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[Grampa Simpson]

And the Wii U's GPU isn't descended from Flipper in any meaningful way, anyway.

I was being intentionally a bit of a debbie downer, but six years from now, I fully expect to be playing a new Nintendo system that runs on newer tech with a GPU that will still run GC specific instructions (I assume that N64 is completely emulated at this point, but the TEV pipeline will probably live two generations past Wii in hardware) a CPU that will either run PowerPC instructions or will be easy to integrate a conversion layer into ( 1 to 1 conversions on most instructions ) and a shared RAM pool with a couple of relatively small auxiliary pools for things like GPU framebuffer and such.

 

[Donnie]

So looking forward to the tear down.

Yes bring it on Although it won't give us loads of detailed info it should at least give us something new. Maybe die sizes/process?

 

[Thraktor]

I was being intentionally a bit of a debbie downer, but six years from now, I fully expect to be playing a new Nintendo system that runs on newer tech with a GPU that will still run GC specific instructions (I assume that N64 is completely emulated at this point, but the TEV pipeline will probably live two generations past Wii in hardware) a CPU that will either run PowerPC instructions or will be easy to integrate a conversion layer into ( 1 to 1 conversions on most instructions ) and a shared RAM pool with a couple of relatively small auxiliary pools for things like GPU framebuffer and such.

Well, if they do go the "traditional" route, then I do see them sticking with IBM and AMD, but that's not much fun to speculate about, is it?

 

[Kai Dracon]

I was being intentionally a bit of a debbie downer, but six years from now, I fully expect to be playing a new Nintendo system that runs on newer tech with a GPU that will still run GC specific instructions (I assume that N64 is completely emulated at this point, but the TEV pipeline will probably live two generations past Wii in hardware) a CPU that will either run PowerPC instructions or will be easy to integrate a conversion layer into ( 1 to 1 conversions on most instructions ) and a shared RAM pool with a couple of relatively small auxiliary pools for things like GPU framebuffer and such.

And it will come as an entire shipping pallet of Gamecubes.

 

[1-D_FTW]

Well, if they do go the "traditional" route, then I do see them sticking with IBM and AMD, but that's not much fun to speculate about, is it?

You could speculate as to whether AMD will be around in six years

 

[Donnie]

I was being intentionally a bit of a debbie downer, but six years from now, I fully expect to be playing a new Nintendo system that runs on newer tech with a GPU that will still run GC specific instructions (I assume that N64 is completely emulated at this point, but the TEV pipeline will probably live two generations past Wii in hardware) a CPU that will either run PowerPC instructions or will be easy to integrate a conversion layer into ( 1 to 1 conversions on most instructions ) and a shared RAM pool with a couple of relatively small auxiliary pools for things like GPU framebuffer and such.

Each Nintendo system usually only supports the system before in hardware. So I doubt the system after WiiU will include any hardware Wii support.

 

[Donnie]

You could speculate as to whether AMD will be around in six years

I seems like they're going to provide the graphics IP for every console next gen (and some of the CPU's), why wouldn't they be around?

 

[frankie_baby]

Each Nintendo system usually only supports the system before in hardware. So I doubt the system after WiiU will include any hardware Wii support.

Unless of course wii u games use the hardware for something

 

[Absinthe]

Uh...no. People who think Nintendo just made an oversized DS are missing the point of what Nintendo wants to do with Wii U.

I agree. Sounds all too familiar...

"People who think Apple just made an oversized iPhone are missing the point of what Apple wants to do with the iPad."

 

[Donnie]

Unless of course wii u games use the hardware for something

Yeah, though I doubt that's the case.

 

[Thraktor]

I seems like they're going to provide the graphics IP for every console next gen (and some of the CPU's), why wouldn't they be around?

Well, the success of their CPU division is more the issue. Besides, Nintendo, Sony and MS can continue fabbing AMD-designed components regardless of whether AMD actually exists anymore.

 

[Donnie]

Well, the success of their CPU division is more the issue. Besides, Nintendo, Sony and MS can continue fabbing AMD-designed components regardless of whether AMD actually exists anymore.

But securing three huge contracts for the next 6-10 years is hardly the prelude to going out of business is it.

 

[Thraktor]

But the fact that they've secured 3 huge contracts over the next 6-10 years is hardly the prelude to going out of business is it.

I don't think they're going to go out of business, I'm just playing devil's advocate, really.

Spoiler

Sidenote: someone should make a game called Devil's Advocate.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Sidenote: someone should make a game called Devil's Advocate.

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/devils-advocate

Except it should play like Phoenix Wright, but with demons.

