What do you do when your Wii is full of VC games?

[heybtbm]

I recently found a Wii last week. Since there isn't much on the software front (yet), I started downloading a bunch of Virtual Console games. The problem is, my "blocks" are almost filled up. It appears that I don't have any space left to download new games. WTH?

I thought you could store games on those little SD cards...but I guess it doesn't work yet? This seems like it will become a huge issue for most people in the upcoming months. Am I missing something...what exactly is the point of the SD cards?

[GrandAmChandler]

Did you move to the right on the channel selection screen? Did you fill all of those up??

[jajaja]

The point of the SD card is very little imo. You cant load saves from it and you cant play VC games from it, so whats left? You can use it to watch pictures, take backup of saves and VC (altho rather pointless since you can redownload them for free), and you can copy music over to it and use it in games like Excite Truck to get custom soundtrack. Other than this i cant think of any good use for it.

To answer your question; if the internal memory is getting full you must delete a VC game or more to get room for more, there is no other solution. You can also copy the game over to the SD card, delete it from the internal memory and download a new game. If you want to play the old game you must repeat this process, move a game over to the SD card, delete it from the internal memory, then copy the old game over to the internal memory.

It doesnt really take long, but if you do it alot it can get quite annoying. I have no idea why Wii cant play VC games or load saves directly from the SD card.

[Oobgarm]

What do you do when your Wii is full of VC games?

Throw it out and buy a new one. :P

[swlovinist]

Wow, that is pretty stupid, not being able to use the SD card directly. Hopefully they can fix that in the future.

[Cobra Commander]

What happens if I have a game with saves like Zelda? If you transfer it to SD and bring it back over, will your saves remain intact?

[jajaja]

What happens if I have a game with saves like Zelda? If you transfer it to SD and bring it back over, will your saves remain intact?

Yes, you can move the savegames back and forth to the SD card without a problem, but to be able to use them they must be laying on the internal memory.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Wow this really saddens me, because earlier this week I was trying to figure out, if there was a way to make the SD card the primary drive. Yet apparently not, even though I purchased a 2GB stick. However, thanks to Jajaja, at least it's true that I can stick with the original method by copying those games to the SD card.

Now when you said about save data files. I noticed some games like Bonk's Adventure will NOT let you transfer that save game data.

[MonoTekETeA]

Yeah, it is surpisingly limited, though I would think the reason behind this is if a older 'non-gamer' buys the machine and doens't know much about computers, they wouldn't have to worry about this whole 'memory dohicky' that lets them do SO much more with the system.

But yeah, your answer would be to just keep swaping them off and on of the SD card forwhich ones you are going to want to play, or just delete the games that you don't play as much, because you can always download them later.

[jajaja]

Now when you said about save data files. I noticed some games like Bonk's Adventure will NOT let you transfer that save game data.

I dont know about saves for VC games, but afaik it shouldnt be any problems to move savegames for Wii games back and forth to a SD card.



Yeah, it is surpisingly limited, though I would think the reason behind this is if a older 'non-gamer' buys the machine and doens't know much about computers, they wouldn't have to worry about this whole 'memory dohicky' that lets them do SO much more with the system.

Know what you're saying, but i doubt thats the reason. If it was possible to extended the internal memory with a SD card, it would be just pop in a SD card and you have more space. You dont need to be a gamer to do that :) They have to worry more now that the space is running out much faster than if it was possible to expand the internal memory.

[MarioMania]

I think Nintendo did that for a reason..But I hope Nintendo makes a bigger Drive to store VC games in

[robotriot]

I'm guessing it has to do with some form of copy protection, a safety measure to prevent executables being run from the SD-cards for some reason. Not that this makes a lot of sense, but I can't think of any other reason, really.

[MegaDrive20XX]

I dont know about saves for VC games, but afaik it shouldnt be any problems to move savegames for Wii games back and forth to a SD card.

Well that positive side to this, is those game saves are in very small blocks, so I'm glad it won't be that much of a problem so I hope.

[Poofta!]

as far as i know, the card drive is not fast enough to run games off of.

[Graham Mitchell]

Now when you said about save data files. I noticed some games like Bonk's Adventure will NOT let you transfer that save game data.


Well, I think that what Bonk's Adventure saves is not game data, but just a state. When you exit the game by going to the Wii menu, it uses a "save state" like an emulator, which probably can't be transferred to the SD card. But if the game is like Zelda or Mario 64, with actual save game functions programmed into the game (ie-a save function that was available in the actual cartridge), it stores that data in a separate file that can be moved about.

