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[DefectiveReject]

Nintendo's not going to risk putting out a poorly cooled machine like Apple. The last thing they want is a machine that overheats by design. If you were to play intense games daily on your Mac Mini, it will die eventually. That's why the Mac Mini isn't intended for gaming. You're making a totally pointless comparison.

No I'm not.
I stated in both freaking posts the WiiU will use far more efficient processors and the WiiU merely has to play games, and do some network communication.
And I think I may of mentioned the WiiU will have 40in3+ of space to put in some decent cooling.
Regardless my iMac is on 24/7 as Will the Mac Mini Server, as servers generally tend to run 24hrs a day.
My iMac does rendering, image and media processing for 12-14hrs a day and has NO problems at all.

I also noted both will do different jobs but it was an example of HOW MUCH you can get into a small space with good and efficient design.
I mean CNET did a Mac Mini review a short time back, and tested it against an HP slimline, which was slightly higher spec but a windows equivalent. Although it's casing was >2x the size of a Mac Mini, and some parts where higher spec (better graphics card, more memory, different CPU with higher clock speeds) you didn't get 2x more performance out of the HP. The mini beat it in some aspects and lost out in others, but not by a lot. So space and size doesn't necessarily = performance

So taking the punch in a Mac Mini and making it gaming relevant WITH THE ADDITIONAL SPACE WiiU has over a Mac Mini, your argument about size being an issue is in my opinion wrong.

So no I'm not saying a WiiU is a mac mini. Only that you can be small and powerful and don't have to let size matter.


Oh and yeah with WiiConnect24 running my Wii runs hot. Running hot != overheating

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Oh yeah it's easy to tell it wasn't you. I haven't seen you say anything so "matter-of-factly" like that about the subject. I get the feeling that if Miyamoto was the primary hardware designer again, that would have been a strong option. But with the younger guys handling it I can see them replicating a Xenon approach with Wii U's CPU in that it's built more from the ground up than just modifying an off the shelf part this time around. Something where they may use a variation of a PPE core that utilizes Power7 tech by having things like a modified VSX like VMX128 for Xenon, and implements L3 cache for each core to have direct access, yet still be shared like the POWER7 version.

I've been very careful about what I pull out of my ass here. It would not surprise me though if IBM developed this with the Wii successor in mind, doubly so since they feature images of the Wii on their literature for the product. Whether it's used or not is an entirely different manner.

 

[Easy_D]

I dunno. The Wii was the first Nintendo console I've ever owned that crapped out on me due to overheating. The hot GPU was a known problem although not quite as widespread as the 360's woes. I think they'll attempt to squeeze as much power in as possible and enlarge the case a bit/add another fan if these reported dev kit heating problems persist.

Honestly, what it sounds like is they have some target specs and still not quite finished hardware and then a case which they designed using their best guess. Might explain why those "Wii U experiences" at E3 were graphically unimpressive. They were probably using some type of placeholder hardware well below the target specs.

I dunno I think the Bird demo had some parts that looked pretty impressive.
I'm talking about the on-floor demo. The video for their on-stage presentation looked really bad for some reason.

 

[BurntPork]

It cannot be put on its side. At least the prototype box that was shown at E3 doesn't have any kind of side supports like it has under it, unlike the Wii.

Sorry, by "on it's side" I meant "horizontally".

 

[bgassassin]

Dude you're so crazy. The Gamecube wasn't powerful enough to act as my lunch box, dude!

Spoiler

I agree that this topic is absolutely crazy and that's why I love it!

I agree wholeheartedly. It's the best way to keep ourselves entertained since Nintendo won't throw us a bone and possibly not anytime soon.

I've been very careful about what I pull out of my ass here. It would not surprise me though if IBM developed this with the Wii successor in mind, doubly so since they feature images of the Wii on their literature for the product. Whether it's used or not is an entirely different manner.

I can see that as well especially considering the time it came out. I mentioned it in an earlier response, but since it's going to be modified maybe they have made something based on chip while implementing the L3 process they created for POWER7. All of these things seemed to be developed around the same time anyway so I as of right now I don't see why it couldn't be done.


Almost forgot the mention that a poster on Beyond3D threw lherre's name out about information. I bet you know something lherre. Just post it here and I promise not to tell anyone.

