Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.
Nintendo still hasn't confirmed any of the technical specs of the Wii hardware in detail, and we wouldn't recommend you hold your breath until they do. They don't want people making assumptions of what the system can or can't do based on arbitrary numbers and jargon. We do know that the Wii is much more than "two Gamecubes taped together." In addition to the revolutionary controllers, we get integrated Wi-Fi, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 48 MB more RAM, internal flash storage, an SD card slot, full-sized DVD disc capacity, and a new operating system and GUI that brings us software like Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Forecast Channel, and Internet Channel. Wii Shop and Virtual Console could not have been done on Gamecube, and with support for component output reintegrated, we can enjoy our old and new games in glorious 480p. That's a pretty long list of upgrades over the Gamecube, and it's in a smaller, more attractive package.
With 50% faster GPU, CPU, and memory speeds, Nintendo didn't make quite as large a leap beyond their prior console as Sony and Microsoft did, but they made their design decisions to keep production high and prices low. That's not to say the hardware can't produce epic games with great graphics.
729MHz IBM PowerPC-derived CPU, codename "Broadway" manufactured on a 90nm SOI process
243MHz ATi-designed GPU (now AMD), codename "Hollywood" manufactured on a 90nm process
3MB eDRAM and 24MB 1-T SRAM on the GPU
64MB GDDR3 external "A-RAM"
512MB NAND flash memory
SD card reader for storage expansion
8.5GB DVD9 optical disc drive
802.11b internal Wi-Fi adapter
Bluetooth internal wireless I/O adapter
These days, a 729MHz single core CPU practically warrants a "pshaw" and a dismissive wave of the hand. Some developers wouldn't get out of bed for less than 2GHz. But (as CPU manufacturers have been forced to admit in recent years) clockspeed is not all that matters. The Broadway is a RISC architecture, so by nature it can do more with its roughly 730MHz than the CISC Xbox CPU can. When we first heard the Nintendo 64 would be deviating from console tradition by using a RISC processor, we were directed to look at Macs as an example of one such architecture. To put the Wii's power in perspective, I started learning Photoshop in college on a 366MHz PowerPC G3 Mac, which had only 64MB of RAM. (And we liked it!) Doing my homework on a 550MHz Intel system didn't make filters and effects render any faster. A ~730MHz PowerPC-family chip is no slouch when it comes to general purpose applications, and apps like the Internet Channel, the Photo Channel, and Everybody Votes can be considered general purpose. The Mac platform was never strongly marketed for its games, but that's not for lack of power. To the contrary, id Software made the grand unveiling of Quake 3, one of their most popular PC games, on a PowerPC-based Mac. And while the "competition" has since adopted PowerPC-based architectures, they're still taking a more brute force approach and pricing themselves right out of the hands of eager gamers.
Wii's diminutive "Broadway" CPUs manufactured by IBM
"Hollywood" is a dual-chip configuration, which doesn't look dissimilar to the 
Xbox 360's "Xenos" GPU. However, the 2 chips that comprise the "Xenos" package are both dedicated to graphics processing, while one chip ("Vegas") handles I/O, RAM access, and graphics processing, and the other ("Napa") integrates the audio DSP with the 24MB pool of 1-T SRAM. It's definitely not in the same class as the "state of the art" GPUs in the PS3 and Xbox 360, but it's not quite the relic some would have you believe. Its TEV engine performs the functions we would normally expect of the pixel shaders and texture units in more common GPU architectures. It can work with as many as 8 texture layers per pass (specular maps, diffuse maps, normal maps, etc.), so it's quite possible to have bumpy, shiny graphics at least equivalent to what the Xbox can render. We've seen developers making use of the EMBM effect of the hardware, and Starfox Adventures already showed us how well the hardware can handle fur shader effects.
