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[JonathanPower]

I want ports of RE6 and GTA5 etc etc etc.

But if third party support is going to be mostly 360/PS3 ports, I think most people will be disappointed. People aren't buying a new console to get ports of current gen games. That isn't opinion. That is fact.

Now by your logic no one would have bought a Wii in the first place because it got no RE5, TGA4, ecc and no xbox360/PS3 ports...

 

[EloquentM]

If the Wii U will have great sales it will receive 3rd party support with exclusive games which is much betten than playing ports, you act like Nintendo is doing something different than what they did till now.

no it won't. wii had fantastic sales and its 3rd party support was pretty lacking in comparison to PS360. also, great sales does not always equate to exclusive titles, most of the time money hatting does.

 

[Oddduck]

Now by your logic no one would have bought a Wii in the first place because it got no RE5, TGA4, ecc and no xbox360/PS3 ports...

And how many of those people who only had a Wii wish it could have played most of those 360/PS3 games?

The Wii sold because of motion controls. Motion controls were new, freshing, innovative, and sparked the curiosity of everyone. Everyone wanted to see how they worked.

Nintendo franchises aren't as important to sales because if they were, GameCube would have been number 1 in sales.

Third party support may not mean much in the beginning, but it means a lot when there are long software droughts.

 

[Terrell]

Probably it has been said already, but I just realized something regarding Wii U pricing.

Iwata had previously said:"The Wii U will "likely" cost more than ¥20,000 ($250/£150), Nintendo leader Satoru Iwata has revealed. "
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-08-iwata-wii-u-price-likely-over-USD250

And Reggie had a few months ago made that weird comment about disposable income:
"AllThingsD: Does that change as we get closer to the next-generation console, the Wii U?

Reggie: The market is going to continue to differentiate based on the types of experiences that consumers want. As an example, if I’m the head of a household of a family of four, and my disposable income is $50,000 to $60,000, I’m going to continue to look at the Wii because of the software, and it’s a great entertainment device. For consumers who want to have the latest gadgets and have a higher disposable income, that’s for the Wii U."
http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=456595

Now, maybe I am reading too much into it, but when has Nintendo ever implied what their next console will cost so far ahead before release?
They are pretty much early on giving signals (a heads up if you will) that the Wii U will cost more than expected. And I don´t think 50 USD more, as in $299. If it was going to cost $299, do you guys think Nintendo would bother saying anything about pricing so early on?
Therefore I am thinking at least 100 USD more, as in $349 (max $399). Even including the tablet, I hardly think the power level of the Wii U would be that low(considering the price).

I agree with bgassassins awesome post on what to expect.

I think you're reading too much into it. If anything, all this quote confirms is that, for the first time in SEVERAL years, Nintendo won't outright kill their previous-gen console when a new one comes out. And they have the ability to do so, with PS3 and 360 still hitting the $200+ range, they will be the ONLY previous-gen console to hit the $99 mark and enjoy the after-gen sales similar to what the PS2 STILL enjoys. The only time Nintendo ever did that to my knowledge was the NES, MAYBE the SNES.

 

[JonathanPower]

no it won't. wii had fantastic sales and its 3rd party support was pretty lacking in comparison to PS360. also, great sales does not always equate to exclusive titles, most of the time money hatting does.

Then it won't, and Nintendo will not care about it because apparently what they care about is selling consoles and making money, which is not so strange for a company.

And how many of those people who only had a Wii wish it could have played most of those 360/PS3 games?

The Wii sold because of motion controls. Motion controls were new, freshing, innovative, and sparked the curiosity of everyone. Everyone wanted to see how they worked.

Nintendo franchises aren't as important to sales because if they were, GameCube would have been number 1 in sales.

Probably just as many as who had an xbox360 and wish it had exclusive PS3 games like Infamous 2.

 

[I Stalk Alone]

Thank you for all the compliments.



IMO your console cost is too low and the controller cost is kind of high. I don't see the controller costing Nintendo more than $50. One way to bring down the cost in your estimate would be the battery. I don't see them using a battery that costs that much. And some of the other components may not cost a whole dollar, but I'm assuming you did that to make the math easier.

