strong start.

[1upgamer99]

The Wii U is far better Than PS3 is now online. Nintendo is not new at the online stuff, they just never put much into it until now. Nintendo Wii U has a far superior, seamless online experience. If I am playing a game I can browse the net just by hitting home and instantly go right back to my game. If you have not used the Wii U online save your comments. Nintendo also did away with the pain in the rear friend code crap.

[Monstar]

Not NOOBS, just stubborn and want things their way.

[GraveLord]

"We are aware that users are experiencing load times when they launch or switch between applications. We are exploring ways to enhance features for consumers’ overall experience."

Someone needs to tell Nintendo they can't patch in faster RAM lmfao.

[deafdani]

But they can optimize the apps and the OS so everything works better with the hardware at hand.

[pixelsword]

"Good to see a fast response and clarification that they are working on fixing things."

True, but a faster one would have been to eliminate the problems before launching, even if it meant delaying the launch.

If Nintendo is confident that they can fix the problems, give them that chance to do so.

[V0LT]

I like the response but however you have had 6 years maybe longer of testing and building this stuff... No excuses.... I own one and love it but sometimes I don't understand how this stuff happens when it is the obvious...

[showtimefolks]

It's a new system launch so we have to expect some bumps along with way early on

Hopefully Nintendo can resolve/improve hese issues

Givemeshelter

I agree with you when ps4 and xbox360 come out I will wat about an year before buying because we will get most of the games on newer systems but I believe there will be ports for xbox360 and ps3 just because graphics difference won't be as big as ps2 to ps3 and install base for current systems will be quite high to ignore

So for first few ears expect almost every major release to be on ps3.ps4,xbox360 and 720 along with wiiu

[WiiUalpha]

Maybe I'm just lucky but havent had a single issue.My update took less than an hour and everything has been running great. Havent really noticed any long load times for anything. If anything the system starts pretty quick imo but it does take longer for the TV to show whats going on then the game pad when first started up but that might be my tv. Loving it so far. It's not perfect of course nothing is but I'm enjoying the console and even Nintendoland and Miiverse.

It did seem odd to go to the eshop and see AC3,NSMBU and other HD retail games for sale on a Nintendo console. I like how they let devs set their own pricing for games. Taking more of a Steam approach instead ofwhat current consoles are doing.

[givemeshelter]

Never be an early adopter...There is always pain involved.

[Neonridr]

but I would rather be in on that, then missing out.

I haven't had any issues yet. Sure the inital update took a little while, but go do something for an hour and then come back. Take a day to get everything set up just how you want it, then you are good to go from there. No different that installing a home theatre system and then having to tweak it afterwards to your liking.

I haven't had too much time to fiddle around with it, only set it up yesterday evening and then updated it last night. So tonight hopefully I will be able to dive into the guts of the thing, transfer over my Wii data and VC games to the Wii U.

[givemeshelter]

I got burned with the PS2...I got burned with the the Xbox360...Never again. I will wait a year until everything is ironed out then buy the new system.

[MasterCornholio]

At the moment im not missing out on anything because there are no games on the Wii U that interest me. However that could change in the future.

P.S Dont recommend me Nintendo games because i am not a fan of Mario, Zelda, Metroid etc.

P.S.S Batman would interest me but i already have the game on my PS3 and the Wii U version seems like the same thing except for a few gimmicks and extra content.

P.S.S.S Now Mass effect does seem like a nice game but so far i dont see the point in getting a Wii U just for one game.

P.S.S.S.S I will shut up now

:)

[s45gr32]

Nintendo is lazy should of come with no 5gb patch. Its tv video services installed and ready plus faster loading times. Is a mess is better to wait than being an early adopter just to skip pulling some hair out and being frustrated.

[mamotte]

Agree.

[fossilfern]

I still want a WiiU but im kind of glad I canceled my pre order... Ill pick up one when Bayonetta 2 comes out.

[iHeartHelloKitty]

A Nintendo platform has problems...this is the first I heard of it. Is Nintendo slipping?

[meowthemouse]

What about 3DS? The quality was beyond horrible.

[LKHGFDSA]

lol and Virtual Boy for that matter. (I know, I know, it doesn't count.)

