Tuesday, August 1st 2006

Wi Console Specs Unveiled

Specifications of Nintendos new Wi console have been leaked by MaxConsole.
TheINQCPU (Broadway)

-Superscalar microprocessor with six execution units (floating-point unit, branching unit, system register unit, load/store unit, two integer units)
- Operating speed of 729 MHz
- Bus to main memory: 243 MHz, 64 bits (maximum bandwidth: 1.9 gigabytes/sec)
- 32-kilobyte 8-way set-associative L1 data cache (can set up 16-kilobyte data scratch pad)
- Onboard 256-kilobyte 2-way set-associative L2 integrated cache
- Supports three L2 cache fetch modes: 32, 64, and 128-Byte
- DMA unit (15-entry DMA request queue) used by 16-kilobyte data scratch pad
- Write-gather buffer for writing graphics command lists to the graphics chip

GPU (Hollywood )

- Operating speed of 243 MHz
- 3 megabytes of embedded graphics memory
- 24 megabytes of internal main memory
- Internal main memory operates at 486 MHz
- Maximum bandwidth between GPU and main memory: 3.9 gigabytes per second
- The GPU of the Wii is identical to the GC's but it is on average 1.5X faster


Other details

- 64megabytes of GDDR3 external main memory
- Internal non-removable 512MB flash memory used as storage for game save data and downloadable content
- The following interfaces are included with the Wii: SD card slot, Wireless controller, two USB 2.0 ports, wireless LAN, 4x GC controller ports, 2x GC memory card slots and an AV multi output jack (analogue only)
- Two main disc types supported the single sided 12cm single sided 4.7gb and the double sided 8.51 GB. Nintendo GC discs also supported. The maximum read speed is the equivalent of a 6 speed DVD
Source: TheINQ
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34 Comments on Wi Console Specs Unveiled

#1
jocksteeluk
I i would have exspected atleast a 1gig cpu for a new console especially with all the high end pc to console conversions being done and the rest of the system specs dont real cause much enthusiam but it is the gameplay that matter and Nintendo's own games rarely fail to raise the benchmark
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#2
i_am_mustang_man
i think that is one hell of a smart idea tho, using components that are seemingly underclocked compared to the competition. The Wii is designed to be a different experience generally than the ps3 or xbox360, and having these parts that are easily manufacturable might keep costs down, and then pass the savings onto the consumer, which is important considering a wii is looking to be 199$ (last i heard) and ps3 is 599$ (last i heard aswell). plus, the graphics will still be comparable, but nintendo is more about having games for their audience, which will be easier to produce with not *new* tech, but still good tech

btw, i'm a huge nintendo fan boy, so i'm sorry for trying to put a positive light on the lackluster specs, but let's remember that clock speeds don't mean everything, case in point, the new conroe, so whatev
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#3
jocksteeluk
the only thing that bothers me is there are already reports of developers saying the WII specs are too weak for games the are coding for multi platform, nintendo have always been my number one in consoles but ive had my hand burnt twice by inferior nintendo products (N64 - over priced catridges, lame controller, very poor quality third party games, lack of quality games in general and very short lived. Gamecube - again short lived again lame controller and again weak third party support as well as quality games)

heres a link as an example
www.megagames.com/news/html/console/wiinotconsoleenoughforhaze.shtml

any games made origianlly for one of the more powerfull consoles is going to be a struggle to convert it to the wii and id exspect 5 out of 10 devellopers wont bother. The only bright side i can see is that cames made for the Wii's unique hardware will mostlikely be for Wii only
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#4
i_am_mustang_man
that's a good point i hadn't thought of before, the cross platform support

maybe we'll see nintendo no longer be truly in competition with sony and msoft, and make their own niche in the market of home entertainment, and maybe they'll have greater sales than either! i wish, because then there'd be a heck of a lot of support for it with game devs and such, but we'll see how the world responds

i feel like no matter what, the wii will have a huge market in asia, and the us and europe are still yet to be seen.