With the console I believe your system memory, GPU, and CPU costs are too low. It would be nice, but I doubt they can get the memory for $10 (no Newegg references please ). The GPU will most likely include the eDRAM increasing its cost. I also have a tough time seeing the CPU only being $40. You also must remember that it will have an ARM core(s) so that's another cost. And the accessories including the cables will more than likely be more than $2.

My guesstimate has been that the console will cost them around $300 and the controller around $50. And because it falls around $350, that's why they have to decide if they will sell it for a loss or not.

Seeing that the battery pack was so big and that it would last over 20 hours per charge I thought that it must be a fairly powerful and expensive battery (maybe a Li-Ion 3.75v 6930 mamps but its not an ipad 2 so maybe it might only need half the power or even less) but I can see it being below $12 and yes I did forget about the arm core but is that for the wii compatibility or simply OS and controller? I knew my controller estimate was a bit high considering I can get GPS systems for under $100 retail these days with more bells and whistles than the controller and those have a pretty good markup already. With all the $1 parts I know that a lot of those parts would go in below 50 cents for some parts. I have made a revision putting some parts into 1 module to price it better

Manufacturing cost. $9
Box Pack in game $9

SUB TOTAL $18

Console
Memory 16GB nand flash $10
DRAM GDDR5 or DDR 3 1.5GB + eDram $40
Processsor (SOI) $60
GPU $50
Blue Laser Drive Proprietry $19
Wireless Module RF/bt/WLAN/proprietry $19
Power Supply $9
Buttons/Case/Fans/cooling/mechanical/electrical $10
Sensor bar $1
Arm Core/Sound ic/SD/USB/HDD controller/ $12

SUB TOTAL $230

Subscreen
Sensors W/G/A/M/RF/M $4
Touch Panel/controller/memory ic $6
LCD $21
Charger$2
Battery $10
speaker/Camera/sensor bar $5
Case buttons analog sticks stylus $8

SUB TOTAL $56

BOM+ manufacturing and freight $304

I think you are right that the cpu is a bit low as a $60 wholesale cpu doesnt seem much unless the whole thing is more like a Trinity style kind of system. but even so we are really limited in price when it comes to meeting some kind of budget between $299-349 retail so we have to be fairly conservative in what is able to go into the console. I would personally also like a wii motion plus in there but I would rather save the money if I was nintendo. I would really want to do some more research and compare prices for other things such as drives and power supplies to bring the costs down so I can off set them to the cpu and gpu somehow.

ok folks lets all go to the nintendo direct thread and get onboard the hypetrain, it is full STEAM(origin) ahead and I have a feeling wednesdayton is going down in history one way or another. It is good that I have a japanese in the house or such occassions.

 

[ozfunghi]

This point is not very relevant, no one is gonna buy the Wii U just to play Xbox360/PS4 ports people is gonna buy the Wii U for the exclusive games. The GFX on the Wii U will be great enough in my opinion to also please people who love great GFX, if you will not want to play stripped down ports on the Wii U then you will buy an xboxnext or a PS4.

What is this notion of "playing ports"? I want to play GAMES. The fact that a game is also on a different console doesn't concern me. I want to play games like RE, Half-Life, etc but i don't want to have to buy 3 consoles in order to do that.

If the Wii U will have great sales it will receive 3rd party support with exclusive games which is much betten than playing ports, you act like Nintendo is doing something different than what they did till now.

Says you. Gamedevelopment is getting more and more expensive. Devs would rather port one great game to 3 platforms, than having to split resources, to create 3 not so great games. Especially in times of economical crisis. Wii had a large userbase, but hardly got great 3rd party support in terms of quality. Quantity yes, sure. The few worth-while 3rd party games that actually did come out, hardly sold because the average Wii owner didn't care or know it existed. If a third party is making 1 game it can sell on two consoles, or 1 game it can sell on only one console with a lower combined userbase, which game do you think will get the most care?

Then it won't, and Nintendo will not care about it because apparently what they care about is selling consoles and making money, which is not so strange for a company.

