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[Snakeyes]

You

I like you !

A pity we had such fog in the first game, this speed, combined with the soundtracks that we included in our magazines at the time in the Press, it was amazing.

Did you work for X64 by any chance? I still have that soundtrack somewhere

But oh man, that rumored commercial with Vettel has to be for an F-Zero game, right?

 

[IdeaMan]

Namco Bandai trademarked Pac-Man Smash! recently, maybe a 3DS or even a Wii U NiN or retail title ? (it could be toys or other products also)

source: European trademark office (n°010786341 for people interested)

 

[StevieP]

The 770 is the GPU used in the HD4870 which is similar to what is rumoured to be in the Wii U. And also I don't have time to posting specs for what is widely available on the internet. Just Google the iPad Gen 3 GPU. Its quite beefy for a mobile device.

The GDDR chips inside *one* of my PC's GPUs suckle more power than the entirety of the iPad 3. That should tell you all you need to know.

 

[lordfroakie]

Did you work for X64 by any chance? I still have that soundtrack somewhere

But oh man, that rumored commercial with Vettel has to be for an F-Zero game, right?

Sounds more like that rumored GT killer from ex Bizzare devs.

 

[Kacho]

What are the chances that we'll be able to transfer purchases on the Wii over to the Wii U?

Did Nintendo offer anything to folks who upgraded their DSi to a 3DS?

 

[AzaK]

Right so its now looking pretty certain that Nintendo have low balled the specs too aggressively again!! Nintendo doesn't need to worry too much about Microsoft and Sony. But they need to worry about Apple. With the pace in which the iPad is developing, in two generations it will out muscle the Wii U. You can already hook up the iPad to a HDTV and Apple is rumoured to have finished developing a controller. That and the fact that iOS games are far cheaper and are becoming more graphically advanced means they are a big threat.

With the 5 years it takes to design a console, it cant be that difficult to make a machine that's affordable and yet competitive in terms of technology. A Mac Mini is not much bigger than the Wii U and that's using off shelf parts. Nintendo is using custom embedded parts and manufacturing at very high volumes which keeps costs down.


...

It's based on all the available information and speculation from leaked developer comments. There's no smoke without fire, if the machine was a beast we would know by now.

As for the iPad every revision thus far has followed a few constants. We do know the iPad gets more powerful graphically every generation. EA (who are close to Apple) have even said the iPad will rival consoles very soon.

I"m sure I've been beaten on all these points already but

1) Where is the controller rumour?
2) It doesn't play Mario
3) Mac Mini is way more expensive than the Wii U will be
4) It doesn't play Mario
5) Any dual screen play with AirPlay is laggy.
6) It doesn't play Mario
7) Current has NO controller
8) It doesn't play Mario
9) There are tonnes of other reports saying Wii U is more powerful

And of course, it doesn't play Mario.

Anyway, I'm not saying Apple aren't a concern because I fully believe they are in the future but I don't think it's doom or gloom this time around with the Wii U. The thing has so much potential it's mind boggling.

 

[lenovox1]

What are the chances that we'll be able to transfer purchases on the Wii over to the Wii U?

Did Nintendo offer anything to folks who upgraded their DSi to a 3DS?

Yeah, Nintendo has a transfer app.

They haven't said anything either way, but if they're going to have Shop Channel content up day one on Wii U (they better), I see no reason why they wouldn't.

Anyway, I'm not saying Apple aren't a concern because I fully believe they are in the future but I don't think it's doom or gloom this time around with the Wii U. The thing has so much potential it's mind boggling.

Well, anything that takes away screen time and money is a concern. Basically, the money she's spending in Words with Friends or FarmVille, she's not spending on Nintendo stuff. But that all comes down to services and games, not specs.

 

[axisofweevils]

Just read this on another forum.

There is a story in David Sheff's book Game Over about how the Nintendo engineers wanted to make the original Famicom/NES a 16-bit system, but were forced to downgrade to 8-bit components to be able to thoroughly trounce competing systems by undercutting their price. The very system that gave life to modern gaming was a cheap, underpowered piece of tech!

