The Wii U is underpowered compared to the One and PS4 but it is a significant leap from the Wii. It is next gen because power doesn't determine what is and is not next gen.
Is the Wii U underpowered?
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Yes it is underpowered, at least when compared to the PS4 and XbOne, but compared to the 360 and PS3 it is a pretty large performance upgrade, especially when you look at the RAM (more than 4x more). Thing is though, if you are looking at the recent two Nintendo consoles in terms of their performance and their hardware, you are going to be disappointed, but it is safe to say that the majority of people who buy a Wii or Wii U aren't interested in the amount of teraflops the thing has or how many particles the thing can display or whatever, they come for the games and how they play. The thing is that if you are trying to criticise the Wii U based on hardware, you are not really going to produce a really compelling argument (see "teraflops" point above), the people who buy a Nintendo console are there for the first party games, as well as the way the games play. Hell, whilst Sony and Nintendo are trying to make their controllers more streamlined, Nintendo are trying to look outside of the box to find alternatives, such as the Wii's motion controls which created an entire new era in gaming, practically forcing Sony and Microsoft to answer with their own methods. Hell, like Yahtzee said in one of his recent videos, the Wii U is really the last console on the market right now, because the PS4 and XbOne have basically got to the point where they are mimicking PC's and coming out with a vastly inferior product, whereas Nintendo is really sticking to the strengths of what makes the console appealing (albeit to varying success). And lets be honest here, almost all of the games that are on the Wii or Wii U have a cartoonish look, and you dont need a technological powerhouse to make a cartoonish game look great.
According to a GDC poll, only 4% of developers are planning to make games for the Wii U. Though, the poll also says only 2% of devs are planning to make games for the 3DS, so that puts the accuracy of the poll into question:
http://www.gdconf.com/news/gdc_state_of_the_industry_rese.html
I mean, you'd think more devs would put their games on the Nintendo system that's actually selling. And the 3DS has support from Capcom, Square, WayForward, Sega, and Atlus.
http://www.gdconf.com/news/gdc_state_of_the_industry_rese.html
I mean, you'd think more devs would put their games on the Nintendo system that's actually selling. And the 3DS has support from Capcom, Square, WayForward, Sega, and Atlus.
Is shit brown, is water wet, and are boobs fantastic mysteries?!
Yes to all all questions, compared to the coming generation it's going to be a retread of the former, or more so a continuation. Where the Wii got nothing, the Xbox got gimmicks and the Playstation had still great exclusives being made for it.
Unbiased opinion is unbiased.
Yes to all all questions, compared to the coming generation it's going to be a retread of the former, or more so a continuation. Where the Wii got nothing, the Xbox got gimmicks and the Playstation had still great exclusives being made for it.
Unbiased opinion is unbiased.
Don't really think you can compare sequels, feck, even comparing Dead Space 1 to 2, 2 looks way better and they're in the same gen. from these screens I can tell they've upped the contrast, if you had the same scene for comparison, it would probably be better. Which I don't know why they wouldn't, considering Nintendo players didn't get the original, and if they could get it on the Playstation 3 they should be able to port over the original Bayonetta. Unless ya'know cost wise it isn't worth it.TrevHead said:
No, you missed what he was saying entirely, the Wii was only slightly more powerful than the GameCube, to the point in which the comparisons have been made that the Wii was just 2 GameCubes stuck together. The point Choasritter was making was that the current power and capabilities of the Wii U should have been released 6 years ago alongside the PS3 and 360 seeing as the Wii U is only a little more powerful than both, but is vastly underpowered by the PS4 and Xbox One.VG_Addict said:
Underpowered...for what?
In comparison to the other "current gen" consoles? Yes, of course. It's not a speculation. It's a fact. We know the "current gen's" specs. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(eighth_generation)] Compared to the others two consoles' specs the WiiU is a glorified calculator...
Is it underpowered to be a good game console? No.
It'll certainly make it harde. The massive power gap between it and the other current consoles will definitely elicit compatibility issues when/if developers try to port their games to it, and developing with the WiiU in mind from the start will certainly limit your developer potential compared to the other 3 markets (PS4, XBoxone and PC, which, together, represent a far more significant market share).