Now, it's a little confusing that the 24MB of 1-T SRAM that was the main system memory for the Gamecube has been moved onto the GPU package in the Wii. We also have a flip-flop in the configuration where the external auxiliary memory is now in greater capacity than the internal system memory. That increase, along with an increase in bandwidth, gives the external memory more versatility. The 16MB pool of 1-T SRAM in the Gamecube was fairly limited in functionality, and commonly thought of as a buffer for audio samples. It's a strange prioritization having 16MB for audio and 3MB for graphics, but there just wasn't enough bandwidth in the A-RAM to use it for much more demanding tasks. That problem has been addressed in the Wii where the A-RAM bandwidth matches that of the system memory.
Both Xbox 360 and PS3 have multiple gigabytes of hard drive space to use as a cache for loading data faster than is possible directly from the optical drive. Wii's A-RAM can be used in the same way. 64MB isn't much, but it's 4x more than the Gamecube had, and it allows even faster access than the hard drives in those other consoles. What does that mean for games? Maintaining the same quick and/or infrequent load times we had on the Gamecube, we could have larger levels, or levels that are filled with more objects.
What about higher resolution textures? Well, not so much ... Yes, we can pull those off the disc into the A-RAM, but when it's time to apply the textures to models and the world, we're still stuck with the same 3MB of eDRAM on the "Hollywood" as we saw in Gamecube's "Flipper." Usually, it's divvied up 1MB for texture caching and 2MB for z-buffering and frame buffers. It doesn't necessarily curse us to textures worse than on the PS2. Although the PS2 has 4MB eDRAM for graphics, it doesn't employ texture compression. Wii and GC's S3TC can make the 1MB of texture cache seem more like 8MB, and with a greater range of colors than we see in PS2 textures.
We could have lived with the slow CPU and GPU. We could have bought a Wi-Fi network adapter and wireless Remote controllers. We could have played games spanning multiple 1.5GB mini-DVDs. But what really makes the Wii more than just a "Gamecube 1.5" is the internal flash memory. For the first time, we can upgrade and instantly get new games for our Nintendo systems without leaving the house. The flash memory can store system software updates and new channels that enhance the functionality of the system. We can create levels and trade them through WiiConnect24, or potentially download extra content from the game developers. And it makes the Virtual Console possible.
When we take in the whole picture, it is evident that Nintendo doesn't intend for the world of Wii possibilities to be populated with just PS2 ports and minigames. Epic games with online multiplayer, downloadable content and improved graphics are all apparent in Nintendo's upgrades to the Gamecube base hardware. "So where are these games?" you cry. "They're comin'!" was Nintendo's reply at E3. You may not have heard it over the sound of them patting themselves on the back, but they did show more of Super Mario Galaxy and gave us release dates for it and Smash Brothers Brawl, and thankfully didn't announce anymore delays to Metroid Prime 3.
It's pretty clear in my mind that when Iwata-san was presaging our first impressions of the Wii's graphics rendering aptitude, he was thinking of Super Mario Galaxy. The graphics certainly make us say "WOW," followed by a *thud* and then silence as our jaws hit and remain on the floor. Nearly every surface is coated with sharp detail textures and EMBM effects. The artistic use of rim lighting plays well with the celestial motif and makes Mario look seriously out of this world!
Bump mapped for your pleasure
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is shaping up to raise the already stellar production values set by the first 2 Metroid Prime games to even higher heights. Instead of getting the narrative from scanning artifacts and scenery for transcribed histories, we'll be interacting with live people that actually speak and join us in the intense action. And there's guaranteed to be plenty of shooting, now that we have a nifty controller that works for aiming. The color palette is much more vibrant this time around, and it's Metroid Prime, so you know you're going to be saying "WOW!"
Smash Brothers Melee sold more units than any other Gamecube game, so I'm sure you're as impatient as we are for December 3rd to come. The sales figures of Smash Brothers Brawl will show the world that it's not just senior citizens lining up Saturday night outside of Target to take home a Wii on Sunday morning. Unless our grannies, too, have been fervently waiting to make Snake bust some CQC on Pikachu. We're still looking forward to finding out what modes will be supported, while anxiously anticipating Wi-Fi matches. In the meanwhile, we'll have Mario Strikers: Charged and BWii to satiate our online multiplayer hunger.
