Rumour: Wii U's CPU comparable to PS3/360, GPU half times as strong.

New rumour from InsideGamer saying that the CPU of the Wii U is as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox 360, but the GPU is only half as strong said by an employee from Ubisoft.

[TheModernKamikaze]

I overestimated it's power supposedly, I thought the CPU would be twice as powerful and the GPU is quad times more since the PS3 and 360 are 7 year old tech. Though this is still a rumor and I am wrong.

[Hisiru]

Let's keep in mind it's just rumour.

[guitarded77]

If it is true, the price better not be more than $300.

[gaffyh]

If it is true, then Nintendo has failed even more at attracting the core gamer. And also third parties, who want at least comparable quality of games across all platforms. A choice between Wii U and PS4 & Xbox 720 & PC, will always result in the Wii U losing out on multiplatform games.

[hellztourguide420]

"core" gamers dont care about graphics as much as gameplay.

[Megaton]

@guitarded - Forget $300. It better not be more than $200 if it really has such weak specs.

[ProjectVulcan]

Only a rumour- BUT it sounds realistic from what i have seen.

ALSO 1.5 times as fast = roughly Radeon 4650.

Indeed that is what some people including me had suspected as possible. It is definitely faster than Xenos and RSX, but not by a huge amount and not really enough to do 1080p.

[BattleAxe]

"Rumour: Wii U's CPU comparable to PS3/360, GPU half times as strong."

You have some poor English skills.

[xCaptainAmazing]

This rumour is laughable. anyone who saw AC3 knows it's at the very least on par, end of story.

[SilentNegotiator]

I doubt that it's even THAT powerful. The gameplay of *AC3 and Batman showed some very clear signs of aliasing if you look, and it's just short of fact at this point that they were not playing at 1080p and probably were just at 720p.

In fact, FIRST PARTY WiiU games are already being confirmed 720p 30fps:
http://wiiudaily.com/2012/0...

1.5x as powerful?
Doubtful.

* http://www.youtube.com/watc...
2:21 - Clear signs of aliasing
2:46 - Wall textures no better than ps3/360 version

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
0:25, 1:50 - flagpole/stocks show clear signs of aliasing
Textures look about the same

-
< or = 1.5 times as powerful as ps3/360?
Not a very eventful leap.

[Ricdog]

"being confirmed 720p 30fps"

Thats actually higher than most games coming out for the ps3 or 360. People are being duped if they think they are getting 720p in most of their games.

Heck the new Ghost Recon game that just came out has a lesser native resolution than 720p. It can't even be considered truely HD.

[SilentNegotiator]

Higher than "most" games?

It worked, Marty! We've traveled to the year 2006!

The new Ghost recon game? Oh yeah, we were all expecting THAT game to impress technically.
/s

Assassin's Creed and Batman have managed 720p 30fps on the ps3/360. The latest AC game used an AA technique as well.

[Ricdog]

"We've traveled to the year 2006!"

I'm not sure about that, where there any games back then that had "true native 720p" resolution? I don't remember.

But what can be said is that if the Wii U first party games are indeed 720p at launch, then they are indeed superior in HD than those released by ps3 or 360 at that time.

[Ricdog]

"The new Ghost recon game? Oh yeah, we were all expecting THAT game to impress technically."

Oh so many people dont have a problem with today's games not even be true native HD? OOKKK

Heck Halo 4, which everybody is praising graphically, is finally going to be native 720p. But I know Halo 3 and Reach, weren't. This is the first true HD Halo game. WELCOME HALO!!!!!!!! It took you 7yrs into the 360's lifespan to finally achieve HD status.

[kneon]

It has to be at least in the same ballpark as the 360 and ps3, it's not going to be less powerful, though it's also unlikely to be miles ahead either.

[jayzablade]

if this is how you spend your time, trawling the internet trying to find reason to piss on new hardware....2:21 - Clear signs of aliasing
2:46 - Wall textures no better than ps3/360 version...who in their right mind does that, why would you sit there looking as hard as you can to shit on a new console??!! Are you feeling a little insecure that it maybe be better than your current machine or are you just a complete and utter sad act with nothing better to do with your life....fuckin gimp!!!