Ok, i see. You're apparently an expert. And selling consoles and making money has nothing to do with 3rd party support? That's why the GCN was such a runaway hit. That's why, after the initial Wii-hype died down, the console nor the games were selling and the non-gamers Nintendo initially went after are now playing on facebook and free games on their ipad and android phone? That's why Nintendo has stressed with the WiiU they want that audience -the one that actually BUYS games- back? Sure, they don't care.

 

[lednerg]

If the Wii U doesn't at least support Shader Model 4, THEN maybe you can start worrying about it not sharing multiplatform titles with 720/PS4. As of right now, we have no indication that will be the case, even from that Arkam dude.

 

[Maxrunner]

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/02/22/aliens-colonial-marines-wii-u-randy-pitchford-interview/2/

 

[Log4Girlz]

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/02/22/aliens-colonial-marines-wii-u-randy-pitchford-interview/2/

Well, they don't say much of anything. I hope its implying that Nintendo really does know that they must deliver better than current-gen graphics to get everyone excited. Get the gamers excited, get the developers excited.

 

[Mokka]

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/02/22/aliens-colonial-marines-wii-u-randy-pitchford-interview/2/

Translation: "Our current dev-kit is not (a lot) more powerful than the PS360. Change that Nintendo!"

 

[Rösti]

Seeing as neither of the Nintendo Direct broadcasts today provided any (new) information about Wii U, we now have GDC to clamor onto. But I'm starting to wonder what Nintendo is up to. Sure, as Nintendo Direct was so close to GDC, any greater revelations regarding Wii U was probably not that interesting for Nintendo, but not even mention the system?

In case for some strange reason Nintendo decides to skip GDC for Wii U announcements as well, there is an investor briefing scheduled for the 31st of March: Record Date for Year-End Dividends for the 72nd Fiscal Year

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/schedule/index.html

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

Seeing as neither of the Nintendo Direct broadcasts today provided any (new) information about Wii U, we now have GDC to clamor onto. But I'm starting to wonder what Nintendo is up to. Sure, as Nintendo Direct was so close to GDC, any greater revelations regarding Wii U was probably not that interesting for Nintendo, but not even mention the system?

There will likely be one more Nintendo Direct around late April/early May. They might remind us that Wii U exists around that time.

 

[Antagon]

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/02/22/aliens-colonial-marines-wii-u-randy-pitchford-interview/2/

You know, I'm imagining a co-op mode now where one player uses the Wii U tablet for the scanner and the others use wiimotes (or the pads, but without the scanner). The player with the scanner should have minimal defenses. Could make for some really tense coop.

 

[The_Endgamer]

http://www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/02/22/aliens-colonial-marines-wii-u-randy-pitchford-interview/2/

Wow, that guy talks as shifty and concise as a politician or lawyer.
I'll attempt to translate this bureaucrat speak for a more common tongue or for those too lazy to click.

Sounds pretty good though from what he's saying, essentially that Nintendo knows that they have to cater to the 'hardcore' market and that the kit they have shows it. Also they are advocating for an even more powerful final Wii-u power but its up to Nintendo to balance power and cost.

Sounds highly desirable despite recent comments to the contrary on here

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Monster Games?
They had ExciteTruck ready for launch, and I doubt the entire team worked on Pilotwings Resort, so they (at least) must be doing something...exciting maybe?

After Excitebots I kinda doubt they'll be pushing another of that type soon.

Hundreds of millions Wiimotes?

With nearly 100 million Wiis out there, sure, it would only take 2-3 per system for it to reach multiple hundreds of millions. Or uhhh, 9 like some people have.

The nunchuck, on the other hand, could use:

-wireless
-gyro and accelerometer equal to WiiMotion+
-rumble
-more sturdy design. The plastic in the current nunchuck feels cheap and the triggers are often loose right out of the box. It's definitely not in the same quality league as the Wii Remote or CC.

I like the PS3 Nav controller's button set as a nice upgrade from nunchuk, but its lack of any motion control is a bit of a killer. And rumble is always nice, yeah.

