Wii U - Page 5  

Cool LITTLE article about the wii U:

http://www.examiner.com/article/wii-...arbox-producer

So basically the Wii U will be using modern chip designs, which we already knew it would, and that those modern designs would trump the current consoles by a large margin. They can only say that it will be the best looking version of the game, to say more would violate the NDA they signed.

The rub there is that a modern chip design doesn't necessarily mean more powerful. It might have the most sophisticated architecture, but lack raw power.

Just by getting a chip that would support DX11 would make a world of difference. (even if it uses Open GL) It would probably be quite hard to find a chip that underperforms the console gpu's these days...

The cheapest ATI/NVIDIA discrete cards are still about current gen console level in terms of raw power. These modern designs are so flexible they can create monster high perf chips or puny little chips with great features sets and terrible performance. I think they'll obviously try to at least beat out the current gen, but I wouldn't go as far as to assume it could even handle current gen titles at 1080p. I think this is going to very much be a slightly more powerful current gen console, like the wii was compared to the GC/ps2/Xbox 1.

I personally think we will see the Wii U with a modified mid range 4000 series AMD GPU built using more modern processes. (and a few extra tricks added in) I have no idea what the CPU will be, but RAM should be between 1.5 and 2GB (because 512mb just doesn't cut it for modern games so they will use more.

Hopefully the onboard memory for game storage will be more than 8gb for game downloads. But if USB storage can be used, then it would be a smart cost saving move on their part.

Woke to see (apparently old?) news making the rounds on the internet. WiiU is definitely using Unreal Engine 3:



Which brings up a couple of thoughts

1) How hard will it be down port UE4 games to UE3? WiiU's third party support will be 100% tied to that as soon as the HD twins launch their new consoles.

2) Does it even freekin matter anymore? Nintnedo can walk away from the upcoming gen being first to market, with a stable of rock-solid franchises to bank on, a loyal following of gamers who WILL end up buying a system and playing the games (despite complaining)... it's essentially guaranteed to succeed, but I think 50% of Wii's levels is about all.

Unless they manage to drag out the life of the gen to 8-10 years... in which case the whole 'release a new Zelda! A new Mario! $149.99 price point!" will keep sales moving for 'em.

Seeing that treyarch managed to put out surprisingly capable ports of the newer cod games like mw3 and blops on the wii....I'd say anythings possible. If there's a will, there's a way. I still don't think there's any way in the world they're going to match the other guys, but the titles will probably exist in some form if the market is there.

I'm just excited to see the Nintendo Franchises in HD. I haven't been excited for E3 in years.

The UE4 tweet is somewhat out of context from what he was trying to say.

If the Wii U is as successful as the Wii, it would make sense to make the engine scalable and get it running on the Wii U. Third parties would want it so they don't have to have a different team to make a Wii U version from the ground up. Sure, the Wii U won't be as powerful but should support modern shading and rendering techniques. It may not be the impossibility it was on the Wii with UE3.

Yeah, first party is going to be what the Wii U is all about. I have very little confidence third parties will ever make something special for it.

I'm also hoping they don't take too long in porting forward some of their better wii titles in HD. Super Mario galaxy collection in HD...or even better, 3D. Can you imagine how phenomenal SMG would look in 720p/60/3D? That alone might be enough for me to slam down whatever they're asking for it.

Wii U game prices on Amazon are now $59

I guess the same way holding a small controller can be fun.... using it to play games.

At least we won't get hand cramps due to a small controller.

Whatever, it'll be HD! Lol!

I'm muddling through skyward sword as we speak (finally got around to it)-- I like the game but it's just so UGLY. Sure the art direction and designs are pleasing and simple but when you're pushing 480p onto a 50" 1080p flat screen the visuals just look like poop. Period. I'm not even sure if I need better graphics-- just better resolution. Give me a 720p upgrade for this last Zelda game and I'll stop playing right now and resume when I pick up the Wii U on DAY ONE! Lol!

So, if this is less about leap frogging the current generation and more about catching up I'm still all-in. I'm a Nintendo fan (I owned a GameCube, no OG Xbox and only bought the ps2 at the end of it's life to play some of the big titles like GoW and SotC) but they totally lost me with the Wii. We HAVE one and I have quite a collection of games... That I haven't played.
Example: "sweet, new metroid... [5 minutes later] ... can't play... graphics... just... too bad!"

