Rumor: Xbox 3 = 6-core CPU, 2GB of DDR3 Main RAM, 2 AMD GPUs w/ Unknown VRAM, At CES

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The 360 had like two PS2 upports mixed in with a big stable of third-party exclusives (including stuff like Call of Duty that was already making the jump.) It also came out in what was otherwise, by current standards, an almost unimaginably sparse holiday season -- I mean, this was a year where people's near-unanimous GOTY choice came out in January.

That's pretty different from 2012 (a year that's already packed with extremely major titles with explicitly-identified current-generation platforms attached) but could turn out pretty similar to 2013 (which publishers have largely avoided pegging anything but vague new IPs or platform-ambiguous titles to so far.)
 
This is how I've been seeing it also. This set-top version will not be capable of playing Xbox3-level games, and possibly not even 360 games that weren't downloadable. Since the games won't be large in size (couple GBs at most), there won't be a need to do a lot of storage. That is unless this thing has some kind of HD-DVR functionality, but that could have it's own dedicated storage space.

The two-product idea is interesting though, especially when you consider the rumour from earlier this year that Windows 8 might allow people to play 360 games on PCs. Maybe they're thinking of doing that for the next Xbox and Windows 8, as a third-point on the "XboxKinnect" triangle.
 
The 360 had like two PS2 upports mixed in with a big stable of third-party exclusives (including stuff like Call of Duty that was already making the jump.) It also came out in what was otherwise, by current standards, an almost unimaginably sparse holiday season -- I mean, this was a year where people's near-unanimous GOTY choice came out in January.

That GOTY was Resident Evil 4. Your argument is invalid.
 
According to the source, the Wii U specs are:

* Quad Core, 3 GHz PowerPC-based 45nm CPU, very similar to the Xbox 360 chip.
* 768 MB of DRAM “embedded” with the CPU, and shared between CPU and GPU
* Unknown, 40nm ATI-based GPU

The source also mentions that Nintendo has been testing two versions of the console, one with 768 MB of RAM, and one with 1 GB. The RAM is also made by IBM and is embedded with the processor on the same die/silicon, which results in more bandwidth.
http://wiiudaily.com/2011/12/wii-u-has-quad-core-3ghz-cpu-768-mb-of-ram/
 
Man, I need to get my Zbrush skills back up to par. Interested in how much fluid dynamics and material based objects are going create unique gameplay/design decisions.
 
According to the source, the Wii U specs are:

* Quad Core, 3 GHz PowerPC-based 45nm CPU, very similar to the Xbox 360 chip.
* 768 MB of DRAM “embedded” with the CPU, and shared between CPU and GPU
* Unknown, 40nm ATI-based GPU

The source also mentions that Nintendo has been testing two versions of the console, one with 768 MB of RAM, and one with 1 GB. The RAM is also made by IBM and is embedded with the processor on the same die/silicon, which results in more bandwidth.
http://wiiudaily.com/2011/12/wii-u-has-quad-core-3ghz-cpu-768-mb-of-ram/
317300_162341710527053_162341510527073_292265_797929408_n.jpg
 
It´s just confusing a few things. 768MB/1024MB in testing and separate EDRAM obv if you believe any of this. Quad Core @ 3Ghz OoOE sound a bit too high to cool
 
It´s just confusing a few things. 768MB/1024MB in testing and separate EDRAM obv if you believe any of this. Quad Core @ 3Ghz OoOE sound a bit too high to cool

Except it's specific enough to say
The RAM is also made by IBM and is embedded with the processor on the same die/silicon, which results in more bandwidth.

So clearly the source knows this isn't "normal" ram. Or at least the original source did. If there's any truth to it, it's likely not the dev that's leaked this but someone who spoke to a dev back in march. That would explain mixing up the difference between typical ram and edram. It would also explain the 4770 claim which popped up right around E3. Otherwise, these should be current devkit specs, not March specs.

At best, the source is really old, but otherwise it just sounds super fishy.
 
768 MB's of eDRAM for the CPU. Wat.

These rumors are getting way too silly now.

Edit: There's some weird shit going on with the boards.
 
According to the source, the Wii U specs are:

* Quad Core, 3 GHz PowerPC-based 45nm CPU, very similar to the Xbox 360 chip.
* 768 MB of DRAM “embedded” with the CPU, and shared between CPU and GPU
* Unknown, 40nm ATI-based GPU

The source also mentions that Nintendo has been testing two versions of the console, one with 768 MB of RAM, and one with 1 GB. The RAM is also made by IBM and is embedded with the processor on the same die/silicon, which results in more bandwidth.
http://wiiudaily.com/2011/12/wii-u-has-quad-core-3ghz-cpu-768-mb-of-ram/

Why are you posting this in xbox thread? There is plenty of wiiu hardware threads.
 
I love these types of threads because people are often so sure of things and defend it through scrupulous research and complicated theories. And when they're wrong, they'll just be like, "oh well, woops", and thats the end of it. Haha, beautiful.
 
If the chip's done it'll certainly launch November 2012. Nintendo didn't have final Wii U silicon at E3, Xbox 360 chips weren't in the prototype boxes at E3 2005. They won't tape out the chip at the end of 2011 and launch 2 years later.
 
