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[JordanN]

Going back on topic (you know, the whole "GFLOPS debate, or what not) Here is what I have concluded that the Wii U will have inside (through careful research and reasoning):

A tri-core PowerPC A2 variant @ 3.0GHz with an 8MB L3 cache (PowerPC uses WAY less power than POWER7 while still pumping out impressive numbers. When IMB said to Engadget that Wii U would use "the same technology as Watson", I concluded taht IBM threw an L3 cache onto a PowerPC A2) with 72 GFLOPS DP (double precision)

A Radeon HD 6750/7750 based hybrid (low TDP, high-ish performance) @800MHz with 32MB of eDRAM as a framebuffer and 800-900 GFLOPS.

1.5GB of fast RAM for the system RAM and 512MB of slower RAM for the OS.

A dedicated sound processor @ 120-150MHz.

And all with a power requirement of about 100 watts.

Sound reasonable enough?

Edit:I think the GPU is clocked too high. Maybe 500-675mhz is a better estimate.

I also think overall TDP may be in the 40-80W zone.

 

[10k]

Going back on topic (you know, the whole "GFLOPS debate, or what not) Here is what I have concluded that the Wii U will have inside (through careful research and reasoning):

A tri-core PowerPC A2 variant @ 3.0GHz with an 8MB L3 cache (PowerPC uses WAY less power than POWER7 while still pumping out impressive numbers. When IMB said to Engadget that Wii U would use "the same technology as Watson", I concluded taht IBM threw an L3 cache onto a PowerPC A2) with 72 GFLOPS DP (double precision)

A Radeon HD 6750/7750 based hybrid (low TDP, high-ish performance) @800MHz with 32MB of eDRAM as a framebuffer and 800-900 GFLOPS.

1.5GB of fast RAM for the system RAM and 512MB of slower RAM for the OS.

A dedicated sound processor @ 120-150MHz.

And all with a power requirement of about 100 watts.

Sound reasonable enough?

Way too powerful for what we have heard.

Try more like a 2.0Ghz tricore CPU with a 600 Gflop GPU with 32mb eDRAM and 2GB of DDR3 RAM. The DSP sounds reasonable. 120Mhz probably.

 

[Smurfman256]

I think the GPU is clocked too high. Maybe 500-600mhz is a better estimate.

eh...650-700, maybe? Katsuhiro Harada said that the CPU's clock speed was kinda low, not the GPU (stating that it would ,ake the system run too hot). a 28nm (I am almost certain that Nintendo is going to be using that process since they allways go the smallest that is available) running at 800MHz (aka, the radeon HD 7750) only gets to about 40 degrees celcius (104 farenheit) under heavy load. Dropping it down to 700 MHz would bring the GPU temp down to 85 degrees farenheit.

 

[JordanN]

eh...650-700, maybe? Katsuhiro Harada said that the CPU's clock speed was kinda low, not the GPU (stating that it would ,ake the system run too hot). a 28nm (I am almost certain that Nintendo is going to be using that process since they allways go the smallest that is available) running at 800MHz (aka, the radeon HD 7750) only gets to about 40 degrees celcius (104 farenheit) under heavy load. Dropping it down to 700 MHz would bring the GPU temp down to 85 degrees farenheit.

I don't think Nintendo switched to the GCN rich GPU or 28nm process. Instead, I think they worked with a 32nm or 40nm R700 architecture and then threw new shit like compute shaders, eyefinity on top of it.

Of course, these are my guesses for Wii U.

 

[Smurfman256]

I don't think Nintendo switched to the GCN rich GPU or 28nm. Instead, I think they worked with a 32nm or 40nm R700 architecture and then threw new shit like compute shaders, hull shaders on top of it.

Of course, these are my guesses for Wii U.

40nm runs hot. REALLY damn hot and uses a LOT of power. For all we know, Nintendo could have been in talks with AMD and asked for 28nm. I guess we'll find out when someone tears apart their launch model and X-rays the damn components.

 

[JordanN]

40nm runs hot. REALLY damn hot and uses a LOT of power. For all we know, Nintendo could have been in talks with AMD and asked for 28nm. I guess we'll find out when someone tears apart their launch model and X-rays the damn components.