 

[Thraktor]

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/devils-advocate

Except it should play like Phoenix Wright, but with demons.

Yeah, I much prefer your idea to whatever that was.

 

[Apophis2036]

What? No. I know it's super convenient that he's leaving shortly before the Wii U specs are revealed and that recent rumours have pegged him as likely making it up all along but I swear that this is just a coincidence and it is nothing like the time that GAF poster misled GAF about the Wii specs back in 2006 and saying that it was near an Xbox 360, the people saying that he is are just jealous haters. We LOVE you BG!

To my knowledge BG never ever claimed he was an 'insider', he enjoyed theorizing about what the WiiU could be from a hardware perspective using his knowledge of hardware and having a general idea of the consoles thermal and power envelope.

Even from his first guesses he wasn't far off, he always said it would use a slower clocked CPU, between 1.5 and 2.5GB's of Ram and the GPU would be around the 500 - 700 GFLOP range.

Ideaman (a confirmed poster with 'insider' knowledge) backed many of his suggestions up.

No one will ever be impressed or blown away by the WiiU imo, by the time the big guns are shown off at E3 we will have seen PS4 / 720 launch games.

Even then will Nintendo spend the kind of money that Sony and MS spent on the Uncharted and Gears Trilogies ?, i can't see it myself.

The WiiU will have some fantastic looking first party games but i still think there will be people saying, 'it's nice but it's still not up to the likes of Uncharted 3 / Gears 3' in late 2013.

95% of people will always be more impressed with realistic looking art styles over Nintendo's 'cutesy' art style, it's one of the main reasons i think they never went with a super powerful console on par with PS4 / 720 with WiiU.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I do not see Fixed function GPU's to be that much easier to develop for in and of themselves. Sure, better than having features and being limited when you use them (see iPad 1), but I do not see how programmable shaders make your life tougher. Managing texture env states in GL is not something I miss that much .

I do agree that GPU's like the 3DS one with the new extensions and a custom super-set of OpenGL ES 1.x could offer you almost the same ease of use and flexibility of shaders... with some more features in the fixed pipeline and the time to write a shading language to fixed function commands compiler you could do some awesome things.

 

[specialguy]

Strangely enough, the two specs that are easiest to discern from a tear-down (RAM quantity and optical drive speed) are also the only two hard numbers Nintendo have released.

if we get naked die shots (including no heat spreader), which at least anandtech should give us, we can then probably roughly determine die size either by matching it to known motherboard components, or in the anand case they'll probably measure it themselves. since i think we know or can guesstimate the process node, this can give us some rough ideas of the power of those chips. there may be other clues as well. perhaps someone will go "oh, that looks like an r700 cause of x y and z"

smart people unlike myself will probably be able to figure out some stuff about the memory buses and stuff too by the traces and whatnot.

what we wont get is clocks and functional units, we need someone with hardware knowledge to tell us that. but we'll still learn things.

 

[Hatten]

You could speculate as to whether AMD will be around in six years

Intel will keep it alive, it needs AMD or else it will get an antitrust case and be forced to license X86, just as ARM does with their designs.

Being forced to keep AMD alive is a much better option for intel than letting every chip company make their own X86 processors.

 

[Earendil]

if we get naked die shots (including no heat spreader), which at least anandtech should give us, we can then probably roughly determine die size either by matching it to known motherboard components, or in the anand case they'll probably measure it themselves. since i think we know or can guesstimate the process node, this can give us some rough ideas of the power of those chips. there may be other clues as well. perhaps someone will go "oh, that looks like an r700 cause of x y and z"

smart people unlike myself will probably be able to figure out some stuff about the memory buses and stuff too by the traces and whatnot.

what we wont get is clocks and functional units, we need someone with hardware knowledge to tell us that. but we'll still learn things.

Kinky

 

[neo2046]

only Japanese version available now and no particular information about the spec
but there are some hardware pics that some of you may have interest


Iwata asks: Nintendo Wii U vol. 1
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/interview/hardware/vol1/

 

[NateDrake]

only Japanese version available now and no particular information about the spec
but there are some pics that some of you may have interest


Iwata asks: Nintendo Wii U vol. 1
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/interview/hardware/vol1/

English one is here: http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/console/0/0

 

[neo2046]

English one is here: http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/console/0/0

thanks

 

[EloquentM]

Guess we don't need a teardown afterall.

 

[Doc Holliday]

That is one clean design :O

 

[bgassassin]

only Japanese version available now and no particular information about the spec
but there are some hardware pics that some of you may have interest


Iwata asks: Nintendo Wii U vol. 1
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/interview/hardware/vol1/

I came home at the right time. May not have specs, but those are definitely interesting pics, thanks.