[jacen100]

sorry but i think nintendo are planning running there games at 720 60fps

Quote "The representative also made a point to note that Pikmin 3, and possibly other Wii U games, will run at 60 frames per second"

http://www.nintendoworldrep...

[neogeo]

I hope your wrong or I'm a little upset. Let's look at the bright side. Maybe it's unfinished ports, maybe it's the youtube videos, maybe it's simply because they are direct ports to WiiU in a cheap rush and they did nothing to optimization.
Still rumors and I want to hope they are all wrong and WiiU has got more power then this.

What does not add up is how can the GPU be less powerful? Even it it's a old 4800ATI GPU that is a discontinued GPU and is worth less then $20 yet still better then the prehistoric PS3 or 360 GPU's

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@SilentNegotiator
I don't think you should judge based on ports, specially current-gen games ported to next-gen consoles.

That said, you are spot on about WiiU exclusives allso not impressing. Although we have to consider that this doesn't mean WiiU won't support 1080p, just that none of those games are rendering in this resolution. I really hope it's just Ninty being Ninty and not caring so much about the graphics of their own stuff and that the 1080p support is there.

@Ricdog
And your point? Halo 4 is reaching 720p on a 2005 hardware that before could only deal with everything that goes on in Halo in 640p. They are actually improving DESPITE the old hardware.

WiiU in the other hand is coming out late this year. They are setting their STANDARD in the equivalent of current gen best... That's not next-gen-ish at all.

@jacen100
60fps is sweet, specially considering it have to render both the TV image and the controller image at the same time, but it's not a excuse to not follow the current TV standard 1080p. And more importantly, why should we, the gamers, give it a pass?

Of course this is just opinion, don't get me wrong, other people might value any innovation over visuals, more power to them, but personally I had not seen one single function of the WiiU gamepad that is worth the performance hit.

For me innovation is only as good as the purpose it serves. I already can read maps, deal with inventary, scope/scan areas ahead, tilt controller to interact... It's not done the same way but it's done none the less.

[Ricdog]

@bishop-br

"hey are setting their STANDARD in the equivalent of current gen best" That is more of an assertion barely supported only by the unfinished products as of yet.

The current-gen consoles CLEARLY put their standards as not being HD, since most of their games weren't. The Wii U hasen't set any standard since there have hardly been any producers making games for it yet.

However what can be said is that the very first Wii U launch games (launch games being the weakest a system has) appear as of now to be easily superior to that virtually all games in this generation. Heck Killzone 2 was only 1080i if I remember correctly.

"but it's not a excuse to not follow the current TV standard 1080p" Also there is an excuse, 1080p reduces graphics. The reason many developers would choose 720p, over 1080p, is that it allows them to give extra details and better textures to game than would otherwise be possible.

This has nothing to do with how powerful a system is (you could have whatever graphics card you want), but its simply a matter of principle. Developers could go to 1080p and give a better resolution. OR they could stay at 720p and use the extra resources to add more detailed textures, lighting, etc... to their game. Many would choose the later.

[GamingPerson]

consider this. WiiU games look as good as ps3 & 360 titles now.

But when ps3 and 360 came out they didn't look this good until devs started to figure out and optimize the hardware. So I am not saying it will be on ps4 level but wiiU 3 years later might look great!

[pixelsword]

@ ric:

Not even close.

There was a 1080p game on the PS3 at launch time: Ulitmate Alliance.

From Day one there was a full-scale 1080p game, so the console is capable; it's now the coder's job to get their games there.

[ChickeyCantor]

You do realise the textures go up to 8kx8k right?
Developers have been working on devkits for a while and you can't say that ports nor early games really show off the console.

The first PS3/360 titles looked like revamped xbox/PS2 games.

[ShinMaster]

You can't generalize all console games with sub-HD 360 games like Halo.

[ABizzel1]

First of all the headline is confusing. The article says the GPU is 1.5x times more powerful than the 360 and PS3. How the headline reads it sounds like the Wii U's GPU is only half as powerful as the 360 and PS3.

