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[gofreak]

Isn't it safe to say all these leaked developer impressions are based on the dev kit and not the final hardware?

We don't know but it's either based on info given by Nintendo (about final hardware, or as much as is decided at this point) or based on dev kits. I would hope if the latter that any sources would stress that point to the journos they're informing.

Can someone briefly explain this to me? Isn't Samaritan running on Unreal Engine 3? What about unreal Engine 4?

May be wrong, but I think they're loosely characterising the current version of UE3 (that with the Samaritan tech) as 'UE3.9x' - they'll probably snowball the next set of updates, or those targeting 'next-gen' into a UE4 at some point.

 

[Hiro]

Can someone briefly explain this to me? Isn't Samaritan running on Unreal Engine 3? What about unreal Engine 4?

Technically, it is running on UE 3.9x (whereas 'x' stands for a string of numbers). They said they would be calling it Unreal Engine 4 when new hardware/consoles are anounced. So when the 8th generation of consoles is made public, you'll see them calling it UE 4.

Edit: Rein - "When these new ultra-mass market home entertainment devices come out and set a new bar, that's when you'll see us clicking over to "Unreal Engine 4" -- which will support those features and who knows what else."

 

[thetrin]

“We have a pretty good idea of what’s coming next,” said Capps, who added that Epic is already in preproduction on a brand new title for the next generation of game machines. [This be 'Samaritan']

So Epic is already in producing a game for the 8th generation of consoles. If Epic isn't developing Project Samaritan for Cafe, then what could he possibly be referring to? The next Xbox? While they would at least have the Project Cafe devkits to work with and know what to expect, there's no indication that any developer anywhere has or is about to have the devkits for the next Xbox (or PS4 for that matter).

There's this thing called the PC. I don't think it's a leap to suggest he may be talking about what's in the pipeline for PC tech.

 

[gofreak]

Even a midrange R700 gpu should destroy Xenos. It's Digital Foundry being Digital Foundry.

True, but this is Nintendo also

I figured something 2x Xenos was a reasonable low-end estimate, but Nintendo has been unreasonably conservative in the past. The fact that anything truly is possible with Nintendo makes it difficult to make assumptions. I'm just wondering what DF's '50%' is all about - it sort of enters the article weirdly, as if they had meant to mention it earlier in the article and didn't.

 

[chubigans]

Of course, moving HUD elements is kind of a big deal. Consider the Layton games; you could obviously do them without a second screen, but all of the clones suck because it blows chunks having the rule screen as a toggle overlay over the puzzle screen, as opposed to having them always there.

Haven't tried Hatsworth but I definitely will once I pick up another DS. Invisible HUD does indeed rock and I wish more devs would "ghost" out unnecessary info when it isn't needed (like Riddick and Killzone, among others.)

 

[Pyrokai]

May be wrong, but I think they're loosely characterising the current version of UE3 (that with the Samaritan tech) as 'UE3.9x' - they'll probably snowball the next set of updates, or those targeting 'next-gen' into a UE4 at some point.

Technically, it is running on UE 3.9x (whereas 'x' stands for a string of numbers). They said they would be calling it Unreal Engine 4 when new hardware/consoles are anounced. So when the 8th generation of consoles is made public, you'll see them calling it UE 4.

Edit: Rein - "When these new ultra-mass market home entertainment devices come out and set a new bar, that's when you'll see us clicking over to "Unreal Engine 4" -- which will support those features and who knows what else."

Ah, okay. Thanks guys . Let's hope Cafe can do this. Reasonably speaking, is it outside of the realm of possibility based on the R700 rumors?

 

[EatChildren]

The Wii proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

We can sit and talk all day about how Nintendo should do this if they want that market, and how this technology is cheap so they would be mad to do anything otherwise, etc. End of the day, Nintendo will do whatever the hell they want, and if they feel like releasing an Xbox 360 at $350 they bloody well will.

 

[Bentendo]

BBC News - Nintendo announces Wii 2 console

No new information but it's kind of interesting that the big news outlets are picking it up. According to the list on the side it's the third most read article.

 

[GregLombardi]

The Wii proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

We can sit and talk all day about how Nintendo should do this if they want that market, and how this technology is cheap so they would be mad to do anything otherwise, etc. End of the day, Nintendo will do whatever the hell they want, and if they feel like releasing an Xbox 360 at $350 they bloody well will.

They'd have to have a damn good reason.

Everyone should remember what Iwata has been telling his business leaders: Apple is their main competitor. If so, every single thing about this console has probably been birthed out of a fight with Apple.