Never considered the CPU and GPU being in an MCM together. That explains some things as like eDRAM access for the CPU.

English one is here: http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/console/0/0

Adding my thanks.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wow, I just realized how tiny that CPU is, it looks like something on an Iphone.

 

[Smurfman256]

"The GPU itself also contains quite a large on-chip memory."

(0_0) ...That's a good sign. And given that Nintendo likes to use RDFRAM (really damn fast), that's a REALLY damn good sign.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

This looks very disappointing. Tiny CPU, tiny GPU, tiny heatsink and tiny fan. But it's no surprise when you look at that case. They can't magically fit very powerful hardware in such a case (or it would get very expensive).

 

[Medalion]

So whatever box ya got, let's check it

 

[Meelow]

This looks very disappointing. Tiny CPU, tiny GPU, tiny heatsink and tiny fan. But it's no surprise when you look at that case.

The GameCube. A lot smaller than the PS2, more powerful and $100 cheaper.

 

[brochiller]

So guys, how many shaders does this thing have?

 

[phosphor112]

I came home at the right time. May not have specs, but those are definitely interesting pics, thanks.

Never considered the CPU and GPU being in an MCM together. That explains some things as like eDRAM access for the CPU.



Adding my thanks.

That's interesting...

 

[Smurfman256]

Transparent Wii U...SOOO MUCH WANT!!!!

 

[Meelow]

That's interesting...

Is that good?

 

[Brad Grenz]

Wow, I just realized how tiny that CPU is, it looks like something on an Iphone.

The CPU is so tiny it is astonishing that they didn't integrate the chips completely and instead used an MCM package. Probably another example of Nintendo not wanting to spend the extra money for that work.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

The GameCube. A lot smaller than the PS2, more powerful and $100 cheaper.

And what is your point, to what are you comparing the Wii U?

 

[Smurfman256]

after looking at some more photos, I've ntoced taht the RAM is physically separated into two 1GB dies. Interesting...

 

[Ala Alba]

And what is your point, to what are you comparing the Wii U?

His point is that size is not necessarily indicative of power.

 

[jerd]

And what is your point, to what are you comparing the Wii U?

I think what he was getting at was something like "size doesn't matter", but I think that kind of talk belongs in off-topic.

 

[Meelow]

His point is that size is not necessarily indicative of power.

.

 

[jwhit28]

Are you guys serious about the "tiny" cpu. Go grab a a pc cpu and take off the big metal heat spreader on top.

 

[Smurfman256]

And what is your point, to what are you comparing the Wii U?

what he's saying is "Don't judge power by it's size." Gekko was quite literally the size of the tophalf of your thumb (well, at least MY thumb) and it could actually beat out the Pentium III that was in the original XBOX and Sony's Emotion Engine (which actually had a massively inflated theoretical peak performance, kinda like something else *cough cough CELL*) which were both MUCH larger and used more power (untill the PS2 slim).

 

[Smurfman256]

Are you guys serious about the "tiny" cpu. Go grab a a pc cpu and take off the big metal heat spreader on top.

Trust me, compared to a quad-core 22nm Core i7, that thing is tiny as hell.

 

[chertipros]

what he's saying is "Don't judge power by it's size." Gekko was quite literally the size of the tophalf of your thumb (well, at least MY thumb) and it could actually beat out the Pentium III that was in the original XBOX and Sony's Emotion Engine (which actually had a massively inflated theoretical peak performance, kinda like something else *cough cough CELL*) which were both MUCH larger and used more power (untill the PS2 slim).

Even smaller

 

[brochiller]

after looking at some more photos, I've ntoced taht the RAM is physically separated into two 1GB dies. Interesting...

What would make them split it in 2?

 

[Van Owen]

Damn, that CPU is tiny. Way smaller than my i5 2500k.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

His point is that size is not necessarily indicative of power.

The GameCube came out 1 year after the PS2, it had a way smaller disk drive and it's height was greater than the PS2.

What I am looking at here is the cooling solution. They have a very small heatsink and a tiny fan. If there is power, you have to get the heat out of the case. But it does not seem like there is much power, unfortunately.

 

[Smurfman256]

Even smaller

I stand corrected.

What would make them split it in 2?

Who knows? Maybey it's cheaper?

 

[Trevelyan9999]

They seem to be comparing the Wii U to the Gamecube quite a lot. Basically what they said was "numbers don't tell what the actual product can do"

It looks like the Wii U is a next generation Gamecube. Rejoice people!