So if Nintendo can give me a system with HD output and at least be a level playing ground for 3rd party releases I'll still be picking one up.

Get a gaming PC, download dolphin, hack a wii, rip your discs to a hdd, play the games at 1080p.

I'm playing Wii games on a 70inch screen right now at 480p.

I want to add something to my previous post.

A lot of Wii fans like to use the argument of: Nintendo isn't about graphics. I just want to say that this statement is complete BUNK-- Nintendo has ALWAYS (previous to the Wii) been about graphics! Lol!

Starting with the NES and then the amazing Super NES (arguably my favorite gaming console, RIP sNES... RIP), Nintendo was the standard for the industry. The N64 is now retroactively considered a graphical poop slide (as all early 3d is) but at the time the system was way ahead of it's competitors: the Sony ps1 and Sega Saturn. I'll still argue that the GameCube was one of the best looking consoles-- games like RE4 and Windwaker were jaw dropping the first time you saw them-- way ahead of the PS2 and at least on par with the OG Xbox. Speaking of the Xbox, here's a system that's only purpose to exist was to create a console graphics arm race and the cube showed it up several times throughout their respective life spans.

Way too much effort. Like, WAY too much.

I can't even play wii on my 37"... Makes my eyes bleed. Looks good on my 27" toshiba cinema series CRT though! No doubt this causes a loss of immersion Nintendo wanted me to experience while waiving the Wiimote around... But you can't have it both ways Nintendo!

My main reason for wanting a gaming PC is dolphin. Wii games look stunning in HD. (look up Xenoblade or Metroid Other M, you will drool)

I believe you, I'm just not interested in going to those lengths.

I look forward to the inevitable GCN and Wii HD collections that will roll out during the off season.

If the damned thing would upscale I'd throw $300 at it. I love the wii. As it is, I'm not sure I'll bite.

Render in HD, not upscale. An HDTV already upscales the signal to HD... It doesn't help much.

But then how would they be able to resell you on a game you already own?

I dispute your addendum! First of all, saying Nintendo has always been about graphics implies that gameplay is a secondary concern for them, which simply isn't true. Wii U aside, Nintendo's usually perfectly happy continuing to make games for their current console, and only drag themselves to the next gen when prompted to by competitors. Secondly, you have the Gameboy, DS, Wii, and now 3DS as Nintendo consoles that were clearly inferior technically to their respective direct competition. Put this against the NES, SNES, N64 and GC, which at the very least makes only half of Nintendo's consoles "about graphics." And frankly, the NES barely counts, as it hard barely any competition to speak of when it came out. SNES, yes, looked better than the Genesis, as it should as it came out two years later. The N64 was superior on paper to the PS1, but with a few exceptions it rarely shook out that way in reality, as cartridge limitations ended up in a lot of games looking like smeared poop. The GC, as you say, was technically inferior to the XBox, and naming a few games you thought looked better than Xbox games hardly indicates Nintendo has primarily been focused on graphics.

To sum up, that's four consoles that were definitely graphically inferior, two that were superior but under special circumstances, and two that were arguably slightly superior but mostly on par. Doesn't really sound like they were chasing the latest and greatest graphics tech to me.

I think a better indication of where Nintendo's priorities lie is by looking at each console's controllers, especially the N64, DS, Wii and (to a lesser degree) GC. Whereas their competitors almost always focus on just stuffing the latest and greatest tech specs into a box, Nintendo takes each new console generation as an opportunity to design a controller with specific, new GAMEPLAY possibilities in mind. Now note how the PS1->PS3 and Xbox->360 controllers essentially stayed the same. Then think about how Nintendo introduced shoulder buttons, analog sticks, force feedback, touchscreens and motion controls to the mainstream console market. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a company that's "always been about graphics" to me.

The NES is often considered the weakest console of its generation. It's just that the others didn't have the massive development behind them over many years to be pushed nearly as far as it was. When it was new as the Famicom in 1983 and even during the early NES days (Outside of Super Mario Brothers), it wasn't doing anything you couldn't of gotten on platforms like the Colecovision.

And even when they were considered ahead, they've still been behind in significant areas. Both the SuperNes and N64 had significant drawbacks like the slow processor that the SuperNes had which often led to significant slowdown and a perception among the public that it couldn't handle fast arcade games and sports releases like the competition could.