 

[Wario64]

Eh, it's news of a new major console from a big player in the industry. Of course it's all over big news sites right now

 

[Hot Coldman]

BBC News - Nintendo announces Wii 2 console

No new information but it's kind of interesting that the big news outlets are picking it up. According to the list on the side it's the third most read article.

Of course they are, it's the follow-up to the most mainstream video game console ever.

 

[capslock]

BBC News - Nintendo announces Wii 2 console

No new information but it's kind of interesting that the big news outlets are picking it up. According to the list on the side it's the third most read article.

Why is it interesting? Wii is the leading console.

 

[neptunes]

Of course they are, it's the follow-up to the most mainstream video game console ever.

*ahem* the PS2 was the most mainstream console ever [/semantic-rant]

 

[Hiro]

Of course they are, it's the follow-up to the most mainstream video game console ever.

Yes, because it conquered the 7th generation of gaming, and defeated completely the competition, namely the PS360. In short, it won the console wars by a landslide. =]

 

[Father_Brain]

But in terms of the first one: the 3DS has 3D and StreetPass. Realizing that these systems were developed in large part side-by-side, that makes even more sense -- the 3DS has two major features (one visual, one geosocial) designed to clearly distinguish it from Cafe and make sure it has its own role.

IMO, that still doesn't make up for effectively discouraging people from playing 3DS at home, especially considering that its battery life makes it ill-suited for extended play sessions away from an outlet.

 

[Door2Dawn]

The Wii proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

We can sit and talk all day about how Nintendo should do this if they want that market, and how this technology is cheap so they would be mad to do anything otherwise, etc. End of the day, Nintendo will do whatever the hell they want, and if they feel like releasing an Xbox 360 at $350 they bloody well will.

And then they will fall flat on their faces because of it.

It's not going to happen.

 

[1-D_FTW]

The Wii proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

We can sit and talk all day about how Nintendo should do this if they want that market, and how this technology is cheap so they would be mad to do anything otherwise, etc. End of the day, Nintendo will do whatever the hell they want, and if they feel like releasing an Xbox 360 at $350 they bloody well will.

Pretty much. I really hope some developers leaks the full specs soon.

Sadly, I'm kind of inclined to believe this speculation. If they were willing to go with the worst CPU manufacturer out there (IBM hasn't been at the top in a a decade) solely to make 360 cross development easier, it doesn't leave me very optimistic. I want to believe, but the IBM CPU has always been the red flag that keeps me from getting too excited.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Impossible.

I don't believe it for one second. It would actually take some effort on Nintendo's part to release something today, that was as expensive as the 360 was 5/6 years ago, and...worse in some cases.

CANT be.

eurogamer is already wrong considering R700 refer to the dual-gpu line of the 4xxx series. It should also be noted that there are power pc processors much more powerful and cheaper than the current 360 cpu.

 

[charlequin]

16:10 aspect ratio for the controller screen? Queer.

No, easily sourceable.

I've been out of the DS scene lately, so this is an honest question- has there been a DS game where two screens were absolutely fundimental to the gameplay, aside from saving screen space by moving HUD elements to the top/bottom?

By definition, anything you can do on two screens can also be done on one screen; it really comes down to information density, the subjective effect of splitting across physical screens vs. having two "virtual" screens, etc.

In terms of games that used two screens in a way that I think would've been difficult to achieve effectively otherwise, The World Ends With You, Etrian Odyssey, and Henry Hatsworth are the biggest contenders; in terms of games that used two screens to create huge quality-of-life improvements, any of the Metroidvanias (map on second screen), any RPG/SRPG that uses the second screen to present a bunch of dense stat info, any adventure game that keeps inventory/actions on the touchscreen, and Layton with its puzzle/rule split would be my top picks.

Isn't it safe to say all these leaked developer impressions are based on the dev kit and not the final hardware?

Even moreso, it's probably safe to say that there is no "final hardware" yet and that we're still early enough (with the actual console release over a year away) that the exact details of the console on release (clockspeed, RAM amount) will fluctuate between no and then.

 

[NeonZ]

The Wii proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

Well, in that case, it was mostly because they reused the GC's chipset and tweaked it. There's nothing to be reused this time.

 

[Vic]

Man, a home console trying to act like a handheld just shows what we knew all-along: handheld >>>>> home console. Shit's real dawg.

 

[szaromir]

Pretty much. I really hope some developers leaks the full specs soon.

Sadly, I'm kind of inclined to believe this speculation. If they were willing to go with the worst CPU manufacturer out there (IBM hasn't been at the top in a a decade) solely to make 360 cross development easier, it doesn't leave me very optimistic. I want to believe, but the IBM CPU has always been the red flag that keeps me from getting too excited.

