Wake up everyone, it’s time for science!
So today Nintendo released a small Wii U firmware update, and since then I’ve seen a few outlets claim that it “seems” like the update has sped things up on their consoles. Unfortunately, “seeming” isn’t good enough for me, and since I hadn’t taken it upon myself to update my console yet, I decided to test some load times both before and after the update to see how they compared. A few things to note: Firstly, the update auto-triggered (without giving me the option to opt out) halfway through my testing so I couldn’t get as many readings as I wanted in the “before” category. Secondly, I eliminated two results that were clearly technical outliers (a 35 second post-update “Miiverse” load and a 39 second pre-update “Settings” load) because that’s how statistics work.
Here’s what I found:
Startup
What: Time from hitting the power button to when users are selectable.
Pre-Update: 19.6s
Post-Update: 25.4s, 25.6s, 25.2s
Conclusion: Hard to say since the update auto-triggered before I could test more than one pre-update startup time. It would seem that things have gotten worse though.
Miiverse
What: Time from hitting the Miiverse icon to when things become selectable within Miiverse.
Pre-Update: 14.5s, 24.1s, 21.7s
Post-Update: 13.7s, 11.7s, 11.4s
Conclusion: While still not perfect, there is a noticeable improvement in the loading times of Miiverse after the update.
eShop
What: Time from hitting the eShop icon to when things become selectable within the eShop.
Pre-Update: 21.7s, 23.5s, 35.5s, 37.9s, 19.0s
Post-Update: 22.6s, 17.5s, 16.0s, 16.0s, 21.8s
Conclusion: Overall, a noticeable improvement. It’s much more consistent than the load times pre-update.
Settings
What: Time from hitting the “Settings” app icon to when things become selectable within “Settings”
Pre-Update: 18.1s, 20.8s, 24.1s
Post-Update: 16.6s, 16.0s, 16.0s
Conclusion: Again, a noticeable improvement. Nothing mindblowing, but an appreciated speed-up. And significantly more consistent.
Returning to the Home Menu
What: Time from hitting “Close” in “Settings” to when things were selectable on the Home Menu.
Pre-Update: 23.3s, 24.0s
Post-Update: 23.4s, 23.4s, 22.9s
Conclusion: No appreciable change.
Make of this data what you please! It’s hardly 100% science-proof, but it’s about as good as I’ve seen so far.
~Austin
Another solid show from the gang this week, and a great new format for lists– now with direct quotes from you guys seamlessly integrated in! The list this week is all about Mario Kart and the best and worst of the series; the news is normal, the what we played is normal, and everything else is normal. Enjoy!
Something was being goofy with the uploader last night, so unfortunately this is getting to you about 12 hours late. No worries, though! We’ve got plenty more features coming at you later tonight…
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There are a few, notable Nintendo deals running on Amazon at the moment. A roundup of sales can be found below.
- No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
– $13.49 (only a few left, other sellers offering the game at similar prices) - Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Wii) – $16.99
- The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia – $19.24
- Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition – $35.24
LEGO City: Undercover has received its first review. Game Informer handed out an 8.5 / 10 score in its April 2013 issue.
Reviewer Jeff Cork was impressed with Undercover’s storyline, GamePad usage – except for the instances in which players must rotate the controller for 360-degree scanning – and hub elements. Cork wrote that developer TT Fusion “has absolutely nailed the best part of sandbox games.”
However, Cork felt that the game could have done a better job with its world so that players could be more motivated to participate in additional missions. Other than citizens involved with Undercover’s critical path, you won’t come across strangers on the streets in need of help.
Cork wrapped up by noting that LEGO City: Undercover “isn’t perfect, but I can’t think of another Wii U game that I’d recommend more. … It’s the most interesting and highly polished game in TT Games’ large repertoire, and it fills an important game gap.”
Update: Bumped to the front page with more Monster Hunter 4 scans.
The Monster Hunter 4 scan above shows that Khezu will be returning. Also, the the feral wyvern virus can be spread to players and affect their recovery rates. You’ll need to repeatedly attack the monster to reverse its effects.
