The Best Hard Drives for the Wii U

Prepare to download The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD with these external storage solutions.

With the release of The Wonderful 101 and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD fast approaching, Wii U owners looking to grab a copy of the games as soon as they're available in the eShop are going to have to make sure they have the necessary storage. Requiring over 1.7GB of storage, Wind Waker HD, which arrives a full two weeks early in the eShop, will take up precious space on the regular Wii U's 8GB of internal storage -- and the downloadable version of Wonderful 101 will eat up a third of the 32GB edition's storage space and won't even fit on the 8GB version in the first place. Fortunately, there's a slew of external storage options to consider, including compatible USB hard drives and SD cards. Here's a round-up of some of the best solutions in preparation for the game's launch.

Nintendo-Endorsed Desktop Drives

In the market for a hard drive? Nintendo has a short list of recommended products that are proven to play nicely with the Wii U software.
Because of the behavior of the console, Nintendo has a few recommended parameters for an attached hard drive. First and foremost, the manufacturer advises to use an A/C-powered desktop hard drive rather than a USB-powered portable drive or a solid state drive to ensure that adequate power is distributed and memory is accessed quickly. There are quite a few USB-powered drives that work just fine on Wii U (see the list below), but some high-end drives draw more power than USB 2.0 can provide. Next, the company limits the size of the external storage to 2 TB, so the console won't read any mega-memory monoliths (though Nintendo has promised that will change sometime in the future.)
After narrowing down to a handful of hard-drive options, Nintendo has backed five of them for use: Buffalo Drive Station Axis ($99.00 at NCIXUS.com), Seagate Backup Plus ($75.45 at Amazon.com), Seagate Expansion Desktop ($73.92 at Amazon), Toshiba Canvio Desk ($90.99 at Toshiba), and Western Digital My Book ($204.99 at Dell SMB). Nintendo doesn't guarantee that any of these specific drives will perform optimally on the Wii U, but they are all tested for success.

Western Digital My Book

If you're in the market for a hard drive specifically for the Wii U, and you don't care much for customization, then picking one of these up is best. They'll set you back $100, and you'll have the peace of mind that comes with a company-endorsed product.

Other Desktop Drives

It's fair to say that not all hard drives are the same, so it may be worth it to try a few other options if none of these pique interest.
The slightly older (and cheaper) Western Digital Elements 2 TB Hard Drive ($91.99 at Amazon) utilizes USB 2.0, which matches the Wii U's output. This hard drive can be picked up for cheaper than its brethren, largely due to the fact that it doesn't have any of WD's signature backup automation. But, none of that matters when it's formatted for the Wii U, so it's an opportunity to get the biggest bang for your buck.
The stylish and power-conserving Iomega Prestige 1 TB or 2TB Hard Drive is another USB 2.0/3.0 hybrid is also an option to consider. When not in use, the hard drive shuts down to conserve power, so no vampire power will happen under the guide of keeping your downloadable library safe. But, ensure that the hard drive does turn on with your Wii U -- the console doesn't have "hot swap" capabilities, so it won't recognize the hard drive once it's fully powered up.

IoSafe Solo

Safety freaks and downloadable game hoarders may want to spend a little extra to pick up the IoSafe Solo 2 TB Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive (). Sure, it's about $100 more expensive than a standard hard drive, but it's a trade-off for getting an iron fortress of storage. The IoSafe Solo is fireproof up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and waterproof up to 10ft for 72 hours, so it can withstand any natural or man-made disaster.
But use at your own risk — none of these hard drives are guaranteed to work smoothly with the Wii U. That doesn't deny the fact that they are great hard drive options, so go for it if the features fit your needs.

USB-Powered Portable Drives

Nintendo doesn't recommend USB-powered portable hard drives for the Wii U, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Because the Wii U has USB 2.0 drives, portable drives need a Y adaptor plugged into two ports to ensure optimum performance.
There are many great portable drives out there, but a short list of the best include the Western Digital My Passport ($89.99 at Amazon), LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0, and the Buffalo MiniStation Plus ($99.00 at NCIXUS.com). The benefit of similar performance to a desktop drive in a much smaller size really shows off the appeal of a portable drive for the Wii U; it's just so nicely inconspicuous. It's also much more likely that you have a spare portable drive laying around, so don't be afraid to test it out with your console.

LaCie Rikiki

In addition to the power requirements, it's key to recognize that once any hard drive is configured for the Wii U, it cannot continue to hold computer files. However, a stack of portable drives that hold games may be a smart way to get around that pesky 2TB limit.

In a Pinch? SD Cards and USB Sticks

This is the absolute last resort, but if you find that you've run out of storage options and you must download a game immediately, it is possible to hook up both a USB flash drive and an SD card to free up memory.
Flash drives can be recognized by the Wii U and don't need any special adaptors to work correctly, but Nintendo strongly advises against them due to the constant read/write processes that happen during games. You can use a USB stick for game storage, though, and you can simply transfer games from the stick to a much sturdier drive when the time is right.
An SD card may be used to free up space on the Wii U, but not for games. Nintendo says that they're only able to store Mii-related information and photos, so don't try to use one for game storage.
The Wii U has limited built-in storage, but frequent downloaders can find plenty of ways to get around this. Be open to products that suit your needs, and you'll be able to download as many games as your heart desires.
What does your Wii U rig look like? Let us know in the comments.