If you do get the cheaper model, you can plug an external hard drive into a USB port and get up to 2TB more storage if you need it, but the drive will be specifically formatted for the Wii U and won’t work anywhere else. You should buy the Deluxe Edition, if you can find it: the actual available storage in the Basic Edition is less than 4GB, plus Nintendo Land is a fun game you’ll probably want to own.

For $349.99 you can get the Deluxe Edition, which gets you 32GB of storage in the console, charging stands for the various devices, and a copy of Nintendo Land. The Basic Edition costs $299.99 and comes with 8GB of internal storage, a GamePad, the sensor bar, and all the chargers and cables you'll need (including an HDMI cable, a rare and appreciated addition). The power brick is almost the same size as the console itself, and it made installing the system a lot harder - hiding something that big behind your TV can be tough.Īt launch, there are two ways to buy a Wii U. I'm not sure I've ever written about a power cable in a review before, but the Wii U's merits a mention. There's a small vent on the top, and larger ones on the right side and back - you can definitely hear the fans whirring when you're playing a game, but it was never loud enough to be a problem. For the port-hungry or the picky, there are two more USB ports on the back, along with HDMI (finally) and AV out ports, and jacks for the power adapter and sensor bar that goes on top of your TV. I appreciate the front-loading of the ports, because even though the cables and cards look bad sticking out of the console, they're much more accessible in the front than the back. There's also a sliding cover, which opens to reveal two USB ports and a full-size SD card slot. On the front of the console are the power, sync, and eject buttons, and the disc slot. The size isn't the end of the world since it's something you'll rarely pick up or move, but it's deep enough that it stuck out over the edge of my TV stand.

It's surprisingly large - it weighs about 3.5 pounds, and is nearly 11 inches from front to back.

The Wii U's console is a hefty piece of machinery, a glossy black (or white) rectangle that may or may not slide neatly next to your TV. Time to clear a spot in your home theater stack.

New nintendo wii u games