Wii U - NNID Question

bigdogchris

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I recently picked up a Wii U that came with a game pre-installed.

I understand Nintendo handles digital entitlement differently than Sony, Microsoft, Steam, etc where the content is tied to an account. So for the games that are pre-installed, with Nintendo, the content is tied to the hardware? So in the event that I want to wipe out the pre-installed games, or format the console before giving it away, the software can be re-downloaded on the same hardware regardless of what Nintendo account is logged in? Do you need a Nintendo ID to do that and does it ever tie the pre-installed software to the Nintendo ID?

I was also checking out this link and the line "Any Nintendo Network IDs that were linked to Wii U users on the console cannot be used on other Wii U consoles." concerns me. I don't quite understand what it's saying. Let's say I create a Nintendo ID so I can upload Mario Maker levels. What happens if I replace consoles? Do I lose access to my created content and need to create a new Nintendo ID?

Before I create a Nintendo ID and attach it to my console I want to know the process of being able to keep my content so if I switch consoles I can just log back in and keep my uploaded levels and other content tied to my account. FYI the game pre-installed is not Mario Maker, I am going to buy that.

Thanks.
 
You have to do a transfer or you loose rights. You always have the same nnid but the software you purchase on the eshop is stuck on the device it was purchased on unless you transfer to a new system. Your pre installed software works the same.
 
And in the event that the system is damaged or stolen, do I have to go through Nintendo support to transfer files or is it SOL?
 
It's worth noting that while it is stupid and you have to go through nintendo support in the event your original device is stolen/breaks they are pretty good now about giving you the rights to re-download games on new hardware if you can't do a transfer. They got a bunch of bad press a few years back from people getting screwed over so they changed their blanket policy to give you at least 1 re-authorization in the event of a problem, and if it's a warranty issue they'll do the transfer anyways.
 
When you do a transfer can you select what games stay or move? Say I want to give the device away in the future and keep the game that came installed tied to the device for the new owner, but want to move the rest of my data. Can that be done or is the game now mine regardless?
 
Nope. It's all or none. You're transferring the content that 'device' owns along with save games / profiles attached to the various NNID's on the system. You can pick and choose save games / profile data in a different way but the software itself is as I stated. The only way you'd be able to keep the 'pre-loaded' software on it's own is if when you got the console new you transferred the new console to a different console just for that one game before you started adding your own games, but either way you'd need a second console to do this.

You can also delete games if you want and always re-download them on whatever console you move to. So if you have a wii u / 3ds that had a game on it and then delete that game assuming you did a proper transfer to a new system that new system can now re-download the titles the old system had access to on the eshop.

Your only other option to keep the game on the system and have nothing else is to just buy all your games on retail disc format. That way you only have the 1 pre-installed eshop game on your wii u and all your other games are just retail disc so you don't need to do a system transfer to continue playing all your retail disc games on a new system and the old system will continue to keep that pre-installed game.

I do highly recommend buying all your Nintendo games as the disc/cart format when possible because physical wiiu/3ds games hold their value quite well as Nintendo will typically stop doing physical distribution on games within a year of release unless it's a super popular title like mario kart or smash brothers, etc. Even then you'd want to buy physical.
 
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This thread is a good place to mention that Nintendo has announced the successor to NNiDs and it finally is an online account based system, a la xbox live etc.. You'll be able to transfer all existing NNiD licenses to your future Nintendo Account, which will then follow the account and not the hardware.

Expect to see more of this this year, and closer to the release of either Project NX or the DeeNA mobile games on Android/iOS.
 
This thread is a good place to mention that Nintendo has announced the successor to NNiDs and it finally is an online account based system, a la xbox live etc.. You'll be able to transfer all existing NNiD licenses to your future Nintendo Account, which will then follow the account and not the hardware.

Expect to see more of this this year, and closer to the release of either Project NX or the DeeNA mobile games on Android/iOS.

No actual details have been announced AFAIK. These are all the same assumptions we all made when Nintendo said they were going to redo their account system for Wii U.
 
I really don't see them changing the current DRM scheme on current systems. The 'new' nintendo account is basically what they already have it's just that it'll also include various club nintendo features they got rid of. DRM wise I don't think it'll change anything until we get the new systems. Even then i'm not sure this will be of much benefit to anyone. Nintendo allows unlimited system transfers now, and if your hardware breaks they'll move the content rights to a new system on their end even if you can't do a proper system transfer. Games purchased on the eshop aren't just 'lost forever' like they were back in the Wii days. People also incorrectly believe that you can't re-download from the eshop, but you can. As long as you're on the same hardware you bought the game on (Or did the proper system transfer) you just go on the eshop and can redownload content.
 
I do highly recommend buying all your Nintendo games as the disc/cart format when possible because physical wiiu/3ds games hold their value quite well as Nintendo will typically stop doing physical distribution on games within a year of release unless it's a super popular title like mario kart or smash brothers, etc. Even then you'd want to buy physical.

Fucking tell me about it. Got my son a Wii U for Christmas and even the used titles are $40-$50 for the Nintendo stuff. Not to mention the selection of used games is slim. I don't think people are selling/trading their games.
 
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