Developers reveal final Wii U specifications
CPU with three IBM Power PC cores, 1GB of RAM for games and an AMD series 7 GPU.
The Wii U will be powered by a CPU with three IBM Power PC Cores, an AMD series 7 GPU and 1GB of memory available to games, development sources have told Eurogamer.
Though restricted by strict non-disclosure agreements, Wii U developers have anonymously divulged the console's final specifications.
The CPU is formed of three IBM Power PC cores of an undefined clock speed, though reports suggest this to be lower than the Xbox 360 and PS3.
1GB of RAM will be available to games in the final retail unit, which equates to approximately twice that offered to Xbox 360 games.
And the GPU is said to be a custom AMD 7 series, supporting shader type 4 and DX10 type features. The part also features embedded eDRAM.
One source told Eurogamer: "Wii U has a powerful GPU with more oomph than the rivals - and is more modern in architecture and shader support, which may come in handy later on.
"The CPU on the other hand is a different question. We are not limited by it but some other games might suffer from it. Still, because of the GPU, I expect most multi-platform games to look the best on Wii U, even if the difference might not be huge sometimes."
Further Wii U details are expected during a conference to be held by Nintendo of America on September 13.
User Comments
hotelmikes1
pblive@ dav2612
dav2612
Woffls
If they're mistaken, and it's the 7000 series with DX11, then that's a very modern card, and coupled with the 1gb of usable memory, it will be fine. The total memory is more because they reserve a lot for the OS.
And remember that lower clock speed means next to nothing. I think Nintendo are likely to use a higher performing CPU then underclock it for power consumption and cooling purposes.
We still don't know that much to be honest. We don't know how fast the memory is, the specific GPU (or even the architecture, apparently), or the CPU details. Thankfully it doesn't matter.
FantasyMeister
Gamers have been arguing about specs since the 8-bit/16-bit days, someone will probably write a 17-page essay on the solder composition used on a Wii-U circuit board and how it will revolutionise the industry.
But all that has ever mattered, and all that ever will matter, is if the console is going to have the games you want to play. Otherwise what's the point?
If they announce a console with 0 RAM, an Intel 286sx CPU, onboard graphics and 8-bit soundcard, but it comes with Borderlands 3 as an exclusive, I'm not going to be worried about the specs.
CheekyLee
MJTH
Now, come on September 13th, where we can get some more real announcements.