a side note: i think the gamecube controller is better than either the ps2 or xbox (or 360) controller. i know that puts me in the minority, but the ps2 controller seems too small for my hands, and the original xbox controller was laughable, although the smaller one is better, the button action bugged the hell out of me

it's just my own personal feelings tho, because i feel that ergonomics are definitely not one size fits all! also, i appreciate and believe in the gamecube's asymmetrical design on shoulder buttons and face buttons, plus the wavebird kicks major ass, way before any other controller was decently wireless

i like ps2, btw, i own it, and love ico and shadow of the colossus especially, but the zelda series is the best i have ever played, so i will be a nintendo customer for years, guaranteed.
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#5
jocksteeluk
zelda = game of the century or atleast one of but i certainly wont be buying a nintendo for one game this time
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#6
tvdang7
so how does this compare to desktops.
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#7
i_am_mustang_man
jocksteelukzelda = game of the century or atleast one of but i certainly wont be buying a nintendo for one game this time
wurd

but i love smash bros too, and a whole bunch of other games on the nintendo name, and red steel looks damn sexy

i'm with you on that, but let's remember gc has windwaker and twilight princess coming soon!

plus link in soul caliber was bitchin haha

as far as in comparison, the graphics won't be as good as a pc with an x850+, imo, because that is pretty close to xbox360 already and the wii is not as powerful
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#8
ryboto
jocksteelukzelda = game of the century or atleast one of but i certainly wont be buying a nintendo for one game this time
buy it for the virtual console, and you can play ever zelda ever made, plus, they're going to sell new titles over the virtual console, 2D most likely, but new original content. This is the only console I'd buy..if I even buy one. With the generic games that are released, nintendo's orignal software are the only titles that stand out, and with a completely different interface mechanism, they'll stand out that much more, and might even cause 3rd party developers to expand their genres.

And don't confuse people with all the alleged problems developers are having porting games. I'd had to have a cross platform game that behaved exactly the same on every system. On the other hand it would be neat if all 3 systems had sports titles that were capable of online interaction. But, since all 3 use their own networks, it doesn't matter. My point is, the 360 is a tri-core cpu based system, ps3 has a 7-spe cell, and the wii has a grown up version of the gecko chip, it was gecko, right? flipper? eh. Regardless, they're all very different. If anything, the titles will be easier to program for the single threaded wii, not to mention, development costs are reduced, at least initially. I'm not saying I'd prefer it to be a single core, "current gen" product, and not a next gen like the others, well, 360 is kinda behind the times now..but, we also have to consider price, and thermal properties.
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#9
ryboto
tvdang7so how does this compare to desktops.
seriously? you can't compare them...this machine is dedicated to one thing. Plus, we have no idea how this cpu performs, sure it's a power pc based chip, but it is a newer design. So, if i had to guess, i'm thinking a bit more powerful than an xbox, but, it wont be able to put out visuals near that of the 360 or ps3, then again, that wasn't the intention in the first place.
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#10
HookeyStreet
Eat, sleep, game!
The days of Nintendo being top dog when it comes to consoles are long gone. This will fall flat on its arse like the GameCube did. This console will be too little, too late (Nintendo hung themsleves by sticking with cartridges for the N64 when Sony PlayStation's used CD's)

When this stupidly named Wii fails to be taken seriously Nintendo will back out of the console making market and concentrate on making games for other platforms instead (just like SEGA did)

This is just my personal opinion (and I know you Nintendo fanboys will disagree) I used to love Nintendo consoles (the NES / Super Nintendo wiped the floor with the Master System / Mega Drive back in the day) but Sony & Microsoft have just become too big to be even worried by this inferior new machine!

