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Wii U Community Thread

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Flipper was the central chip in GameCube, so every other part in there ran at a multiple of Flippers clock speed. Before Flipper was down clocked the main memory would have been 400Mhz. Using the same 2x multiplier as the CPU. When they down clocked Flipper they left the RAM multiplier at 2 which dropped the RAM frequency to 324Mhz but they changed the CPU's multiplier to 3 which increased its frequency to 486Mhz.
Are we sure on the RAM clocks though? That's what's bugging me, 400 MHz RAM was nuts in 2001; they could have messed with it more than just downgrading it and increasing cpu multiplier.

I always thought it was a tradeoff so RAM could go higher, guessing it would be 202.5 MHz otherwise.
Also technically speaking GameCube's 24MB of 1T-Sram is SDR rather than DDR, its just clocked at twice the speed of the GPU.
You're right, damn I'm rusty.

Still, a 405 MHz on RAM, in 2001 would be pretty nuts, we didn't know the full specs before launch though, so I'm guessing:

motherboard%20datapath.gif


The 324 MHz bank, could have been hampered to be the same as the CPU bus.


If it was 405 MHz at some point then it was too high spec'ed.

EDIT:

The main memory of the Gamecube consists of two sets of 96Mbits 1T-SRAM. As it can drive a 64-bit data-bus at 400MHz

Nevermind. Quite crazy though.
 

ozfunghi

Member
Hey guys, i'm not finding the time or joy in checking the thread every day, so just to be safe, are we still looking at 2 gig RAM (of which 512MB for OS), weaksauce CPU (~Xenos level) and taking the E6760 as reference for the GPU, or has something materialized yet, in the form of concrete info? Any more proof pointing towards that CPU Wsippel was talking about (476?)...?

And didn't cyberhater have an avatar bet going in WUST 3 or 4? Or does he still think WiiU = 360?
 
So really. It's going to be all about the pad and the innovation it brings to gameplay to really differentiate the console to the current bunch.

Let's just say the CPU is exactly the same power as the 360's Xenon.

The GPU has been narrowed down to be between 500 - 600 gigaFLOPs, with modern architecture - twice the performance of PS360.

The GPU also has over twice as much eDRAM as the 360.

It has 2GB of system Ram, 1.5 GB usable, three times as much as PS360.

I know you like you're avatar but please get over the fact that Wii U is more powerful than the seven year old PS360.

I suggest a new avatar - 'PS4 / 720 will be 3 times more powerful than Wii U less than a year after launch' ;).
 
Hey guys, i'm not finding the time or joy in checking the thread every day, so just to be safe, are we still looking at 2 gig RAM (of which 512MB for OS), weaksauce CPU (~Xenos level) and taking the E6760 as reference for the GPU, or has something materialized yet, in the form of concrete info? Any more proof pointing towards that CPU Wsippel was talking about (476?)...?

And didn't cyberhater have an avatar bet going in WUST 3 or 4? Or does he still think WiiU = 360?

If he thinks it's only as powerful as a 360 then he be crazy.

It's probably not effectively much more powerful, but it should still pack more oomph at low clock speeds and with minimal heat output.

I mean... they did just finalize the GPU design early this year. Even with a modern lowish end part you'll have something more feature rich than the RSX or Xenos.
 
Hey guys, i'm not finding the time or joy in checking the thread every day, so just to be safe, are we still looking at 2 gig RAM (of which 512MB for OS), weaksauce CPU (~Xenos level) and taking the E6760 as reference for the GPU, or has something materialized yet, in the form of concrete info? Any more proof pointing towards that CPU Wsippel was talking about (476?)...?

And didn't cyberhater have an avatar bet going in WUST 3 or 4? Or does he still think WiiU = 360?

Edit: I assumed you meant Xenon, the CPU. I always get them confused.

To my knowledge, there's been absolutely nothing new hardware wise. Just alot of speculation and sites posting obviously fake info. You were around for the 75watt power brick rumor, correct? That's the newest info still, afaik.
 

ozfunghi

Member
If he thinks it's only as powerful as a 360 then he be crazy.