I found it ironic, that's all.

 

[axisofweevils]

Yeah, Nintendo has a transfer app.

They haven't said anything either way, but if they're going to have Shop Channel content up day one on Wii U (they better), I see no reason why they wouldn't.

Nintendo are the kings of backwards compatability. There's no way a console called Wii U won't be able to transfer your Wii games over. No way.

 

[BD1]

Yeah, Nintendo has a transfer app.

They haven't said anything either way, but if they're going to have Shop Channel content up day one on Wii U (they better), I see no reason why they wouldn't.

Reggie and Iwata have specifically mentioned lack of eShop support day one as a reason the 3DS stumbled out of the gate. It could have just been an easy excuse for them to explain the lagging sales numbers, but I would be shocked shocked shocked if Wii U doesn't have a fully functional digital store day zero on Wii U.

 

[Donnie]

The 770 is the GPU used in the HD4870 which is similar to what is rumoured to be in the Wii U. And also I don't have time to posting specs for what is widely available on the internet. Just Google the iPad Gen 3 GPU. Its quite beefy for a mobile device.

Oh you mean the RV770, there are different parts using RV770, each with different number of shaders units ect Again why don't you just post the info you've used to come to the conclusion you've come too, if indeed you've even looked at the info and compared it yourself...

 

[test_account]

Just read this on another forum.

There is a story in David Sheff's book Game Over about how the Nintendo engineers wanted to make the original Famicom/NES a 16-bit system, but were forced to downgrade to 8-bit components to be able to thoroughly trounce competing systems by undercutting their price. The very system that gave life to modern gaming was a cheap, underpowered piece of tech!

I found it ironic, that's all.

In 1982/1983, the Famicom wasnt really concidered as underpowered compared to what was on the market for home gaming though. It was actually very good at that time

 

[IdeaMan]

Did you work for X64 by any chance? I still have that soundtrack somewhere

I use the word "we" to describe the french press at the time in its entirety, their publisher was relatively known
This remixes CD was amazing. I think other european magazines, in UK for example, included it

 

[Shurayuki]

Thankfully I think Netflix usage on Wii opened some eyes for Nintndo, and they seem to be looking to expand content delivery on their platforms.

You know I said it a few times before and I'll say it again. Nintendo isn't completely clueless as far as providing online _services_ are concerned. The whole friendcode affair and wonky netcode has been there for a while yes, but as far as functionality is concerned, Nintendo interestingly suffers a similar fate as on the software side:
In Japan, there's actually quite a nice collection of neat features on the Wii

• Wii no Ma - VOD, Shopping and Freebees
• Service that prints photos and business cards (hey japan)
• Food Home-Delivery Service
• TV programme service that actually makes the Wiimote a real Remote

And the stuff we have, most of the above has many peer functions as well.
Nintendo doesn't really suck at online services, you know who sucks at these? NoA and NoE, woe is us 3:

 

[Snakeyes]

@ IdeaMan: Ah, gotcha.

The music was awesome indeed, a shame the series died off after XG3.

 

[fabricated backlash]

Without force feedback? No please..

As much as i would like a racing game on Wii u, i hope they support some wheels..

Still it would be a great starting point for racing newcomers. Unlike the Wiimote, the Upad should be a lot better as a driving wheel. It has some major problems though, since the triggers are digital it sort of defeats the purpose.

 

[v1oz]

You can play. . . you can play Wii Sports on the iPad? You can have a Just Dance party with the iPad? You can stream movies to your flat-screen TV on the iPad with a remote-like device for about $300? You can give the kids Mario Kart, 4 controllers, and forget about them for the rest of the day? Oh, wait. . . you can't?!? And that's never going to happen!?! :-!

Look, the iPad and consoles are two completely different products in the minds of consumers with two completely different usage cases. It's like saying the PC is going to replace consoles any time soon, or the Wii U (with its tablet and likely lower price) could replace an iPad. It's ridiculous speculation that's based on fantasy, a misunderstanding of the market, and wild speculation. And in all likelihood, Nintendo's customer would just have both.