...Does it really matter as far as a Nintendo console goes though? Nintendo has never really been known for their third party support. Nintendo consoles have pretty much always been "Nintendo games.... and some guest appearances!".
Is it currently living up to its potential? Well... That's a different matter entirely. Even for someone like me that doesn't honestly care for the typical "Nintendo exclusives" the current and prospective line up seem... lacking. But hey, time will tell.
In comparison to the other "current gen" consoles? Yes, of course. It's not a speculation. It's a fact. We know the "current gen's" specs. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(eighth_generation)] Compared to the others two consoles' specs the WiiU is a glorified calculator...
Is it underpowered to be a good game console? No.
It'll certainly make it harde. The massive power gap between it and the other current consoles will definitely elicit compatibility issues when/if developers try to port their games to it, and developing with the WiiU in mind from the start will certainly limit your developer potential compared to the other 3 markets (PS4, XBoxone and PC, which, together, represent a far more significant market share).
...Does it really matter as far as a Nintendo console goes though? Nintendo has never really been known for their third party support. Nintendo consoles have pretty much always been "Nintendo games.... and some guest appearances!".
Is it currently living up to its potential? Well... That's a different matter entirely. Even for someone like me that doesn't honestly care for the typical "Nintendo exclusives" the current and prospective line up seem... lacking. But hey, time will tell.
In comparison to other current platforms, it seems under powered. For the Nintendo properties, it isn't.
It's underpowered compared to its peers, and that is going to make third party support a problem; you need to completely strip and reoptimise the code to make multiplatform software work on a technologically inferior machine, and that's a lot of expense - it's no surprise that so many developers are saying "screw it, we just won't do it".
Of course it's not the be all and end all; my favourite couple of games ever came out on systems with even less power than a Wii U, and doubtless Ninty's in-house teams will make their own games work on it. But in-house can't carry them forever - eventually they'll need third party support to fill in the gaps between Marios and Zeldas, and it's not going to be there. That's why the underpowered nature of the system is potentially a long-term problem, particularly a few years down the road.
I say this as somebody who is only anticipating one game so far this new gen; and it's Bayonetta 2, a Wii U exclusive. I'd love to want more games for it, but they're just not there and not looking likely to be.
Of course it's not the be all and end all; my favourite couple of games ever came out on systems with even less power than a Wii U, and doubtless Ninty's in-house teams will make their own games work on it. But in-house can't carry them forever - eventually they'll need third party support to fill in the gaps between Marios and Zeldas, and it's not going to be there. That's why the underpowered nature of the system is potentially a long-term problem, particularly a few years down the road.
I say this as somebody who is only anticipating one game so far this new gen; and it's Bayonetta 2, a Wii U exclusive. I'd love to want more games for it, but they're just not there and not looking likely to be.
Right now? Kind of but the power isnt really the problem. A lot of games now are coming out for the ps3 and xbox 360 alongside their xbone and ps4 counterparts. so technically the wiiu should be able to handle games at the moment. Give it a couple years and devs will be optimizing their games for next gen consoles, and then it will definitely be underpowered to a fault.
the other issue is the controller. I'd assume that's another big reason most 3rd party developers wont want to touch the thing.
the other issue is the controller. I'd assume that's another big reason most 3rd party developers wont want to touch the thing.
The Wii U is actually gonna have that problem now. After Tropical Freeze launches in the US and Europe this Friday, there will be no big Nintendo title coming out until May 30th, and that is Mario Kart 8. Hopefully Watch Dogs will be out in the time inbetween, but Nintendo is gonna need something to fill the gap this big inbetween big titles and it seems like nothing is there. I mean, yeah there has been a slew of stuff coming out for the 3DS, but there lies another problem, Nintendo still seems to be focusing everything, from advertising to actual games, on the 3DS when in all honesty the 3DS is fine now and the Wii U is hurting more and more. I mean the last Nintendo Direct pretty much had a bunch of 3DS titles and not much for the Wii U, which is why there are some people saying that Nintendo should just focus on handhelds from now on, because it honestly seems like that's all they care about.Kinitawowi said:
If they are competing with the other consoles (PS4 and XBONE), then yes, very much so, esp for HD gaming. If they wanted to race with these guys, they should have included more horsepower.