It's probably not effectively much more powerful, but it should still pack more oomph at low clock speeds and with minimal heat output.

I mean... they did just finalize the GPU design early this year. Even with a modern lowish end part you'll have something more feature rich than the RSX or Xenos.

The RAM + eDRAM alone puts it well ahead.


Edit: I assumed you meant Xenon, the CPU. I always get them confused.

To my knowledge, there's been absolutely nothing new hardware wise. Just alot of speculation and sites posting obviously fake info. You were around for the 75watt power brick rumor, correct? That's the newest info still, afaik.

Yeah, sorry, i mix them up also, case in point. So yeah, Xenon. And yes, i was around for the powerbrick info.

thanks
 

Sampei

Banned
Let's just say the CPU is exactly the same power as the 360's Xenon.

The GPU has been narrowed down to be between 500 - 600 gigaFLOPs, with modern architecture - twice the performance of PS360.

The GPU also has over twice as much eDRAM as the 360.

It has 2GB of system Ram, 1.5 GB usable, three times as much as PS360.

I know you like you're avatar but please get over the fact that Wii U is more powerful than the seven year old PS360.

I suggest a new avatar - 'PS4 / 720 will be 3 times more powerful than Wii U less than a year after launch' ;).
but the avatar says "on par" which is quite vague..the semantics of it can be skewed to fit his theory.
 

starmaker

Neo Member
Sweet! I got in like flynn!
only had to wait a month after registering. lurking is ok but being able to post is much better. I have enjoyed all of your speculation threads since the first one about the Wii U. I am excited about the Wii U (yes even after the not so awesome E3 presentation)
 
Let's just say the CPU is exactly the same power as the 360's Xenon.

The GPU has been narrowed down to be between 500 - 600 gigaFLOPs, with modern architecture - twice the performance of PS360.

The GPU also has over twice as much eDRAM as the 360.

It has 2GB of system Ram, 1.5 GB usable, three times as much as PS360.

I know you like you're avatar but please get over the fact that Wii U is more powerful than the seven year old PS360.

I suggest a new avatar - 'PS4 / 720 will be 3 times more powerful than Wii U less than a year after launch' ;).

The GPU hasn't been narrowed down to anything. There has been rumors of it only being 1.5X the gpu of the 360. It's all speculation at this point.

Same thing with the ram. There has been speculation of the retail box being 2gb, but the leaked SDK says 1.5gb only.

On par definition is pretty broad, so you can say that right now and not be wrong.
 

bryanee

Member
I started paying off my pre-ordered Wii U games today. Thats Zombi U, AC3 and Rayman paid off. Six more games and a console to go.

edit - woo Member status achieved
 

10k

Banned
Hardcore Nintendo Fan = "OMFG nintendo! Where are my fucken hardcore games! This company will never learn! Fuck this I'm waiting for a price drop for the Wii U." *Buys Wii U on launch day*

Casual Gamer = "hey I want to buy Mario for my PS3 my son loves those games when he plays them at his cousins house. What? You can only get Mario on Nintendo consoles? How much? Okay I'll take one." *Buys Wii U*
 

Drago

Member
That's badass

How'd you that?
I believe membership requirements are having an account for at least 3 months and 300 posts. I signed up more than 3 months ago but I didn't get approved until about a week ago, and I've already amassed 300 posts like a true addict. Therefore, I was upgraded extremely quickly.

Sorry for thread derail :/
 
I believe membership requirements are having an account for at least 3 months and 300 posts. I signed up more than 3 months ago but I didn't get approved until about a week ago, and I've already amassed 300 posts like a true addict. Therefore, I was upgraded extremely quickly.

Sorry for thread derail :/

You have no quarrel with me angrykirby.

I could always use a new Drago in my life. Use to hang out with a Dragos at another forum many moons ago.
 

