Wii U DRM Restricts Content To A Single System

Did you know that the Wii U has its own form of copy-protection? Well, it does. Nintendo's newest system restricts downloaded content to single-system use, even if you try to use your Nintendo Network account on another system. Reggie and Iwata don't want you accessing your paid-for content across multiple Wii Us.

Ars Technica rolled out an article that details the horrors of Nintendo's new DRM that completely and entirely restricts the way users utilize and maintain access to their content.

So basically, when you download content via Nintendo's eShop, it's tied to that console not your account. You can have up to 12 different accounts on your Wii U, but no matter what content those accounts download to the system, that content is tied directly to the system itself, no the accounts.

It seems a bit opposite of Steam or Xbox Live, both of which at least lets you transfer over content from one system to the next so long as you use the same account login information.

The upside to this situation is that maybe Nintendo can rectify the problem with a firmware update. Otherwise, if your system bricks, you want to play a downloaded game with a friend on their Wii U system, or if you have multiple consoles throughout the home, I doubt people will want to pay for and redownload the content just to access it...again.

This isn't much of a detractor from the Wii U console itself, but for those of you head over heels into the digital distribution scene, it's something to be wary of if you have multiple consoles or if your system dies.