WiiU:Wii U Model Differences

Some page content & researching collaboratively taken from io55.net's Wii U page with permission.

When it comes to the retail SKUs, the only two which exist are the two initial launch models, which were the WUP-001 and WUP-101. These two models were exclusively differentiated by their storage size and color. In terms of other hardware, they were completely identical. They both also used the same motherboard revisions overtime, aside from internal storage.

Retail Models

WUP-001 - 8 GB Model

North American WUP-001 "Basic Set" box

Available only in white, launching as the "Basic Set" or "Basic Pack". It was one of the two versions available at launch. At the time, this came with less additional peripherals, whist having only 8GB internal storage. Otherwise, it is identical to the Deluxe.

WUP-101 - 32 GB Model

North American WUP-101 "Deluxe Set", launch edition box

This model initially only came in black. It was known as the "Deluxe Set" in North America, and the "Premium Pack" in the rest of the world. This version of the console also came with a gamepack dock, gamepad stand, and two stands to orient the console vertically in the box. About seven months after the console's initial release, an official white Premium Pack was released exclusively in Japan. This was the only way to purchase a brand new 32 GB white console. However, in North America, Nintendo sold refurbished white models with the storage upgraded to 32 GB, along with the model code WUP-101. Models that came with eMMC manufactured by SK Hynix (these only potentially appear in consoles from 2012 and 2013) are more prone to failure.

Motherboard Revisions

Unlike many other consoles, the Wii U received one major revision with many minor revisions not publicly announced by Nintendo.

• WUP-01
  • Launch motherboard.
• WUP-30
  • Minor revision of WUP-01.
• WUP-40
  • Minor revision of WUP-40.
• WUP-50
  • Last revision, more major changes like a more efficient SoC and an updated board layout.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U

https://io55.net/wiki/eop/video_game_consoles-home/8th_generation/nintendo_wii_u

https://www.reddit.com/r/wiiu/comments/7oo3wb/any_particular_wii_u_model_to_get/ (mem?)