Sampei

Banned
I don't really see par as a vague term, it doesn't mean similar to after all, it means equal to.
you're not wrong, but I think it's a term that most people associate with an average rather than a = synonim. Saying Wii U is on par with X is vague because it's a completely generic statement.
 
The GPU hasn't been narrowed down to anything. There has been rumors of it only being 1.5X the gpu of the 360. It's all speculation at this point.

Same thing with the ram. There has been speculation of the retail box being 2gb, but the leaked SDK says 1.5gb only.

On par definition is pretty broad, so you can say that right now and not be wrong.

The GPU has been narrowed down by guys on here and beyond 3D that actually have sources, it's way under a teraFLOP and around the 500 - 600 gigaFLOP range.

Speculation, in this thread, NEVER ! ;).
 

alfolla

Neo Member
Let's just say the CPU is exactly the same power as the 360's Xenon.

The GPU has been narrowed down to be between 500 - 600 gigaFLOPs, with modern architecture - twice the performance of PS360.

With PS360 being around 200 GFLOPs, it would make Wii U roughly around 2/3 times more powerful.

If it's true that PS4 is going to have something like 1,8 TFLOPs of brute force, this would make it, as you stated, 3 times faster than Wii U with the latter being a half step between this gen and next.

Which is not what people like EatChildren have been hinting at.

I'm so confused...
 

Sampei

Banned
In what way is three times the system Ram, over twice the eDRAM and a GPU over twice as powerful with 2011 features in any way 'On Par' ?...
for argument's sake, there is no definite proof that it's not..the stuff you posted is forum speculation/leaks. The only definitve way to debunk that statement is to:
1-get an official spec sheet (won't happen)
2-wait till someone opens a retail box
3-a game that "surpasses" the best ps360 titles
 

Drago

Member
You have no quarrel with me angrykirby.

I could always use a new Drago in my life. Use to hang out with a Dragos at another forum many moons ago.
Well I guess that's what I'm here for!

I doubt I'll be in here much though, I'm not very spec-smart and it seems that all this thread has become is spec talk. :/
 

Donnie

Member
for argument's sake, there is no definite proof that it's not..the stuff you posted is forum speculation/leaks. The only definitve way to debunk that statement is to:
1-get an official spec sheet (won't happen)
2-wait till someone opens a retail box
3-a game that "surpasses" the best ps360 titles

There are speculative leaks (like the processing power of the GPU/CPU, I agree nothings close to confirmed there) and then there are genuine leaks and the SDK info that leaked is certainly genuine, its been confirmed by many and debunked by none. Its not definitive because it doesn't give us all the information required to fully judge the system. But it does confirm certain aspects such as WiiU having over three times as much eDram and at least 3 times as much system memory. As well as confirming that the GPU is at minimum DX10.1 capable, compared to the DX9 capable 360/PS3 GPU's.
 

Roo

Member
Well I guess that's what I'm here for!

I doubt I'll be in here much though, I'm not very spec-smart and it seems that all this thread has become is spec talk. :/

Just wait a little bit more.
Maybe till September. Then we all can talk about what really matters... GAMES!
Can't wait to put my hands on this bastard! Damn you Nintendo and your amazing IPs!!!!!!
 
While the Wii U will be amazing, I think if Nintendo implemented haptic in the controller it would be pretty mind-blowing. It would be perfect games like Metroid or Mario Party. Oh well, even though they won't, let's hope that vitality sensor is coming along.

Oh and anyone think with Miyamoto saying that Metroid and Starfox would be perfect for the Wii U and the games he would want to see most be hinting at something? I know I am being too analytical about what he said but I just want the Metroid portion to be true so badly.

EDIT: Off topic but a Reggie secret skin (like icon) in the next Metroid game would be GotY Forever.
 

Drago

Member
Just wait a little bit more.
Maybe till September. Then we all can talk about what really matters... GAMES!
Can't wait to put my hands on this bastard! Damn you Nintendo and your amazing IPs!!!!!!
I can't wait until the Fall Conference. I really hope we see some titles coming in 2013 from all parties. I'm ready to buy one at launch but I need to see what will be upcoming... but tbh Pikmin 3 and Rayman is all I really need :)
 
So far they've sounded really confident that Wiimotes are so widespread that I don't see them including one. Especially after the 3DS XL move where they omit AC adapters in most territories to keep the price down. Throwing in Wiimotes would simply increase costs.