[meowthemouse]

My Virtual boy actually still works perfectly.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

This is why I was really impressed when they abnonded one gig of the ram would be dedicated to the O.S. Yea that's alot for a console but my question was would it be optimized properly.

[TemplarDante]

Soo.. their having this gen problems on next gen hardware?

[Dovahkiin]

Which gen again?

[Kidmyst]

How can these things happen with a launch? Is there no testing at Nintendo? It's not hardware issues it's software which usually undergoes rigerous testing. We are exploring ways? C'mon Nintendo, you should have explored this before requiring a huge update on a launch system and launch titles which would have been tested before the whole thing was approved for distribution. It's not like they were rushing to beat a competitor or anything. I expected better. Atleast I didn't spend money on one yet.

[Neonridr]

The retail Wii U's have been packaged up sitting in a warehouse for months now. You think that Nintendo should just stop updating their OS or functionalities as soon as it rolls off the line? Nintendo was tweaking their OS and software right up to day one of launch. If they had just stopped at whatever was in there rolling off the assembly line, then we wouldn't have half the features we have now. Guess what, when Nintendo TVii rolls out, there will be another update for that too. That's the nature of today's society. It's nothing new, everything I purchase electronics related always needs to be updated because there are new drivers, or new firmware, or extra software that needs to be added.

You can't test the software when you are still fine tuning it right up to release day.

[ickysweat77]

Neonridr, you missed the entire point. They shouldn't have packaged it up and put it on shelves in the warehouse in the first place with such a glaring issue. Also, this isn't a fine tuning issue, this is a really big mistake that can really hinder the experience of the product. Slow loading times is one thing, but lets not forget all of the reports of Wii U's bricking when they were shut off or their battery died during update. These customers are left holding a very expensive brick. I almost died laughing when I read that you called this "fine tuning."

[Neonridr]

What so 360's or PS3's never bricked before? The RROD was a speacial holiday surprise for all the early MS adopters? Give me a break.

I updated my system perfectly fine. Sure some menus take a while to load, others not so much. The fact that you can access most of the menus while you are in game isn't so much of an issue either. I was jumping onto the Miiverse and then back into the game in no time flat. Just to post a comment or read what other people are saying about the game.

You don't have to defend your fanboyism, if you don't like the system, then don't get it.

Most of the features weren't ready to go by the time the units were boxed up and sent to the warehouses. So by your logic Nintendo should have just said "Ok boys, whatever is ready to go when they roll off the line is all these guys are going to get."

Personally I am glad that they are adding more content. I downloaded the update in 1 hour and then it took another 20 minutes to get all my stuff set up the way I want. Another 30 minutes to transfer over my Wii save data and VC games. Now the system is set up and I am ready to rock. Boo hoo, it took one day to set up. The world is going to end.

I'm sorry about the people who had issues with their systems being bricked. But I bet you the fail rate is a lot lower than the RROD case with the 360.

[abzdine]

glad i didnt buy it yet. i'll wait a few months so i get feedback from early "beta"buyers

[Thepcz]

i'l wait for more great first party games.

[kupomogli]

"Wii 1.5 long OS load times and system crashes."

Looks like I'll wait for the Wii 1.55.

[BrianC6234]

I wouldn't expect the long load times to go away. Based on other articles posted it looks like Nintendo went the cheap way on RAM. The Wii U is probably just stuck being a slow console. They'll have to upgrade to faster RAM and maybe even rewrite the OS to fix that problem.

[SnipeySnake]

Yep..definitely not buying this till they fix everything.

[clrlite]

I'm on the fence myself luffy.

[swansong]

They will improve it with there next update at 8gb.

[chukamachine]

I'll translate for everyone.

We are sorry for the 5gb update and the slow ram that we put in our machines.

[AWBrawler]

No complaints. The Mario is awesome the zombiu is pretty damn scary and scribblenauts its addictive.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

If Nintendo is struggling to compete with PS3/360 hows it going to fare against the next systems from their rivals when they are due to be announced soon?

[tubers]

Different gen same story.

Wii U will thrive and sell the most while the PS4/720 will win the "more hardcore" market.

[Cam977]

I guess it's a Weak U after all. Remember when fanboys got ecstatic when they boasted it's going to be better than the Ps3/360? No. It isn't better at all.