SquiddyCracker
Banned
Kosmo got his $499 Crysis PC thread locked earlier today after a slightly schadenfraudy post, but his heart was in the right place:
We can probably do better than the Nintendo engineers.
The goal
A PC that is capable of playing 3rd party titles (as well as Wii titles) in at least 720p (like the Wii U) - but better (more effects, better shadows, better textures, etc - you name it!). Size is irrelevant because Nintendo could have made their console larger, nor do you need to include blu-ray or DVD reader functionality as the Wii U is incapable of reading these discs - our "proprietary disc format" is the internet.
The rules
Now in order for things to be fair, there's a couple of ground rules we need to lay down before we start creating the Wii U PC alternative.
In no particular order of preference:
Must not cost more than the Premium model
So, you can build yourself a $299/£249 PC console if you want, if you want to really rub it into the face of the Nintendo engineers, but it's also alright to go with a Premium alternative.
Must include an HDMI cable and support 1080p HDTVs
That's a minimum, it's up to you whether or not you want it to support resolutions higher than that.
Must include a tablet of somewhat equivalent stats
Yep, it just wouldn't be fair to take the Wii U pad out of the equation.
Here are the technical specs of it:
Now the Wii U pad also have gamepad functionality, which leads us to the third rule:
Must include a gamepad
Sorry, but the Wii U pack comes with a tablet that functions as a gamepad, you got the choice of either adding a gamepad (with the same amount of buttons and sticks and whatnot) or find yourself a tablet which has gamepad functionality (whether it is built-in or through a "dock")
Must have at least 8GB/32GB of flash storage
This must be either a high-speed external USB memory, or an SSD.
Must include a game (if you've designed a Wii U deluxe alternative)
A bit nitpicky, but the Wii U at a premium level does come with a free game, so if you're going for a $349 budget you'll need to supply a free game with it.
Must support Wii peripherals and have backwards compatibility
The Wii U does it, and so must your design.
Entry
Post your PC build in the following format:
"CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Graphics
Storage
Power supply
Case
Tablet
(Controller)
HDMI cable
[Any other components you want]
________________________________
Tablet/Controller solution
[Explanation]
Theoretical Wii compatibility
[Explanation]
Theoretical game performance
[Explanation]
Total price"
It's then up to you to actually build this system, and see how well it can actually play games available on PC/Wii U as well as Wii games.
Prize
You guys got two weeks on you to submit entries, and a winner - the ultimate PC alternative of the Wii U - will be selected by yours truly, based on the general GAF opinion and how well you've managed to capture the spirit of the Wii U.
The winner will receive not only the bitter tears of Nintendo engineers, but also a cheap and possibly shitty steam game.