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Wii games upscaled (not natively rendered in higher res) on WiiU

Josh7289

Member
So I assumed that the Wii U would output Wii games in the RGB color space.

It appears I was wrong.

When I am in Wii mode, my TV doesn't have access to its RGB settings. Which only normally happens when I'm playing a Bluray in Y′CbCr. So even over HDMI, the Wii U's Wii mode is still using the same color space output as the original Wii used for component video, just in digital form. Weird.

Oh wow, now that's quite interesting.
 
So I assumed that the Wii U would output Wii games in the RGB color space.

It appears I was wrong.

When I am in Wii mode, my TV doesn't have access to its RGB settings. Which only normally happens when I'm playing a Bluray in Y′CbCr. So even over HDMI, the Wii U's Wii mode is still using the same color space output as the original Wii used for component video, just in digital form. Weird.

Interesting. Do Wii U games also output ycbcr, or are they rgb?
 

Raist

Banned
I did notice some improvements, but nothing too big.

Wii mode on Wii U does not fill the entire screen.
IMAG0610.jpg

Wii does.
IMAG0611.jpg



Someone already explained the whole ratio deal. So I am assuming the Wii has always been "stretched" even on Widescreen mode.

Colors are more vibrant. I guess that's about it. MPTrilogy still looks glorious though. Replaying on Wii U right now. No HUD, no visor. *drools*

You should compare forcing a 480p output on the WiiU because that's a terrible comparison. Especially since you have HDMI vs component going on as well.

The PS3 doesn't even upscale PS3 games. If you have your system set to 1080p but put in a 720p game, the PS3 will switch to 720p when the game starts.

Huh, no. It upscales most games. You have to force it on through the XMB tho.
 
Because I have surround sound selected in the Wii U menu, the Wii U is continuing to output LPCM 5.1 to my audio receiver while in Wii mode. So Dolby ProLogic II audio won't work (I can only select PLII with a stereo source). None of the Wii games have surround sound with these settings. :(

EDIT: I just tried switching the Wii U to stereo. Now with the receiver set to PLII, I can hear that the system still isn't outputting the surround mix. It's just normal stereo audio being put through the receiver's ProLogic decoder and none of the surround effects are there. :/
 

CLEEK

Member
Huh, no. It upscales most games. You have to force it on through the XMB tho.

Nope, Sixfortyfive is right.

The PS3 doesn't upscale PS3 games. Regardless of how you have your screen size set in XMB, a 720p game will always output at 720p.
 

onQ123

Member
Nope, Sixfortyfive is right.

The PS3 doesn't upscale PS3 games. Regardless of how you have your screen size set in XMB, a 720p game will always output at 720p.

Actually it does upscale some games to 1080P if you uncheck 720P depending how the game is coded.
 

DonMigs85

Member
In the PS3's case, it's usually better to have all the resolution options that your TV supports checked off, and allow the console to switch based on the game.
Forcing 1080i/p in games like Uncharted or Burnout Paradise looks a tad blurrier than native 720p.

By the way... No option to make Wii U output Full Range RGB?
 

onQ123

Member
In the PS3's case, it's usually better to have all the resolution options that your TV supports checked off, and allow the console to switch based on the game.
Forcing 1080i/p in games like Uncharted or Burnout Paradise looks a tad blurrier than native 720p.

By the way... No option to make Wii U output Full Range RGB?

Sports Champions doesn't mention 1080P on the case but when you play the game it outputs at 1080P even with 720P checked.

so I'm guessing it's scaled to 1080P
 

MrMephistoX

Member
If Xeonosaga looks as good as some of my PS2 collection did on my launch PS3 then I'm getting a Wii U as soon as I can justify it to the wife ;)
 

ChuyMasta

Member
You should compare forcing a 480p output on the WiiU because that's a terrible comparison. Especially since you have HDMI vs component going on as well.



Huh, no. It upscales most games. You have to force it on through the XMB tho.

I just wanted to show that the Wii U doesn't stretch the image. Look at the info bar on top for both screens.
 
It does look cleaner on WiiU. Not ZOMG DOLPHIN good, but its quite evident when they show links face split down the middle.
Either way I am glad I waited to play through the majority of my wii library till now. I just picked up wario land shake and Kirby's epic yarn today for dirt cheap. I imagine they will look fantastic on wii u.
 