Still, they've always been in the hunt in the console world where horsepower was concerned until the Wii came about (Unlike the handheld world where they've been more focused on other elements beyond horsepower since day 1).


I'd be happy if it at least upscaled existing Wii software.

It goes a long ways towards making some of my original Xbox games (The few that are emulated well) and PSOne games (Particularly if it was a 2D release) look nice on my HDTV compared to when hooking up the original hardware to it and relying on the tv's internal scaling chip.

Wish this could do the same for Wii (And GCN, which sadly it won't even be able to play) software. It wouldn't make it look like a Dolphin screenshot, but I suspect they could do significantly better from a picture quality standpoint and a performance standpoint if they wanted to than the average tv scaling chip could. Wouldn't mind enjoying some of these games in 16:9 but I refuse to move my Wii away from my Trinitron and negatively affect my picture quality.

You're putting words in my mouth.

Graphics are possibly the largest area of improvement between console generations that allow developers to act on new gameplay ideas. Graphics allow innovation. Are they the only factor? No. Did I say they were the only factor? No I didn't.

I get that there are other factors but you're really mincing words here. The point is: Nintendo has always been in the RACE. Did they sometimes fall behind? Sure, it's hard to keep up when technology progresses so quickly. But they've always been near the top or in the hunt for the top with every new console they released.

I'm not going to get into the handheld thing with you because it's really a different market and, honestly, I could care less. When it comes to CONSOLES (NES, SNES, N64, GameCube) all of them were at the top of the food chain the day they were released. The ONLY possible argument you may have is the OG Xbox-- basically a scaled down powerPC selling at a substantial loss. And you know what? For all the horsepower the Xbox had it STILL couldn't distinguish itself from the GameCube or even the ps2 for that matter!

So the GameCube is "in the hunt", what about the Wii? Pfffft! The Wii abstains! The other guys are already in the water on lap 2 and Wii is on it's way to Starbucks for a skinny peppermint mocha latte with no whip! The Wii literally doesn't compete. It's a repackaged GameCube dressed in it's best me-too apple suit sporting a fancy new control scheme that was dreamed up as a GameCube accessory years before. It was also a success... But not with my friends. Not with guys that owned shiny new plasma screens and were looking for games that showed them off! Sure-- we BOUGHT them. But next to the bold new world of HD fragfests, streaming video and social gaming interaction the Wii just couldn't compete. It was fun for when the fam came by... For a time. Then everyone got tired of wagging a stick around and the big N realized no one was buying this **** anymore. Nintendo's president admitted as much in an interview: lack of competent hardware cost Nintendo a generation of hardcore fans.

The wii U is their mulligan. It's their get out of jail free card. Only time will tell if it works or if it's too-little-too-late. Wii sold millions of units to consumers but failed on an epic scale to covert even a small percentage of those consumers into CUSTOMERS! And really, what incentive would you have? An ocean of shovelware? Another dimwitted Mario platformer? Where is the innovation in new super Mario bros?? **** dude, it doesn't even USE the Wiimote for anything that the NES didn't do with a BUTTON. Skyward sword is cool... A real hardcore gamer's game with a beautiful fantasy world and innovative gameplay all hiding beneath the blurry husk of 480p and text bubbles... Text bubbles! Lol! It's 2012 Nintendo! We abandoned text bubbles in 2001!

Just because they have a motion controller doesn't mean it should always be used. It should only be used when it would add to the experience. And if anything, NSMBWii used it too much. The controls for picking up and throwing things were far less intuitive than a simple button press would've been and tilting platforms could've been easily mapped to the GCN and Classic Controller's shoulder buttons (Or been killed altogether).

I hope Nintendo never abandons text bubbles in Zelda. I have no doubt the way they picture Link and other characters sounding is just going to be obnoxious and far from how I picture they should sound.

Leave the sucky voice acting to the Star Fox series. Bad enough they've added limited voices to Mario releases (Even those GBA rereleases of older 2D Mario sidescrollers had it tossed in) and grunts and yelps to their Zelda releases.

At the very least, Link needs to remain silent like Gordon Freeman. Leave that side of the conversation to our imaginations.

Another article, slightly longer this time, discusses the Wii U and future xbox/PS. This one seems to contradict the prior article about Gearbox stating the Wii U is easy to develop for.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/...ame-developers

Yes, that one. The good one.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...tendo-hd-ready

Digital Foundry takes a look at the Dolphin emulator...