Nintendo WiiU Hardware Less Powerful Than Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3: Developers

[btarunr]

Although Nintendo's next-generation WiiU game console can drive 1080p graphics, developers familiar with its hardware specifications say its hardware is not even as powerful as that of current-generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "No, it's not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360," one of the developers who spoke with GamesIndustry Internation said "The graphics are just not as powerful," they reiterated. Another developer, working for another company backed this view. "Yeah, that's true. It doesn't produce graphics as well as the PS3 or the 360," said the source. This should let us in on Nintendo's focus with the WiiU: gameplay mechanics over visual details.



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[Maban]

Meanwhile in the magical land of computers....

 

[1Kurgan1]

Mildly funny, not because of this being said (as I think Nintendo should stick with their unique direction), but because I remember seeing people here touting how this was going to trounce the 5+ year old consoles for graphics.

 

[entropy13]

Meanwhile in the magical land of computers....

You better stop with your fairy tales there. :shadedshu

 

[KingPing]

Next gen is looking good! Yeah Baby!!!:shadedshu

 

[hardcore_gamer]

How can a GPU similar to 4850 (RV770) is less powerful than Reality Synthesizer and Xenos ?

 

[NC37]

How can a GPU similar to 4850 (RV770) is less powerful than Reality Synthesizer and Xenos ?

Exactly. CPU is rumored to be on par with the others but GPU should smack the others around a lot.

If it isn't as powerful, it shouldn't be able to do 1080p stuff. PS3 is mostly 720, Xbox is similar but has an upscaler. I seriously doubt the credibility of the devs when they talk like that.

 

[eidairaman1]

Gameplay goes only so far before graphics count. Nintendo cant keep up this demographic cuz they wont sell more than the wii did. Honestly Nintendo needs something to dominate in graphics or they lose 3rd party support. Nintendo is only taken seriously with 3ds but not the wii. Nintendo can only sell mario so much before people get bored n go right back to COD.

 

[Damn_Smooth]

Gameplay goes only so far before graphics count. Nintendo cant keep up this demographic cuz they wont sell more than the wii did. Honestly Nintendo needs something to dominate in graphics or they lose 3rd party support. Nintendo is only taken seriously with 3ds but not the wii. Nintendo can only sell mario so much before people get bored n go right back to COD.

I think Nintendo would love to recreate the Wii's sales seeing as how it was the highest selling system this gen by far.

 

[Rowsol]

This should let us in on Nintendo's focus with the WiiU: gameplay mechanics over visual details.

Why not have both? Snes was the greatest console of all time. Let's have a repeat of that.

 

[xenocide]

How can a GPU similar to 4850 (RV770) is less powerful than Reality Synthesizer and Xenos ?

It's only rumored to be a 4850/70, if Nintendo has to cut costs enough it could fall to something much lower in the 4xxx series (4650?) which would result in a drastcally weaker system than expected. I don't know that it's less powerful than current consoles, but I hardly expect it to be 5x as powerful like some people predicted.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Gameplay goes only so far before graphics count. Nintendo cant keep up this demographic cuz they wont sell more than the wii did. Honestly Nintendo needs something to dominate in graphics or they lose 3rd party support. Nintendo is only taken seriously with 3ds but not the wii. Nintendo can only sell mario so much before people get bored n go right back to COD.

I think people have already forgotten about Mario lol. Ive been over with Mario for a long time haha.

I think Nintendo would love to recreate the Wii's sales seeing as how it was the highest selling system this gen by far.

yeah till the end of 2011 when Nintendo actually ended with net loss.

 

[entropy13]

It's only rumored to be a 4850/70, if Nintendo has to cut costs enough it could fall to something much lower in the 4xxx series (4650?) which would result in a drastcally weaker system than expected. I don't know that it's less powerful than current consoles, but I hardly expect it to be 5x as powerful like some people predicted.

But the 4650 is still better than the 7900 GTX, which would be the level of performance that corresponds to the Xbox 360 and PS3...

