The issue surrounding limited storage space is something that’s not new for Wii U owners, but it’s quickly becoming a concern for the digital download crowd on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
At launch, the deluxe edition of the Wii U came with 32 GB of storage. That’s downright miniscule for a console not manufactured by Nintendo, but owners at least have the solace of being able to use external storage drives to circumvent the issues that quickly arose. No other game showcases this issue more than the upcoming release of Bayonetta 2, which is packaged with the original Bayonetta. Together, they account for a total of 32.2 GB of storage.
That’s more than you’re originally given on a Wii U; an external storage device is 100% mandatory for just one game.
This isn’t as big of a problem if you’re an owner of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Those consoles came with 500 GB hard drives, though substantial portions of those hard drives were reserved for usage by each console’s operating systems. Still, you’re looking at roughly 400 GB of storage, though. That seems like a lot, right?
Wrong.
Submitted for your approval, the file sizes for two marquee Holiday 2014 releases: Grand Theft Auto V (50 GB) and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (45 GB). If you’re someone who’s looking to continue the trend of purchasing your games via digital download, those new Xbox One bundles with a terabyte hard drive sure look appealing. So does the idea of manually inserting a larger hard drive into your PlayStation 4.
The biggest problem regarding the growing size of digital downloads is the fact that I haven’t even begun to discuss programs such as EA Access. We’re talking about launch titles for the Xbox One that I can download so long as I subscribe to the program. Currently we’re looking at five different titles. While most appear to be replaceable by sequels, EA also encourages subscribers to download new EA games for a discounted price.
I really don’t want to play roulette on my hard drive just because I wan’t a new game but also want to keep playing an older title. Currently, however, it doesn’t look like I have any other option. Either I pick up a bunch of external hard drives if I want to be someone who supports digital downloading on my console, I pick up bundles with bigger hard drives, or I routinely manage my storage space.
It’s a problem that I’d like to see fixed. I’m already halfway through my Xbox One’s storage space and the console isn’t even a year old yet.