When has any Nintendo exec said anything at all about how Wii Remotes are so widespread? And 3DS XL is an entirely different situation, because the AC adapter has nothing to do with gameplay. Leaving the Wii Remote out of the box will keep developers from supporting it in their games, leaving the AC adapter out of the box doesn't affect developers at all. Since Nintendo thinks one of the Wii-U's most important features is play between the Gamepad and Wii Remote+, why would they ever want to discourage developers from supporting that sort of play?
 

Sampei

Banned
There are speculative leaks and then there are genuine leaks and the SDK info that leaked is certainly genuine, its been confirmed by many and debunked by none. Its not definitive because it doesn't give us all the information required to full judge the system. But it does confirm certain aspects such as WiiU having over three times as much eDram and at least 3 times as much system memory. As well as confirming that the GPU is at minimum DX10.1 capable, compared to the DX9 capable 360/PS3 GPU's.
ok but that's where the vagueness of the statement comes into place, what aspects do you consider when deciding a whole system is "on par" or not? ram? cpu? gpu? how do you average the comparisons? to me it's all a bit silly, the output is the only thing that matters.
 

alfolla

Neo Member
While the Wii U will be amazing, I think if Nintendo implemented haptic in the controller it would be pretty mind-blowing. It would be perfect games like Metroid or Mario Party. Oh well, even though they won't, let's hope that vitality sensor is coming along.

Oh and anyone think with Miyamoto saying that Metroid and Starfox would be perfect for the Wii U and the games he would want to see most be hinting at something? I know I am being too analytical about what he said but I just want the Metroid portion to be true so badly.

EDIT: Off topic but a Reggie secret skin (like icon) in the next Metroid game would be GotY Forever.

I haven't completely give up on the idea of having a ViviTouch like rumble feature.
It'd be a perfect fit for both the gyro sensor and the touch screen.
 

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
Third Party Wii U Games will be playable at Gamescom

Nintendo won’t be making an appearance at this years Gamescom event in Cologne, but third-party developers will be there showcasing their Wii U titles. The news that third-party Wii U games will be at Gamescom was revealed via the shows official Facebook page. The organisers neglected to say which Wii U games will be available for attendees to play.

http://mynintendonews.com/2012/07/08/third-party-wii-u-games-will-be-playable-at-gamescom-2012/
 

Pineconn

Member
When has any Nintendo exec said anything at all about how Wii Remotes are so widespread?

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/120606qa/04.html

Q9: Can you explain when the Wii U will be launched and what it will be packaged with? There have been talks about having one touchpad controller and then other users playing with three or four Wii Remotes, so what will be included in the package when the Wii U is launched?

Iwata: First of all, here at E3, we’re not talking specifically about what will be packaged with the hardware system itself. The only thing I can say clearly is that we will definitely package the Wii U system with one Wii U GamePad because without those two elements, you do not have a complete Wii U system. But beyond that, in terms of what will be going into the box, I will talk about that more in the future when we go into more detail on pricing and other information. There are 190 million Wii Remotes out in the marketplace around the world. As Reggie pointed out in our presentation at E3 yesterday, there are also quite a large number of Wii Balance Boards. We look at both of those as important assets that we would like to continue to leverage.
 

Donnie

Member
ok but that's where the vagueness of the statement comes into place, what aspects do you consider when deciding a whole system is "on par" or not? ram? cpu? gpu? how do you average the comparisons? to me it's all a bit silly, the output is the only thing that matters.