You are right about Nintendo making great games. But its the tech I'm most worried about here and competition from Apple.

Also you can't ignore against the iPad because more people will be using it as a multi purpose consumption device. It does look like the direction in which technology is generally heading. You cannot argue against the synergistic benefits of using one device and account to handle all your entertainment and gaming needs. Especially since this device is getting really powerful and the games are starting to get better. There's a new controller on the way, you can hook it up to the TV and the games are so cheap they are almost impulse purchases.

 

[IdeaMan]

@ IdeaMan: Ah, gotcha.

The music was awesome indeed, a shame the series died off after XG3.

We need futuristic and reallyyyy fast racing games on Wii U, with a lot of content, not "small" titles like the Shinen Wiiware one.

I need to feel DA speed !!

Seriously, the N64/PS1 era was glorious for this genre, between F-Zero X, Extreme-G, WipeOut, or even Star Wars Episode 1 racer, etc.

 

[Deguello]

In 1982/1983, the Famicom wasnt really concidered as underpowered compared to what was on the market for home gaming though. It was actually very good at that time

Not really. The Famicom had a cutting edge processor from... uh... 1975. It's paltry 2 KILOBYTES of RAM were quickly outclassed by the Atari ST which sported 512, which is 256 times more. The Atari ST also had Midi music a good half a decade before the SNES.

Face it, the NES was a piece of tech garbage, made solely for casuals and children and families and nerds and all those other non-persons, and in no way interested the technology magazines and the hardcore gamers of 1985 (such as they were.)

 

[v1oz]

The GDDR chips inside *one* of my PC's GPUs suckle more power than the entirety of the iPad 3. That should tell you all you need to know.

But I didn't say the iPad 3 GPU was more powerful. I said going by what EA have said - in the future it will be. You know the iPad is on a yearly cycle and the GPU is beefed each time.

 

[Shurayuki]

"i-something doomed games" is the new "nintendo is doomed". At least they live happily side by side it seems.
Do we really need to discuss the whole i-thing, it never leads anywhere.

 

[test_account]

Not really. The Famicom had a cutting edge processor from... uh... 1975. It's paltry 2 KILOBYTES of RAM were quickly outclassed by the Atari ST which sported 512, which is 256 times more. The Atari ST also had Midi music a good half a decade before the SNES.

Face it, the NES was a piece of tech garbage, made solely for casuals and children and families and nerds and all those other non-persons, and in no way interested the technology magazines and the hardcore gamers of 1985 (such as they were.)

AtariST is a PC, not a dedicated gaming device. I should have specified that in my previous post, sorry. The Atari ST was also released in 1985, the Famicom was out in 1983. But i know that there were more powerful tech out there in 1982/1983, just look at for example the arcade games back then compared to the home consoles and you see a clear difference. But compared to what you could buy of consoles back then, then the NES/Famicom was definitely concidered as powerful in comparison.

 

[MDX]

An IBM rep said that the Wii U would "feature the technology used in Watson", and people started assuming that there was just going to be a Power7 CPU in the console.

Well I started assuming when on the official IBM Watson twitter tweeted:

#WiiU uses same #power7 chips.

 

[lenovox1]

You are right about Nintendo making great games. But its the tech I'm most worried about here and competition from Apple.

Also you can't ignore against the iPad because more people will be using it as a multi purpose consumption device. It does look like the direction in which technology is generally heading. You cannot argue against the synergistic benefits of using one device and account to handle all your entertainment and gaming needs. Especially since this device is getting really powerful and the games are starting to get better. There's a new controller on the way, you can hook it up to the TV and the games are so cheap they are almost impulse purchases.

It's not even about games, the uses are just different. People are using their iPads for everything you describe (so you understand that), but people are using their consoles for other stuff in conjunction with their tablets, mobile devices, or computers. (ETA: In Nintendo's case, people generally use the Wii to play video games with their family and friends, to have deep, multi-hour experiences with their video games, or to watch Netflix.) Nothing's been replaced.

ETA: Nintendo has to worry more about Microsoft and the Kinect than they do the iPad.