I wouldn't worry about that choice too much. IBM CPUs are good enough for game-dedicated devices, the reason IBM is chosen is because they license their design for cheap and aren't a bitch to work with (unlike Intel).

It all comes down to the GPU they choose.

 

[Instro]

eurogamer is already wrong considering R700 refers to the dual-gpu line of the 4xxx series

Could refer to the dual gpu, or the entire line iirc.

 

[FoxSpirit]

I've been out of the DS scene lately, so this is an honest question- has there been a DS game where two screens were absolutely fundimental to the gameplay, aside from saving screen space by moving HUD elements to the top/bottom?

I consider the dual screen quite mandatory for this:

Heroes of Might&Magic: Clash of Heroes

The sprites are just the right size, anything else and the screen would become messy and stuff hard to see. A puzzle game designed around the fact that you have a vertical screen. Fantastic game too.

 

[1-D_FTW]

I agree with this. I have a 57 inch TV and I would love it if that TV displays a scoreboard in HD while I hunch over and look at a 6 inch tablet. It will be as exciting as this

Don't mind me though, I also go to restaurants and order a steak, but only eat the garnish, and I also really enjoy Marvel Vs Capcom 3 online solely because I didn't want to watch the fight, just name cards dry humping each other.

Wow. Slam. You burned me.

Spoiler

Too bad you missed the entire freaking point. +1 to you.

 

[First Children]

I don't think they've been proven fake. I see nothing wrong with the typography on the console unit. It was alleged that the font is 'Pretendo' but I don't think so.

Also the error with the C/TM marks, but i agree, it's not that strong as a proof. It doesn't make it look more real either.


The Wii was 4 year old technology when it was out, the x360 next year will be 7 years old, and will cost to produce what? 150$?
If it's 350$ and as big as that it HAS to be way more powerful

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I've been out of the DS scene lately, so this is an honest question- has there been a DS game where two screens were absolutely fundimental to the gameplay, aside from saving screen space by moving HUD elements to the top/bottom?

I'm not sure how that would even be possible. Theoretically, any DS or 3DS game can work with both images on one larger screen. There are odd examples where games have you "stamp" things from one screen to another by shutting the system, but such things are really the deep end, and easily replaceable.

Chrono's Twins

Chronos Twins is an example where two screens makes sense, but considering it started on GBA and there's a version on WiiWare, it's definitely not mandatory.

 

[PantherLotus]

As an aside in the current discussion, NPR's Market Report/Watch or w/e it's called mentioned that Nintendo was releasing "a new version of its popular Wii console." They're obviously going from the same media release/reports that we're all going off of, but that's an interesting way to report it.

That, and that Nintendo's revenue was down 62-64% from last quarter.

 

[jump_button]

It would be cool if they steam game's to the pad, and you could play anywhere in the the home. I'm shocked they announced so soon befor E3, But then with all the leak's its not really that big of a shock.

ps better?

 

[Fernando Rocker]

t be cool if they steam game to the pad and you can play anywhere in the home im shocked they announced it but then with all the leaks not really that big of a shock

English is not my primary language... but... what?

 

[brochiller]

As an aside in the current discussion, NPR's Market Report/Watch or w/e it's called mentioned that Nintendo was releasing "a new version of its popular Wii console." They're obviously going from the same media release/reports that we're all going off of, but that's an interesting way to report it.

That, and that Nintendo's revenue was down 62-64% from last quarter.

Nintendo has specifically stated that this next console will be a "system to succeed Wii." NPR is giving people the wrong idea with statements like that.

 

[Hex]

I am hoping that this screen on the controllers does not a new version of the Dreamcast memory card gimmick.
It would be nice to see it used for maps or inventory or things like that.
Playing other games on it kind of sounds really stupid.

 

[disappeared]

Just woke up.

They finally let the cat out of the bag. E3 here we go!

 

[boyshine]

t be cool if they steam game to the pad and you can play anywhere in the home im shocked they announced it but then with all the leaks not really that big of a shock

Here you go: . , : ; ! ? - ' ( ) /

Copy and paste, feel free to use them when ever you want.

 

[taylorkerns]

Honestly, I'm a little worried. I was optimistic at first because the idea of Zelda in HD makes me salivate, but looking at it objectively, the Wii was disappointing. I loved it, personally, but Nintendo could tell me to eat dog shit and I would do so with a smile.