Madao

Member
I did notice some improvements, but nothing too big.

Wii mode on Wii U does not fill the entire screen.
IMAG0610.jpg

Wii does.
IMAG0611.jpg



Someone already explained the whole ratio deal. So I am assuming the Wii has always been "stretched" even on Widescreen mode.

Colors are more vibrant. I guess that's about it. MPTrilogy still looks glorious though. Replaying on Wii U right now. No HUD, no visor. *drools*

with the setup i have, the Wii covers exactly the same screen area as Wii U's Wii mode. that means that when i am viewing regular Wii, it looks the same as the top picture and not like the bottom one.

both my Wii and Wii U are plugged to the same receiver. i'm going to guess that the receiver does this conversion since the Wii used to look like the bottom pic before i got the receiver. i've always wondered how receivers handle passing non-HDMI signals to HDMI.
 
Apparently these images are from a user on GameFAQs, but unfortunately I do not know any particulars of them, i.e. is it Wii component or composite vs. Wii U 1080p upscale? If anyone has any additional info, please post it.

9DWY4.png

R5A0Z.png
 

Madao

Member
i'm now tempted to take my own pics.

it is also a good moment to finally see if there's really a big difference or not (haven't used a game in Wii Mode yet)
 

Bear

Member
Based on that Iwata Asks that discussed the Wii U's processors, the hardware needed for emulation are a part of the Wii U's basic components, right? As in they aren't using additional/specialized hardware for emulation like the early PS3s did?

Is the image being scaled by the idle cores prior to output or is there something else handing the upscaling?
 
Based on that Iwata Asks that discussed the Wii U's processors, the hardware needed for emulation are a part of the Wii U's basic components, right? As in they aren't using additional/specialized hardware for emulation like the early PS3s did?

Is the image being scaled by the idle cores prior to output or is there something else handing the upscaling?
It's a really basic function of the GPU, it takes no effort.
 
That IGN video is near useless. Can't tell the difference at all, maybe a little bit sharper on the right? Hell, the Wii version looks more colourful.
 

TunaLover

Member
Because I have surround sound selected in the Wii U menu, the Wii U is continuing to output LPCM 5.1 to my audio receiver while in Wii mode. So Dolby ProLogic II audio won't work (I can only select PLII with a stereo source). None of the Wii games have surround sound with these settings. :(

EDIT: I just tried switching the Wii U to stereo. Now with the receiver set to PLII, I can hear that the system still isn't outputting the surround mix. It's just normal stereo audio being put through the receiver's ProLogic decoder and none of the surround effects are there. :/
Damn =/
It affects only Wii menu, or games too?
Because the audio data comes from the game itself, that's the reason some games allows change it to stereo/surround.
Also I'd wish to know if you can plug normal analog plugs for audio, and HDMI for image at the same time.
 
Damn =/
It affects only Wii menu, or games too?
Because the audio data comes from the game itself, that's the reason some games allows change it to stereo/surround.
Also I'd wish to know if you can plug normal analog plugs for audio, and HDMI for image at the same time.

It is affecting games too. All games are being output as LPCM 5.1 when the Wii U is in surround sound mode, and putting the Wii U in stereo does not pass through the Prologic II signal.

When using component cables, there is NO surround sound option in the Wii U menu. Again the Wii U only outputs normal stereo in Wii games.

You cannot use analog audio and HDMI at the same time for Wii U games. EDIT: In another thread people are saying you can for Wii games though? I haven't tested both hooked up there.
 

djdac

Member
I just tested quite a few games on the Wii-U and Tatsunoko Vs. Capsom benefits the most from the upscaling, it looks really good compared to how it looks on the Wii. Other games I tried such as Brawl and NMH 2 looks much better as well. I actually want to play through NMH 2 again because its so much crisper, I can actually see the small things in Travis' room lol. Most of the games I tried did look better but some there was really no difference at all.
 

Mit-

Member
I doubt visual quality will change much for most people, unless your TV's upscaler really sucks.