 

[Axkil aka StabMasterArson]

I dunno. The Wii was the first Nintendo console I've ever owned that crapped out on me due to overheating. The hot GPU was a known problem although not quite as widespread as the 360's woes. I think they'll attempt to squeeze as much power in as possible and enlarge the case a bit/add another fan if these reported dev kit heating problems persist.

Honestly, what it sounds like is they have some target specs and still not quite finished hardware and then a case which they designed using their best guess. Might explain why those "Wii U experiences" at E3 were graphically unimpressive. They were probably using some type of placeholder hardware well below the target specs.

I'm on my 3rd Wii, yet i still have my original working NES, SuperNintendo, Gamecube, and 2 DS's and possibly my brother's original Virtual Boy........ Iwata, what did you do different.

 

[BurntPork]

I dunno. The Wii was the first Nintendo console I've ever owned that crapped out on me due to overheating. The hot GPU was a known problem although not quite as widespread as the 360's woes. I think they'll attempt to squeeze as much power in as possible and enlarge the case a bit/add another fan if these reported dev kit heating problems persist.

Honestly, what it sounds like is they have some target specs and still not quite finished hardware and then a case which they designed using their best guess. Might explain why those "Wii U experiences" at E3 were graphically unimpressive. They were probably using some type of placeholder hardware well below the target specs.

Perhaps, but Wii was more designed with size and cost in mind. I feel that they're going back to their roots with Wii U's design and that it'll be pretty efficient if Nintendo focuses on offering a better product, even if it costs a bit more to make, and I think that the final unit will be slightly larger than what was shown at E3. (Though still pretty small.)

Really, 3DS flopping for Nintendo was a blessing in disguise. We're probably going to end up with a much better console at a much better price thanks to 3DS's poor performance!

I'm on my 3rd Wii, yet i still have my original working NES, SuperNintendo, Gamecube, and 2 DS's and possibly my brother's original Virtual Boy........ Iwata, what did you do different.

He used very cheap duct tape.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

I'm on my 3rd Wii, yet i still have my original working NES, SuperNintendo, Gamecube, and 2 DS's and possibly my brother's original Virtual Boy........ Iwata, what did you do different.

The Wii is definitely the first Nintendo console with such a high defect rate, as far as I know. The DVD drive being the main culprit. Hopefully this isn't a new trend, but looking at the early DS Lite models and the 3DS, you connect the dots...

As far as hardware goes I just try to be realistic. Knowing purely what we know now, there is little reason to assume the console CPU will clock any higher than 2.8GHz max, and 600mhz MAX on the GPU side...and that's pushing it. Speculation is all fine and good, but it gets a bit ridiculous when you consider the chips themselves will almost surely be 40nm and it'll be a lower watt system. So at best we're looking at Uncharted 2-quality at 1080p 60fps and a couple improved effects, and that may be pushing it. Do we really need any more than that on a Nintendo console, aside from our inside-baseball analytical stuff about third-party etc?

 

[BurntPork]

The Wii is definitely the first Nintendo console with such a high defect rate, as far as I know. The DVD drive being the main culprit. Hopefully this isn't a new trend, but looking at the early DS Lite models and the 3DS, you connect the dots...

As far as hardware goes I just try to be realistic. Knowing purely what we know now, there is little reason to assume the console CPU will clock any higher than 2.8GHz max, and 600mhz MAX on the GPU side...and that's pushing it. Speculation is all fine and good, but it gets a bit ridiculous when you consider the chips themselves will almost surely be 40nm and it'll be a lower watt system. So at best we're looking at Uncharted 2-quality at 1080p 60fps and a couple improved effects, and that may be pushing it. Do we really need any more than that on a Nintendo console, aside from our inside-baseball analytical stuff about third-party etc?

Actually, that's a good point. Iwata clearly puts low cost far above quality.

 

[Axkil aka StabMasterArson]

The Wii is definitely the first Nintendo console with such a high defect rate, as far as I know. The DVD drive being the main culprit. Hopefully this isn't a new trend, but looking at the early DS Lite models and the 3DS, you connect the dots...

