I always let the old 'I don't need another dvd/blu ray/cd player' slide, because it has some validity, at least for the individual (if I ever heard someone from nintendo make an argument like that I would have flipped my shit because it'd be disingenuous), and those compatibilities are just complementary features that don't actually enhance or impede the core function of the machine.  The hard drive, however, is an integral component to a console's design now.  What nintendo did with their tiny 32 gb flash drives was not just cheap, it has actually hurt the console itself.  It certainly contributes to some of the console's woes when it comes to third party relations.  All games require some hard drive space, even if just for a save file, but most major third party retail releases require an install, some bigger than what the wii u has to offer even if completely empty.  The difference in basic architecture alone is enough of a hurdle, but with the hard drive being an issue it either makes for even more work for third parties to make the game work, or them telling the consumers that if they want to play their game on wii u then they'll have to get an external hard drive.  That's not a good position to be in.

I agree, but in this day and age shouldn't we all have resigned ourselves to the fact that we are going to have to eventually get a hard drive regardless of what our system of preference is.

I'd give it a try because all I have this gen is a Wii-U BUT...I probably wouldn't buy it. I don't support online only games because I see them as bad for gaming. Titanfall's failure was a GOOD thing imo.

No, this isn't the fifth or sixth gen, an external hard drive is not a memory card in a day and age when a hard drive is standard equipment, a lot of people don't just have external hard drives lying around like they did with dvd/blu ray players.  I got through last gen with a 60 gb xb360 and 80 gb ps3 (and a wii as well) by deleting data when I needed to accomodate new games, but I always had enough spare room for my favorites to sit around taking up space so I didn't have to download or install them again.  Given the ps4 and xb1's hdds I imagine I will be able to do that same thing this gen if I feel like it.  With the tiny size of the wii u's hard drive they practically removed that as an option.

If that's your preference, that's great. I buy too many games I guess and don't want to delete and redownload old games if I feel like playing them (I also often bring out old games to 100% complete them after my initial beating them on hard mode) because I switch from old to new games quite often. Different strokes for different folks though. I recommend buying a cheap hard drive to everyone so it keeps all thier games a plug in away, but that's just me. I've had one for my PS3, I've bought numerous XBox 360 harddrives, and I got one for my Wii U.  For me this is just the way gaming has been for the past several years and continues this gen.