Nintendo Wii insider info..

[mac000]

taken from www.gonintendo.com

*RUMOR* French blog claims insider Wii info
August 27th, 2006
You have been warned. This is one of those stories that I would only post on the weekend!

As I was searching through various blogs, I came across French blog ActuJV. The owner of the blog has posted a little information concerning the Wii, and its graphical capabilities. This same person claims that they have obtained information from a trusted source.

Nintendo has been showing a lot of Wii trailers lately. We have just recently seen the trailers for BWii and Mario Strikers Charged. I would say that the graphics in these games are very good, but that is just me. I realize that they aren’t up to 360 standards, but I don’t think they need to be. I can appreciate a system for what it can do…just as I would say that StarFox Command has good graphics. I know there are still a few out there that find the Wii graphical capabilities less than passable, but ActuJV says not to worry!

According to him, or his source I should say, Nintendo has been playing us the fool all along. They have been showing us trailers for games that have deliberately downgraded graphics compared to what the Wii can actually do. This is to create an element of surprise for the press during Nintendo’s next media event. I am guessing that would end up being the September 14th press event. During this show they will show off Wii graphics that are “of a quality far exceeding the Xbox”, shocking us all.

I thought all these graphical debates were over and done with, but I guess I was wrong! As far as I knew, everyone has long since dealt with any issues they had with the Wii when it came to graphics. Now we have a blog claiming we will all be surprised very soon. I couldn’t resist posting this on the weekend, I am guessing it will get a pretty good debate going! My stance…this story is total bull. The only element of it that could be true is saying that Nintendo hides things from us. We know that they love to do that!

[sikkinixx]

while it sounds kinda weird, ya never know. some of the graphics seen on Wii have been a little lame. Many hardly look up to GC standards let alone a 'next-gen' system....

[BlizzardBomb]

Why would developers waste their time making their games look crap? Sure the Wii beats XBox, but not by a lot. The best visuals I've seen from the Wii to date is the very short Disaster: Day of Crisis footage (which might even be pre-rendered) and I'm willing to bet it'll be one of the best looking games on the Wii for a while.

P.S. If it does happen to be true here's what I'll look like for a few days -> :eek:

[raggedjimmi]

I'm torn between semi-believeable (with reason) and total BS.

+ But when you think about it, Nintendo has been working on this graphics card with ATi for 5 years. That's an awfully long time for a single chip that can only output a 480p image. So there is definitely something there. It just doesn't add up.

± But the way GPU's advance so quickly I don't think this new card they're working on is anything speed related. I think it's a new rendering technique, a new way of processing data.

- But again. If that was true wouldn't it have been copywrited to hell and back? with announcements from ATi.

I suppose we'll find out soon.

[BlizzardBomb]

I'm torn between semi-believeable (with reason) and total BS.

+ But when you think about it, Nintendo has been working on this graphics card with ATi for 5 years. That's an awfully long time for a single chip that can only output a 480p image. So there is definitely something there. It just doesn't add up.

Can we really bet that the graphics card has been under development for 5 years? It could've been made in a year and then for the other four years the team could've been down at the pub because as far as I'm aware, its a faster "Flipper" with no added shaders. It would be great if Nintendo came out and said all games require at least pro-scan, 16:9 support and 2x FSAA as standard.

[MacRumorUser]

. It would be great if Nintendo came out and said all games require at least pro-scan, 16:9 support and 2x FSAA as standard.

Yeah that would be nice. I love the cube & xbox but even with progressive on at 480p the jaggies are all too aparent on an LCD, 2x FSAA would really help.

[TheMonarch]

It does sound strange. But then again, I read somewhere (Digg, I think) that Sony capped the PSP at 233 MHz even though it is capable of 333 MHz. This was supposedly so that developers became more efficient and so save battery life.


I don't know if thats changed...

[sikkinixx]

Yeah that would be nice. I love the cube & xbox but even with progressive on at 480p the jaggies are all too aparent on an LCD, 2x FSAA would really help.

yeah but Wii seems to be made for the majority (ie. Low cost so most can afford it, looks pretty easy to use, simple case design, no fancy bells and whistles) and the majority of people still rock CRT tv's so how good it looks on an LCD might not be a huge deal for the big N

[Foxglove9]

I doubt that is true, I think what we are seeing is what we are getting. Wouldn't make sense to wait till the last minute and tell everyone they fooled us.

