Nintendo's Wii U has not sold well, and among those who own or have at least played it, a chief complaint has been slow load times. A patch released last night advances things dramatically — improving load times by up to 31 percent, according to an analysis by Polygon. Still, the system takes anywhere from eight to 21 seconds to complete simple tasks, including returning to the main menu. Check out Polygon's video analysis below and see for yourself.

But for Nintendo, which recently reported its second straight year of operating losses, any load time improvements aren't likely to be enough to help it regain its once dominant position in the increasingly turbulent console market. That's especially true given the imminent launch of more fierce competition in the form of the PS4 and a new Xbox. However, Nintendo has been counted out many times before only to re-emerge as a console king, so this update surely can't hurt its future prospects.