Iwata Asks: A Detailed Look At The Wii U Hardware

An interview with Iwata discussing the Wii U hardware.

[wishingW3L]

when are they going to release the CPU and GPU specs? Are we going to have to wait for modders to tell us what's under the hood of the Wii U? Nintendo can stay silent but they cannot hide this forever so what is the point of not making an official reveal?

[Yodagamer]

I think their scared to show clock rates because by the sound of it the system has slower clock rates, but they are insanely efficient and can do more. If they threw out specs like sony/microsoft they'd get trolled to the moon and back, they probably just wanting to show examples of graphical power and rayman is pretty good looking :)

[stragomccloud]

@gaminggod
You know that most Mario and Rayman fans are older gamers, right? Since you don't seem to get that, I'm assuming that you must be in middle school. Mario and Rayman are both amazing games that provide a good challenge and excellent gameplay.

You are correct about Yodagamers bad example though. A 2D game, while capable of being the most beautiful game on the market, is not a good indication of hardware capability, as it simply is not taxing on a systems hardware in the same way that 3D titles can be. That said, a Mario game truly can be a great example of hardware capability, assuming it is one of the 3D marios. Heck Galaxy was so great looking it looked like it defied the original Wii's hardware. Of course we'll have to wait until the next 3D Mario game in order to see what Nintendo does with it's hardware for that franchise.

[ChickeyCantor]

The a majority of console gamers have no clue how hardware works. And throwing around numbers will only mislead people.

Of course they will say it's a powerful CPU. What are you expecting?

It's called benchmarking, why the hell would they release benchmark figures? It's not relevant for you or anyone else unless you're a developer.

[mamotte]

Why? If it has a better CPU and GPU, the console will have better games?

If it's about the power, why dont you buy a PC and problem solved?

[yewles1]

It IS built nice, no joke.

[YoungPlex]

I'm actually surprised Nintendo actually reviled pics before anyone else did.

[iamnsuperman]

I am surprised by how small it is.

[deafdani]

@iamnsuperman

that's what she said. XD

[firefly69]

Well for those that expect the new ps4 and xbox..to be much more powerfull and at the same price has the wii u make your selfs a favor an read all thats been made to produce the WII U.And think how in hell its supose sony and MS do it so much powerfull at low price tag,with a small case,and without having RROD and ylod again.Better get a desktop pc because small and ultra powerfull dont link with the console name!

[fei-hung]

Your comment is pretty much invalid as I don't think anyone thought the ps4 or next Xbox would be cheaper than a WiiU.

Also, don't know whether you are ignoring this or you have just failed to acknowledge it, we still don't know how powerful the WiiU is. We still don't have the clock rates and this can very quickly turn everything around in regards to what people think about the WiiU being "powerful."

2ndly, powerful compared to what? The WiiU is a next gen system and it is being compared to current gen systems that are over half a decade old. Damn right it should be more powerful.

Ultra slim is good, but lets face it. People who prefer an Xbox and ps3 over a Wii don't care about how slim and small their console is as much as what it can do.

Unlike the Wii they have enjoyed better graphics, better performance, DVD, BluRay, better online structures, media hub capabilities, photo music and video capabilities, browsing the net, social apps and projects, superior online features, better 3rd party support and later in their lives, revised smaller and slimmer editions of the consoles and they expect this again and more with their successors.

The 2nd screen has already been done with the ps3 and vita and although it may not work as well as the WiiU, you can no longer call it new exclusive next gen tech. The Wiimote as great as it is doesnt perform as well as the PSMove and the next gen Kinext will undoubtably be more powerful and more capable. Outside of that, what does the WiiU offer that the current gen doesn't?

So the WiiU is cheap for what it is?! That we will only know once the full specs have been released.

[deadfrag]

Were we have the pure ps3 fanboy that is Jumping Someone Else's post because he dont understand whats the meaning of the words writed!

people dont care of the size of the box!??Right go tell that to those that change console every time a new model comes out!Unlike the wii they have enjoy......??But sill the wii sold more than the PS3 AND XBOX360!Im just imagining how much more willthe wii u will sell.
The 2nd screen has already been done with the ps3 and vita and although it may not work as well as the WiiU, you can no longer call it new exclusive next gen tech. The Wiimote as great as it is doesnt perform as well as the PSMove and the next gen Kinext will undoubtably be more powerful and more capable. Outside of that, what does the WiiU offer that the current gen doesn't? BOY you are a delusional fanboy the vita dont do the same has the WII U gamepad neiter the gamepad do the same thing has the VITA!WAKE UP!Messing things that dont matter its not replying!There was and still are plenty of people that think the ps4 and the next xbox will be much more powerfull than the WII U and at the same price!I even seen and read that on many comments in N4G and other web sites!

