Wii U Firmware 3.0 Now Available, 3DS Miiverse To Come “Later This Year”

Great news today, if you own a Wii U or 3DS.

First up, the promised Wii U firmware that brings a fair few requested changes and features has been released. One of the things this firmware (v3.0) should fix, is those blasted long loading times between menus, something that has plagued the system since launch.

This update should also serve as a precursor to the arrival of Virtual Console on the Wii U eShop.

Here’s the list of changes (taken from Nintendo of America’s Support page):

Version 3.0.0 U available via wireless Internet connection includes the following improvements:

New Features:

A standby function to download and install software while the system is powered off
Software purchased from the Nintendo eShop will automatically install in the background once the download is complete
Holding down the B Button while the Wii U logo is displayed during startup will load the Wii Menu *¹

Changes to System Settings:

An option to transfer and/or copy between two USB storage devices in “Data Management”
To facilitate this feature, you will now be able to connect two USB storage devices to a single Wii U console*²
The ability to select multiple software titles when transferring, copying, or deleting data in “Data Management”
The option to adjust screen size is now available under “TV” *³
“Auto Power-Down” has been renamed “Power Settings”
Options for the standby function are located within this menu

Changes to Miiverse:

Added support for the Wii Remote, Wii U Pro Controller, and Classic Controller
Handwritten posts will now also display on the TV screen during creation
“Undo” and “Redo” buttons are now available when creating a handwritten post
Removed screen size setting. This option can now be adjusted from System Settings

Changes to Nintendo eShop:

Software downloaded from the Nintendo eShop will include released updates and will no longer need to be updated after installation
Removed screen size setting. This option can now be adjusted from System Settings

Changes to the Internet Browser:

Added support for the Wii Remote and Wii U Pro Controller
Added the option to change search engines when performing a keyword search
Added the option to return to the start page from the bookmark menu
Removed screen size setting. This option can now be adjusted from System Settings

Changes to Download Management:

Added the option to change the priority of downloads
Improvements to system stability and usability:

Further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience

*1 User selection may be necessary
*2 Only one USB storage device can be used during normal use
*3 A similar option has been removed from Nintendo eShop, Miiverse, and the Internet Browser

I’ve already downloaded the update this morning, and it’s taken me around 20 minutes to download the update, and no more than 10 minutes to install it.

In other news, as part of Nintendo’s recent financial briefing, the company’s president, Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Wii U’s popular Miiverse feature (which is now accessible from browser-enabled devices) will be made available on the Nintendo 3DS within 2013.