Non-HDD Wii Storage Solution in the Works

Nintendo is aware of consumer dissatisfaction with the Wii's data storage limitations and is actively working on a solution, Nintendo Europe marketing director Laurent Fischer said.

"We definitely detect that [consumers] are serious and we know there is an issue in this, so it's something that we're working on," Fischer told GamesIndustry. "Definitely there's no plan to issue hardware, an external hard drive, but we know that we have an issue."

The Wii is currently limited to 512MB of internal flash memory. Though expandable via SD Cards, the system can only execute downloaded code if it is stored within that internal 512MB block.

With the Virtual Console and the debut of Nintendo's downloadable gaming platform WiiWare last month, some have already exhausted the Wii's available internal storage. Select WiiWare titles, such as LostWinds, weigh in around 32MB.

"This area is fully handled by the development team in Japan. It's very linked to the overall strategy; that's something they're working on," Fischer added.

With an external hard drive off the table, it remains to be seen what storage solution the company will bring to the Wii. One possibility could be a flash memory module such as a USB thumb drive, many of which feature data capacity up to 4GB and above.

The marketing director made waves last week when he dismissed problems with the console's 512MB of internal storage as a problem that only afflicted "geeks and otaku." He later apologized for his statement.