But again this is just a rumor, and while it seems likely, I'd much rather believe the rumors "leaked" by the former Ubisoft employee, seeing how he was spot on with all the Ubisoft announcements at E3. Going by his "leak"

>Graphic card will be a Radeon HD 6770
>A lot of Dev-kits were sent to Ubisoft one of them was 4GHz
>The 6GHz one was from 3 months ago
>There will be pre-intstalled software on Wii-U, just like on 3DS
>Their developers have lots of vrsions of the console (???)
>Ubisoft's line-up is this: Rayman Legends, Assassin's Creed 3, Just Dance 4
>Killer freaks from outer space will be aviable a few weeks after launch (ZombieU)
>They showed Ubisoft a lot of new features, some we still have to see
>Assassin's Creed 3 on Wii-U runs at 60 fps, with 1080p, against 360's and PS3's 720p
>Wii-U's launch price was $450, however, Nintendo decided to lower Wii-U's price: the final one hasn't been confirmed yet, but apparently it will be about 350-400$
>Crytek, EA and Valve are working on Wii-U
>He doesn't know much about Valve, but he heard that they are making someone similar to Steam and Portal's franchise
>He knows something about 3DS and Wii-U interaction, but he didn't want to say more
>Wii-U's interface will be the most customizable interface ever made by Nintendo
>Rayman Origins' demo for 3DS wasn't made by Ubisoft, it was made by another team

There's also Vita info that was spot on

>Rayman Legends will come out on Vita as well, just like Rayman Origins (except this one)
>Assassin's Creed 3 will be playable both on PS3 and Vita

He also had something to say about the Nextbox

>Xbox 8's graphic card will be more powerful than Wii-U's

All this was leaked last month, so take it how you want, but this is what I'm going with until final specs. are released.

[tee_bag242]

After 7 years of the PS3/XBOX being out there is no way in hell any competing company would release a new Console with a GPU that has half the power. If that were the case, Nintendo would just keep selling the Wii and not even bother.

I call massive BS on this rumor.

At present day it would cost more $$$ to find a GPU that was 2 times slower to put inside. Pretty much any off the shelf performance GPU is going to be as fast or faster now.

[ABizzel1]

The title is misleading, if you read the actual article it says the Wii U's GPU is 1.5 times more powerful than the PS3 and 360. AKA 50% stronger than the PS360, aka if using bad wording "half times as strong".

The Wii U GPU is more powerful, not 50% weaker.

[tee_bag242]

Ah thanks for that, the title is misleading. That makes sense. My bad for not reading the article .

[yewles1]

It's the Wii all over again...

[TheModernKamikaze]

If I'm not mistaken I think it's crowd is opening to hardcore gamers now.

[SKUD]

Thats one gigantic mountain nintendo has to climb. I don't see it being succesful. Time will tell.

[EmperorDalek]

is this the same hardcore gaming crowd that is making the Vita a runaway success?

[Kos-Mos]

It`s success all over again...Oh do I hate companies that is successful.

[miyamoto]

What!!!!

at least they can sell Wii U at $250 with that specs.

[yewles1]

Translation error, it means "1.5 times as strong", or "50% stronger"...

[TheModernKamikaze]

yeah sorry about that, new translation added. :)

[Kamikaze135]

Even if it wasn't as strong as the PS3, including a tablet will ensure that it won't sell for below $300-$350.

[kneon]

Keep in mind that this isn't a full blown tablet, it has little local processing power or memory and a smaller, cheaper screen. I expect the new controller to retail at no more than $100. $300 is probably a reasonable guess for the whole system.

[neogeo]

It's not a tablet. look it up it's a very cheaply made touch screen. That's all it does. Like a portable TV touch screen.

$59.99 is the price confirmed by friend of a friend that has a second cousin's Father's friend's brother that used to work at Gamestop:)

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@neogeo

"$59.99 is the price confirmed. Source? My gut feeling".

There, fixed it for ya.

And I actuallly agree with you, people are thinkning it costs a lot but they don't see it's just a common gamepad combined with a cheap toouchscreen, all the processing is done by the console, not the controller (which is a cleaver decision).

