Thunder Monkey
Banned
You guys are actually surprised that Nintendo could improve their online service from the Wii?
It's not like it can get any more cumbersome. They've got nowhere to go but up. It's how far up that is the point of contention.
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Sumo: Wii U specs are surprising; "way more memory" than PS3/360
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
It's not like it can get any more cumbersome. They've got nowhere to go but up. It's how far up that is the point of contention.
The PC version of course!
They said they thought they where going to have to do it from the ground up but they didn't.
Zoramon089
Banned
There's no way you could possibly think he was comparing it to the Wii when the previous sentence specifically mentions HD platforms. No amount of twisting or misconstruing of the English language would make your interpretation make any sense. Not to mention the game isn't even being released for the Wii so why would he mention what it allows them to do compared to a nonexistent Wii version? Why would he be surprised a console capable of outputting in HD has way more memory than one limited to 480p? I'm sorry...I just don't see how you could get your interpretation
You'd be surprised if you asked most of these people to describe Nintendos past online system they'd be completely wrong. In almost every topic about online there are people who genuinely didn't know you could play against random people on in 3DS and Wii games
Iwata seems pretty sensible so if he disappoints shame on me.
To anyone bringing up smartphones:
They need a lot of RAM if they want to support multitasking (and do it well). It's slow and cheap because a mobile OS prioritizes the amount of RAM over any other properties.
Gaming consoles dedicate almost all of the memory to gaming (much smaller OS and restricted secondary tasks) and prioritize speed and performance. It's more expensive, and usually smaller, but it is much better suited for a dedicated gaming platform.
If you have any understanding of how they use their memory, you would know that any direct size comparisons are completely misguided.
They need a lot of RAM if they want to support multitasking (and do it well). It's slow and cheap because a mobile OS prioritizes the amount of RAM over any other properties.
Gaming consoles dedicate almost all of the memory to gaming (much smaller OS and restricted secondary tasks) and prioritize speed and performance. It's more expensive, and usually smaller, but it is much better suited for a dedicated gaming platform.
If you have any understanding of how they use their memory, you would know that any direct size comparisons are completely misguided.
cartman414
Member
Wasn't it said that the CPU is bottlenecking the GPU?
Liamario
Banned
Right or wrong, I gave an opinion. The article is ambiguous.
if the first game showed us something is that the pc version was the inferior one, no online ftl
Aizu_Itsuko
Member
Exactly, and why would they think that? Were they expecting an overclocked Wii?
I don't know, maybe they thought it might be hard to develop for.
Teletraan1
Banned
I have a feeling looking at the Dark Souls bare bones port requirements and system usage that developers are currently leaning on the CPUs of current gen systems very heavily to compensate for the old as sin video cards in these boxes. They could probably shift stuff to the video card that they are used to doing on the CPU. I have no actual knowledge of this stuff so if that sounded stupid I apologize.
Maybe they thought Nintendo was going to go with a TEV like system again.
Aizu_Itsuko
Member
They are talking about specs, and more especifically about the GPU and the amount of memory, not development complexity. Did they expect less than what the current HD consoles could do GPU-wise?
I'm curious now. What did most devs expect Nintendo's next console specs would be like?
Zoramon089
Banned
But it's extraordinarily clear. No one else in this thread read it the way you did
chertipros
Member
Lolwut. It should have been Extremely clear he was talking about the hd twins. The full sentence was "The Wii U looks as good as any of the HD platforms. The Wii U has way more memory, so we can take advantage of that with less compression on elements and textures, so it will look all lovely and shiny" why would he mention the hd twins first just so he could say that the wii u only has more memory than the wii? Is it even hard to believe that the wii u would have more ram than the ps360 anyway?
Stephen Colbert
Banned
According to dev reports so far, it's not the GPU or RAM that the Wii U is lacking in when compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360, it's the CPU that isn't able to keep up.
It's actually difficult for Nintendo to wind up with a worse GPU/RAM than the PS3/360 in the year 2012. But the CPU is the one area where they could actually screw up and they very well may have.
They likely utilized a more powerful version of the current Wii's IBM cpu (rather than switching to far superior cpu from AMD or Intel) in order to provide easy backwards compatibility with the Wii and Gamecube with no effort required on their part to emulate them. While this is nice, from the dev complaints so far, it appears the cpu is lacking even when compared to the 360 and PS3, and that's a significant reason for concern.
It's actually difficult for Nintendo to wind up with a worse GPU/RAM than the PS3/360 in the year 2012. But the CPU is the one area where they could actually screw up and they very well may have.
They likely utilized a more powerful version of the current Wii's IBM cpu (rather than switching to far superior cpu from AMD or Intel) in order to provide easy backwards compatibility with the Wii and Gamecube with no effort required on their part to emulate them. While this is nice, from the dev complaints so far, it appears the cpu is lacking even when compared to the 360 and PS3, and that's a significant reason for concern.
GreggTheGrimReaper
Member
Nice to have another confirmation.
You're just trolling now. Direct pass to my ignore list.
You're just trolling now. Direct pass to my ignore list.
That's conjecture. You can find a lot of contradictory opinions on the matter. I wouldn't be surprised if it had been said that the WiiU GPU won't work without a virgin sacrifice at this point.
Yes, because IBM is totally incapable of making a CPU better than Intel and AMD. [/sarcasm]
To be honest I have no idea, their was this rumor a few months before E3 that the dev kits where "more powerful than anticipated".