We're counting on Nintendo to school third parties on how to make deep games with stunning graphics. The hardware's capable, but do you think Nintendo's setting the right example? Do you think third party developers will broaden their lineups for us? Give us your view in the comments.
UPDATE: I swapped the names of the chips in the "Hollywood" package. Thanks, fatnbald!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-24-2007 @ 12:42PM
vidGuy said...
Fantastic post. It's hilarious to me that people point to the specs and say "it's not even an XBOX!". They also claim that the pieces are just overclocked GC parts without any knowledge of the true architecture. It's about time someone broke it down; this should be mandatory reading for anyone pointing at the spec sheet. The only thing I think they could have done better with is the RAM - as mentioned, more (specialized) RAM means better textures and quicker load times.
The Wii won't be able to do some things that even the XBOX did, and it's definitely not a 360 or PS3 hardware wise, but it's definitely more than 2x GCs overall. I wouldn't be surprised if we see games on level with the 360's Kameo by the end of the Wii's life. SMG and Brawl are already great steps in that direction.
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7-24-2007 @ 12:56PM
Nushio said...
I'm loving these weekly features. They really show some insight.
And although PPC>x86, I'll stick to my x86 for the time being :P
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7-24-2007 @ 12:57PM
troy said...
This article rocked! Thanks for writing. http://nintendoblogcartridge.blogspot.com
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7-24-2007 @ 1:00PM
hvnlysoldr said...
Nice. Bookmarked. It's not the toughest but by God it's a workhorse.
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7-24-2007 @ 1:20PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@Nushio
Our modern x86 chips have taken on a more RISC-like design. They are able to execute many more instructions per clock cycle than the chips from just a few years ago. Even Apple has adopted the Intel x86 platform to power the current generation of Macs.
But we may all end up switching back to PowerPCs, as our consoles continue to evolve into full-featured multimedia computers.
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7-24-2007 @ 1:42PM
zelder_man said...
Even if the Wii had N64 grahpics, I would still get it. I love the controller and makes the games that more immersive. Don't get me wrong, I am really glad the graphics are getting better like they should, but I can't wait to see what the Wii 2 has to offer. I have a feeling we won't know for a very long time. The Big 3 are gonna keep these console out for as long as possible.
Love the articles and read them every week. Keep up the great job!!
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7-24-2007 @ 2:35PM
fatnbald said...
Nice article, but I think you reversed the roles of Napa and Vegas.
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7-24-2007 @ 2:37PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@fatnbald
I've come across conflicting information, but the most reputable source I've found supports what you're saying, so I'll edit that.
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20061127/124495/
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7-24-2007 @ 3:39PM
ger said...
re Apple switching to Intel, the way i read it was not becasue the new intel chips were better (closer to RISC) it was becasue they would be able to run Windows (it made boot camp and parrallels possible) in turn helping Mac adoption rates becasue if people freaked about Mac OS they could go back to Windows AND IBM was focusing on the console markets more than Apple's computer market. Apple would not have been a primary consumer of PPC and thus not get the attention they felt they deserved compare that with Intel being just tickled that they switched.
plus the lack of portable g5 for laptops only helped seal the switch.
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7-24-2007 @ 3:40PM
wiibitchslapper said...
artical touches on some points but theres ovious glaring points that rape xbox clockspeed brainwashed fools tut tut you dont know anything.....
