In case you hadn’t noticed, the internal flash memory for the Wii is pretty small. Although it is possible to store game data on SD cards, we are unable to play Virtual Console games off of them, which can be an inconvenience. While Nintendo has heard your complaints about this, they insist that there is nothing that can be done. According to a representative from Nintendo, the speed at which data transfers from an SD card to the main system is far too slow to allow normal game play for many Virtual Console titles.

Essentially, if you want to play a Virtual Console title without mid-game lag, you are just going to have to deal with the current system. Although it is a hassle to be forced to re-download games due to a lack of storage space, it’s just something that we are all going to have to deal with. We feel your pain on this one, readers.

The full quote from the Nintendo representative can be found after the break.

I don’t know if you’ve transferred any games from your Wii memory to an SD memory card. If you have, you’re already aware that it can take a long time. The data access speeds for the SD memory card are so slow that running a game directly from a card would be full of delays. For fast data transfer speeds, it’s necessary to have the game data reside in the system memory.

As players continue to download Virtual Console games, the Wii console’s internal memory will fill up. However, it’s important to note that the actual downloaded game and the license to have that downloaded game on your Wii console reside in two separate areas of your Wii Internal
Memory. The game resides in the Channels section while the license is kept in your Wii Shop Channel account.

What this means to you is that once you’ve beaten a Virtual Console game, feel free to delete it to make room for another game. If at any point you decide to play it again, access the Wii Shop Channel and download it again. It is possible to delete and re-download purchased Virtual
Console games as many times as you like for free, even if you were to re-format the console. This will allow you to free up the space you need for game saves and new Channels indefinitely.

The only way to delete or lose the license is to delete your Wii Shop Channel account entirely, which would then delete the licenses of all the games you’ve downloaded.

Nintendo Everything