Well 28nm is fairly new. And Nintendo follows this philosophy called lateral thinking of withered technology, so that's why I'm more inclined to believe it's 32/40nm. I mean, the CPU is 45nm for instance (although this could be coincidence).

But yeah, we'll see once it's x-rayed.

Edit: I actually think the GPU could go higher. So 500-675mhz.

 

[AzaK]

Going back on topic (you know, the whole "GFLOPS debate, or what not) Here is what I have concluded that the Wii U will have inside (through careful research and reasoning):

A tri-core PowerPC A2 variant @ 3.0GHz with an 8MB L3 cache (PowerPC uses WAY less power than POWER7 while still pumping out impressive numbers. When IMB said to Engadget that Wii U would use "the same technology as Watson", I concluded taht IBM threw an L3 cache onto a PowerPC A2) with 72 GFLOPS DP (double precision)

A Radeon HD 6750/7750 based hybrid (low TDP, high-ish performance) @800MHz with 32MB of eDRAM as a framebuffer and 800-900 GFLOPS.

1.5GB of fast RAM for the system RAM and 512MB of slower RAM for the OS.

A dedicated sound processor @ 120-150MHz.

And all with a power requirement of about 100 watts.

Sound reasonable enough?

Someone saw the power supply and it was about 90W IIRC. So less that that for optimal performance.

 

[wsippel]

40nm runs hot. REALLY damn hot and uses a LOT of power. For all we know, Nintendo could have been in talks with AMD and asked for 28nm. I guess we'll find out when someone tears apart their launch model and X-rays the damn components.

Still think it's a SoC, so 45nm for everything (IBM Cu-45 HP process).

 

[JordanN]

Still think it's a SoC, so 45nm for everything (IBM Cu-45 HP process).

The IBM press release mentions the CPU is built on Silicon on Insulator. Is that the same thing as SoC?

"IBM plans to produce millions of chips for Nintendo featuring IBM Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology at 45 nanometers (45 billionths of a meter). "
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34683.wss

 

[snowdog1971]

The Wii didn't have a huge screen, nor was its case designed to be very long (in relation to Wii U).

I dunno, that's just me. I'll never understand how people confuse the two. Ok, the name I can understand but the actual physical product? I'm pretty sure I could show my parents the two and they'll be able to tell the difference more so than my 3DS and DS.

Agreed. The U is also curved as opposed to the straight lines that make up the Wii. And even if people are likely to confuse the two (which I seriously doubt myself personally) marketing should stop this being a problem.

 

[Richie]

With GameStop's Wii U's preorders supposedly starting next Monday, do you guys think we could be getting release/price info sooner than expected? And does this mean there's a chance of the system launching in October?

 

[WiiRevolution1]

Hey guys. You may remember mii from the Wii U Speculation thread. I posted a couple times but since E3 Ihaven't really been looking into this thread. I gt so dehyped at E3 that I even considered not getting a WiiU at launch and instead getting a Vita.

But with news of box arts, early marketing materials, possible price and relase date on the 13th, and the possibility of a October launch has gotten my rehyped. I just can't resist the almighty Nintendo D:

I was worried if it did come out in October, that I wouldn't have enough money, but as long as its middle October I will be good. I will be pissed if I can't get it launch day and may do something drastic like sell something

lol...anywayz: I am back on the hype train!

...and I am like five pages behind. Some things never change.

 

[Stulaw]

Hey guys. You may remember mii from the Wii U Speculation thread. I posted a couple times but since E3 Ihaven't really been looking into this thread. I gt so dehyped at E3 that I even considered not getting a WiiU at launch and instead getting a Vita.

But with news of box arts, early marketing materials, possible price and relase date on the 13th, and the possibility of a October launch has gotten my rehyped. I just can't resist the almighty Nintendo D:

I was worried if it did come out in October, that I wouldn't have enough money, but as long as its middle October I will be good. I will be pissed if I can't get it launch day and may do something drastic like sell something

lol...anywayz: I am back on the hype train!

...and I am like five pages behind. Some things never change.

Don't worry, I'm sure you've noticed that the thread's been going in circles.