broadway cpu custom optermized 750 powerpc its way above a mac g3 yes based on that family but oh please grow up its a 2006 spec ibm chip
broadway copperwire silicon on insulator custom upgraded risc true desktop out of order exacution unit
xbox 1 a aluminium celeron cough shhiit
broadway bus 243mhz plus 4to1 compression = virtual bus of 7.9 gb AND 1MB CATCH
xbox celeron bus 133mhz no compression = 800mb bandwidth AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE NO CONTEST
CUBE RAM 24MB ACESS RAM 16MB SLOW RAM
WII RAM 88MB MAIN RAM UNDISCLOSED ACCESS RAM VIA FLASHDRIVE MY INSIDER SAYS 64MB FLASH CATCH I BELEIVE HIM
88MB MAIN RAM 2 POOLS SUPER FAST 1TSRAM DIE EMBEDDED EVEN QICKER PERFORMANCE ON 2X 64BIT BUSES (THINK CHIP SET LEVEL 3 CATCH)
64MB FLASHCATCH AKA ACCESS RAM AS YOU CAN SEE A GOOD 4XCUBE RAM IN PERFORMANCE AT LEAST
HOLLYWOOD FLIPPER 2, NOT A OVERCLOCKED FLIPPER. CHIP ON DIE IS WAY TO BIG TO BE A SKRINKED FLIPPER THERES SOME BELLS ADDED CLEARLY...
SHIGSY CONFIRMED IN A IGN INTERVIEW CHIPSET IS NOT ONLY MORE POWERFULL ITS TIGHTER INTERCRATION AND EFFFICAENCY THAN THE ALLREADY EFFICENT CUBE...
1TSRAM-R ON DIE IS 5 NANO SECONDS LATENCY CLEARLY CATCH LIKE SPEED GDDR3 IS CLOCK BALANCED AND TIGHTLY INTERGRATED= FASTER THAN USUAL PERFORMANCE
FACTOR 5 WII HAS INSANE FILL RATE PERFORMANCE
MANY 3RD PARTYS HAVE NOW ADMITTED CUBE WAS BEARLY TOUCHED LAST GEN AND MOST PS2 PORT ENGINES USED LESS THAN 40% OF CUBES POWER REALISTIC FIGURES
PER CLOCK EFFICANCIE AND EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE WILL KILL A XBOX, XBOX WAS BOTLENECKED AND INEFFICENT AND ITS GPU WAS BANDWIDTH LIMITED
CPU TO GPU BANDWIDTH AND EXTERNAL/INTERNAL BANDWIDTH ON HOLLYWOOD GPU ARE WOPPING COMPARED TO XBOX FOR CHRIST SAKES
DATA COMPRESSION REAL TIME DECOMPRESSION
TEXTURE COMPRESSION REALTIME DECOMPRESSION
FLOUT COMPRESSION REALTIME DECOMPRESSION
HUGE FAST CATCH MEMORYS WITH MASSIVE BANDWIDTH
IF YOU COMPARE TO X360 WII @ 480P IS COMPARABLE TO X360 @ 720P DO THE MATH ITS OVIOUS WII IS MUCH CLOSER TO 360 THAN A XBOX 1
FACT FACT FACT PROVE MII WRONG X360 FANBOYS
FSB XBOX 133MHZ = 80MB WII 243MHZ PLUS 4TO1 COMPRESSION = 7.9 GB ITS LIKE 10 TIMES FASTER
APPLY THE SAME COMPRESSION TRICKS TO MAIN RAM AND ALL DATA FLOWING AROUND THE SYSTEM THAT 88MB PLUS ACCESS FLASH NO LONGER LOOKS SMALL DOES IT
REMEMBER WII IS INSANLY OVERKILL FOR 480P RENERING wi have seen nothing yet galaxy speaks for its self
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7-24-2007 @ 3:41PM
ger said...
nice piece but i think there's something missing and that would be the focus on software tools. case and point the current issues issues Epic's Unreal engine. sure the Wii hardware is lesser (to be frank) than the xbox or ps3 but the tools developers have available to them will make or break the look and performance of the game. 360 owners boast of a multi core system but the unreal engine has had continued problems tapping into that potential. what good is that v12 if it's only running on 6 cylinders? software, software software.
I'm telling you if some one created a bitchin Wii engine we could get some awesome looking games, I think even Nintendo has a little ways to go before they are really pumping things out to the best of Wii's ability.
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7-24-2007 @ 4:00PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@ger
Yes, Nintendo has been making great strides in delivering better tools to the developers, but we know less about those than we do about the hardware. We've heard of delays in distributing dev kits to some developers, or limited support for Wi-fi and other features, so there's still a lot more they can do to improve.