Don't forget that a lot of those games use passwords, too. If you're too lazy to write them down, there's always Gamefaqs, which I'm sure has passwords for almost every game on the VC.

[sisko]

If you do have to delete a game, you can always download it again at no cost (as long as it is the same system).

[rbudrick]

What's the largest SD a Wii can recognize?

-Rob

[MegaDrive20XX]

Well, I think that what Bonk's Adventure saves is not game data, but just a state. When you exit the game by going to the Wii menu, it uses a "save state" like an emulator, which probably can't be transferred to the SD card. But if the game is like Zelda or Mario 64, with actual save game functions programmed into the game (ie-a save function that was available in the actual cartridge), it stores that data in a separate file that can be moved about.


Exactly what I was thinking after I read the last reply. Except, gamefaqs.com is looked down upon by most people. So we dare not speak it's name here at DP...we use pen/pencils and paper to write our FAQ's..

[MegaDrive20XX]

What's the largest SD a Wii can recognize?

-Rob

I heard 4GB, but not sure if that has been confirmed.

[sisko]

I heard 4GB, but not sure if that has been confirmed.

The instruction manual specifically states 2GB.

[Graham Mitchell]

Exactly what I was thinking after I read the last reply. Except, gamefaqs.com is looked down upon by most people. So we dare not speak it's name here at DP...we use pen/pencils and paper to write our FAQ's..

You know what else occurred to me is that the TG-16 save functions (which required specific additional hardware on the native machine) are preserved. How rad is that? Nintendo's really trying. I think the VC is great. Okay, enough gushing.

[diskoboy]

I heard 4GB, but not sure if that has been confirmed.

I'm sure as SD card sizes get bigger, console updates will add support for the bigger cards. I've got 2 2gig cards, and the first isn't even close to being full. The one thing that pisses me off about the SD cards are, there are certian game saves you cant back up to SD (Elebits comes to mind)

[Rev. Link]

I would think it's fairly obvious why you can't play VC games off the SD cards. Nintendo doesn't want you to buy a VC game, then put it on a card and give it to your buddies.

[Leo_A]

I doubt that, the VC games can only be played on the console they're downloaded. Allowing them to be played from a sd card rather than the internal memory wouldn't change that.

[MonoTekETeA]

I
Know what you're saying, but i doubt thats the reason. If it was possible to extended the internal memory with a SD card, it would be just pop in a SD card and you have more space. You dont need to be a gamer to do that :) They have to worry more now that the space is running out much faster than if it was possible to expand the internal memory.

Sorry, working at my store, I have a large doubt of people having any idea about anything dealing with a video game.

Real story, Walls lined with video games.

Lady walks in and looks around, and stares at the PS2 wall for a bit and then turns around and says:

"So where are ya'll videogames at!?"
Us:"Uh....yeah, sorry, all we sell are vacuums, sorry miss."

She walks out.

I'll leave it at that.

[jajaja]

Sorry, working at my store, I have a large doubt of people having any idea about anything dealing with a video game.

Real story, Walls lined with video games.

Lady walks in and looks around, and stares at the PS2 wall for a bit and then turns around and says:

"So where are ya'll videogames at!?"
Us:"Uh....yeah, sorry, all we sell are vacuums, sorry miss."

She walks out.

I'll leave it at that.

lol, funny story LOL Well.. there are exceptions of course, but on a general basis i dont think its like that. Even so, the SD card would not be anything you require so people who absolutely have no clue, they wouldnt need to think about anything else, just use it straight outta the box :) Others who want could just pop in the SD card to expand the memory.

My point earlier was, what happends if people who are clueless about this stuff starts to run out of space? It will be much more and harder to explain to them how to take backup and/or delete stuff than to just say "just buy a SD card and insert it into the tiny slot" and the space issue fixed :) So there are potentialy a bigger "problem" for those people now than if it was possible to expand the internal memory.

Its like a PC you buy. Many people hardly know how to turn it on, but the PC will still have to possibility for inserting an extra HDD, but its not required to use to PC. The Wii could have been the same. If you wanted to upgrade the space, just buy a SD card. Sadly, it doesnt work like that for some reason :\

[MegaDrive20XX]

You know what else occurred to me is that the TG-16 save functions (which required specific additional hardware on the native machine) are preserved. How rad is that? Nintendo's really trying. I think the VC is great. Okay, enough gushing.


Exactly, I got a huge kick out of knowing that the Wii picks up exactly where you paused in the game. At first, I was ready to see the title screen, but leaving exactly where I was, was a nice touch.