 

[Van Owen]

Pretty much, we will see the Wii U's true power when we see Nintendo's first party's and/or when the PS4 and Xbox 8 come out.

Havent we already seen Nintendo's first party?

Anyway, we'll know the systems true power once we get a tear down.

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Havent we already seen Nintendo's first party?

Anyway, we'll know the systems true power once we get a tear down.

I don't think a 2D platformer, a couple minigame games and a game that spent most of it's life as a Wii game are good determiners of power. The depth of field effect in Pikmin is really the only thing that could be called next gen, and that's really stretching it. The Retro and EAD games will probably be the first look at what the WiiU will be capable of in it's first couple years. Unless Pikmin 3 has a seen a decent graphical upgrade that is.

 

[InsaneZero]

I gt so dehyped at E3 that I even considered not getting a WiiU at launch and instead getting a Vita.

I can't possibly comprehend how anyone can get more hyped for Vita than anything else from E3.

 

[xxbrothawizxx63]

If we see any native 1080p 3D titles I expect them to be built for the hardware from the ground up by a tech savvy developer, and probably not overly complex in detail.

Shin'en Wii U game 1080p confirmed!

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Havent we already seen Nintendo's first party?

Anyway, we'll know the systems true power once we get a tear down.

What we've seen is appropriate for the games in question.

If Retro and EAD Tokyo's endeavors look like their Wii games with current gen technical flourishes then we can safely say there isn't much in the way of power.

I remain optimistic that the system isn't a powerhouse on the level of the Orbis or Durango, but the fact that it's running more than competent ports of last gen consoles means it at the minimum is as powerful as them. The fact that Batman can run two 3D screens in tandem with minimal (if any) compromises points to marginal if not substantive improvements.

 

[wsippel]

The IBM press release mentions the CPU is built on Silicon on Insulator. Is that the same thing as SoC?

"IBM plans to produce millions of chips for Nintendo featuring IBM Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology at 45 nanometers (45 billionths of a meter). "
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34683.wss

SoC means "system on a chip". All components (CPU, GPU, eDRAM, IO) on a single die. Cheaper for less complex designs, faster and more energy efficient.

 

[deviljho]

Anyone know how many millions of pixels more is 1080p over 720p?

 

[JordanN]

Anyone know how many millions of pixels more is 1080p over 720p?

1080 x 1920 = 2 073 600
720 x 1280 = 921 600

So 1 152 000 more pixels.

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Anyone know how many millions of pixels more is 1080p over 720p?

921,600 vs 2,073,600

So 1,152,000 difference.

EDIT: Beaten...By a lot.

 

[deviljho]

1080 x 1920 = 2 073 600
720 x 1280 = 921 600

So 1 152 000 more pixels.

so that's 125% more pixels when you go from 720p up to 1080p

why the hell would anyone think we will get 1080p 60fps consistently from the new gen from any console?

 

[MadeInBeats]

Just thought I'd let you know, Eurogamer ran the Toki Tori story this morning, and one of their guys, Collo, is in the comments answering question

 

[Nibel]

Producer Guillaume Brunier told EDGE in their current issue that Ubisoft has ideas for ZombiU 2 already - seems like we will definetely get a sequel

 

[Smiles and Cries]

hey guys can you believe it! Wii U is almost out!! Its not even like waiting for E3

Producer Guillaume Brunier told EDGE in their current issue that Ubisoft has ideas for ZombiU 2 already - seems like we will definetely get a sequel

even more reason to give it the Halloween boost on Wii U before it jumps ship to PS4

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

even more reason to give it the Halloween boost on Wii U before it jumps ship to PS4

If that happens I'm gonna write a strongly worded letter telling UbiSoft that they sold out and refusing to buy their games again...

Spoiler

I don't really mean that but it would be hilarious

 

[EatChildren]

I remain optimistic that the system isn't a powerhouse on the level of the Orbis or Durango, but the fact that it's running more than competent ports of last gen consoles means it at the minimum is as powerful as them. The fact that Batman can run two 3D screens in tandem with minimal (if any) compromises points to marginal if not substantive improvements.

