Second Wii U Firmware Update Released December 5, 2012

On the first day of the Wii U’s release Nintendo also released a massive day one firmware update.  The update brought in very important features to the Wii U which were not included with the system.  For the most part, so long as the user followed Nintendo’s instructions and didn’t pull any plugs, the firmware update would go in without a hitch during the Nintendo Network set up process.

Today, Nintendo has released the second Wii U firmware update, and the rules for updating it are a lot different.  The Wii U will automatically download the firmware update in the background, so you can still play Wii U games or mess around on the Miiverse as the download progresses.  If you want to check on the status of the download, just hit the Home button on the Wii U Controller and select Download Management from the touch screen.  This is another pretty big update and depending on your connection will take quite a while to download.

Once the firmware update has finished downloading, the user simply needs to quit any programs they may be running and return to the Wii U Dashboard.  From there, they will be prompted about the system update and given the choice to install it.  The new Wii U firmware installation should only take about 5-10 minutes if you already have the first firmware installed.  I haven’t tested the update on a brand new Wii U which didn’t have the day one firmware installed, so it might take longer to install for new users.

No patch notes were included with the update, and it is currently unknown what was included with it.  It is likely the update simply contains bug fixes and optimizations.  I had read some players comments the new update did decrease load times in some programs, but not all of them, and I haven’t personally been able to confirm that yet.

Do not unplug the Wii U system during the update.