As far as hardware goes I just try to be realistic. Knowing purely what we know now, there is little reason to assume the console CPU will clock any higher than 2.8GHz max, and 600mhz MAX on the GPU side...and that's pushing it. Speculation is all fine and good, but it gets a bit ridiculous when you consider the chips themselves will almost surely be 40nm and it'll be a lower watt system. So at best we're looking at Uncharted 2-quality at 1080p 60fps and a couple improved effects, and that may be pushing it. Do we really need any more than that on a Nintendo console, aside from our inside-baseball analytical stuff about third-party etc?

With WiiU i see Nintendo desparately trying to not reenter the arms race they lost against Sony and Microsoft. They proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that hardware muscle doesn't win you a console war. If WiiU places 3rd against Xbox720/PS4 third parties win and Nintendo goes to Developer Hell. Can you imagine what 2015 will be like if WiiU fails?

 

[watershed]

I thought the wii was the most dependable console this gen. I seem to remember seeing a chart that had the wii's console failure rate in the low single digits or something compared to the 360's RROD and the PS3's YLOD thing. In my own experience I had my launch 360 die 2 years later and 2 PS3 models die on me, one phat launch PS3 and one slim. I'm still on my first wii and its held up fine.

 

[TunaLover]

I'm on my launch Wii, never had a problem, except for the lens drive, those things only last me like 1 year tops. They need to adress disc drive problems with Wii U.

 

[Hiltz]

I had my launch Wii but the laser drive broke in December 2010 so that had to be replaced. Not sure if it had to do with leaving the console on all the time with the light on yellow.

 

[Coolwhip]

I'm not judging guys.

I just remember getting into arguments on the power of the GCN based on dimensions back in 2001. Using PS2 and Xbox size dimensions there was no way the GCN could be anywhere near as powerful, Nintendo being realistic with ingame poly counts didn't help.

Haha oh man I remember that. Everyone was going crazy about polygon counts those days, xbox had mad poly power! Then Nintendo came out with some pathetic number. Has Nintendo ever been good at selling itself?

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Haha oh man I remember that. Everyone was going crazy about polygon counts those days, xbox had mad poly power! Then Nintendo came out with some pathetic number. Has Nintendo ever been good at selling itself?

The N64 is pretty much all I can think of myself.

Honestly, though I can see why people would get so confused in the GCN days. MS and Sony put out bs poly counts, neither came anywhere close to realistically, of 66 million polies per second, and MS 120 million polies per second.

Nintendo said "Likely 6-12 million under most gaming scenarios."

Very realistic if not conservative, and completely out of the range of the other two consoles "peak". Doesn't help that the thing was a purple cube.

I loved my purkle cube tho.

 

[AceBandage]

Launch Wii here.
No problems outside of the black screens sometimes (but that's an OS problem, not a hardware issue.)

 

[Easy_D]

I'm on my 3rd Wii, yet i still have my original working NES, SuperNintendo, Gamecube, and 2 DS's and possibly my brother's original Virtual Boy........ Iwata, what did you do different.

Launch Wii present. No issues, no artifacts, dual-layered discs work fine!

Edit: Maybe it's worth adding that it's a PAL unit

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Launch Wii Still working like a charm. Only problem I've had is that its had troubles reading dual-layered discs in the past, but that was an easy fix.

 

[Electivirus]

Launch Wii. No problems at all.

 

[snesfreak]

On my second Wii, had a major problem with my first one.




































My fucking landlord stole it.

 

[AceBandage]

And Nintendo didn't cover that? Bastards!

 

[herzogzwei1989]

I hope Wii U isn't a SoC design. I hope there is a seperate CPU and GPU. I don't know why, maybe I'm thinking if it's a SoC that each part will be comprimised. I know there are some advantages to a SoC design, but there are also advantages to discrete designs too.

 

[AceBandage]

There's no way it's system on chip.
The CPU and GPU are definitely separate parts.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Nintendo said "Likely 6-12 million under most gaming scenarios."

Very realistic if not conservative, and completely out of the range of the other two consoles "peak". Doesn't help that the thing was a purple cube.

.

Definitely VERY conservative. I remember talking to one of the Factor 5 guys back in the days when the Alias list serv was still active, he said Rogue Squadron was hitting 16 mill polys at peak and that with the sequel they were close to doubling that.

Granted they weren't having to deal with deformations and such but still super impressive.