 

[bgassassin]

Seeing that the battery pack was so big and that it would last over 20 hours per charge I thought that it must be a fairly powerful and expensive battery (maybe a Li-Ion 3.75v 6930 mamps but its not an ipad 2 so maybe it might only need half the power or even less) but I can see it being below $12 and yes I did forget about the arm core but is that for the wii compatibility or simply OS and controller? I knew my controller estimate was a bit high considering I can get GPS systems for under $100 retail these days with more bells and whistles than the controller and those have a pretty good markup already. With all the $1 parts I know that a lot of those parts would go in below 50 cents for some parts. I have made a revision putting some parts into 1 module to price it better

Manufacturing cost. $9
Box Pack in game $9

SUB TOTAL $18

Console
Memory 16GB nand flash $10
DRAM GDDR5 or DDR 3 1.5GB + eDram $40
Processsor (SOI) $60
GPU $50
Blue Laser Drive Proprietry $19
Wireless Module RF/bt/WLAN/proprietry $19
Power Supply $9
Buttons/Case/Fans/cooling/mechanical/electrical $10
Sensor bar $1
Arm Core/Sound ic/SD/USB/HDD controller/ $12

SUB TOTAL $230

Subscreen
Sensors W/G/A/M/RF/M $4
Touch Panel/controller/memory ic $6
LCD $21
Charger$2
Battery $10
speaker/Camera/sensor bar $5
Case buttons analog sticks stylus $8

SUB TOTAL $56

BOM+ manufacturing and freight $304

I think you are right that the cpu is a bit low as a $60 wholesale cpu doesnt seem much unless the whole thing is more like a Trinity style kind of system. but even so we are really limited in price when it comes to meeting some kind of budget between $299-349 retail so we have to be fairly conservative in what is able to go into the console. I would personally also like a wii motion plus in there but I would rather save the money if I was nintendo. I would really want to do some more research and compare prices for other things such as drives and power supplies to bring the costs down so I can off set them to the cpu and gpu somehow.

ok folks lets all go to the nintendo direct thread and get onboard the hypetrain, it is full STEAM(origin) ahead and I have a feeling wednesdayton is going down in history one way or another. It is good that I have a japanese in the house or such occassions.

The ARM would be used for I/O in the same fashion as it was in Wii. But it would also assist with the controller.

Again the eDRAM would most likely be included in the GPU. Also if they do use GDDR5, that by itself could be $40 for about six chips. My estimates had the CPU at $70-$90 and the GPU at $80-$100. The wildcard is going to be the accessories. One of the things I consider is that one of the first rumors about Wii U was that it had a BOM that put the retail price at $350-$400.

 

[Maxrunner]

This what they need imo:

controllers:
one upad
one wiimote+

console:
powerful enough that even with streaming to the upad screen can still provide better graphics than the one's found in competitors....

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Nothing in Nintendo Direct this morning. Now I'm even more excited for GDC!

 

[Luigison]

With nearly 100 million Wiis out there, sure, it would only take 2-3 per system for it to reach multiple hundreds of millions. Or uhhh, 9 like some people have.

Wiimotes are used for a lot of non-gaming applications. When I taught in California we used Wiimotes as gyromice for presentations. When I taught in Alabama we had a Wiimote on the ceiling of every classroom to use with SmoothBoard software.

 

[themadcowtipper]

Go out and party for Mardi Gras an this thread gets crazy. Anyone want to summerize? I guess it was revealed the wiiu = atari 2600.

 

[Luigison]

Go out and party for Mardi Gras an this thread gets crazy. Anyone want to summerize? I guess it was revealed the wiiu = atari 2600.

Actually it's probably closer to the Atari 5200 which had slightly better graphics, but different controls ;/

 

[cyberheater]

Translation: "Our current dev-kit is not (a lot) more powerful than the PS360. Change that Nintendo!"

Yep. That's totally what he was getting at. Reading between the lines reveals that the current dev kit they've got doesn't easily out performs current gen and they hope that Ninty will be more aggressive and beef it up in future. In other words. Totally inline with what Arkam has said.

 

[bgassassin]

Yep. That's totally what he was getting at. Reading between the lines reveals that the current dev kit they've got doesn't easily out performs current gen and they hope that Ninty will be more aggressive and beef it up in future. In other words. Totally inline with what Arkam has said.

Not totally inline, but we already established what he said about the early kit specs is true so there's no need to keep pushing it.

