11 replies to this topic

[Aplg8]

Hey all, just had a general question as I've not really utilized an external HD on my WII U yet but will most likely download a couple games soon.  I've got a spare 1TB Westerd Digital I could attach but I don't want something else that needs to be plugged in.

 

So this is my question....I found a spare 32gig Sandisk Cruzer mini flash.  Has anyone used a thumb drive as an external HD.  Will I be able to install games on it and will they run properly?  May be a stupid question but I've done no research what so ever.  I should just use my 1tb but wanted some feedback before I have to put that behind my tv stand.

 

I just like this one because is discrete

 

http://www.sandisk.c...ves/cruzer-fit/

 

 

 

[Tom]

A flash drive will work faster than an HDD, but at the cost of capacity.

 

As long as you don't plan to digitally download any AAA retail games (or any retail game for that matter), you should be fine.

Edited by Tom, 12 August 2013 - 02:44 PM.

[tboss]

Should work, only small and large usb work. Small because wiiu can supply it power, and large that plug into the wall. If its larger than 64 gigs and doesnt plug into the wall, it wont work. Everything else should work

[daneshpastry]

Nintendo says you shouldn't use flash drives because the constant reading/writing to the disk will cause it to fail quickly, while a hard drive will not. No idea if this is true or not. 

[Nollog]

flash sticks have limited amounts of read/write cycles, but they'll work fine and realistically, won't cause any problems for you at all.

[Alex Atkin UK]

It varies depending on the USB stick, if its a good quality one you should be fine. 

 

I'm using an 8GB on mine purely because downloads go quicker to a USB than to the internal flash memory in the Wii U.  Considering how slow the internal memory seems to be I find it unlikely that USB sticks can be any worse than what Nintendo put inside.

[Cloud Windfoot Omega]

Nintendo says you shouldn't use flash drives because the constant reading/writing to the disk will cause it to fail quickly, while a hard drive will not. No idea if this is true or not. 

yes all flash media have a finite read/write ability. Each sector will fail after a while.

 

always back up your flash devices. (it is 1 reason i dont buy ssd)

 

ssd's are expensive, WILL fail and are limited capacity.

 

data also degrades over time.

Edited by Cloud Windfoot Omega, 12 August 2013 - 08:33 PM.

[TriplePower]

Another thing you should be careful about is whether your extern hard drive has its own power outlet, otherwise you have to buy a Y-splitter cable.

[Alex Atkin UK]

yes all flash media have a finite read/write ability. Each sector will fail after a while.

 

always back up your flash devices. (it is 1 reason i dont buy ssd)

 

ssd's are expensive, WILL fail and are limited capacity.

 

data also degrades over time.

 

So do HDDs, so its a silly reason not to buy an SSD.  Any negatives are more than made up for by the speed difference.

 

Its not like we know the reliability of the internal flash memory in the Wii U, it certainly seems very slow.  Games consoles have been using flash memory for years and as a general rule they are pretty reliable.  Its usually cheap knock-off memory cards that fail.

 

The data DOES start to fade after 10 years, but that is solved by simply saving the data again.

[Aplg8]

^{Ok so if I go home and download Pikmin 3, will it run any different between my 1tb western digital or my 32g mini sandisk?}

Edited by Aplg8, 13 August 2013 - 01:36 PM.

[Alex Atkin UK]

No way to know without trying. 

 

Some games will run better from optical disc, some better from a USB stick, some better from a HDD, most games probably not much difference between all three. 

 

It depends on how the game stores/loads its data and the specific HDD/USB stick you are using.

 

So just use whichever is most convenient as I don't think it will make enough difference to worry about.

Edited by Alex Atkin UK, 13 August 2013 - 02:10 PM.

[grahamf]

I have the 16GB version of that drive in my Wii U. So far it working perfectly fine, and It is noticeably faster to load the channels (at least the previews on the channel screen) compared to internal memory. And it's really tiny. It's plugged into the back of my U and I never have to think about it when I bring my U places. but apparently some 8GB and smaller capacities of that model are fake, so be forewarned.

yes all flash media have a finite read/write ability. Each sector will fail after a while.

 

always back up your flash devices. (it is 1 reason i dont buy ssd)

 

ssd's are expensive, WILL fail and are limited capacity.

 

data also degrades over time.

Yeah, SSDs from a consumer perspective have the same reliability as HDDs (maybe more so in rough conditions). and they're underprovisioned so if a sector fails, it can be replaced by a different one with no loss of useable capacity.

 

And SSDs do usually have an optimization routine, so as data is altered or created the SSD reorganizes it for better efficiency and to avoid degradation.

 

iirc.

Edited by grahamf, 13 August 2013 - 09:07 PM.