The largest benefit to me is the removal of input lag. A lot of TV's have noticeable input lag when upscaling a 480p or lower image. This can heavily affect gameplay depending on how bad it is. If the Wii U does the upscaling for you, your TV now has almost no work to do, and can usually display the picture with extremely minimal input lag, if any at all.

Also this explains why I have to change display modes on my TV to get the Wii to not have black bars on the sides. That's crazy that its native output is not a complete 16:9 aspect ratio.
 

MrMephistoX

Member
I just tested quite a few games on the Wii-U and Tatsunoko Vs. Capsom benefits the most from the upscaling, it looks really good compared to how it looks on the Wii. Other games I tried such as Brawl and NMH 2 looks much better as well. I actually want to play through NMH 2 again because its so much crisper, I can actually see the small things in Travis' room lol. Most of the games I tried did look better but some there was really no difference at all.
If possible please take some screen shots ;)
 

TunaLover

Member
It is affecting games too. All games are being output as LPCM 5.1 when the Wii U is in surround sound mode, and putting the Wii U in stereo does not pass through the Prologic II signal.

When using component cables, there is NO surround sound option in the Wii U menu. Again the Wii U only outputs normal stereo in Wii games.

You cannot use analog audio and HDMI at the same time.
It looks like we need a completely new receiver, at least DPLII is working on Wii mode with RCA cables for audio (and HDMI video)?
 

Z3M0G

Member
We tried Zelda on the WiiU and most people in the room found it much worst... but they were used to seeing it with COMPOSITE cables... so they were used to the softer edges due to the natural blurriness. Once they saw all the jaggies with the crisper digital connection, they couldn't stand it.
 

Raist

Banned
Nope, Sixfortyfive is right.

The PS3 doesn't upscale PS3 games. Regardless of how you have your screen size set in XMB, a 720p game will always output at 720p.

Then you might want to explain how exactly the PS3 can output 1080p for MGS4 or Uncharted 2 or GTAIV just to name a few, while none of these are natively rendered at 1080p.

So, yes, it definitely does upscale, this is up to the devs to give you the option or not, and in most cases to do so you have to uncheck everything but 1080p in the PS3's display settings. If all res options are checked, games will be output at their preferred (native or closest) resolutions. This has been known for ages.
 

Josh7289

Member
IGN does something useful for once - side by side Wii vs. Wii U direct feed footage: http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/11/19/do-wii-games-look-better-on-wii-u

Those weird horizontal lines (dithering?) aren't there on the Wii U version. I wonder what that's about.

Also I wonder if the brightness/contrast difference between the two in that video can just be explained by the settings on the IGN recording setup being different for component and for HDMI, or if there's something else going on...
 

Mit-

Member
Then you might want to explain how exactly the PS3 can output 1080p for MGS4 or Uncharted 2 or GTAIV just to name a few, while none of these are natively rendered at 1080p.

So, yes, it definitely does upscale, this is up to the devs to give you the option or not, and in most cases to do so you have to uncheck everything but 1080p in the PS3's display settings. If all res options are checked, games will be output at their preferred (native or closest) resolutions. This has been known for ages.

So it doesn't upscale. Because you're talking about upscaling being programmed into a game. The code from the game upscales the image and sends it out of the PS3. The PS3 doesn't have any dedicated hardware or anything like the 360 where it will take ANY output, regardless of the code from the game, and upscale it on its own and output it to the TV. That's like saying the PS3 can upscale because Call of Duty games output 720p even though they're natively rendered much lower than that. It's the game doing scaling, not the system. When comparing the PS3 to the 360's hardware upscaling, you would indeed say that the PS3 does not upscale. It outputs whatever the game is supposed to output.

Also does this really not have any options for multi-output for audio? The PS3 and 360 are both capable of this. Headset makers are going to have a fun time figuring Wii U out.
 

TunaLover

Member
Those weird horizontal lines (dithering?) aren't there on the Wii U version. I wonder what that's about.

Also I wonder if the brightness/contrast difference between the two in that video can just be explained by the settings on the IGN recording setup being different for component and for HDMI, or if there's something else going on...
There are 2 factors to consider in IQ, the video card in original Wii is not exactly the higher quality, I remember the GCN one was better, probably the Wii U one is better too. The data coming from a HDMI hasn't the corruption than coming from the component.
 