 

[EDarkness]

Yep. That's totally what he was getting at. Reading between the lines reveals that the current dev kit they've got doesn't easily out performs current gen and they hope that Ninty will be more aggressive and beef it up in future. In other words. Totally inline with what Arkam has said.

I don't understand how this assumption was made based on what he said. Seems like some serious reaching, in my opinion.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

You guys are really making shapes in the clouds with that article.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

You guys are really making shapes in the clouds with that article.

I hate that cloud.

 

[royalan]

whoa...did that Nintendo Direct thread really get over 4,000 comments in one night with just 3DS news???

 

[The_Endgamer]

Wiimotes are used for a lot of non-gaming applications. When I taught in California we used Wiimotes as gyromice for presentations. When I taught in Alabama we had a Wiimote on the ceiling of every classroom to use with SmoothBoard software.

That's pretty damn cool about the gyromice (never heard of one to be honest). I'd doubt any of my lecturers could use them, they can barely use a computer and overhead equipment though they're all Professors and Doctors in their fields :S

 

[HylianTom]

whoa...did that Nintendo Direct thread really get over 4,000 comments in one night with just 3DS news???

Oh yes.. we had our own little "Reggie Gras" in there last night. It was splendiferous.

 

[bgassassin]

You guys are really making shapes in the clouds with that article.

Yeah. After reading it the main thing I took out of it was that Nintendo should promote 3rd party software on the level of their own software. I don't know if Nintendo would need to push them on that level, but I can definitely agree that Nintendo could do a little more if they want to get 3rd party games to sell more on their console.

 

[JonathanPower]

What is this notion of "playing ports"? I want to play GAMES. The fact that a game is also on a different console doesn't concern me. I want to play games like RE, Half-Life, etc but i don't want to have to buy 3 consoles in order to do that.

Ports are commonly referred to as games developed on one console as main platform and then converted to the other consoles...so if the game was originally created on the xbox360 it's always gonna look better on the xbox360...

Says you. Gamedevelopment is getting more and more expensive. Devs would rather port one great game to 3 platforms, than having to split resources, to create 3 not so great games. Especially in times of economical crisis. Wii had a large userbase, but hardly got great 3rd party support in terms of quality. Quantity yes, sure. The few worth-while 3rd party games that actually did come out, hardly sold because the average Wii owner didn't care or know it existed. If a third party is making 1 game it can sell on two consoles, or 1 game it can sell on only one console with a lower combined userbase, which game do you think will get the most care?

Porting games is expansive too, if the idea of getting many shitty ports on the Wii U makes you happy then that's good for you.

Ok, i see. You're apparently an expert. And selling consoles and making money has nothing to do with 3rd party support? That's why the GCN was such a runaway hit. That's why, after the initial Wii-hype died down, the console nor the games were selling and the non-gamers Nintendo initially went after are now playing on facebook and free games on their ipad and android phone? That's why Nintendo has stressed with the WiiU they want that audience -the one that actually BUYS games- back? Sure, they don't care.

Now there are people on this board stating that the Wii won over the xbox360 so you really need to take a decision whatever you consider the Wii a succes or a failture

 

[themadcowtipper]

So all these post were because someone who has access to an early devkit said it was weak? I thought it was known later kits were more powerful ? Never change GAF.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

Yeah. After reading it the main thing I took out of it was that Nintendo should promote 3rd party software on the level of their own software. I don't know if Nintendo would need to push them on that level, but I can definitely agree that Nintendo could do a little more if they want to get 3rd party games to sell more on their console.

That much I'll agree with.

 

[DrWong]

This article originally appeared in issue 66 of Nintendo Gamer.

Guys, this interview come from an old Nintendo Gamer magazine issue (66). Issue 71 was for December 2011, so 66 should be around last summer... Nothing new here.

 

[royalan]

Oh yes.. we had our own little "Reggie Gras" in there last night. It was splendiferous.

Damnit! Why did I have to go out and get wasted with coworkers last night...;_;

Anyway, just skimming through...I'm not really a handheld gamer (I bought a DS for a specific game and sold it back because I wasn't satisfied...twice), but 3DS seems to be getting some epic games. I might have to pick one up.

But no Wii U news? Not even a little?