I know what you mean, but I think looking at the system as a whole even based on the little we know is enough to take the idea of being only equal to current gen right out of the equation. CPU?, we don't know, rumours its weaker in some ways and stronger in other ways. GPU, every detail we know for sure (eDram amount and feature set) is significantly better than current gen. RAM, again much better than current gen. I think it would be silly to try to come to a definitive conclusion on how capable the system is based on the info we have. But personally I think the idea of WiiU being just equal to current gen systems overall is just as silly.

Also while I agree that the systems output is all that matters to gamers the current output of WiiU tells us even less than the details we have on the system. We're talking about late and highly optimised 360/PS3 games vs pre-release WiiU games after all.
 

D-e-f-

Banned
When has any Nintendo exec said anything at all about how Wii Remotes are so widespread? And 3DS XL is an entirely different situation, because the AC adapter has nothing to do with gameplay. Leaving the Wii Remote out of the box will keep developers from supporting it in their games, leaving the AC adapter out of the box doesn't affect developers at all. Since Nintendo thinks one of the Wii-U's most important features is play between the Gamepad and Wii Remote+, why would they ever want to discourage developers from supporting that sort of play?

I'm not sure but I believe I've read or seen either an interview or one of those investor transcripts that mentions the Wiimote situation vaguely. Though I could remembering this wrong.

Ah got it!
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/120606qa/04.html

Q 9

Can you explain when the Wii U will be launched and what it will be packaged with? There have been talks about having one touchpad controller and then other users playing with three or four Wii Remotes, so what will be included in the package when the Wii U is launched?

A 9

Iwata:

First of all, here at E3, we’re not talking specifically about what will be packaged with the hardware system itself. The only thing I can say clearly is that we will definitely package the Wii U system with one Wii U GamePad because without those two elements, you do not have a complete Wii U system. But beyond that, in terms of what will be going into the box, I will talk about that more in the future when we go into more detail on pricing and other information.

There are 190 million Wii Remotes out in the marketplace around the world. As Reggie pointed out in our presentation at E3 yesterday, there are also quite a large number of Wii Balance Boards. We look at both of those as important assets that we would like to continue to leverage.

While I would normally agree that packing it in would guarantee that developers could make games with Wiimote requirements, this "there's tons of them out there" stance might hint that they don't think it's necessary and would rather not put them in to keep the price of the SKU as low as possible.
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
I'm annoyed that the actual action I perform to shoot (usually pressing A or B) inevitably ends up messing up my aim slightly because the muscle movement causes the Wiimote to shift ever so mildly which affects the reticle a bit. It's not an issue in the Metroid Prime games because you're not doing precision-based shooting and lock-on is anchored in the gameplay design but for regular-ass shooters, it's less than ideal. Dual analog is slower but feels ultimately more precise to me. Also, lack of buttons and quite often gimmicky Nunchuck moves (shake to throw grenade!) are annoying as hell (I blew myself up playing The Conduit so many times because I wanted to scratch my head or shifted my body and ended up throwing a grenade)

But that fails on the RE 4 minigame (shooting gallery). I finished it on GC but it was much more precise for fast shooting action with the Wiimote. Somethings are the controller and some things are due to who codes the controls.
 

D-e-f-

Banned
But that fails on the RE 4 minigame (shooting gallery). I finished it on GC but it was much more precise for fast shooting action with the Wiimote. Somethings are the controller and some things are due to who codes the controls.

I can't remember if I finished that on the GCN version or on the Wii version or on both but I'd argue that this is where speed is slightly more important and Wiimote aming is indeed more accurate if you need to aim somewhere quickly but stick aiming is more precise if speed is not necessarily an issue because the reticle/pointer/crosshair stays exactly where you direct it if you let go of the stick.
 
Oh and anyone think with Miyamoto saying that Metroid and Starfox would be perfect for the Wii U and the games he would want to see most be hinting at something? I know I am being too analytical about what he said but I just want the Metroid portion to be true so badly.

