You've been eagerly awaiting your new console for months. You've managed to untangle the wires, climb behind the TV and find it a nice place to nestle, and you've even figured out how to turn it on. Prepared to have your mind blown, you insert a game, switch on and settle down - when suddenly you're prompted to download and install an update. The curse of buying hardware soon after launch, you grudgingly accept the update and sit twiddling your thumbs for what feels like decades, as everyone on the planet attempts the same. But what if we told you it doesn't have to be this way? What if we told you that for Nintendo's latest, you can play your games while you wait for it to download? That you can crank up Mario or Nintendo Land and have a blast while the console does it's thing in the background? Well, we're pleased to say, you can - even if the steps to do it are a bit counter-intuitive.
Sounds much more fun than watching a progress bar, right?
Once you've plugged your console in and ploughed through the initial setup of your Wii U console, and connected it to the internet, you'll be prompted to download the latest update - this is where you go against the grain somewhat, and choose 'cancel'. Strangely enough, this doesn't actually cancel the update at all, but instead moves it to downloading in the background. After that, all you have to do is fire up a game, and get playing, with you being treated to a little notification pop up notification when your download's finished. Install the update (there should be an icon on the console's menu), and you'll be good to go, with a console that now has access to the Miiverse, Internet Browser and eShop.
As a word of warning though - DO NOT, under any circumstances, switch the power off until the update has completely finished. Across the pond in America, several of the more impatient users have managed to break their consoles by switching it off, mid-update, after thinking it had frozen, leaving them with a rather expensive door stop, rather than a brand new console. If, for some reason your power does get interrupted as you're updating, you're best off praying until it comes back on, trying to turn your console on and if nothing happens getting in touch with Nintendo's Customer Support team.
We'll be keeping our site fully updated in the run up to the Wii U's launch, talking you through every step of setting up the console - so if you have anything you particularly need a hand with, why not drop us a line below, or on Facebook, or Twitter, and we'll get a guide together!