As for Unreal Engines, it's a little curious that developers are saying there's no Unreal Engine for Wii when Epic has stated that UE2 works fine on the system. Red Steel was built with that engine! Of course I don't ever expect it to be a priority, but I'm hopeful that Epic will continue developing UE2 for Wii. They pulled off some incredible stuff when they tailored the engine to the Xbox hardware.
http://www.unrealtechnology.com/html/technology/ue2x.shtml
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7-24-2007 @ 4:03PM
Mr Khan said...
A good layout of the facts as we know them. Given that none of these have ever been confirmed (except the things easily verifiable, like the DVD 9, USB 2.0, etc)
But the 3DO used RISC, as did the PS1, and the Saturn, but 3DO was the console that pioneered RISC technology in consoles (the company that made 3DO's processors was actually named Advanced RISC Machines, ARM)
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7-24-2007 @ 5:12PM
James said...
@#10: I refer you to http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/10/11
Remember kids, Mister Period lets people know when it's OK to breathe!
Also, we now have these things called "computers" where caps-lock and shift keys allow you to change the case of your message willy-nilly: no more do the limits of the tele-graph machine constrain your expression! Oh, the days we live in!
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7-24-2007 @ 9:18PM
Mike Sylvester said...
@Mr Khan
Yes, I'm aware. But I didn't want to put too much focus on what the other guys were doing. That would have led to me contrasting the hardware in the Wii to PS3 and X360, and it would be a blow to Nintendo Fanboy morale.
But even though Nintendo didn't pioneer the use of RISC chips, they knew it was the way to go long before the PS1 and 3DO came out. Remember, the Super FX chip that powered Star Fox was a RISC processor.
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7-25-2007 @ 12:32AM
accidental said...
Holy hell wiibitchslapper (#10): use some punctuation, keep an eye on the capslock, actually look at what you're typing, and learn to spell.
It was completely impossible to stick with your post. I was actually interested but you lost me man, it read like someone running their mouth on a sugar high.
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7-25-2007 @ 9:56AM
Neal Eaton said...
RE: Apple's Switch to Intel
Not to keep bringing this up (since it is not related to the topic), but Apple changed to Intel processors because IBM and Motorola (2 parts of the AIM (Apple being the 3rd) RISC Power PC development union) was that neither of them were developing new chips at a fast enough rate. ALSO G5 chips are REALLY HOT (note the X360 overheating issues), and are just not as efficient as the new Dual Core Intel chips.
Mac OSX has been able to run on ANY chip architecture since it was the NextStep OS.
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7-25-2007 @ 7:35PM
Doc said...
the only thing that i wish nintendo would have done is, instead of some strange number like 88mb of ram..why not just step up to 128mb of ram and then be able to make ps3 like or 360 like graphics down the line? And in term have a longer shelf life due to games being simular in visual quality to the other more expensive consoles out there. I do think that one thing that not one person fanboy or not can't deny..is that nintendo makes great quality systems..hell i still have a working orginal gameboy for christs' sakes. If MS was smart they would use the same factory to build their next system so it doesn't set fire to your house!
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7-25-2007 @ 8:33PM
Kil said...
That's not a very accurate assesment; The layering system of the Wii mixes the rgba values of different texture maps and combines them. It doesn't pertain to diffuse, specular or normal mapping. Those are shaders effects not built into the Wii. I wouldn't trust a site called Wiifanboy to have the accurate information anyway, it's not a well know tech site.
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7-25-2007 @ 10:24PM
Andrew Carnegie said...
First off, wiibitchslapper's post makes absolutely no sense (you are comparing completely different specs, using all caps too).
Secondly, paraphrased straight from my "Fundamentals of Digital Systems" Professor's mouth, PowerPCs are pretty much CISC systems just like the x86's nowadays, the only conventional RISC systems now are ARM processors (like those found in the DS) otherwise it is just a bulletpoint people put on their processors today.