Also on my launch Wii.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

My launch Wii is still working great aside from the drive "buzzing" when I use discs instead of homebrew. My other two Wii's working perfectly. But my point was in relation to past Nintendo consoles the quality control certainly isn't as high.

 

[TunaLover]

I have really bad luck with my Wii lens replacements, I'm on my third lens...
Maybe I should try with the lens cleaner kit, before change the lens. I hope Wii U have reliable disc drivers, I'm very burnt with dual layers disc problems =/

Good thing I backed up all my games, because the drive was about to die, M:OM didn't start until after almost 10 tries, same with SSBB, so, I only use the drive to backup my games to a HDD.

 

[AceBandage]

My launch Wii is still working great aside from the drive "buzzing" when I use discs instead of homebrew. My other two Wii's working perfectly. But my point was in relation to past Nintendo consoles the quality control certainly isn't as high.

Less moving parts is the biggest reason.
The Wii had a big old specially built DVD drive, which was its biggest downfall.

 

[Rocket Punch]

Oh man, when my launch Wii goes I'll probably cry. I have so many virtual console and Wiiware games on it right now. Has Nintendo said anything about being able to transfer them to Wii U when it comes out?

 

[AceBandage]

Oh man, when my Wii goes I'll probably cry. I have so many virtual console and Wiiware games on it. Did Nintendo mention if we're gonna be able to transfer them to Wii U when it comes out?

There will likely be some sort of way to do it. It won't be pretty, though.

 

[herzogzwei1989]

There's no way it's system on chip.
The CPU and GPU are definitely separate parts.

I sure hope so.

 

[Rocket Punch]

There will likely be some sort of way to do it. It won't be pretty, though.

Save files can stay behind. As long as I can play the actual games I'll be ok.

 

[KrawlMan]

There will likely be some sort of way to do it. It won't be pretty, though.

Not that I have all that many Wii VC games, but I will be thrilled if this is the case.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

My launch Wii couldn't read Brawl.

It was one of them that had the issue reading dual layer games.

I had to re-download the games, but did not have to re-buy them. Praise Jesus!

 

[Dreamwriter]

Oh man, when my launch Wii goes I'll probably cry. I have so many virtual console and Wiiware games on it right now. Has Nintendo said anything about being able to transfer them to Wii U when it comes out?

When you send your Wii in to Nintendo to get repaired, they can move the Wiiware/VC account to the new system, allowing the games to be redownloaded for free. You'll lose your saves, though.

As for transferring purchases, Nintendo already has a system setup to transfer from DSi to 3DS, so it's pretty much a guarantee they'd have the exact same thing for Wii->Wii U.

 

[BurntPork]

Less moving parts is the biggest reason.
The Wii had a big old specially built DVD drive, which was its biggest downfall.

Well, since Wii U doesn't need to use GCN discs, it should be closer to a standard drive, right?

 

[AceBandage]

Well, since Wii U doesn't need to use GCN discs, it should be closer to a standard drive, right?

It'll be a BluRay Drive derivative. They're usually fairly well built. There also likely won't be an HDD (all solid state memory), so you won't have to worry about that as much.
The biggest issue will be heat, but that is always big on Nintendo's check list, so that should be fine.

Then.... you have the controller.
Dead pixels (a problem with ALL LCDs) and malfunctioning sticks could be a problem.

 

[Forsaken82]

So at best we're looking at Uncharted 2-quality at 1080p 60fps and a couple improved effects, and that may be pushing it. Do we really need any more than that on a Nintendo console, aside from our inside-baseball analytical stuff about third-party etc?

If that were true (not saying it is or will be) how is that a bad thing for ANY future system? Uncharted 2 was a great looking game... that ran at 30 fps and 720p. You make it sound like a 2x framerate jump and 1080p is slouching. I think the better question is do we need ANY next gen system that run games at 1080p and 60fps to look better than that. Do you expect games like Samaritan to run at 1080p and 60fps on next gen systems or something?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

My Wii has been mostly fine

My Wii A/C adapters have dropped like flies, though.

 

[SolarPowered]

I'm on my 3rd Wii, yet i still have my original working NES, SuperNintendo, Gamecube, and 2 DS's and possibly my brother's original Virtual Boy........ Iwata, what did you do different.

