Nintendo Apologizes for the Wii U Set-up Process

You can add 'software updates,' to the list of life's certainties.

We've all been there. You fire up your console to play some games only to be told you can't do anything until you've installed a very important update. Sometimes, these only take a few minutes. Other times, they can take quite a while. This can be especially annoying if you're just trying to squeeze in 10 or 20 minutes of play time before leaving the house or getting back to work.

If this kind of thing frustrates you, imagine how it feels to be forced to do a massive update right out of the box. You're excited to get your new toy home and see how she runs. Once you get everything all plugged in and fired up, you're told you have to wait even longer to get started because of updates. This is exactly what owners of Nintendo's new Wii U are facing. Even Nintendo recognizes users' plight.

Speaking in an interview with IGN, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said he's sorry for the lengthy set-up time involved in getting the Wii U up and running.

"Personally I think that users should be able to use all the functions of a console video game machine as soon as they open the box," IGN cites Iwata as saying. "So I feel very sorry for the fact that purchasers of Wii U have to experience a network update which takes such a long time, and that there are the services which were not available at the hardware’s launch."

The Wii U went on sale in the United States on November 18 and the company shifted 400,000 units in the first week of availability. It launches in Europe on Friday.

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