 

[PogiJones]

It would be nice, but I doubt they can get the memory for $10 (no Newegg references please ).

I've seen this a lot lurking on this thread, but I guess I'm ignorant of some fact. Typically ordering memory directly from the manufacturer en masse like Nintendo would do would warrant a cheaper price than could be found on NewEgg, right? But apparently that's wrong, because everyone says not to bring that up. What am I missing?

 

[cyberheater]

I don't understand how this assumption was made based on what he said. Seems like some serious reaching, in my opinion.

Here. I'll break it down for you.

“we’ve been intrigued by what we’ve seen so far and are encouraging Nintendo to go as aggressively as they can afford with the performance specifications.

Current specifications aren't as powerful as it needs to be.

We imagine that performance specifications are within affordable reach that would provide undeniable performance advantages over competitive platforms.

If Nintendo did go as aggressively as we hope then it would be undeniably better then PS360.

So it's clear at the moment that the current devkit is not as powerful as they had hoped and not undeniably more powerful then current gen systems.

 

[StevieP]

Nothing personal and I know your intent (I hope) wasn't to be like luckyman, but I really wish people wouldn't use that phrase in the context that they do.

Haha no, obvious sarcasm. Luckyman's "word of choice" was brought back in a sarcastic fashion. My point about not being dicks to people who have information (whether it gels with the general consensus of other leaks or not) is still valid, however. I didn't read that far back, but by the comments afterward it seems like a lot of people jumped in on the hatewagon.

If a peripheral is not included in the box, it implies that most probably said peripheral is not going to be supported as a standard: it would mean you should ask customers to purchase separetely something else in order to play a game they're actually paying for, and that's not a smart move.

For any evidence, we may look at:

* Guitar hero series(as much as I loved GH3 I for one was not willing to purchase a new guitar-peripheral for each new iteration at full price and we all know how it ended up like)
* Games supporting Wii Balance-board as-a-standard being near to zero(although Wii-fit sold quite a bunch it apparently didn't help)
* Playstation Move(it was not in the box and it did poorly)
* WiiMotion+(how many - me included - have hold off so far buying Skyward sword just because they owned only a plain WiiRemote and didn't feel like to pay more just for one game?)
* Majora's mask(Memory add-on required, game deserved better sales, whereas Donkey Kong 64 - that bundled with the memory-expansion's add-on - sold decently AFAIK)

I suppose I could keep going on, but I think I have made my point quite clear.

Everyone should read this post again, in regards to controllers.

Forth Storm is right about the Classic Controller. It had plenty of 3rd party support for something that wasn't included in the box, or barely even advertised. Millions of WM+ are already out in the wild and they're most likely going to be required for multiplayer, so it's safe to assume that not including one wouldn't make an impact on 3rd parties.

The classic controller was also a dual-analog pad. Like the other 2 consoles. And what has been used for a couple generations now.

Ports are commonly referred to as games developed on one console as main platform and then converted to the other consoles...so if the game was originally created on the xbox360 it's always gonna look better on the xbox360...

Nope. Outside of extraordinarily shitty ports like RE4, the PC version always looks best. Even if it's ported from the 360.

Now there are people on this board stating that the Wii won over the xbox360 so you really need to take a decision whatever you consider the Wii a succes or a failture

The Wii was a success, and it did "win" in terms of sales, marketshare, and mindshare with everyone outside the "hardcore" gamer (ugh such stupid terminology).

 

[DrWong]

So it's clear at the moment that the current devkit is not as powerful as they had hoped and not undeniably more powerful then current gen systems.

Old interview, they were talking about the old kit.

 

[cyberheater]

Old interview, they were talking about the old kit.

And due to the lack of any new facts, we rehash and analyse anything and everything that's ever been printed or hinted at. It's going to be a long haul to E3 unless we get some facts soon.

 

[stilgar]

HEY GUYS I HEARD THE DS IS AS POWERFUL AS A GBA

 

[StevieP]

Well, to be fair, the Xbox 360 ended up WAY less powerful than they originally specced out in the dev kits. But with 256mb more memory. The PS3 ended up with less stuff, too.