Launch Wii still works pretty well so I'd say they haven't done anything different.

 

[Ryoku]

I'm on my second Wii, but that's because my brother and his friends decided to mess with my launch Wii, and ended up breaking it. Wouldn't start up at all.
Nintendo replaced it at no extra charge.

 

[InfiniDragon]

Launch Wii still works perfectly here.

Wish I could say the same about my poor launch 360.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Launch Wii still works perfectly here.

Wish I could say the same about my poor launch 360.

I've been through two 360's so far, first under warranty, second not.

My best friend has practically let me have his. He bought it for FFXIII and Vesperia. After he played them he's had little reason to start it up.

 

[The M.O.B]

My launch Wii is fine too, though my bro had to manually fix the laser so we could play dual-layer games like Brawl.

My gamecube broke about 3 years after launch though. :/

 

[Tackhead #9]

My gamecube broke about 3 years after launch though. :/

Broken Gamecube? I thought those things were fairly indestructible?

My launch Wii is still operating smoothly. All my consoles are in fairly good nick, though my SNES controllers keep breaking and my Genesis sometimes takes a few attempts to actually find the game cartridge.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Broken Gamecube? I thought those things were fairly indestructible?

My launch Wii is still operating smoothly. All my consoles are in fairly good nick, though my SNES controllers keep breaking and my Genesis sometimes takes a few attempts to actually find the game cartridge.

My SNES survived one of my dogs having the liquid squits.

Controller ports on my Genesis stopped working after a couple of years, my N64 still runs like a champ, my GCN breathed it's last breath last year, my PSX and PS2 didn't last the generation, my Xbox still runs pretty well, my Dreamcast won't read a single disk, my NES doesn't do anything anymore, my Colecovision disappeared three moves ago, my BrickBoy was given to my aunt almost two decades ago, my Game Gear still works, can't find my GBA, the hinge is loose on my DS, and my brothers Virtual Boy still works.

I think that's all of my videogame systems.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

My SNES survived one of my dogs having the liquid squits.

Controller ports on my Genesis stopped working after a couple of years, my N64 still runs like a champ, my GCN breathed it's last breath last year, my PSX and PS2 didn't last the generation, my Xbox still runs pretty well, my Dreamcast won't read a single disk, my NES doesn't do anything anymore, my Colecovision disappeared three moves ago, my BrickBoy was given to my aunt almost two decades ago, my Game Gear still works, can't find my GBA, the hinge is loose on my DS, and my brothers Virtual Boy still works.

I think that's all of my videogame systems.

My knees bend both ways.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

My DS Lite hinge broke.

There were two problems

A) It was out or warranty and there was a $75 fee
B) It was from Japan and in a color not offered in America

They only managed to get me the same color, but after a lot of "I've been a customer since the 1980s! You can check my Nintendo Power information!" cajoling, they eventually agreed to repair it for free and sent me a free copy of Metroid Prime 1 with it, which I gave to a friend.

 

[Freezie KO]

I'm on my third Wii.

My launch unit had freezing issues. Repaired for free. In fact, they sent me a new one and had me send back the old Wii in the box, so I was never without a console.

My second one had disc drive issues. It was killed by Black Ops, which overworks the Wii somehow. I called, mentioned that I knew Black Ops was breaking Wiis and wanted mine fixed for free (please), and they immediately set up a repair.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

My DS Lite hinge broke.

There were two problems

A) It was out or warranty and there was a $75 fee
B) It was from Japan and in a color not offered in America

They only managed to get me the same color, but after a lot of "I've been a customer since the 1980s! You can check my Nintendo Power information!" cajoling, they eventually agreed to repair it for free and sent me a free copy of Metroid Prime 1 with it, which I gave to a friend.

You're too reasonable!

A real Nintendo fan would have offered to buy a new system for shaming them.

 

[watershed]

I've been lucky with my nintendo products. My gamecube still works but my xbox crapped out a few years ago and my ps2 only plays certain discs and load times have like tripled, and it freezes occasionally. In fact the 3ds is the only Nintendo hardware I've ever had issue with (besides the universal, blow into the cartridge if it doesn't load issue). Early on my 3ds would occasionally freeze for no reason in a menu or whenever. But it hasn't happened in a while.