 

[Shurayuki]

It's not even about games, the uses are just different. People are using their iPads for everything you describe (so you understand that), but people are using their consoles for other stuff in conjunction with their tablets, mobile devices, or computers. Nothing's been replaced.

Well it's some kind of convergence. i-Devices are evolving towards the things a gaming console could do for you, and consoles are edging closer to the lifestyle functionality that a tablet would provide.
Meanwhile consoles have become mini-pcs and pc users beg for console games. I'm getting dizzy.

 

[Disorientator]

Latest update of FMOD audio library seems to "fix a crash when playing GCADPCM audio", on the WiiU.

From what I understand that -compressed- format was used for both the Gamecube and the Wii. (hardware decoded?)

For the hardcore techies out there, is it something specifically used for backwards compatibility (e.g not available in "WiiU mode") or could it be actively used on WiiU titles as well?

(or maybe it's software-decoded now)

 

[IdeaMan]

Well I started assuming when on the official IBM Watson twitter tweeted:

http://twitter.com/#!/IBMWatson/statuses/78473693843562498

But it doesn't definitively prove that a Power7 is in the Wii U

The administrators of this twitter, Chris Nay and Michael Holmes, are more in the communication and marketing fields for Watson, it could be "PR statement".

And if it's right, expect tons of customization & trimming to tailor the chip for gaming purposes.

 

[Azure J]

Well I started assuming when on the official IBM Watson twitter tweeted:

Wasn't it a GAffer that asked the quesion and got that response on top of things?

Real talk though, it won't be a straight Power7, shit's too beastly for consoles. It'll probably be a design with Power7's best features but with a slant toward better gaming performance.

 

[Saint Gregory]

ETA: Nintendo has to worry more about Microsoft and the Kinect than they do the iPad.

That's not true, I think Nintendo has to worry about the iPad at least a little bit.

 

[Dreamwriter]

Not really. The Famicom had a cutting edge processor from... uh... 1975. It's paltry 2 KILOBYTES of RAM were quickly outclassed by the Atari ST which sported 512, which is 256 times more. The Atari ST also had Midi music a good half a decade before the SNES.

Face it, the NES was a piece of tech garbage, made solely for casuals and children and families and nerds and all those other non-persons, and in no way interested the technology magazines and the hardcore gamers of 1985 (such as they were.)

I know you're just having fun, but at its launch the NES was the first reprogrammable game system capable of recreating Donkey Kong with arcade quality graphics (which is specifically what the NES was designed to do). And the ST's Midi music was only if you hooked up the computer to a Midi-controlled instrument - this was true MIDI, which was basically a protocol for controlling instruments. So sure, if you hooked up a $5000 keyboard to your ST, it would sound awesome. But by itself, the ST was only capable of basic chiptunes far lower quality than the NES.

 

[Maxrunner]

It's based on all the available information and speculation from leaked developer comments. There's no smoke without fire, if the machine was a beast we would know by now.

As for the iPad every revision thus far has followed a few constants. We do know the iPad gets more powerful graphically every generation. EA (who are close to Apple) have even said the iPad will rival consoles very soon.

yeah and then turns into vapor....it seems only Apple can shrink down its chips to get more power, but not any other electronic manufacterer.....

 

[Deguello]

AtariST is a PC, not a dedicated gaming device. I should have specified that in my previous post, sorry. I know that there were more powerful tech out there in 1982/1983, just look at for example the arcade games back then compared to the home consoles and you see a clear difference. But compared to what you could buy of consoles back then, then the NES/Famicom was definitely concidered as powerful in comparison.

I don't know, both the Atari 7800 and the Sega SG-1000 outclassed the NES in both speed and capacity. Even the Sega Master System had 4 times the RAM of the NES.

 

[MDX]

http://twitter.com/#!/IBMWatson/statuses/78473693843562498

But it doesn't absolutely prove that a Power7 is in the Wii U

The administrators of this twitter, Chris Nay and Michael Holmes, are more in the communication and marketing fields for Watson, it could be "PR statement".

And if it's right, expect tons of customization & trimming to tailor the chip for gaming purposes.