 

[royalan]

HEY GUYS I HEARD DS IS AS POWERFUL AS A GBA

Haha - I laugh every time I see this thing. Still the most ridiculous dev kit ever made.

 

[themadcowtipper]

I've seen this a lot lurking on this thread, but I guess I'm ignorant of some fact. Typically ordering memory directly from the manufacturer en masse like Nintendo would do would warrant a cheaper price than could be found on NewEgg, right? But apparently that's wrong, because everyone says not to bring that up. What am I missing?

I think he is referring to everytime someone mentions that ram is expensive, someone post how cheap it is on newegg. Totally oblivious to the fact that console ram is diffrent then computer ram.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

I've seen this a lot lurking on this thread, but I guess I'm ignorant of some fact. Typically ordering memory directly from the manufacturer en masse like Nintendo would do would warrant a cheaper price than could be found on NewEgg, right? But apparently that's wrong, because everyone says not to bring that up. What am I missing?

Newegg sells things at a loss regularly for a variey of reasons. Most often to clear excess stock. Additionally, unless Nintendo is using fairly vanilla DDR3, what you see on newegg is not representative of the parts nintendo is using, which may represent a higher or lower cost of manufacture.

Flatly Newegg's only real use is to gauge street prices of consumer parts which has little bearing on Nintendo's cost for parts.

 

[PogiJones]

I think he is referring to everytime someone mentions that ram is expensive, someone post how cheap it is on newegg. Totally oblivious to the fact that console ram is diffrent then computer ram.

That's me, apparently. So how and why are they different?

Newegg sells things at a loss regularly for a variey of reasons. Most often to clear excess stock. Additionally, unless Nintendo is using fairly vanilla DDR3, what you see on newegg is not representative of the parts nintendo is using, which may represent a higher or lower cost of manufacture.

Flatly Newegg's only real use is to gauge street prices of consumer parts which has little bearing on Nintendo's cost for parts.

I guess I don't understand: Why would Nintendo's costs be higher, ordering massive amounts directly from the manufacturer? The two things you said that support the notion are NewEgg selling at a loss, and Nintendo ordering higher quality and more customized RAM. But say, for example, you found 2GB GDDR5 on there (I didn't) for $10, would that not indicate that Nintendo could also get GDDR5 for $10? Unless NewEgg is selling that batch at a loss.

But if what themadcowtipper is saying is accurate (that they're totally different types of RAM between PC and consoles), then that makes sense.

EDIT: bg answered. GDDR is only for consoles. Gotcha. Thanks, guys.

 

[specialguy]

Well, to be fair, the Xbox 360 ended up WAY less powerful than they originally specced out in the dev kits. But with 256mb more memory. The PS3 ended up with less stuff, too.

Wait what? It was the reverse. Early 360 kits had the X800, like half as powerful as Xenos.

That was one of the main reasons most launch software looked like upresed Xbox games, and arguably nothing truly next gen arrived until Gears of War a year later.

 

[bgassassin]

I've seen this a lot lurking on this thread, but I guess I'm ignorant of some fact. Typically ordering memory directly from the manufacturer en masse like Nintendo would do would warrant a cheaper price than could be found on NewEgg, right? But apparently that's wrong, because everyone says not to bring that up. What am I missing?

The memory you are buying on Newegg for your PC is DDRx. Consoles use GDDRx memory that you find on graphics cards or some other type that's both not readily available to buy nor that we as a consumer would even need to buy in the first place.

Haha no, obvious sarcasm. Luckyman's "word of choice" was brought back in a sarcastic fashion. My point about not being dicks to people who have information (whether it gels with the general consensus of other leaks or not) is still valid, however. I didn't read that far back, but by the comments afterward it seems like a lot of people jumped in on the hatewagon.

Figured as much, but wanted to be sure. And I do agree with that.

 

[StevieP]

Wait what? It was the reverse. Early 360 kits had the X800, like half as powerful as Xenos.

That was one of the main reasons most launch software looked like upresed Xbox games, and arguably nothing truly next gen arrived until Gears of War a year later.

A tri-core 4ghz OoO Power4-based processor would SMOKE what ended up in the 360. They'd already specced out the R500-based card prior to the kits getting it.