I'm really keen to see how Batman shapes up, from a tech point of view. It's a port, so efforts are surely low. It's UE3, which though a great engine, is kind of hit-and-miss on consoles depending on the game (eg: it has always performed much better on the 360 versus PS3). And maxed on on PC, Arkham City looks quite gorgeous, so there's a lot of headroom to 'improve' the look of the game (even if performance tanks due to poor optimisation, hello DX11).

I'm pretty confident AC3 will be the best of all ports. I guess in many ways I consider Arkham City a 'worst case scenario' kind of thing. I'm very interested to see just what kind of framerate the game runs at compared to the 360/PS3 build. Especially with, as you said, it rendering a separate scene on the pad.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

If that happens I'm gonna write a strongly worded letter telling UbiSoft that they sold out and refusing to buy their games again...

Spoiler

I don't really mean that but it would be hilarious

We will judge Ubisoft's loyalty by watching Assassin's Creed III: Liberation for Vita

if this jumps ship to something else, Zombi U will soon become Zombi X and Zombi Smart Glass :3

I'm really keen to see how Batman shapes up, from a tech point of view. It's a port, so efforts are surely low. It's UE3, which though a great engine, is kind of hit-and-miss on consoles depending on the game (eg: it has always performed much better on the 360 versus PS3). And maxed on on PC, Arkham City looks quite gorgeous, so there's a lot of headroom to 'improve' the look of the game (even if performance tanks due to poor optimisation, hello DX11).

I'm pretty confident AC3 will be the best of all ports. I guess in many ways I consider Arkham City a 'worst case scenario' kind of thing. I'm very interested to see just what kind of framerate the game runs at compared to the 360/PS3 build. Especially with, as you said, it rendering a separate scene on the pad.

Arkham City on Wii U seems to get the least attention among fans waiting for the Wii U launch. It got a lot of flack for the costume design I'm guessing
was this not GOTY at some point? Arkham City Wii U seems to have a lot added to it that have not been presented well so I am still on the fence to see how it turns out.

 

[EatChildren]

Arkham City on Wii U seems to get the least attention among fans waiting for the Wii U launch. It got a lot of flack for the costume design I'm guessing
was this not GOTY at some point? Arkham City Wii U seems to have a lot added to it that have not been presented well so I am still on the fence to see how it turns out.

Arkham City is a good contender for my favourite sandbox games ever, and far and away one of the best games of last year. But it is, after all, a port that will be ~one year old upon release. Creed 3 is no doubt getting more attention, but it's much newer. By now most people have probably played Arkham City on 360, PS3 or PC.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

Arkham City is a good contender for my favourite sandbox games ever, and far and away one of the best games of last year. But it is, after all, a port that will be ~one year old upon release. Creed 3 is no doubt getting more attention, but it's much newer. By now most people have probably played Arkham City on 360, PS3 or PC.

is it closer to a gta kind of experience than it is arkham asylum in terms of gameplay?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I have not played Batman AC so I guess I'll be in for a treat

soo many games to buy my wallet is crying

 

[EatChildren]

is it closer to a gta kind of experience than it is arkham asylum in terms of gameplay?

Umm. Arkham Asylum is to Metroid what Arkham City is to Zelda . If you've played Asylum you'll know it's a Metroidvania experience through and through. Lots of interconnected halls, back tracking, item use to explore the overall environment further, and so on. City is more like Zelda, in that you have one big overworld/hub (aka: Hyrule Field) you can freely explore at your own leisure, while main missions tend to take place in interiors located around the hub (aka: dungeons in Zelda), with unlocked items allowing you to traverse further into 'dungeons'. Plus there's a handful of 'overworld' missions too.

Personally I feel Aslyum flowed a lot better than City, but as an open world/sandbox to be explore City delivers the goods.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

Umm. Arkham Asylum is to Metroid what Arkham City is to Zelda . If you've played Asylum you'll know it's a Metroidvania experience through and through. Lots of interconnected halls, back tracking, item use to explore the overall environment further, and so on. City is more like Zelda, in that you have one big overworld/hub (aka: Hyrule Field) you can freely explore at your own leisure, while main missions tend to take place in interiors located around the hub (aka: dungeons in Zelda), with unlocked items allowing you to traverse further into 'dungeons'. Plus there's a handful of 'overworld' missions too.