 

[illli]

nothing but a rumor

 

[Damn_Smooth]

yeah till the end of 2011 when Nvidia actually ended with net loss.

Not bad for a system that was a generation old when it launched and made money on every system sold. MS and Sony still haven't even come close to catching up and they lost money on every console sold for quite a while.

I'm not sure which position you would rather be in; but I'm going with Nintendo.

Yes, I know that you meant Nintendo, not Nvidia.

 

[xenocide]

But the 4650 is still better than the 7900 GTX, which would be the level of performance that corresponds to the Xbox 360 and PS3...

You have to consider that knowing Nintendo, it probably has to render the game twice, once for the TV, and once to stream to the tablet. Rendering 2 seperate 1080p images would easily knock the performance down even if it were an HD4850.

 

[Mega-Japan]

You have to consider that knowing Nintendo, it probably has to render the game twice, once for the TV, and once to stream to the tablet. Rendering 2 seperate 1080p images would easily knock the performance down even if it were an HD4850.

The tablet most definitely won't be 1080p... Heck, I don't even think it'll be 720p, but likely 480p.

Anyways, I find these sooo hard to believe.

Anonymous developers come spouting this, while others (ie. Ubisoft, gearbox, etc..) have claimed the complete opposite. But I love how this rumor is in the front page of just about every tech site. Lovely. Can't wait 'til E3.

 

[HillBeast]

Why does it seem like only cellphone manufacturers are the only people actually pushing the boundaries of what's capable? Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are all using mediocre or crap hardware (except the PS Vita), meanwhile cellphones are so powerful now, they can emulate an x86 computer and run Windows 98.

Or more practically, they can play some pretty damned detailed games for something so thin. My SGS2 is thinner than a 2.5" hard drive, and can make amazing graphics. Why can't a stupid ass WiiU which is like 10 times bigger do that?

 

[Prima.Vera]

This article seems fishy...

 

[BumbleBee]

every month the rumors get crazier and crazier. really the PS4 is going to have 4k resolution?

 

[Mega-Japan]

Why does it seem like only cellphone manufacturers are the only people actually pushing the boundaries of what's capable? Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are all using mediocre or crap hardware (except the PS Vita), meanwhile cellphones are so powerful now, they can emulate an x86 computer and run Windows 98.

Or more practically, they can play some pretty damned detailed games for something so thin. My SGS2 is thinner than a 2.5" hard drive, and can make amazing graphics. Why can't a stupid ass WiiU which is like 10 times bigger do that?

Your SGS2 only looks so good because it's displaying your games at 480p through a fancy Super AMOLED+ 4.3" screen.

If you were to attach a GameCube to your SGS2, I can assure you the GCN games will look and be several times better than your Angry Birds Space.

And let's not ignore the fact that your SGS2 (and most top of the line smartphones for that matter) are over $500 unsubsidized.

 

[entropy13]

You have to consider that knowing Nintendo, it probably has to render the game twice, once for the TV, and once to stream to the tablet. Rendering 2 seperate 1080p images would easily knock the performance down even if it were an HD4850.

I doubt that, and regardless it's not really in my interests to defend the...lower classes' excuse of "gaming" contraptions, i.e. consoles.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

...gameplay mechanics over visual details.

That's always been Nintendo's stategy.

But, yeah. I'll pass. Consoles bore me. The Wii is good to have for when the relatives come over but beyond that, it mostly collects dust. I'd rather play Windows games.

 

[BumbleBee]

yeah, great hits like Red Faction: Armageddon

 

[Ikaruga]

It doesn't work that way. Even if it's a HD4850 equivalent, the PS3 and the XBOX360 has 5 years long dev experience. The engineers of the game developper indsustry were working on both hardware for years, and we are talking about very talented coders here, and hundreds if not thousands of them who were sharing their progress and findings throughout those years. It just doesn't really matter how great minds Nintendo is gathered to code their low level graphics library, new systems always need time reach full potential.

On the other hand, Nintendo never really emphasised on the graphics hardware (perhaps the GC was an exception), so this can turn out to be true after all. (... but I doubt it)