The future of Wii U.

[link2000]

I've received my Wii U unit and I'm loving everything about it, but what about its furture that is to come? We're all aware that the next Playstation and XBOX will be coming soon (perhaps over a year) and I've been wondering if these consoles will be a significant leap of hardware from their successors. I've thought about and I truly doubt it, however they will be superior. The reason why I assume this, is that more the powerful the console is, the more it will cost. Our economy is damaged and hardly anyone will pay $500-700 per unit for an XBOX or Playstation. Do you think they will have a significant leap or not? Do you think the Wii U's software lineup is in danger, regardless if these new consoles will be significantly strong or not? I honestly believe the Wii U won't be much weaker to its future competitors and that it will have plenty of third party support after these consoles are released, but that's my opinion.

 

[WiiAssasin]

Needs some good games to give it some solid footing.

 

[wario2ooo]

With Nintendo remaining silent on most of the technical aspects that when inside the recent Wii U, fans have taken it upon themselves to see just what makes this console tick. We’ve heard complaints that the Wii U is inferior and superior to the Xbox 360 and PS3, but now we finally have the specs that will tell us the truth, or at least most of it.

The folks down at Extreme Tech have dug into the Wii U’s skin and taken it apart bit by bit and given a detailed analysis on the system’s components. So what is the verdict on the Wii U’s hardware specs? Is it good or is it bad? If you’re like me and are illiterate in terms of hardware specifications, you probably won’t care. Otherwise, you’ll be glad to see just what goes inside the Wii U so be sure to read on to find out!

Starting off, the Wii U uses a multi-chip AMD GPU sized at 12.2mm x 12.7mm, with an IBM CPU 5.2mm x 6.3mm (37.76mm2). There is also a very tiny 1.79mm x 1.48mm die on the multi-chip model which is said the be off-chip memory. The exact specifications for the CPU and GPU are still unspecified, but with the Radeon GPU, the die size is suspected by considerably larger. Taking the Redwood core’s 104mm2 and add some megs of eDRAM, you will arrive at 156.21mm2, the size of the Wii U’s CPU. Of course, this only works if 40nm process is being used which it most likely does.

The Wii U’s CPU however, is another story. All that is known about the CPU is that it is built on IBM’s 45nm SOI process with on-die eDRAM. Considering the Wii U is backwards compatible, both having the same set architecture (ISA), rumor suggests the Wii U is using the Wii’s Broadway core and multiplying it by three. With a few modifications and process node changes, taking it from 90nm to 45nm, the CPU is a capable one.

Inside the Wii U is a Samsung NAND flash chip, holding the user’s 32/8GB of storage. Alongside the NAND flash chip is a Toshiba NAND chip for non-user storage and 2GB of Hynix DDR3-1600 RAM with a 16-bit interface surrounding the multi-chip model allowing for a peak memory bandwidth of 12.8GB/s. All this together means that it is twice as fast as the Wii, but considering the console’s age, it’s slow, but with the on-die eDRAM, don’t expect the DDR3 to be used to much.

Inside the GamePad, the Wii U’s main attraction, only has a 5.6 watt-hour battery (1500mAh @ 3.7V). Of course, this puts the GamePad’s battery life at about 3-5 hours, but luckily you can play with it while it charges. This means that the battery life should only be a problem if you plan to move to a separate room without a charger for the GamePad. The battery is replaceable, with third-party batteries suspected to become available in due time.

The wireless functions inside the Wii U are provided by a high-speed 802.11n WiFi connection, allowing it to work up to 25ft/7.5m away, with reviews suggesting it can go even further. Based on the breakdown, there are two WiFi antennae and controllers, one being used for network connection and the other being solely dedicated tot he GamePad to ensure it’s always working.

When it comes to power consumption, the Wii U only uses 31.2 watts on the main menu, with 33 watts being used for software like New Super Mario Bros. U. As said by Extreme Tech, “This suggests that IBM and AMD have performed some serious hocus-pocus to pare down their processor power envelopes.”

For those wondering, Nintendo is no longer used Opera. Instead the Wii U uses a WebKit-based browser made by NetFront, the same company responsible for the browsers found in the PS3, PS Vita, & 3DS. As one would expect, this means the Wii U’s browser had great HTML5 & JavaScript support.

So the verdict is that the Wii U is starting off quite well, having an advantage of being released before other 8th generation consoles. Whether or not it will be able to stand up to the Xbox 720 and PS4 remains to be seen, but with increasing development costs, we think the Wii U will become a safe haven for developers. Don’t forget that when it comes to making games and innovation, no one does it quite like Nintendo.

Roughly half the staff at ZI has a Wii U and so far we are enjoying ourselves quite a bit. The console works well and provides some very interesting gameplay, especially in games like ZombiU. We admit, it’s not perfect, some of us have already experienced issues with connecting online or having our consoles freeze on us. However, this is not uncommon when a console launches, usually being fixed after about half a year to a full year.