The only way we'll see the cost out of this ballpark is if Ninty pull a Kinect, it's new and people may be willing to pay a lot for the new cool toy at first.

[josephayal]

next gen is here

[LOL_WUT]

Are you sure about that?

[SSKILLZ]

next-gen doesn't start until Sony says so

[Shok]

A Power 7 CPU is NOT comparable to what's in the 360/PS3 lol. Not even the lowest spec Power7 processor.

This is obviously bull, especially considering the fact that multiple devs have stated that the Wii U is stronger than the PS3/360.

Half as strong at the 360's GPU? Lol, Nintendo couldn't find a GPU that weak even if they tried.

[Cyb3r]

We dont even know if it will have a Power 7 CPU those are just rumored specs

[Shok]

No, the Power7 has actually officially been confirmed by IBM. It was confirmed last year.

[jacen100]

maby yes i think ?
http://www-03.ibm.com/press...

http://www-03.ibm.com/press...

[neogeo]

You sure about that? IBM say's your wrong.

http://www.engadget.com/201...

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

Shok is on point.

Just go to the IBM website there was a huge press release on their first page.

Another thing is the architecture is so much more modern than the PS3 and 360.

All of this is Nintendo's making (not releasing specs) and not releasing a game that MAXed-out the capabilities of the console.
But I am used to it, I will have my Samus and Link and a few New Options.

[Psychonaughty]

You do know the 360's GPU is quite alot more powerful than the PS3's right?

[kikizoo]

No, it's a little more powerfull, but ps3 cpu is way wayyyyy more powerfull than 360...

so "CPU of the Wii U is as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox 360" it's a joke, since you can't compare, cell >>>>>>>&g t;> xbox cpu (with the results everybody knows : best ps3 exclusives have better graphics than anything on xbox)

by the way, the wiiu did'nt show anything really superior to best ps3 games, and it's more important than specs..

[Psychonaughty]

@Kikizoo

Yeah cos the games really demonstrate that vast superiority don't they /s

Lol at my disagrees and your agrees, this site is a PS3 fanboy festering pit.

[NastyLeftHook0]

:(

[chukamachine]

I'm quite sure the GPU is either 4700 or 4800. Which were very good cards dx10.1.

Wii u also does 720p with 4aa with edram.

[sjaakiejj]

This rumour doesn't make much sense. The Xenos is quite a bit stronger than the RSX, and the Cell is quite a bit stronger than the Xenon. In other words, due to differences in architecture, the CPU's in Ps3 and 360 aren't really on the same level, and neither are the GPU's, so how can it be half times stronger than the 360 AND the Ps3 GPU?

[Psychonaughty]

+1 bubble sir.

[Colonel_Dante]

All I know..apart from Zombie u and that Link demo from last year, everything else theyve shown has been abysmal. Yet again, Reggie wants to manipulate people to buy crap, so they make a profit day 1. #realtalk

[Ravenor]

Just gonna come out and say it, sites that need to be translated aren't worth the click for me.

Speculation on specs from "Unnamed employee's" also aren't really something to base an article on.

[raytraceme]

lol bs. Unless the wii uses a freaking mobile gpu, it should be atleast 4-5 times more powerful than the ps3/360. A $100 AMD 7750 (probably $60 to nintendo) outperforms an xbox gpu by atleast 5 times. Fine nintendo wants to go super cheap. A $60 6670 (probably $30-40 for nintendo) would still be atleast 3 times faster than the xbox's gpu. How the hell can nintendo not be willing to spend the $10-$20 more???

[mamotte]

so the E3 was just a short vacations for this kind of BS articles.

But's OK, the source is anonymous enough for N4G to believe it.

[h311rais3r]

Nintendo for all out sakes just release the specs. Rumors are irritating.

[nevin1]

The games they showed at E3 2012 didn't look interesting on a graphical standpoint.

[A7XEric]

I love how there is a different rumor on the specs every day. I'm going to go ahead and listen to devs like Vigil who are on record of saying the Wii U is more powerful rather than listening to another "inside source"

[Timmer]

Can I start posting rumors on how supposedly the Wii U is stronger than the Nokia cellphone?