There's a long commercial up on myspace for the Wii. Shows a lot of games, but this might have been shown elsewhere. First time I'm seeing the long version.

http://www.myspace.com/howwiiplay

[Tommyg117]

I really want to believe this, but I don't. I don't know why the developers and nintendo would waste all their time making the system look graphically inferior than it really is for events as big as E3. Nintendo has some proving to do to people that didn't like the gamecube (I personally love it and think its an incredible system and will get a Wii regardless), so I don't think they would even risk having people make their first judgement on a graphically weaker system and then possibly forgetting about it based on the first opinion. I think it would be amazing though.

[BlizzardBomb]

yeah but Wii seems to be made for the majority (ie. Low cost so most can afford it, looks pretty easy to use, simple case design, no fancy bells and whistles) and the majority of people still rock CRT tv's so how good it looks on an LCD might not be a huge deal for the big N

The jaggies would still be there. I guess I shouldn't really be talking about FSAA seeing as my GC is hooked up to my LCD TV via Composite so instead of jaggies, I've got a mass of colour bleed to worry about :p

[raggedjimmi]

taking a wild prediction here, and just further pushing what the Cube could do.

Well... we all know the Cube had a special rendering techinque, a form of 3D blitter that could recreate the same object with little slow down. what if that was somehow pushed further? the 5 year development period for the graphics card would house something like that. something minor, but still very useful for a number of games at the same time (Elebits? Pikmin 3? particles in Red Steel?). Yet something thats not big enough to warrant ATi to turn round and say "nah, stuff you Nintendo this is big and we're telling it".

If I was to take a wild prediction, taking into account the 5 years and disregarding the developers saying Broadway is nothing more than a faster Flipper... The Wii could be capable of some kind of super AA, 480p graphics with so much AA, anisotropic filtering and other card effects.

Perhaps the PPU is built into the GPU for no apparent reason?

The only other reason is Nintendo worked so long on this card to make it extremely cheap. So cheap the system can be sold at such a low price. I mean where did those 5 years go?! making paper planes in the office?

*sorry. I just really want to know.

[sikkinixx]

or maybe this is all in the imagination of some crazy frenchman bent on raising then crushing the hopes of Wii fans...

[paddy]

or maybe this is all in the imagination of some crazy frenchman bent on raising then crushing the hopes of Wii fans...

Sadly I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

[apfhex]

Don't ALL GC games already have full good looking AAing? I don't think I've seen one that didn't.

16:9 and progressive scan is a must. I think all of the big titles (Zelda:TP, MP3:Corruption, Red Steel, etc) will have it and maybe some of the crappier 3rd party titles won't, unless Nintendo requires it, which I hope they do.

Frankly I haven't yet seen any next-gen titles that look significantly better than anything from the tail-end of the previous/current generation. There are some 360 games that look good, but not really a lot better than what the first Xbox was probably capable of. Some PS3 footage does look truly next-gen (MGS4), but the games that look that good aren't coming out for a while.

I DO think that the Wii might end up being more graphically powerful than Nintendo has been letting on and certainly the first generation of titles aren't the best indication of what the hardware is capable of (just look at the first few PS2 games compared to ones that came out within the last 12 months). But it's not going to be on the same level of the Xbox 360 or PS3 (a good thing, letting developers focus on gameplay instead of graphics).

FYI, LCD doesn't equal HD. I have a CRT HDTV, and they are plenty of SD or ED LCD TV's out there. :p (how's that for a string of acronyms, heh)

[smitty330]

That would be amazing if this were true. I cant wait to see if it is!!!!:D

[smitty330]

I'm torn between semi-believeable (with reason) and total BS.

+ But when you think about it, Nintendo has been working on this graphics card with ATi for 5 years. That's an awfully long time for a single chip that can only output a 480p image. So there is definitely something there. It just doesn't add up.

± But the way GPU's advance so quickly I don't think this new card they're working on is anything speed related. I think it's a new rendering technique, a new way of processing data.

- But again. If that was true wouldn't it have been copywrited to hell and back? with announcements from ATi.

I suppose we'll find out soon.

