Wii U Data Transfer

[Nester the Lark]

I've had my Wii U since last November, and I've been dragging my feet on doing a data transfer from my regular Wii to the Wii U. Maybe it's silly, but I guess it's mainly for sentimental reasons. Once I do the transfer, I'll have little reason to use my old Wii anymore except to play GameCube games in Progressive Scan. It'll seem so... empty. I wonder if I should even do it at all, but I figure I'll probably need to do it eventually anyway.

But I thought I'd ask you guys first. For those of you with Wii Us, have you done a system transfer? Do you think it's worthwhile?

I've read everything on Nintendo's support page about it, but are there any other particular issues I should be aware of? It seems simple enough, but I've heard of a few rare instances of problems.

And what happens if I transfer a Mii from my Wii that has the same name as a Mii on my Wii U? Does it overwrite, or is it just duplicated?

[Kriven]

TBH, I've found it only worthwhile as far as transferring Virtual Console titles which I intend on upgrading to the Wii U version. I absolutely detest the time it takes to boot into Wii Mode to use my WiiWare and non-upgradeable VC titles, and the fact that half of my digital library is shoved away rubs me wrong. It feels like having everything set up on a bookshelf and then blocking half of that shelf with a heavy door. Sure, it isn't too much trouble to open that door... but it kinda sucks, y'know?

I don't know if it's possible to only transfer some digital titles, but if I were back in your position that's definitely what I'd be looking to do. Transferring only that which can be upgraded into a Wii U format.

[Leon]

I did the transfer a few weeks ago, and getting the SNES games moved onto Wii U has made my play them a lot more since I don't need to use a Classic Controller. Also remember that for most Wii games, you can copy the save data to an SD card and still use your Wii to play them.

As for any danger, as long as you don't lose power or internet there shouldn't be any issue as far as I know.

[nocturnal YL]

I still don't have a Wii U, but when I get one, I definitely won't do the transfer - too many games will be affected if I do. I still use the GC controller whenever allowed (Radiant Dawn, Kirby Dream Collection...), and I definitely don't want to lose FE9/10 connectivity. Just because they're old doesn't mean I won't play them again.

[Arcadenik]

I got the Wii U for Christmas but I still have not transferred my VC/WiiWare library to Wii U. Doing so would give me no reason to keep using the Wii except for playing Gamecube games or watching Hulu/Netflix... but I started watching Hulu/Netflix on Wii U... so there's just Gamecube games... I don't want to bother with the Wii Menu in Wii U... I want my Wii to remain useful for a long time... even if it is at the expense of NES/SNES/N64/Gamecube since I put them away in a storage box and the Wii can play most of those games anyway.

As for the Wii U, it is empty except for a couple eShop games. I don't need to get anything now. My Wii already got over 140 games plus I started to love again. My Wii was empty for 6 years before I got on a shopping spree and spent about $500 on VC/WiiWare games in 2012. I was feeling empty inside in 2011-12 after a breakup and I got over 140 games to fill the void in vain... I simply stopped buying games because there were no more good games left... and my wallet was empty.

[Kriven]

The Wii doesn't have to be useless just because you transferred VC titles to the Wii U... Mine is a media powerhouse because I tweaked it a bit. It's the most efficient Standard Defintion movie player I've got, so I keep it hooked up to my old analogue TV, right with the N64, PS2, and everything else from earlier generations. Comes in real handy when I want to watch some interlaced video or play games that look like butt on my new TV.

[Nester the Lark]

Thanks for all the replies!

I don't generally use GameCube controllers for Wii or VC games, except maybe for Metal Slug Anthology. But if I do the save data backup trick, that wouldn't be an issue anyway.

I do have a lot of VC games, tho, and I feel like Nintendo's policies for protecting downloadable software is slightly better on the Wii U. I don't really have any intention of upgrading any of them, however, except maybe if those few TurboGrafx games make it over from Japan.

Still, I don't think I'm going to go through with this just yet.

[nocturnal YL]

The save data for all Wii games with Nintendo WFC cannot be copied, and this includes populat titles like Mario Kart Wii and Brawl. There are also a few other uncopiable saves, such as the Japanese version of Radiant Dawn (to make the game feel more difficult than it should) and most Pokémon saves of any region (probably because the prospect of easily cloning Pokémon doesn't sit well with the developers).

I don't know if Wii U VC is worth it if you already have the Wii version. Both are vastly inferior to third party emulators, and the only thing Wii U and 3DS VC adds is save states which, for casual play prupose, is only useful for games without save capability.

[Nester the Lark]

The only reason I would be willing to upgrade TurboGrafx VC games is because I want to support the TurboGrafx. For me, the great library of TG16 games is one of the best things about the Virtual Console. The TG16 is uncommon in North America, but it's great that many of the games are available digitally. And since Konami shut down Hudson a few years ago, they've done almost nothing with the properties until PC Engine games began popping up on the Wii U VC in Japan earlier this year.

So, if I have the chance to throw a little extra money at them to help make sure that they continue to be available, I think it would be worth it.