If the chip is done now, they COULD make it out before end of the 2012, but only if they made it almost perfect from the start and they dont need a lot of revisions.

Hopefully they will not rush it and make screwjob product like launch x360.
 
If the chip is done now, they COULD make it out before end of the 2012, but only if they made it almost perfect from the start and they dont need a lot of revisions.

Hopefully they will not rush it and make screwjob product like launch x360.

To put this rumor into perspective, IBM didn't ship the Broadway Wii CPU untill September 2006:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ibm-ships-wii-processor,3424.html

Xenos was produced July 2005:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2005/07/12/ati_ship_r500_r520_now/1
 
If the chip is done now, they COULD make it out before end of the 2012, but only if they made it almost perfect from the start and they dont need a lot of revisions.

Hopefully they will not rush it and make screwjob product like launch x360.

I think there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, like with Kinect.

I'm confident they will not release a faulty product after seeing what the RRoD left in its wake.
 
Make a thread.

nah, it's just a rumor from a questionably reputable site. I actually like how all the WiiU speculation/rumors are confined to one thread, we should keep this probably the same until something more reputable breaks (maybe around GDC?)



There's no way that Microsoft choose to launch a new console during Spring/summer in Us and Europa ( worst selling period of the year)
it will be either november 2012 or november 2013

maybe, but it does seem way early for a tapeout for a late 2013 product. Perhaps their just giving themselves enough head room, but the tapeouts that I've seen were usually in the 6-9 month before product launch, not ~23 months before. Granted this is more complex, but I still think they could tape out next summer and be ok (if Nov 2013 is the date)
 
maybe, but it does seem way early for a tapeout for a late 2013 product. Perhaps their just giving themselves enough head room, but the tapeouts that I've seen were usually in the 6-9 month before product launch, not ~23 months before. Granted this is more complex, but I still think they could tape out next summer and be ok (if Nov 2013 is the date)

IF the cpu is really just taping out both ways are possible

2012) if the cpu is just a direct evolution of the tricore then less feedback is needed (also for the developers) so timing could be right in order to build a good lineup with just a few new games (turn10 - rare something else internal ) and some port with high quality settings (halo4, tomb raider , GTAV, RE6, Ryse :D etc..)


2013) if the cpu is totally different and they must work with a lot of time in order to build "excellent" middleware, 100% backwards compatibility , and a very powerful day1 lineup completely dedicated to the new console with exclusive Ip and others games not rushed ( with 2012 still X360 centric and an huge price drop during summer )
 
No way this thing is NOT releasing in November. Regardless of whether it's 2012 or 2013, Microsoft will make sure this thing releases just before Christmas in their no.1 market.

But the release for Europ eshould be an interesting clue as to how hard they plan to push into Europe next gen.

Hopefully they don't even bother releasing in Japan.
 
nah, it's just a rumor from a questionably reputable site. I actually like how all the WiiU speculation/rumors are confined to one thread, we should keep this probably the same until something more reputable breaks (maybe around GDC?)

You got me there. I'm the last one that can debate against that.
 
2013) if the cpu is totally different and they must work with a lot of time in order to build "excellent" middleware, 100% backwards compatibility , and a very powerful day1 lineup completely dedicated to the new console with exclusive Ip and others games not rushed ( with 2012 still X360 centric and an huge price drop during summer )

Still seems to be early for a tapeout. Work on middleware, engines, software, etc could go on in parallel (and often does). You want to catch as many chip bugs and issues in simulation before a chip tapes out. A tapeout is pretty expensive and having to respin a design is expensive and time consuming.


BBoyDubC has not posted in awhile. I wonder if the CPU's going to be an IBM or an AMD. I guess we'll find out at CES

If it's an SOC design, it could IP derived from both companies. By now they must have experience working together (if not really closely) from the Wii, WiiU, and 360.
 
Still seems to be early for a tapeout. Work on middleware, engines, software, etc could go on in parallel (and often does). You want to catch as many chip bugs and issues in simulation before a chip tapes out. A tapeout is pretty expensive and having to respin a design is expensive and time consuming.

If the architecture is similar enough, the middleware is already ready.


If it's an SOC design, it could IP derived from both companies. By now they must have experience working together (if not really closely) from the Wii, WiiU, and 360.

BBoyDubC specifically mentioned the CPU portion being what he was working on "for a next gen console" at AMD.
 
If MS plays the backward compatibility card to lure players and developpers into new hardware one step at a time, then I hope for god they make a halo bundle. I'll re-enact crazy Nintendo 64 kid when I open it.
 
Still seems to be early for a tapeout. Work on middleware, engines, software, etc could go on in parallel (and often does). You want to catch as many chip bugs and issues in simulation before a chip tapes out. A tapeout is pretty expensive and having to respin a design is expensive and time consuming.

It is all about the GPU anyway I guess.
 
Nah brah

Detachable slot for the gpu/cpu wich allows for easy fixes if cpu or gpu chips fail.

So if there is a failure in system, Microsoft will send gpu/cpu to you and you send back faulty part. Easy and cheap.

So, a PC. Except that CPUs need direct contact with the motherboard, so that won't happen unless somebody resurrects this design:
pentium2-slot1-3.jpg


Which throws compactness of consoles out the window while it's at it.
 
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