Third,saying that the games are coming does not give them to me now, nor does it fill the void left by all the crappy tacked on "motion controls". It really pisses me off that the only good game (that I have played) for the Wii is Wii Sports, which feels like a tech demo rather than a game; though I can forgive Nintendo on this because they did bundle it with the console.
Fourth, $250 is too much. I don't mind Nintendo making a profit off of the console hardware, though I'd rather see them break even. Doesn't hurt Nintendo, helps me :).
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7-26-2007 @ 1:38AM
ZephyrXero said...
Not a bad article, but I find your discussion of CISC vs. RISC a little misleading in paragraph 3. You're comparing the Wii's processor to the Xbox 1's processor, rather than the Xbox 360's which is also RISC (as is the PS3's for the most part). It seems a little odd to try and one minute say the Wii can hold it's own against the other current gen systems, but then step back and compare it to a prior gen system that it shouldn't be directly competing with. Perhaps you were mentioning this to counteract people's arguments that "the Wii isn't even as capable as the Xbox 1", but the wording still seems like it could be a little confusing seeing as how even though you can't compare a 729Mhz IBM RISC CPU directly with a 766Mhz Intel Celeron-ish CISC processor, you certainly can put a single core 729Mhz RISC CPU right up against a triple-core 3.2Ghz RISC CPU (Xbox360's).
I think the real question of the Wii's power comes down to two aspects. A: The graphics are plenty powerful for standard definition NTSC/PAL type TVs as the majority of people have right this moment, but will Nintendo's next console come out in time before people are sick of seeing it's blurry/blocky presence on their new 720 and 1080 HDTVs when they finally become the norm over the next year or two? Truthfully, while it will bug the hell out of a graphics whore like me, the common person probably won't notice too much...same as they didn't notice the PS2's lack of anti-aliasing in 99% of its titles even though almost every Gamecube and Xbox game had it. Still...even with that said, looking at the Wii in 480p, and then flipping over to the Xbox360 or PS3 in 1080p will always leave quite a jarring memory in your mind, even if it does have the same shader effects and normal mapping.
B: (and I find this one much more important!) Will the Wii's lackluster power prevent it from really making the most of the wii-mote via advanced physics and AI? While the graphics are immediately obvious to most, many will not stop to think about physics and AI, which will both heavily benefit from more powerful, multi-core CPUs and more RAM. Due to the Wii's natural, tactile nature...users are going to intuitively expect it to react to their motions in game with hyper-realistic physics, and super smart handling of their actions. I'm afraid this is the real area Nintendo has limited themselves with the Wii's limited specs. (And also, this aspect was not mentioned what-so-ever in your article either, just to prove my point).
Don't get me wrong, I really really like the Wii...I just think Nintendo would have been better off to charge $50-100 more so it could have had some slightly better specs and full HDTV support (at least 720p). It would still have sold just as well for $300 as it did at $250 (which I still consider outrageous when you think about these specs). Seriously, it costs 150% more than the gamecube, but only offers about a 50-100% increase in performance? And don't try to justify that with the Wii-mote either because it's been public knowledge since it's launch that both the accelerometer and tilt sensors only add about $6 to it's production cost, another intersting point you could add in if you wanted to make this post a little more fair and balanced.
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7-26-2007 @ 9:57AM
Karyyk said...
Nice article, although it makes it sound like the N64 was the first console to use RISC chips (the Atari Jaguar made use of two custom RISC processors, nicknamed "Tom" and "Jerry"). That puts the Jag only a month behind 3DO on the release list, so at the very least, they're co-pioneers.
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7-26-2007 @ 10:51PM
Spoonerboi said...