 

[Interfectum]

I consider the dual screen quite mandatory for this:

Heroes of Might&Magic: Clash of Heroes

The sprites are just the right size, anything else and the screen would become messy and stuff hard to see. A puzzle game designed around the fact that you have a vertical screen. Fantastic game too.

The XBLA port looks and plays just fine. No need for dual screens.

 

[Eteric Rice]

The specs we're hearing of right now are probably dev kit specs. I hope so, anyway.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Could refer to the dual gpu, or the entire line iirc.

it could, but eurogamer wouldnt need to speculate r700 and could instead specify rv710 class gpu(4350). Should also be noted the rv710 line also uses ddr2 ram which nintendo wouldnt even use for system ram.

 

[Chet Rippo]

English is not my primary language... but... what?

Here, I'll help.

"It would be cool if they could steam games to the pad and you can play anywhere in the home. I'm shocked they announced it, but then with all the leaks its not really that big of a shock."

 

[jordan0386]

If all Wii 2 games will look like Mass Effect 1. I'm all in.

Or is it better to say all Wii2 AAA games?

Are we not guaranteed to have great looking games with Xbox 360 tech.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

The Wii and the 3DS at $250 proved that any and all arguments for supposedly reasonable technology specs relative to manufacturing costs and availability are pointless.

We can sit and talk all day about how Nintendo should do this if they want that market, and how this technology is cheap so they would be mad to do anything otherwise, etc. End of the day, Nintendo will do whatever the hell they want, and if they feel like releasing an Xbox 360 at $350 they bloody well will.

Fixed for emphasis.

At this point, nothing would surprise me. If Nintendo is launching at $350-$400 that says absolutely nothing about the actual capabilities of the machine. I'm still amazed that the 4870 that I bought last year, which cost $99 US dollars and will be 4 years old by the time Nintendo's console launches, might outperform the GPU in the Cafe.

 

[charlequin]

IMO, that still doesn't make up for effectively discouraging people from playing 3DS at home, especially considering that its battery life makes it ill-suited for extended play sessions away from an outlet.

Eh. 3DS is still mobile while this is still tied to a single point.

Also, I mean, why do people play handhelds at home in the first place? For the most part, it's because they've got the software they want to play; if they don't, it's because they're missing the "visual splendor" or whatever they want to enjoy. Playing a streaming game on the Cafe controller is a bit more convenient for some purposes than playing it on the TV but I certainly don't feel like it'd really incentivize me to avoid playing my handhelds at home.

 

[Darko]

Might have already been asked, but any idea if the screens on the controller are 3d? (not unlike the 3DS screen).

Yay $200 controllers!

 

[From The Dust]

If you will be able to stream games to the controller screen, what wireless format would be used?

 

[jett]

Yay $200 controllers!

Those controllers are gonna be expensive as fuck either way. Might as well throw in 3D.

 

[psy18]

Final name will be Wii² or something in that line

 

[skygt19]

Wow. Slam. You burned me.

Too bad you missed the entire freaking point. +1 to you.

I wasn't trying to make fun of you, I was being serious. I really do like the portability and mutliplayer screen idea. That's why I bought a PSP to watch UMD movies, and surf the web on my phone with my computer next to me playing music.

I also bought two iPhones and an iPad so my friends and I can play Scrabble

 

[Fernando Rocker]

Final name will be Wii² or something in that line

No... the name should be Nintendo HD™ and Famicom HD™ in Japan, with a similar form factor as the classic NES.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I wasn't trying to make fun of you, I was being serious. I really do like the portability and mutliplayer screen idea. That's why I bought a PSP to watch UMD movies, and surf the web on my phone with my computer next to me playing music.

I also bought two iPhones and an iPad so my friends and I can play Scrabble

...this still sounds like sarcasm.

 

[Interfectum]

Eh. 3DS is still mobile while this is still tied to a single point.

Also, I mean, why do people play handhelds at home in the first place? For the most part, it's because they've got the software they want to play; if they don't, it's because they're missing the "visual splendor" or whatever they want to enjoy. Playing a streaming game on the Cafe controller is a bit more convenient for some purposes than playing it on the TV but I certainly don't feel like it'd really incentivize me to avoid playing my handhelds at home.

I think a lot of people would disagree.

This directly competes with 3DS time at home as well as iPad / smartphone time. Add an NGP to the mix and you potentially have a bunch of redundant handheld gaming devices sitting at home, including possibly two from Nintendo? That doesn't make sense.

There has to be more to the controller besides simple mimicing a handheld on LAN. I suspect we'll see a lot of "Buzztime Trivia" type applications for families to use. The touch screens are for your secret answers where as the mainscreen shows the public game information.