The key word is "chip"
If its not power7 based, then what is it based on?

 

[Shurayuki]

That's not true, I think Nintendo has to worry about the iPad at least a little bit.

I think they'll try to upstream (to stay with the blue ocean terminology) those who so far didn't consider picking up a dedicated gaming device.
Basically iPad would actually expand the marked for Nintendo rather than take it away.
*distributes wishful thinking hats to all of us and nintendo*

 

[M74]

In Japan, there's actually quite a nice collection of neat features on the Wii

• Wii no Ma - VOD, Shopping and Freebees
• Service that prints photos and business cards (hey japan)
  [*]Food Home-Delivery Service
  
• TV programme service that actually makes the Wiimote a real Remote

Dear NoA,

Please bring this feature to WiiU. You're missing out on a goldmine. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Overweight American Gamers

 

[IdeaMan]

The key word is "chip"
If its not power7 based, then what is it based on?

Don't get me wrong, from the official IBM announcement from last year + this tweet + what we know from the system, it hints more toward a customized CPU based on Power 7 than on another IBM processor.

But if in the end, it's really based on that model, the CPU is not a simple (read: untouched) Power7 chip, but you already know that

 

[AzaK]

Well, anything that takes away screen time and money is a concern. Basically, the money she's spending in Words with Friends or FarmVille, she's not spending on Nintendo stuff. But that all comes down to services and games, not specs.

Absolutely agree. By concern I meant such concern that Nintendo are about to go under and I don't think it's anywhere near that yet. They do need to look at Apple now that Apple are dominating that casual space.

Because phones are so portable and utilitarian I don't think Nintendo can do much to counter them. I don't believe the casual gamer will swap their iPhone for the 3DS (Or even take a 3DS along with them) and so I think there's a certain market of games that smartphones are going to completely own for many years.

"Portable" gaming in the home though is an area where they can get some ground back however I think they need to work on that utility. As a start they need to have those "go to" apps that people use all the time like Facebook, Twitter, Email, Web and Youtube. If, when using the Subscreen for some other task, they can easily get to those applications then they may be more likely to not be too worried about having their other device at arm's reach. Essentially it's about changing mindshare from one device to the other.

Then of course there needs to be the appeal of the other "applications" of the device. Be that enthusiast games (Although that's a small fraction), blue ocean type games (Wii Fit U), hobbies like drawing/painting, "video chat" and a myriad other apps that probably only Nintendo can think of.

However, when implementing social style applications they really need to move outside of their own closed platform so as to get a wider install base and pull in users who might not necessarily own Nintendo products. If MS hadn't have bought Skype that would have been the obvious option for video chat. Instead I think they need to make/buy an application that will work on Windows and OSX PCs and smartphones.

Anyway, I think there's a lot of things that Nintendo do that Apple just can't or won't do (Nintendo makes games with peripherals that sell millions like Wii Fit) and so long as Nintendo broaden their horizons and interface with other platforms I think they have a bright future.

 

[lenovox1]

That's not true, I think Nintendo has to worry about the iPad at least a little bit.

I didn't say they didn't have to worry about Apple at all. The money people spend on video games hasn't changed, even though we've got all these things to spend money on now. Like I said in a post before, any money Apple's devices get from video games is money Nintendo's not seeing. Now that comes down to offering things people want to play or experience.

Well it's some kind of convergence. i-Devices are evolving towards the things a gaming console could do for you, and consoles are edging closer to the lifestyle functionality that a tablet would provide.
Meanwhile consoles have become mini-pcs and pc users beg for console games. I'm getting dizzy.

Sure, but what Microsoft and Sony (and Nintendo to some extent) have been doing is making things and offering content that would be appropriate on the TV. And mobile devices are great and are doing marvelous things, but they can't replicate the experience consoles provide for either the family gamer or the traditional gamer.