ZeroCDR

Member
I actually hate the upscaling options on PS3, like others my HDTV is virtually lag free on a 1080p signal. Too bad half my PS3 library can't even be forced to 1080p, notably my favorite fighting games. Had to buy an ASUS EVO monitor for those because I couldn't stand it.

I honestly was expecting Wii U to be just like PS3 in the upscaling regard, anytime somebody mentioned resolutions on Wii U it was always 720p for this game, or 480p only for Wii mode etc. So I'm pretty ecstatic about it, my Wii games are finally lag free on my HDTV.
 

mclem

Member
Too bad the Wii U doesn't play Gamecube games, or it'd be the definitive way to play them since the Wii output is so bad. GC component cable prices will remain insane...

Actually, given people have got the HBC working on the Wii mode, I wonder if USB loader works, and in turn GC games installed to HD?
 

Alej

Banned
Then you might want to explain how exactly the PS3 can output 1080p for MGS4 or Uncharted 2 or GTAIV just to name a few, while none of these are natively rendered at 1080p.

So, yes, it definitely does upscale, this is up to the devs to give you the option or not, and in most cases to do so you have to uncheck everything but 1080p in the PS3's display settings. If all res options are checked, games will be output at their preferred (native or closest) resolutions. This has been known for ages.

Scaler in PS3 is gimped. Horizontal scaling works but no vertical.
Although there's always the software solution...
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
ITT, we expose the shit scalers, on folks tvs
Yeah, there are some nasty examples here.

I'm using an ISF calibrated Kuro Elite with just about the most pure settings I could use. The largest issue I've had with the Wii is the inherent edge ringing present at all times. It's subtle, I suppose, but I've always found it bothersome as other, older consoles did not suffer from this. The Gamecube produces a much cleaner image over component, for instance.

I'm thrilled to see that the WiiU actually eliminates this as the image IS definitely cleaner. It's clear as day when looking at the Wii menu system.
 

Raist

Banned
So it doesn't upscale. Because you're talking about upscaling being programmed into a game. The code from the game upscales the image and sends it out of the PS3. The PS3 doesn't have any dedicated hardware or anything like the 360 where it will take ANY output, regardless of the code from the game, and upscale it on its own and output it to the TV. That's like saying the PS3 can upscale because Call of Duty games output 720p even though they're natively rendered much lower than that. It's the game doing scaling, not the system. When comparing the PS3 to the 360's hardware upscaling, you would indeed say that the PS3 does not upscale. It outputs whatever the game is supposed to output.

Sigh...

http://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/16/1

tl;dr: Software upscaling of the back buffer is possible but very taxing. Developers can however render their games natively at 960*1080 (roughly the same as 1280*720) which gets upscaled to 1920*1080 by the hardware itself.
 

Mit-

Member
Sigh...

http://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/16/1

tl;dr: Software upscaling of the back buffer is possible but very taxing. Developers can however render their games natively at 960*1080 (roughly the same as 1280*720) which gets upscaled to 1920*1080 by the hardware itself.

title-colon_v.png


Did not know about that. Interesting. Although I still wouldn't mention it as comparable to what the 360 does in any way. And does it still tax the same hardware used for the games, or is it truly dedicated like the 360's upscaler? If it was truly dedicated I can't imagine why more games wouldn't do this (seeing as how 960x1080 is not many more pixels than 720p). Unless it doesn't really look much better (which is probably the case since it's not many more native pixels, but it would still be nice to not rely on my TV's upscaler).
 

kinggroin

Banned
Yeah, there are some nasty examples here.

I'm using an ISF calibrated Kuro Elite with just about the most pure settings I could use. The largest issue I've had with the Wii is the inherent edge ringing present at all times. It's subtle, I suppose, but I've always found it bothersome as other, older consoles did not suffer from this. The Gamecube produces a much cleaner image over component, for instance.

I'm thrilled to see that the WiiU actually eliminates this as the image IS definitely cleaner. It's clear as day when looking at the Wii menu system.


Yes! The ringing was oddly enough, more bothersome to me than the already expected low resolution output. I can handle low res, I HATE poor image quality that can be avoided.
 
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