Its sad really as Nintendo owned the console market (until people got bored with Mario LOL)
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#11
ryboto
HookeyStreetThe days of Nintendo being top dog when it comes to consoles are long gone. This will fall flat on its arse like the GameCube did. This console will be too little, too late (Nintendo hung themsleves by sticking with cartridges for the N64 when Sony PlayStation's used CD's)

When this stupidly named Wii fails to be taken seriously Nintendo will back out of the console making market and concentrate on making games for other platforms instead (just like SEGA did)

This is just my personal opinion (and I know you Nintendo fanboys will disagree) I used to love Nintendo consoles (the NES / Super Nintendo wiped the floor with the Master System / Mega Drive back in the day) but Sony & Microsoft have just become too big to be even worried by this inferior new machine!

Its sad really as Nintendo owned the console market (until people got bored with Mario LOL)
i just find it sad that people still post this garbage without looking at the facts. Nintendos E3 booth had a 190minute wait. A lot of developers are dedicating exclusive titles to the machine. It will have a severely reduced price point when compared to the other consoles. The last remark gives it a lot more marketing power than the other two machines. Sony has faultered so much with the ps3, I can't wait to see the shortages, and system failures at launch.

For the longest time now, people I know, and new ones that I meet, that play games, play nintendo software more than anything else(as far as consoles go). Sure, the single player games are typically retro classics, but, as gay as Mario Party is, get a bunch of friends, and it will entertain all night. And that's the only reason I'd buy one, that, and the fact that the new controller might even surpass keyboard/mouse as numero uno control scheme for fps.
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#12
creidiki
Well, there are a few things that bother me... 64Mb seems a tad low if that's all the memory the system has. If nothing else, because it means youre relying a lot on disc loads, and those are slow and tend to wear out the drive with the non-linear reads a videogame does.

More memory lets you do more preloading which makes for less "loading" screens a better game experience.

Also, why the frack cant they give us digital output? Come the frack on, damn near everything in the world has a fracking SPDIF, my GC is the only thing in my AV rack that still uses RCA plugs... for some reason that really pisses me off >_<
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#13
Sandman
I thought it was the Wii, not the Wi. Have they shortened the name?
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#14
HookeyStreet
Eat, sleep, game!
rybotoi just find it sad that people still post this garbage without looking at the facts. Nintendos E3 booth had a 190minute wait. A lot of developers are dedicating exclusive titles to the machine. It will have a severely reduced price point when compared to the other consoles. The last remark gives it a lot more marketing power than the other two machines. Sony has faultered so much with the ps3, I can't wait to see the shortages, and system failures at launch.

For the longest time now, people I know, and new ones that I meet, that play games, play nintendo software more than anything else(as far as consoles go). Sure, the single player games are typically retro classics, but, as gay as Mario Party is, get a bunch of friends, and it will entertain all night. And that's the only reason I'd buy one, that, and the fact that the new controller might even surpass keyboard/mouse as numero uno control scheme for fps.
Like I said, its just my opinion. But you must face the facts that the specs of this system are terrible compared to whats available (XBOX360) or is going to be available (PS3) Gamers want to be amazed by the games they play (by the graphics & gameplay) Nintendo cant rely on Zelda & Mario forever (games with great gameplay but OK graphics) to sell units

I bet you say "its not about the graphics its about the gameplay", I hear this crap all the time from gamers with crap graphics cards in there PC's and the truth is they would love an high spec video card so they could turn all of the eye-candy on!

I would love to be proved wrong and the Wii mark the era for Nintendo to claim its crown again but I dont believe it will happen. As for the 'wand' like control pad, its just a gimmick that will soon lose its appeal and you must be on crack if you think it will be any good for FPS games!!!
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#16
ryboto
creidikiWell, there are a few things that bother me... 64Mb seems a tad low if that's all the memory the system has. If nothing else, because it means youre relying a lot on disc loads, and those are slow and tend to wear out the drive with the non-linear reads a videogame does.

More memory lets you do more preloading which makes for less "loading" screens a better game experience.