[Theyellowflash30]

FireFly's comment is not invalid because there are people who think the PS4 and 720 will be around the same price as the Wii U but more powerful. You don't have a radar on EVERYBODY who comments so for you to say " I don't think anyone thought the ps4 or next Xbox would be cheaper than a Wii U" is invalid in itself.

Next, anybody with a brain and a internet connection could have gotten their Wii's to play DVD's, media hub capabilities, photos, music, social apps, and all that on Wii's homebrew channel. The Wii can browse the web too while the 360 can't as of now.

And PLEASE the Vita/PS3 combo is NOT doing what the Wii U does. You just buy a PS3 game and you get the SAME Vita game for free. There are a few exceptions like LBP Vita but those are few and far inbetween. Plus The Vita remote play features has known latency issues that users complain out all the time. Once I see the PS3+Vita doing games like ZombiU, NintendoLand, and New Super Mario Bros U then i'll admit what you said is right.

[cleft5]

This couldn't be said any better. People keep saying that the ps4/720 will be light years ahead of the WiiU and maybe that is correct. But if it is light years ahead of the WiiU then the price tag is going to be much higher for those consoles as well.

The only way I don't see this happening is if Sony and Microsoft release their consoles 2 years from now when the price of current advanced technology has gotten much cheaper. We know the tech inside the WiiU Gamepad is fairly advanced and that tablet alone cost around $120.

[DarkHeroZX]

Well if Sony does it right Gaikai can be the leaps and bounds Sony needs. All they really would need to focus on is the streaming aspect as they'ed handle all the processing while the ps4 just streams things that go beyond it's natural capabilites.

[Smashbro29]

I can't believe they left off the freaking ethernet port. WHO DOES THAT? Fighting games are screwed, all it has is USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi.

[ninjabake]

Chill out homie, they'll most likely have a 3rd party Ethernet connector available at some time just like with Wii. The only fighting games that are coming to Wii U so far is tekken and injustice anyway so I don't think fighting games are screwed on the system just yet.

[Smashbro29]

Ok there is just so much wrong with that.

USB 2.0 cannot carry as much data as quickly as ethernet, no adapter will change that.

More fighters will come out, Smash Bros. will come out and they are all screwed in the internet department because most people will use wifi anyways and even if everyone used the USB add ons it'd still be a worse situation than straight ethernet. So yes, unless there's a new SKU fighters are screwed as far as online play goes.

[ninjabake]

Well you can complain if you want, you have that liberty. You and whoever else uses a wired connection. Me, on the other hand will do just fine over Wi-Fi. I use wireless for my PC, PS3, 360 and Wii and its more than capable but then again that's just me I understand you may not have the same speed as me but still I don't think its anything to get pissy over

[Emilio_Estevez]

Well said sir. It's a bad move, lose/lose. Either you have to use wireless or pay for an add on. Both are less than ideal.

[ninjabake]

Its a matter of preference. You may want to play wired while others are just fine over Wi-Fi. Its not a lose-lose for everyone, just those who need to use a wired connection. I think that the Ethernet port should've been added but its not make or break just as the 360's original lack of Wi-Fi and the need to buy a proprietary Wi-Fi adapter that was $100 wasn't make or break. That's just my opinion tho I respect yours.

[cleft5]

I connect my 360 wirelessly to the internet and I don't have anymore problems with that then my wired ps3 connection. Wireless signals are pretty good nowadays. I do wish there was an Ethernet port there, but the truth is that it's not a big deal.

[Wolfbiker]

The graphics will be fine...its not like the graphics look bad now anyways...they will just be a bit more refined on the Wii U.

[wiiulee]

lol..here we go again some sony and ms fanboys trying to feel better about themselves by hating...how much are you guys getting paid....wiiu is more powerful then the ps3 and 360 so get over it....and the next gen hardware differences will be less noticeable...nintendo is doing everything right and will most likely win next gen as well....after the low powered wii destroy the ps3 and 360 without much thirdparty support....wiiu is packing a whallop

[ChickeyCantor]

"There were times when you would usually just incorporate both the Wii U and Wii circuits, like 1+1. But instead of just adding like that, they adjusted the new parts added to Wii U so they could be used for Wii as well."

Confirms that it's not a broadway upgrade. They added the necessary features so it runs Wii games native from the CPU/GPU die.

"Akagi I worked on the SDK18 and absolutely love CPUs! (laughs) So I myself have been happy to see how far game consoles have come. I hope people will be impressed by the types of software enabled by the CPU."

A NEW METROID AND F-ZERO PLEASE!

[Shnazzyone]

Wow seeing that it's clear why nintendo systems last so long. That's how quality control is really done. I dig the sliding door on the front.