Or how it's not as strong as a PC 20 years from now?

Cause these are seriously getting ridiculous.

[turgore]

After E3 it seemed weak. Nothing that looked any better than ps360 games. Actually the best graphics were multiplats released a year ago on the ps360.

[crazytechfanatic]

I thought these were the full specifications, leaked here. No rumour, a LEAK

http://techspy.com/news/101...

[gumgum99]

assuming these are legit, I say these are some pretty beefy stats for Nintendo's latest baby.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

[yabhero]

http://whatshawt.com/techno...

That link is far better for WiiU specs...
I mean, it's not like:

1. This site is translated poorly
2.The Assassin's Creed 3 demo did not look worse, it looked pretty much the same, if not a little better
3. Or that were all trying to judge the power of a system based on unfinished ports and launch titles. is that what we've sunk too?
Do I need to remind you of the PS3. If you want th difference in power from launch to mid/end console life then look at the video in my link. Resistance: Fall Of Man.
Then look at Resistance 3
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
One looks like PS2 then other looks like 6-7 times better
So the launch titles NEVER show of the console true power
4. Also We've so much about the WiiU GPU we know its an x8xx model like a 4870 X2 or 4890 or 5870 or 6870. The 4870 is likely the one they used last year in the demo kits and though still commonly used isn't sold by AMD anymore. But even that old chip is 2-2.5 times more powerful than the ones in 360/PS3. The 5800 series which i s what I think they're using is 3-4 times more powerful. A rumor right before E3, said a 6870 which is like 5.5 to 6.
even if they use a 4870 x2 is would still be around 3.5 times better. Nintendo as a business wouldn't have access to a commercial model of a GPU model beyond 2 GPU gens old. Also raytraceme said it perfectly.

" A $100 AMD 7750 (probably $60 to nintendo) outperforms an xbox gpu by atleast 5 times. Fine nintendo wants to go super cheap. A $60 6670 (probably $30-40 for nintendo) would still be atleast 3 times faster than the xbox's gpu."

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

I hate that I can only give you one bubble-up vote =-(.

[WetN00dle69]

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!!
Where can i find this Assassins Creed WiiU demo video????

[stuntman_mike]

the 5870 is better than a 6870, but i still think its the 4850 or 70 in the wii u.

also i would like to see actual Wii U assassins creed 3 gameplay too.

[WetN00dle69]

Here you go!

http://www.gametrailers.com...

Its cam but man does it look just as great as the Ps360 version! Ill be skipping the 360 version and buy the Game along with the WiiU!

[stuntman_mike]

thanks dude looks awesome.

[yabhero]

Te reason i think its higher than a 4000 series is because, I read a reliable article from CVG about the WiiU specs, and a lot of the features are DX11/ Open GL equvalent so I'm assuming a 5000+ series chip...
http://www.ign.com/videos/2...

[stuntman_mike]

i hope it is the 5000 series.

[jayzablade]

it seems a majority of posters on here are complete sad acts with no lives....i'll be upset if it isn't 720/1080....dude, get a fuckin life, does it really bother you that much, really?!
Why so butthurt coz a machine may not be as powerful as current or only just more powerful?! Stop trying to act like you can tell a difference between 720 & 1080 and bitchin about how big the harddrive is or how powerful everything else is and just enjoy the fuckin games it has to offer!!
I'm 32 and have a collection of over 10 consoles and play them all quite regular and the graphics are not an issue to me, it's all about the gameplay!! I've grown up in the NES/Master System era (which i still own) and power wasn't important then only what games the system had to offer!!
Fuckin wannabe techno nerds, grow up and get a life!!!

[corrus]

Nintendo fanboys always will fool themselves that WII U is powerful as PS3/360 I had seen Batman AC and AC3 they looks much better on PS3/360 and about Batman for WII U is armored edition cos to be more shiny and Nintendo fanboys to say look Batman looks much better on WII U

[frostedjuly]

am sure it's powerful enough to run some MARIO/METROID/ZEDA/POKEMON games and that's all nintendogs want !