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1614288&postcount=406
Gianni Merryman
Member
Yes, you're right. As far as I know Wii U has been confirmed officially to have backward compatibility with Wii games but not GC ones, although I feel it's got much more to do with Nintendo not wanting to include anymore GC controller ports, memory card slots and a DVD reader being compatible also with mini-disc format, rather than on account of hardware incompatibility issues, seeing how Wii was essentially for all I know a slightly more powerful GC.
shinra-bansho
Member
I thought we already knew that it had more RAM. If it didn't... :/
People simply choose to ignore it because it aids in the creation of the false dichotomy between producing mass market products or pursuing powerful hardware within reason. For two generations Sony created mass market products that delivered powerful hardware for their time before they went off the deep end this generation with the PS3, while the 360 co-opted the PS1/PS2 strategy.
It was a mass market powerful console. It plays the same games as the HDD SKU.
People simply choose to ignore it because it aids in the creation of the false dichotomy between producing mass market products or pursuing powerful hardware within reason. For two generations Sony created mass market products that delivered powerful hardware for their time before they went off the deep end this generation with the PS3, while the 360 co-opted the PS1/PS2 strategy.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
At this point, I'm pretty sure that the Wii U will be to Gen 7 what the Wii was to Gen 6 consoles: "The best of the previous generation."
However, I'm not sure if it matters as much. The differences between the top-end PC games and console releases of today are only appreciable to people like us, while the previous generational leap was immediately obvious. I think selling thr average consumer on hardware will be a lot harder, while Nintendo can lean on its vast stable of exclusives. Underpowered or not, there will only be one "Mario machine".
However, I'm not sure if it matters as much. The differences between the top-end PC games and console releases of today are only appreciable to people like us, while the previous generational leap was immediately obvious. I think selling thr average consumer on hardware will be a lot harder, while Nintendo can lean on its vast stable of exclusives. Underpowered or not, there will only be one "Mario machine".
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
I still find it hard to believe the Wii outperforms the Xbox. But regards to the WiiU, it must be considerably better than the other two, not like the Wii. The Wii was based on GC tech, the WiiU is contemporary tech.
Throwaway123456789
Member
WiiU uses a 45nm Power7 CPU from IBM. It's pretty much not comparable to Broadway when it comes to features. It's easily leagues over it.
Apparently the CPU itself is pretty good, but Nintendo has to downclock it so it won't overheat in the tiny console casing. If the rumors are true.
bgassassin
Member
There are some fuzzy memory numbers being posted. 
I guess it could be viewed that way, but what's most likely happening is that Wii U's CPU doesn't have something akin to VMX128 or SPEs. With the way all next gen consoles are shaping up, we're probably looking at more reliance on the GPU for certain tasks previously handled by the CPU.
Fixed. It might borrow some things from it though.
I guess it could be viewed that way, but what's most likely happening is that Wii U's CPU doesn't have something akin to VMX128 or SPEs. With the way all next gen consoles are shaping up, we're probably looking at more reliance on the GPU for certain tasks previously handled by the CPU.
Fixed. It might borrow some things from it though.
wonderdung
Member
What features does it have that Broadway lacks?
Arkam
Member
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner. It looks like that is exactly what they did. They made a tri core "Enhanced" Broadway.I understand it for the "wii compatibility mode" but good lord is it a terrible idea for anything else.
Latest Wii U thread, meh, but I'll reply anyway.
I think Nintendo is really smart with the Wii U. It's going to hit the sweet spot for Nintendo-console graphics. It's going to be a bit more powerful than the PS3/360, which can already do so much. It's really pointless to try to compete with the next Xbox/PS/PC in graphics and for those kinds of games. Nintendo doesn't want to go head-to-head with them. They want to give developers something different.
I'll just sum it up with this: Wii U means Nintendo games in HD.
I think Nintendo is really smart with the Wii U. It's going to hit the sweet spot for Nintendo-console graphics. It's going to be a bit more powerful than the PS3/360, which can already do so much. It's really pointless to try to compete with the next Xbox/PS/PC in graphics and for those kinds of games. Nintendo doesn't want to go head-to-head with them. They want to give developers something different.
I'll just sum it up with this: Wii U means Nintendo games in HD.
Snowden's Secret
Banned
I've been playing video games for over a quarter century I can't see any difference between current gen and Watch Dogs, 1313, or Samaritan, while the first time I ever saw a 360 game (Peter Jackson's King Kong) I nearly shat my britches.
We have no reason to believe that it's just an enhanced Broadway.
bgassassin
Member
I expect there will be a lot more people like you than the few (I'd probably include myself in the few) that will notice the differences.
Silent_Ocarina
Member
Doesn't Arkam have some knowledge on what's inside Wii U?
JordanN
Banned
Maybe?
He's a very shady user though whose past predictions about Wii U were wrong so I'd be careful with what he says.
This has never happened before though, what is it that makes next-gen so different?
Arkam
Member
Now I'm shady? Its not my fault I am not an engineer and call them like the docs say. About the cpu I am sure of this. The term "enhanced broadway" is straight from nintendo.
Snowden's Secret
Banned
I'd never not been able to tell the difference before either (I know that I'm just a single anectdote). It doesn't help when companies like SquareEnix put out next gen renders like Agni's Philosophy that look worse than their current output (that's a style issue I know but that's probably all that matters anymore at this level of power).
bgassassin
Member
I don't recall him making predictions. I do recall him giving opinions on what he knew and separating the opinion from what he knew has pointed to the same issue mentioned by some other devs.
Because devs in general did very well in faking a lot of things later this gen. And we've (I've) been seeing a lot more comments from people who haven't been that impressed by some of the next-gen demos.
JordanN
Banned
You gotta email me those pdf's then for me to believe you.
And it's not just about docs, it's what you said about the Wii U in general that I have little to trust you.
Glorified G
Member
Such as? Sounds like it is predetermined bias on your part. If it's not positive, it must be bullshit.
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