This is what the Wii U CPU and GPU look like

Nintendo has released images of the Wii U internals, revealing a tiny multi chip module which houses both the CPU and graphics processing unit.

“This time we fully embraced the idea of using an MCM for our gaming console,” explained Genyo Takeda, general manager of Nintendo’s integrated research division, in the latest Iwata Asks. “An MCM is where the aforementioned Multi-core CPU chip and the GPU chip are built into a single component. The GPU itself also contains quite a large on-chip memory. Due to this MCM, the package costs less and we could speed up data exchange among two LSIs while lowering power consumption. And also the international division of labor in general, would be cost-effective.”

Yasuhisa Kitano of the product development department added that cooling the Wii U, which produces three times as much heat as the Wii, proved a challenge, but a solution was eventually found – as seen in the picture below.

Wii U launches in the UK on November 30 and is available to pre-order from GAME.co.uk.