The console may not be everything everyone is expecting, but it’s truly a capable machine that should keep Nintendo afloat for the next 5 to 6 years.

http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/c...cations-emerge-is-the-wii-u-a-capable-console

 

[Splash_King]

dat trollface image :lol:

EDIT: Wario, y u gotta ninja me with an even bigger post? Tryin' to make me look bad with copypasta ya jerk. :lol:

I'm certainly concerned over what the future holds in terms'a Sony and Microsoft's consoles, not in that they threaten the Wii U but in the fact they might threaten themselves. As ya mentioned, the economy ain't gonna appreciate another "FIVE HUNDRED NINTY-NINE US DOLLARS!" bombshell come their newest releases. People'll still line up like a bunch'a sheep for 'em regardless, but I somehow doubt said consoles would sell good enough due to said economy.

The point of hardware capabilities is another important factor in whether or not SonySoft's consoles will beat up Ninty's in terms'a success. I feel that graphical power has been at a point that it matters even less than it ever has since last gen with WiiPS360. At the same time, these consoles might have unsavory... limitations. Like anti-piracy measures so bad ya can't play games without a constantly-active internet connection, or renting/borrowing games is made impossible.

Lastly, by the time the other consoles come out, Ninty will'a already of moved an amazing number of unit. The competition will mainly be between Sony and Microsod since Ninty got such a retarded head start on the next-gen. Timing is deadly-important when it comes to business. As an example, if the Dreamcast were somehow released earlier or later, I believe it would'a succeeded far more.

In short, the future of Ninty for both U and Mii is likely full'a success on their part, and as a result plenty of good games.

 

[wario2ooo]

At least I have a link ._. Well my opinion there is no proof of a new gen console for sony or mircosoft.
Making a new gen console with cost makers some dough and be the same graphics as a PC.

 

[DBloke]

Im standing on the WiiU no thanks side.
So far no games have wowed me, TBH some Atari Jaguar homebrew has wowed me more.
The Wii was a bloody great machine (recent Moaning sod blog was about it), but it just seems like Nintendos newest tech is more gimmicky than functional.

Seems that sometimes the first console is the first to fall.
Jaguar, Saturn, Dreamcast.

I dont think a new Zelda game can turn me this time.

As a "gamer" of a few generations the next one is one I am not looking forward to as the current one is going a bit mental with DLC-Up-the-Arse and games that reek of copy paste

 

[link2000]

Your post was extremely long, yet very informitive and comforting.
I certainly can't wait to see its furture titles. I haven't experience any freezing yet, but it'll probably happen in due time. I do have one complainant and it was the update. It took me nearly an hour to update the console by wireless connection and it was approximately 1-1.5 gigabytes (I think). I just hope not every update is like this, because I have the standard white version. -.-


He definitely got you, Karp! >:3

 

[robotboy]

I am a hard sale when it comes to a new generation in gaming. I cannot help but think that sometimes the innovation is to keep me interested or to lure me into the new system. When really all I want is fun addicting game. I'm not necessarily looking for better graphics or a more powerful system.
While I think that the environment for gaming is going through changes with influences from the tablet craze right now, Sony and Microsoft might just find themselves in a dilemma with their next big system. And I think as has been mentioned that a $600 console might be a very big problem. I think the price of the Wii U is very realistic in our present economy and a very wise move on Nintendo's part.
I am very interested in the Wii U right now. The one game that has caught my gaming radar is the rayman game. The next few months I am going to save some cash and keep an eye out for other games that may grab my interest.

 

[WiiAssasin]

Monster Hunter is a nice temptation in my case.

 

[DBloke]

The key thing is being games that make me go "that looks fun" so far that is at zero.

Apparently developers aren't liking it as well, thats a bad sign.
Look at the vita, it has next to no games despite being a bloody good handheld

 

[Splash_King]

There's been mixed reactions from developers. Some highly praise the Wii U, others have disdain for it. From what I gather the former group is larger, though that just might be selective memory in motion. :lol:

 

[DBloke]

Wii shall see, so far its in a "Needs games" section.

 

[Splash_King]

As was the 360 and 'specially PS3.

Never understood what all the hubbub 'bout launch titles was anyways, 'sides how stereotypical electronics consumers are always in a damn-well unnecessary rush with everythin'. So long as some games worth purchasin' show up in the launch window I'm happy enough.

 

[robotboy]

Really there has not been many gaming systems that has had a library of launch titles which appealed to everyone or defined what was in store for that system. I am impressed with the number of games that the Wii U has at launch. A lot of games for a Nintendo launch, sort reminds me of an NES US launch. I can still remember the N64 launch with two games. But with a Nintendo system it has always been about Mario and his fans. There has been only three games that redefined Mario for me, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64. The Galaxy games have been good on the Wii, haven't tried the Bros game yet. I am interested in what is in store for the Wii U and what the controller means with this next generation of Mario.