Hacking USB Flash Drive VS SD Card for Games

[name111111]

What is the difference from downloading games on a flash drive on the PC then moving the games to the Wii U and downloading games on to a SD card on the PC? Can I just download the games on the Wii U and save the games on the SD card or an attached flash drive? I'm trying to figure out how to use Homebrew to play digital games.

 

[EmulateLife]

You don't download the games to a flash drive from the PC. You download the games on a PC and put them on a sd card and then install them on the Wii U to the flash drive. You cannot put them on a flash drive from your PC because you can't have a Wii U formatted flash drive on a PC it will make you format it both ways between the Wii U and PC, as Wii U formatted drives are only compatible with Wii U so it needs to be on an sd card for WUP Installer to see them to install them onto your flash drive while in the Wii U.

Alternatively you can play games directly on an sd card in your Wii U if they're in Loadiine format.

The only way to download the games from the Wii U is to buy them.

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I recommend reading some of the tutorials in this section to get started https://gbatemp.net/forums/wii-u-tutorials.265/

 

[name111111]

Are you saying an SD card is formatted in Fat32 and is then readable by both the PC and Wii U, but USB Flash drives connected to the Wii U are recognized as having only the Wii U file system? Seems weird to me that the Wii U would not read a Fat32 flash drive.

 

[EmulateLife]

That's correct. Wii U uses it's own file system. If you enter a flash drive into it it will force you to format. Then if you put that same flash drive in your PC it will force you to format again. You need the sd card as a way to get games onto your flash drive in the Wii U.

 

[name111111]

Ok, guess I should get a SD card. Thanks for the help.

 

[EmulateLife]

I'd get a 32 gb one if you're trying to get many different Wii U games. They can be as big as 20 gb and they have to fit on the sd card to be installed.

 

[edizius2]

AS @JustinCredible said, for the SD card you should get a large one. I would even reccomend a 64GB because the price is pretty the same and it is annoying to Install game per game.
But you then also need an external HDD or a pendrive to install the games onto If you'd like to have more games.
Otherwise, if you want to buy EITHER a USB drive OR an SD card, you have to get a (large) SD Card and use loadiine. But I do not know how to get your games to loadiine format and you will not be able to play online