Here's what I have to say... In my opinion the Wii has yet to really show what it is capable of. Super Mario Galaxy looks great, as well as Metroid Prime 3, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and to be honest, Super Paper Mario looked great. Twilight Princess looked great, even on Gamecube it looked great, and Nintendo is not going to play the Playstation 2 role,(just about every game looks like shit and there is nothing we can do about it) But realistically, the 1st Xbox had the best graphics last time around, followed then by the Gamecube, and not even close to deserving 3rd, but taking it because it was there, came the Ps2. When we look at the systems and the sales that came for the BIG THREE, despite the graphical prowess over the Ps2, the Ps2 sold the most systems, and was the 3rd-party WHORE. Personally, I think it's sales were due to the fact it is a dvd player,(you know, without having to pay 30 dollars to watch) and a second rate gaming console. Almost all the people I know who own a Ps2, young and old, use it for that, and occasionally buy a videogame here or there. Talk about Stupid right?
Yeah, I thought so. But this time around, the Wii is in it's own category. Officially. Otherwise wouldn't Nintendo have stuck to the "POWERHOUSE" attitude that Microsoft and Sony are flaunting? Yeah, Nintendo, the BIGGEST, and MOST SUCCESSFUL videogame company EVER, is not stupid. They have shown that 720p and 1080P are not necessity, and that $500 consoles are not necessary to sell HUGE. The Wii is doing all this... without DVD playback!!! I personally love my Xbox 360 Elite and my Wii equally, Sony can lick my ass-crack after I sit on it all day playing the other two. Pwned!
Anyway... all my hate for HYPE I mean SONY can be told another time and another place, but truly, The Gamecube could have Run Halo, and It could have made Kingdom Hearts feel right at home, but It kinda just ran it's own path, with Discs Less than half the size of the competition, and still came out with some of the best games available. RE4, SSBM, MP1 & 2, Eternal Darkness, and tons of others.
The Wii has yet to show it's true colors, and once developers stop treating it like the 3rd party Whore, and get serious about making some seriously kick-ass games, then the real power of the Wii will be revealed. Nintendo always has and probably always will have the best graphics for their own 1st party titles, but the potential is there, and game creators just need to wake up. I agree with Vidguy in comment #1, Kameo like Graphics, which are by the way, more than good enough, are just around the corner, and for all of us Graphic Whores out there, the Wii 2 should more than deliver 1080p goodness to our gaming-gasms. The fucking idiotic comment By ZephyrXero about the $6 accelerometer and tilt sensors is fucking genius!!! Turning $6 into billions of dollars is the fucking genius that Nintendo is full of, and as for having a balanced post, this isn't about an even stevens quarrel, it's just a post about the TRUTH about the Wii, and the TRUTH is Nintendo is completely RAPING the "Competition" with their stupid "HD's, 720p's and 1080i's" and dvd playback. Fuck you. 50-100 percent increase in performance? Yeah. As well the 100 percent ass-raping of all game sales records ever, that's who Nintendo is, and who they will continue to be. Sorry to make your stupid post look like a waste of time.
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7-27-2007 @ 12:54AM
Havok said...
At 27. I know u mean well but give an f***ing break. U think Kameo will be the best the wii can do? come on Galaxy rapes that crap the only thing u find is the shiny plastic rocks and other bump mapped textures... people really love under esitimated the wiis power for an SD console.....
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8-14-2007 @ 7:28PM
tenpin_bowler1 said...
I don't know much about spec comparisons and some will laugh at a nostalgic 32 year old playing video games but i feel like the xbox 360 and ps3 are video game overkill(ego's tripping!). The wii I just bought feels just right as an entertainment center add on and as a bonus I get to download the games i grew up playing and loving! (yes, I was around when the original nintendo launched.) I also believe the wii will have great games as I already see some improvement.
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9-21-2007 @ 4:48PM
mikazza said...
I own both the Wii and the PS3, while I can say I was totally blown away with the PS3 grahically, the Wii currently wins the battle for gameplay, don't get me wrong the PS3 is pretty good and I would recommend it to others. At the end of the day who cares about the specs of the systems, my favourite games are still Super Mario World, Zelda, Street Fighter 2, Super Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing all on the Nintendo systems.
If you want ultra realistic, 3rd person shooter type games, go for the PS3, if you want fun, colourful, enjoyable, sociable games, your only choice is the Wii.
If you are working to specs, the Wii is about half the price of the PS3, but about 10 times more fun to play.
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