Also, why the frack cant they give us digital output? Come the frack on, damn near everything in the world has a fracking SPDIF, my GC is the only thing in my AV rack that still uses RCA plugs... for some reason that really pisses me off >_<
I have never had an optical drive wear out. The one in my Pentium based Dell Optiplex still works, and we use it regularly. I understand the seeks/reads for a console will have a more rigorous motion, but c'mon, the parts are made for this sort of operation. Also, Compare the 64mb with the gamecubes 24, or was it in the 40's? Regardless, it's a very acceptable figure, if you scale it. The games for this system, just like the GC, aren't going to require load times like you're expecting, as the system wont be outputting the higher resolutions and larger number of geometries that the other systems will.

As for the digital output, I'm with you, I can understand lack of high definition video to reduce costs, not to mention the hardware might not be up to it, but digital audio is becomming more and more common, that really bugs me. Granted, my Onkyo receiver did just die, when/if i decide to pay for the shipping needed to send it to the service center, and I get it back, I'd like to use it with the highest possible quality sound..
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#17
Azn Tr14dZ
Even though Nintendo Wii isn't as powerful as Xbox 360 or PS3, their games are still fun...games like Super Smash Bros. Series and Zelda and Metroid, those were the best games.

And even though Nintendo stuck to cartridges with the N64, it was still a good console wasn't it? What game could've beaten Super Mario 64?

I'm going to get the Wii, that's for sure...
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#18
ryboto
HookeyStreetLike I said, its just my opinion. But you must face the facts that the specs of this system are terrible compared to whats available (XBOX360) or is going to be available (PS3) Gamers want to be amazed by the games they play (by the graphics & gameplay) Nintendo cant rely on Zelda & Mario forever (games with great gameplay but OK graphics) to sell units

I bet you say "its not about the graphics its about the gameplay", I hear this crap all the time from gamers with crap graphics cards in there PC's and the truth is they would love an high spec video card so they could turn all of the eye-candy on!

I would love to be proved wrong and the Wii mark the era for Nintendo to claim its crown again but I dont believe it will happen. As for the 'wand' like control pad, its just a gimmick that will soon lose its appeal and you must be on crack if you think it will be any good for FPS games!!!
Until my friend finally bought bf2, we were playing sof2, a game made in 2001. We only just recently stopped playing it, and it's only because bf2 offers a different, more refreshing gameplay style. my point is, that the old game, that even a GC's visuals can surpass was enough for us. you take "eye candy" for granted when you're running down corridors shooting people in the head with a shotgun. And, I must say, it is "all about the gameplay". The only console games I play, are ones in which the gameplay is different from the typical PC/console games. The "wand", or wii-mote as some have called it, will be amazing for fps games. I don't think you understand how it could be implemented.

I'll give you an example, but first, lets look at how expensive games are becoming. Xbox 360 titles are upwards of $60, the development costs for the Wii wont be as high, it's familiar hardware. Now, lets say a company makes a first person shooter, and while the remote+analog atachment is nice, they want something a little more specific, enter, the light gun. The remote plugs in, there's an analog stick where the hammer of a gun might be, you have a trigger, and if you hold the gun with two hands, a la shotgun style, you have access to the buttons on the remote. Now, you're in an fps, actually holding a weapon, and it's 100x more responsive than a dual analog stick configuration. you sidestep with the analog on the gun, and point the gun to move/turn. You can't shoot down the possibility that this will be fun, and has incredible potential to change the way fps is played on a console. The cheaper costs of the game could allow software developers to bundle attachments like this, while making them price competitive with titles for the 360/ps3.