And mentioning how the iPad can stream to TVs via Airplay is almost pointless, because nobody has an Apple TV. That's why people stream Netflix through the Wii. It's either the only thing they have that can do it or it's the easiest for them to use.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I think they'll try to upstream (to stay with the blue ocean terminology) those who so far didn't consider picking up a dedicated gaming device.
Basically iPad would actually expand the marked for Nintendo rather than take it away.
*distributes wishful thinking hats to all of us and nintendo*

Nintendo wants to appeal to consumers are are familiar with tablets in the same way that they modeled the Wii controller as a TV remote, something else that people would find familiar, but in terms of competing for free time I think very few tablet owners are going to see the Wii U tablet as comparable unless Nintendo has made big changes to it since last E3.

I didn't say they didn't have to worry about Apple at all. The money people spend on video games hasn't changed, even though we've got all these things to spend money on now. Like I said in a post before, any money Apple's devices get from video games is money Nintendo's not seeing. Now that comes down to offering things people want to play or experience.

I was actually being slightly facetious there because I don't attribute the 360's rise to heaven to Kinect as much as the media and most Gaffers do and thus I don't see them as a real threat to Nintendo's family audience. Apple actually is though, as Nintendo themselves have said.

 

[Thraktor]

Well I started assuming when on the official IBM Watson twitter tweeted:

Hmm, hadn't heard of that. I'd agree with IdeaMan, though, it's most likely just PR people misspeaking. If the Wii U actually had a Power7 chip inside it it would crap all over the XBox360 performance wise (not to mention cost more than the PS3 did and need even more vents).

As I say, though, the Wii U's CPU will probably be something like a very, very slimmed down Power7. A three core, 2-way SMT, OoO pipeline with eDRAM cache and more modern AltiVec units, with an instruction set based on Power ISA v2.06, but heavily customized for Nintendo's needs.

 

[test_account]

I don't know, both the Atari 7800 and the Sega SG-1000 outclassed the NES in both speed and capacity. Even the Sega Master System had 4 times the RAM of the NES.

When it comes to pure hardware specs, i cant really say much since i dont know much about that. But from the games that were produced (which should be a good indication of what the system can do), there were no real big difference between those 3 systems from what i've seen.

SG-1000 games

Atari 7800 games

NES/Famicom games


The Sega Master System however have some games where the characters looks noticeably more detailed. And sometimes the colors looks a bit more clear/brighter. But it wasnt a groundbreaking improvement from what i've seen.

 

[tkscz]

I don't know, both the Atari 7800 and the Sega SG-1000 outclassed the NES in both speed and capacity. Even the Sega Master System had 4 times the RAM of the NES.

... you're joking right? The 7800 and SG-1000 look better on paper, but hardware wasn't as good, nor as well balanced as the NES. The Master System was made with the sole purpose of being stronger than the NES, it's why master system games tend to look a little better.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Racing - Nintendo Wii U

Maximum Family Games LLC

Maximum Family Games is, as probably heard on the name, a budget developer similar to Game Factory. For Wii, they've developed the following titles:

• Burger Bot
• Canada Hunt
• Kart Racer
• Maximum Racing: Crash Car Racer
• Maximum Racing: Drag & Stock Racer
• Maximum Racing: GP Classic Racing
• Sprint Cars
• Truck Racer
• Veggy World

They are also behind Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition for PC. As for Wii U, it is most likely a Wii port, I don't see them putting any greater attention to anything developed especially for Wii U, seeing how graphics appear to be no priority in the games they developed for Wii.

http://www.maximumfamilygames.com/

Actually, they're not a developer, only a publisher, they published Sniper Elite for Wii which was developed by Rebellion and ported to Wii by Raylight for instance.

On the PS3 and 360, they're publishing Milestone and Black Bean's WRC 2 and SBK 2011. They also published Sledgehammer (truck racing game) for the 360.

Could be a port of either, though I'd place my bets on SBK. An exclusive would be neat. But I doubt it'll happen. Just as long as it's not by Brain in a Jar (who made the racers in your list, which indeed, sucked). I can't trust them after their own IP, Jungle Kartz for Wii, also sucked ass seemingly. Looks awful.

 

[DefectiveReject]

Meh. Tablets in general are replacing laptops (which could do everything an iPad could do and more)

Apple will be more concerned with Google stating they will throw themselves behind tablets than any gaming company.

