Thinking about getting the Wii U Basic with 8GB? You might to invest in a bigger HHD, too, then.
According to Nintendo, the mandatory system install will take up 4.2GB which means that Nintendo Land won't be able to fit on the console since it takes up 3.2GB. Those who are good at math will notice that the two numbers don't add up to 8GB, but user profiles will take up space as well.
The reveal came yesterday during a Nintendo Direct broadcast (via Eurogamer), where Nintendo explained how it's possible to use USB storage or an external harddrive with the console.
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Ian: The Wii U isn't the only device with most of its space taken up by mandatory installations. It’s a little known fact that the Microsoft Surface tablet has only half of its space available for use, with only 16 gigabytes of available storage in spite of its 32 gigabyte listing. A significant portion of the device’s storage is taken up by mandatory installations, including the operating system and pre-loaded apps like Word and Excel. The fact of the matter has prompted a California lawyer to sue Microsoft for misleading its customers.
It remains to be seen whether lawsuits will be taken up with Nintendo over the matter.