Personally I feel Aslyum flowed a lot better than City, but as an open world/sandbox to be explore City delivers the goods.

Excellent, that's what I was secretly hoping you'd say .

 

[Smiles and Cries]

it has a Blimp!

 

[Nibel]

Rocksteadys Batman games are nothing like GTA at all; EC's Metroid/Zelda comparison is spot on.

So fucking good games; I still remember so much from AA..

 

[DaSorcerer7]

Rocksteadys Batman games are nothing like GTA at all; EC's Metroid/Zelda comparison is spot on.

So fucking good games; I still remember so much from AA..

Yeah absolutely loved AA. Definitely going to pick up AC for WiiU

 

[Smiles and Cries]

cannot wait to see the sales numbers for these things...

hopefully NPD will not just lump all of them together so we can tell if the Wii U can sell these core games. I'm sure Nintendo will release those anyway

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Umm. Arkham Asylum is to Metroid what Arkham City is to Zelda . If you've played Asylum you'll know it's a Metroidvania experience through and through. Lots of interconnected halls, back tracking, item use to explore the overall environment further, and so on. City is more like Zelda, in that you have one big overworld/hub (aka: Hyrule Field) you can freely explore at your own leisure, while main missions tend to take place in interiors located around the hub (aka: dungeons in Zelda), with unlocked items allowing you to traverse further into 'dungeons'. Plus there's a handful of 'overworld' missions too.

Personally I feel Aslyum flowed a lot better than City, but as an open world/sandbox to be explore City delivers the goods.

I played Arkham Asylum a few weeks ago for the first time.

It really feels like Batroid. But with really fun and fluid melee combat.

 

[blu]

Someone saw the power supply and it was about 90W IIRC. So less that that for optimal performance.

Nintendo pulling another BYOPS* console confirmed.

(*) bring your own power supply

The IBM press release mentions the CPU is built on Silicon on Insulator. Is that the same thing as SoC?

"IBM plans to produce millions of chips for Nintendo featuring IBM Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology at 45 nanometers (45 billionths of a meter). "
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34683.wss

SOI is a substrate tech. SoC is an integration paradigm.

 

[Stulaw]

I'm surprised no-one seems interested in Lego City Undercover, it looks really good (no where near an indicator of power, but still).

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Nintendo pulling another BYOPS* console confirmed.

(*) bring your own power supply

Wii U to ship without power brick plug in Japan confirmed?

I'm surprised no-one seems interested in Lego City Undercover, it looks really good (no where near an indicator of power, but still).

We have seen more P-100 on video than we have seen of this game, nothing to make a judgement on really

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Uh-oh

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/362352/wii-u-release-date-delayed-to-december-across-europe-sources/

 

[D-e-f-]

I'm surprised no-one seems interested in Lego City Undercover, it looks really good (no where near an indicator of power, but still).

can't really be excited about something they haven't really shown off.

all we've seen are very short trailers and some janky off-screen footage.

Uh-oh

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/362352/wii-u-release-date-delayed-to-december-across-europe-sources/

no different from the Wii launch.

it came out mid-November in the US and Japan and first week of December in Europe (8th I believe?)

 

[Plinko]

Uh-oh

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/362352/wii-u-release-date-delayed-to-december-across-europe-sources/

Hmmm...not sure what to think.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I was kinda feeling that October hype, but this changes nothing

 

[MadeInBeats]

I'm surprised no-one seems interested in Lego City Undercover, it looks really good (no where near an indicator of power, but still).

Errrm... *cough cough*

 

[Nostremitus]

Hmm... I wonder how much of that was speculation and how much was based on factual data... I thought Nintendo always launched consoles later in Europe... a staggered launch to lessen the pressure on their supply chains.

 

[EDarkness]

I'm surprised no-one seems interested in Lego City Undercover, it looks really good (no where near an indicator of power, but still).

Lego City is definitely one of the launch games I'm gonna pick up. The game looks real cool to me, so I'll be there day one.

 

[Nibel]

Updated my MP4 boxart mockup

I think I got used to the Wii U boxart design. And the more I think about it, the more I realize how unimportant it actually is.