 

[v1oz]

Oh you mean the RV770, there are different parts using RV770, each with different number of shaders units ect Again why don't you just post the info you've used to come to the conclusion you've come too, if indeed you've even looked at the info and compared it yourself...

Because I'm speculating about what may happen in the near future. Remember this whole thread is about "speculation".

In any case for each successive iPad from gen 1 up to 3 there has been a rough doubling of GPU performance measured in GLOPS. I will use GFLOPS just for the sake of comparison. The HD4870 is rated at 1008 GFLOPS, to be conservative I will say the Wii GPU could be around 812 GFLOPS. The iPad 3 GPU is 32GLOPS. But the new PowerVR series 6 Rogue is coming out soon. And if keeping with the current pace of progress, in just 4 successive generations the iPad will hitting over 1000 GLOPS. But even before that the Wii U will have fallen way behind in terms of feature set. Which subjectively speaking will make a bigger difference in graphics.

 

[AceBandage]

Because I'm speculating about what may happen in the near future. Remember this whole thread is about "speculation".

In any case for each successive iPad from gen 1 up to 3 there has been a rough doubling of GPU performance measured in GLOPS. I will use GFLOPS just for the sake of comparison. The HD4870 is rated at 1008 GFLOPS, to be conservative I will say the Wii GPU could be around 812 GFLOPS. The iPad 3 GPU is 32GLOPS. But the new PowerVR series 6 Rogue is coming out soon. And if keeping with the current pace of progress, in just 4 successive generations the iPad will hitting over 1000 GLOPS. But even before that the Wii U will have fallen way behind in terms of feature set.

Why are you comparing mobile tech, a field which has been seeing massive progression towards (not past) desktop tech, to consoles?
This is horribly misguided.

 

[AzaK]

Why are you comparing mobile tech, a field which has been seeing massive progression towards (not past) desktop tech, to consoles?
This is horribly misguided.

In fairness, desktops are heading more towards tablets if Windows 8 and Lion are anything to go by And I think he's comparing them because an utter crap-ton of people are gaming on tablets and the like nowadays.

 

[DefectiveReject]

In fairness, desktops are heading more towards tablets if Windows 8 and Lion are anything to go by And I think he's comparing them because an utter crap-ton of people are gaming on tablets and the like nowadays.

Indeed. But the tech is still different..... wanna see my new iPad with vents..... lots and lots of vents.

 

[Thraktor]

Because I'm speculating about what may happen in the near future. Remember this whole thread is about "speculation".

In any case for each successive iPad from gen 1 up to 3 there has been a rough doubling of GPU performance measured in GLOPS. I will use GFLOPS just for the sake of comparison. The HD4870 is rated at 1008 GFLOPS, to be conservative I will say the Wii GPU could be around 812 GFLOPS. The iPad 3 GPU is 32GLOPS. But the new PowerVR series 6 Rogue is coming out soon. And if keeping with the current pace of progress, in just 4 successive generations the iPad will hitting over 1000 GLOPS. But even before that the Wii U will have fallen way behind in terms of feature set. Which subjectively speaking will make a bigger difference in graphics.

Actually if you were to assume a doubling of theoretical power each generation, it would take 5 years for the iPad to reach 1000Gflops. The problem is that Apple's A series SoCs are limited by one major factor: battery life. The improvement in power of the A5X over the A5 came at the expense of a 70% increase in power draw, which meant a 70% larger battery. Unless either battery technology becomes 30 times more efficient in the next 5 years (it won't), or the Gflops/watt achieved by mobile graphics chips improves by a similar measure (again, it won't), that same pace of improvement isn't going to last.

 

[AceBandage]

In fairness, desktops are heading more towards tablets if Windows 8 and Lion are anything to go by And I think he's comparing them because an utter crap-ton of people are gaming on tablets and the like nowadays.

Right, but tablets aren't going to magically pass PCs, especially not with the battery tech we have.
Saying that the iPad is going to continue the leaps and bounds it has for any foreseeable future is foolish. It's going to level off very soon, in fact.