[Shnazzyone]

wasn't mass effect 3 shown playing at 60fps in pc level quality?

Wish nintendo would finalize the specs and release them already so rumors like this can finally go away.

[WagFanger]

The WiiU is a total embarassment. Nintendo are yet again a whole gen behind.

[AWBrawler]

how? because a launch title may or may not look little inferior. To be honest I think Mass Effect 3 looked better

[AllSystemsRocks]

It's all about Zombi U a game that can set you in the Walking Dead series for real... GPU & CPU are not my priorities with a game like that !!! If the graphics are like today or just a 8-bit a head it's ok to me, I have high hopes for the screen control pad, I thnk if exploited correctly you will feel really in the game (EA sport it's in the game)...

[stragomccloud]

Once again antonymous sources claim the Wii U is underpowered!
Seriously what is up with the Nintendo defamation movement!

[stragomccloud]

Ooops... Looks like I made a funny typo.

[renegade]

Well that's disappointing but i'am waiting for the official specs...

[LFC1EE]

Specs are there for all to see just take a look at the wiiu's games, they use radeon R7 now i think that card custom built and not running windows is alot better than we got at current.

[Pandamobile]

I don't get how the Wii U could possibly have a worse GPU than the PS3 and 360. I mean, hell, they more than half a decade old. You can get a $50 GPU off Newegg that would destroy the PS3 and 360's GPU, plus have 4x more VRAM.

[XboxInnovation]

Anyone who doesn't think Nintendo has lost their mind, has lost their mind.

[frankiebeans]

kinda sucks to know that if its true but im still only going to buy a wii u just for zelda and smashbros.

[Ulf]

The CPU is slightly more beefy than the 360 CPU, and the GPU is about 2x as powerful, before you factor in the whole rendering to multiple targets (the control pads) issue.

Don't listen to this BS rumor. The reason different devs have different opinions is based upon how they use the hardware -- anyone trying to render 3D scenes to the big screen AND both pads is going to think the GPU is weaker than someone only trying to render one 3D scene on the big screen, and an inventory screen on the pad.

[esemce]

So the article actually says it's about 1.5 times stronger which for 2012/13 is p1ss poor indeed, Nintendo love to pinch those pennies don't they.

[drzmvp554]

Nintendo is always behind in most aspects of hardware. Why can't they keep up? They're freaking Nintendo!

[Basjohn]

Of course it isn't. Who comes up with stupid rumours like this? The cheapest PC CPUs manufactured today clock higher and have more sophisticated architecture than current gen consoles. It's not flaming on my part, it's THE PASSAGE OF TIME.

A newer console is obviously going to have a better cpu and gpu.

[kevnb]

ill still get it in a few years, if it fails it will just be dirt cheap.

[Neko_Mega]

So this brings hope that it won't cost as much then, I didn't think it be more powerful then PS3/360. But it will most likely be the only one to do true 1080p on all games, PS3 does it on some but not to many and 360 does it on most of their digital games.

[alb1899]

If they will do what i saw in e3 then i really dont care how much power it has because is just another Mario crap!

[ApolloAdams]

I love watching console takers fight over graphics.

[AWBrawler]

FACT: launch titles are usually the weakest graphics you will see for a console EVER.

FACT: Wii U will have Mass Effect 3 in it's launch window.

Now with those 2 things considered, imagine how powerful this thing could be. The Wii didn't have Galaxy 1 & 2 at launch, nor did it have Skyward sword graphics, and I'm sure we all thought The Last Story was impossible to pull off with Wii graphics until we saw it up and running on a Wii. So yeah, if it's matching PS3/360 at launch, it's pretty much confirmed it can surpass them.

[brandonb21]

hear that? "WII-U WII-U WII-U" Thats a ****ing ambulance coming to save this company

[Smokingunz]

Here we go again! These falls rumors man will never stop!how is the U as powerful as the ps3 when it is capable of running unreal engine 4 and it's a quad core power 7 base? This rumor stinks of fish! Several developers has said it is a powerful box and can do stuff current gen consoles can't! Nintendo just needs to hurry up and drop their system and shut people up.

That Zelda and zombiu demos' were impressive!