How much of this chip is wasted so it can run Wii software?
Not even a single transistor won't be used when on WiiU mode. Let's be serious here, if the Wii BC hardware was meant to be used ONLY on the Wii mode, then you would have the entire Wii Hollywood GPU scaled down in a corner a la ARM CPU.
But that was said even by Iwata, that they merged the Wii parts with the WiiU parts so they could use them to emulate Wii, and also to process WiiU graphics.
Wii had fixed-function self-shadowing, fixed-function embm, other T&L functions that could be replied through the ALUs or still be there in some magnified way that makes them free to use.
What we know is that it seems there are 176GFlops or theoretical raw power to use as developers wish, and then a bunch of fixed functions to implement some effects in a much more efficient way.
Don't doubt even for a moment that if putting a miniaturized version of the Wii Hollywood on here and then throwing double or triple the ALUs (it could be possible if you look at the die size they occupy) would give better results, Nintendo would have done it, because it would be a FAR CHEAPER solution that what we have here.
So if they went that route, it mean that they know they can achieve MUCH BETTER results, and I'm sure we will see a glimpse of those results at this E3.
Even the X trailer showed some manners, and some general quality unachievable on PS360, despite some other things were below that mark.