He was confirming Metroid X StarFox: Fusion Saga.
 

sgrrsh26

Neo Member
any speculation as to how essential the wiiu touchscreen pad will be towards gameplay? I honestly dont see myself using it much and if the gameplay is central to that I would have to think twice about picking one up.
 
for argument's sake, there is no definite proof that it's not..the stuff you posted is forum speculation/leaks. The only definitve way to debunk that statement is to:
1-get an official spec sheet (won't happen)
2-wait till someone opens a retail box
3-a game that "surpasses" the best ps360 titles

Well we aint going to get specs from Nintendo so i'm going on leaks from 3 or 4 trusted sources both from here and Beyond 3D.
 
any speculation as to how essential the wiiu touchscreen pad will be towards gameplay? I honestly dont see myself using it much and if the gameplay is central to that I would have to think twice about picking one up.

I think it will vary greatly from title to title. Many 3rd party games might only offer negligable features on the touch screen (darksiders 2 for example, even if the devs insist it's so great to change armor on the fly). Nintendo I see supporting it much more, but as we've seen with Pikmin, they're choosing the controls on a case by case basis. It's up to devs on what they feel benefits their games the most.

Still, I must ask: why don't you think you will use the Gamepad much? The majority of reports describe it as quite light and comfortable. Why not give it a chance?
 

Comandr

Member
any speculation as to how essential the wiiu touchscreen pad will be towards gameplay? I honestly dont see myself using it much and if the gameplay is central to that I would have to think twice about picking one up.

I can't think of any ways to make the gamepad an essential element to a metroid or starfox experience.

What I would like to see for a...

Prime-esque experience: The gamepad displays a map at all times when horizontal/flat, when held at a vertical angle towards the TV, the gamepad dynamically turns into a scan/predetermined (hotbuttoned?) visor that you can zoom/alter with some manner of controller input. Maybe a visor that can see/hear frequencies that can be tuned with one of the analog sticks? Grasping at straws here I know.

Starfox: I'd like to see the gamepad display damage and ship status. Maybe a cockpit view on the gamepad and a trailing camera on the TV. Maybe the gamepad could keep track of alternate vehicle modes or special routes. Or even just team status. Tapping each one gives you advice about your situation or a tip, you can choose teammates to go with you on certain routes, or just random teammate banter.

Ideally, I don't want the gamepad to introduce any new features or functions that are super niche and really couldn't be used anywhere but one place, but I'd like whatever features that are going to be put in place to enhance the experience I already love, and make me ask "how did I ever live without this?" and make me say "I never want to play a game without (x y z feature) again."


A really good example of what I DON'T want to see happen with a "revolutionary new control setup" is Skyward Sword. Now before anyone gets crazy, hear me out. I loved Skyward Sword. The art style was perfect, the gameplay was fun and engaging, but damn if swinging and twisting and flicking and all the various motions non stop didn't hurt my wrists. I could really only play Skyward Sword for about an hour or so at a time before it really just got too physically painful to continue. To this day, SS is the only Zelda game that I started and haven't finished. I quit around one of the last temples. Frustrated by my forced-short-play sessions, I just stopped caring.

Moving forward, I would much rather have a classic control scheme with an "Zelda HD Experience" sort of gamepad usage. No pausing. Everything is real time, just give me the menu/map on my game pad.
 

Poopaloop

Neo Member
Just to sound off with my take on some of the discussion going on:

  • Nintendo Land will absolutely be a pack-in title. It's the software that explains all the features that make the Wii U interesting, and acts as a great tie for Nintendo to interest their casual audience into some of their other IPs. I think Nintendo will be willing to take the cut on not selling it as standalone just for that reason.
  • The Wii U is going to include the AC adapter. Come on guys! You're comparing it to the 3DS XL, but that's an update of an existing system. There's no way Wii U won't include the power adapter, except on the small chance that it uses the same one as the Wii does.
  • I never thought about Pikmin 3 not being at launch. I can see them holding that back for their Xmas title, and to give third parties some time at launch to hawk their wares (thus improving their relationship with said third parties.) I really don't think it'll slide PAST Christmas, however.

Also, where's that tequila you were talking about? You can keep the figs, but my personal rule is to ALWAYS accept drinks from strangers. ALWAYS.
 
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