I agree with you and also when it was previewed at E3 wouldn't have people said something?? oh well who knows.

[paddy]

I DO think that the Wii might end up being more graphically powerful than Nintendo has been letting on and certainly the first generation of titles aren't the best indication of what the hardware is capable of (just look at the first few PS2 games compared to ones that came out within the last 12 months).

Thing about that though is PS2 was very different hardware to the PS1's which meant devs. had to learn to code for a completely different system whereas if what we're being led to believe is true (that hardware wise the Wii is little more than a modded GC) devs. will already have many GC prog. tricks up there sleeves ready to use now. At least thats how I see it, could be wrong.

[MacRumorUser]

Don't ALL GC games already have full good looking AAing? I don't think I've seen one that didn't.

No. GC titles look great on a CRT screen, but connected to a lcd via component/progressive the jaggies are really apparent.

Frankly I haven't yet seen any next-gen titles that look significantly better than anything from the tail-end of the previous/current generation. There are some 360 games that look good, but not really a lot better than what the first Xbox was probably capable of.

Have you actually seen any 360 games in HD because the quality differnce between lastgen and 360/ps3 hi-res is really quite major. On an SD set though there isnt much difference other than improved textures etc...

GRAW, Kameo, PD0, COD2, PGR3, Oblivion, all look vastly superior to last gen titles. Even comparing Tombraider legends on an xbox via progressive at 480p, to the 360 version at 1080i is dramatic. The 360 not only obviously looks higher res, but has 4xFSAA, far better lighting & far better textures.... It really does look considerably improved.

[MacRumorUser]

Wii is little more than a modded GC) devs. will already have many GC prog. tricks up there sleeves ready to use now. At least thats how I see it, could be wrong.


Your right probably.

Now all sing... They call it Flipper, flipper, it's faster than lightning...

[mac000]

take a look at this, this is something , something i say.

http://gonintendo.com/?p=5040

[GFLPraxis]

Don't believe it. I played enough Wii demos at E3, I don't believe Nintendo would force third parties to downgrade (which could hurt the third parties' sales after all), and I can't see ANY motivation for them to make people think the graphics are worse than they are.

As for all the time with flipper and broadway- I think it's miniaturization, really. The Wii is quite small, and has a lot of stuff packed in there- it's barely bigger than the disk drive.

[raggedjimmi]

Don't believe it. I played enough Wii demos at E3, I don't believe Nintendo would force third parties to downgrade (which could hurt the third parties' sales after all), and I can't see ANY motivation for them to make people think the graphics are worse than they are.

As for all the time with flipper and broadway- I think it's miniaturization, really. The Wii is quite small, and has a lot of stuff packed in there- it's barely bigger than the disk drive.

That, my friend, sounds very possible. actually I'd probably see that as the 5 year reason.

How "final" are the latest Wii kits? Have we been given anything final yet (controller or console design wise)?

[2nyRiggz]

I'm calling BS here...Bunch of *Beep*



Bless

[GFLPraxis]

That, my friend, sounds very possible. actually I'd probably see that as the 5 year reason.

How "final" are the latest Wii kits? Have we been given anything final yet (controller or console design wise)?

I'm pretty sure the current kits are final, but you never know.

Blitz told me at E3 that as far as they were aware they were on the final dev kits. Nintendo probably just goes "here's the latest" without specifying if more are coming or not.

[MacRumorUser]

Blitz told me at E3

Blitz = bunch of weirdo's.. Seriously.... Do a search for blitz games in the forums...

[raggedjimmi]

I think I know Blitz. well I suppose it's knew now. I'm sure of it.

[MacRumorUser]

I think I know Blitz. well I suppose it's knew now. I'm sure of it.

Well for those who cant search ;)

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=181762

[raggedjimmi]

nono! I mean in real life. I think I met one of them somewhere, feels like it was a lecture at uni.

Anyways they sound rubbish. If they made the Pac World game on the DS too, then its a double rubbish.

[mkaake]

I'm pretty close to considering myself a Nintendo fanboy, but I just can't help but laugh... we sit here and tell people that we're more worried about gameplay than graphics, but as soon as a rumor pops up that we're getting better graphics, well...

[jdechko]

I'm pretty close to considering myself a Nintendo fanboy, but I just can't help but laugh... we sit here and tell people that we're more worried about gameplay than graphics, but as soon as a rumor pops up that we're getting better graphics, well...