Personally, I'm content with the way games look on the GC, or Xbox. I don't own a hi-def, and wont until after I graduate. Eye candy is for the PC, consoles visuals are set, you can't change them, I have a PC for eye-candy(my x800pro plays everything, maybe not at max, or even with AA, but, I'm not complaining), and I'll take a Wii for a new gameplay experience, cheap, compact, and simple. The gamers you're mentioning, are not the mass-audience that nintendo wants to capture. There's a place for hardcore gamers, but with this console, they're not the only ones that are going to enjoy the experience.
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#19
Azn Tr14dZ
Thanks for that speech ryoboto... *wipes tear off*
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#20
ryboto
Azn Tr14dZThanks for that speech ryoboto... *wipes tear off*
i just want people to admit there's potential. It's cheap, it's trying to instigate change, and it has the support of many developers. I'm not saying it's the 1337 kIng h4x0r of consoles, just that it has a damn good chance to be.
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#21
i_am_mustang_man
HookeyStreetI bet you say "its not about the graphics its about the gameplay", I hear this crap all the time from gamers with crap graphics cards in there PC's and the truth is they would love an high spec video card so they could turn all of the eye-candy on!
just because you care more about surface effects instead of gameplay doesn't mean everyone does. i enjoyed halflife2 on my ti4400, and then again on my x800gto2, but the gameplay is what makes that game great, not the graphics. the physics, the gravity gun, the story, the characters, the other weaponry, the ai, and the great interface, to mention a few, are what the made the game stand out to win so many game of the year awards. the graphics are good, and it's scaleable, but people with top of the line hardware as well as people with gpu crap enjoyed the game

but you miss the big point anyways here: the nintendo is not trying to do the graphics better than the others but the gameplay. no one will say they would rather have another console that does what the others do once the original titles start pouring out for the innovative nintendo developers (that's a lie, some people will, but that's the people who have buyer's remorse for buying a ps3 and a game for 650$ instead of the wii and 9 games for the same price. n00bs). i don't think nintendo will go under, there is no way, especially with this console. the buzz surrounding this console is 90% positive, whereas the ps3 is 90% negative.

add to all this the fact that the nintendo will have it's library downloadable. that's f'in glorious.

i'm not trying to knock down the ps3 or 360, but they just have a limited market compared to the wii. they have limited interfaces compared to the wii, and therefore limited game ideas, and therefore the wii will have an expanded fan base compared to the msoft or sony consoles. the wii will get customers who haven't used a console before.

i don't think msoft or sony are going anywhere, mind you, i just think they will probably end up following nintendo in the long wrong. i mean sony already is trying to with their motion sensing camera thing.

i'm done for now
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#22
Azn Tr14dZ
rybotoi just want people to admit there's potential. It's cheap, it's trying to instigate change, and it has the support of many developers. I'm not saying it's the 1337 kIng h4x0r of consoles, just that it has a damn good chance to be.
They have the funnest games though, yeah BF2, CS:S and other PC games are really fun and good to compete with, but when I just want to chill and mess around with friends, and sometimes even parents, I would play Nintendo, since I don't play their games to compete, but just to have fun...
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#23
i_am_mustang_man
Azn Tr14dZThey have the funnest games though, yeah BF2, CS:S and other PC games are really fun and good to compete with, but when I just want to chill and mess around with friends, and sometimes even parents, I would play Nintendo, since I don't play their games to compete, but just to have fun...
wurd

nintendo is making gaming more social than learning to speak 1334, which is awesome!

i hope to get my gf to try it out, because it looks like fun, and goofy, and everybody knows girls love it when something makes a guy look like a goofball (as long as it's not speaking in random ascii characters and saying oh shit into their headsets)
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#24
Azn Tr14dZ
Lol...when I was little back then, I used to play Super Mario with my mom, we would like take turns after we lose one life...
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#25
i_am_mustang_man
Azn Tr14dZLol...when I was little back then, I used to play Super Mario with my mom, we would like take turns after we lose one life...
haha, my mom is actually the only person who beat the original mario in my whole family on the original console (i eventually did about a year ago on an emulator, but i had to use state saves cuz i just didn't have that time)

but still! now she won't even look at games because they are "too confusing"

i hope she plays wii with me, and she'll prolly kick my ass becaues she's ridiculously good at random things (ie mario)
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