It's true that most Nintendo fanboys are more concerned about gameplay than graphics. What is really meant is that we don't want better graphics at the expense of gameplay. Most of us would really rather have gameplay and sacrifice (some) graphical capabilities.

I'd love to play Twilight Princess or Metroid Prime 3 in 1080i, but if it meant that other areas were left unpolished/unfinished, I'd rather play it in only 480p.

But if Nintendo delivers the gameplay (which is really up to the devs anyway) and is able to deliver the graphics in an affordable (sub-250 system), well that's like having your cake and eating it too, with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

[2nyRiggz]

But if Nintendo delivers the gameplay (which is really up to the devs anyway) and is able to deliver the graphics in an affordable (sub-250 system), well that's like having your cake and eating it too, with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

That won't happen...so that cake will spoil in the ice box:) ...To tell you the truth I really don't care about HD and the rather.....whats on my list is gameplay, graphics....I want to do more and do other stuff than the same lame...Next gen=New stuff



Bless

[Foxglove9]

I couldn't care about graphics at all, so far what I've seen the graphics look excellent. What I would like is at least the ability to hook it up VGA into my LCD monitor and look great like the Xbox360 does.

[raggedjimmi]

All I want is 480p. I've said a million times, progressive scan is new in England and I've been bowled over by 480p 360 and even 525p over the air TV. I don't care about resolution. I got over that back in the 90's with Quake games. I do care about so much AA that it looks so buttery smooth, sharp crisp textures... I just want what I've been shown so far. If there is an improvement with no change to the systems price, then w00t. More for my money. I would like realism, I want a games system to look like TV. I thoroughly believe HDTV is a side-track (we can't make games look good so here have it in a higher resolution).

Though deep down I don't care. I much prefer pixel art to anything 3D any day. why I love my handhelds :)

[MacRumorUser]

I couldn't care about graphics at all, so far what I've seen the graphics look excellent. What I would like is at least the ability to hook it up VGA into my LCD monitor and look great like the Xbox360 does.

since the dreamcast from 1999 can do this, it's the least they should do.

[GFLPraxis]

Blitz = bunch of weirdo's.. Seriously.... Do a search for blitz games in the forums...

Well, the guy I met at E3, Chris Viggers, was pretty cool and gave us more information than anybody, even some specs details.

[MacRumorUser]

Well, the guy I met at E3, Chris Viggers, was pretty cool and gave us more information than anybody, even some specs details.

I know I was just refering more to the one weirdo who was working for them, and then was arrested for being branded the worst peodophile in British history. There was rumor and insinuation that his victims included children of his frieds at Blitz, - a lot of their equipment was seized also (anything he had access to).... It's an insider industry story in that very few in the outside world know not of the termoil that went on, when the guy was arrested.. :)

[jdechko]

That won't happen...so that cake will spoil in the ice box:) ...To tell you the truth I really don't care about HD and the rather.....whats on my list is gameplay, graphics....I want to do more and do other stuff than the same lame...Next gen=New stuff



Bless

I know. I really don't think that the HD rumor will pan out to anything. I was merely stating why I'd even potentially be excited about HD; that even though gameplay is the most important thing, I wouldn't mind having pretty graphics.

[technocoy]

hey everyone...

I saw this and immediately started IMing with a friend of mine in LA (with large publisher) and he said that the interesting thing about the games they are working on and from what he has collaborated with other developers at other companies is that the current demos and development projects have not been running on the final GPU and that they have in fact been running on a barely capable graphics set-up and that 80 percent of what we have seen so far is being run on the main processor alone.

This is VERY interesting indeed.

I pushed about the HD possibility and he said that unless this yet to be seen GPU has it, he hasn't heard anything about it, but that they have been developing their games to look good in HD but are pretty much standardized for 480p.

at any rate, the first tidbit is very intersting especially since he hasn't even seen final hardware and they are supposed to be making the bugger already.

He also said he has heard october as a release date as well.

that would be bad for me as my wife was going to get this for a xmas gift for me, but if it's out in october i may have a problem waiting that long!!! lol..

take it or leave it... just thought i'd pass along the little bits i was able to collect.

technocoy