HOWEVER, Wii-U can still push HD content (although not as much of it). Moreover, as I always say, Nintendo has a unique opportunity that they are just failing to capitalize on.
All those companies, which fear budgets of HD titles, have a potential port of harbor here. JRPG developers often lament an inability to produce profitable games, simply because of their supposed "expectations" from HD JRPG's.
However, there is a mindset, however truthful/fallacious, that Ninty's system isn't expected to produce eye-bleeding HD graphics. It seems like a perfect way for HD-fearful developers to stay relevant.
Case in point, look at the abundance of quality games on the 3DS. Handhelds and tablets seem to be the last bastion of the JRPG genre.
Nintendo should:
a) make themselves more appealing to 3rd parties,
b) downplay the use of their gimmicky controller, and
c) allow crossplay to the TV from the 3DS (via Wii-U), much like what Sony is doing with PSVita TV
If done, they could have an indomitable, cold-blooded, killer machine. And fans wouldn't care that they couldn't play "Watch Dogs" in 1080p @ 60FPS.
At around $200, this system would become the "addition" to whatever other console/PC you had. Moreover, with the potential for so many borderline/sub-HD games and RPG's, the sheer potential for titles might even eclipse the competition.
But hey, I'm just a student who doesn't do marketing or programming, what do I know? Perhaps Nintendo doesn't care to become the hardcore 3rd party platform it used to be, sticking instead to the party-time/family-friendly in-house services.
Frankly, I don't care about 1st party Nintendo stuff anymore, barring Fire Emblem. If they find their current plans and demographic profitable enough, more power to them. Meanwhile, I will lament the wasted potential.
HOWEVER, Wii-U can still push HD content (although not as much of it). Moreover, as I always say, Nintendo has a unique opportunity that they are just failing to capitalize on.
All those companies, which fear budgets of HD titles, have a potential port of harbor here. JRPG developers often lament an inability to produce profitable games, simply because of their supposed "expectations" from HD JRPG's.
However, there is a mindset, however truthful/fallacious, that Ninty's system isn't expected to produce eye-bleeding HD graphics. It seems like a perfect way for HD-fearful developers to stay relevant.
Case in point, look at the abundance of quality games on the 3DS. Handhelds and tablets seem to be the last bastion of the JRPG genre.
Nintendo should:
a) make themselves more appealing to 3rd parties,
b) downplay the use of their gimmicky controller, and
c) allow crossplay to the TV from the 3DS (via Wii-U), much like what Sony is doing with PSVita TV
If done, they could have an indomitable, cold-blooded, killer machine. And fans wouldn't care that they couldn't play "Watch Dogs" in 1080p @ 60FPS.
At around $200, this system would become the "addition" to whatever other console/PC you had. Moreover, with the potential for so many borderline/sub-HD games and RPG's, the sheer potential for titles might even eclipse the competition.
But hey, I'm just a student who doesn't do marketing or programming, what do I know? Perhaps Nintendo doesn't care to become the hardcore 3rd party platform it used to be, sticking instead to the party-time/family-friendly in-house services.
Frankly, I don't care about 1st party Nintendo stuff anymore, barring Fire Emblem. If they find their current plans and demographic profitable enough, more power to them. Meanwhile, I will lament the wasted potential.
If power actually matters why play on a console at all?The Lunatic said:
Based on your logic if the Wii U was released in 2006 rather than the Wii the price would have been too high for it to succeed among the audience that made the Wii a success.Chaosritter said:
OT: Compared to the competition the Wii U is underpowered. Maybe the games will be enough to save it, but so far I haven't really seen any must have games for it.
They technology that everything has in everything is old by the standards of something. I hear plenty of PC gamers look at people who compare the WiiU's tech to its rivals as though they're comparing which Volvo is faster.
OP says: could X/Bayonetta2/MK8/SB4 be on the PS3/360?
Sure. They could also be on the PS4/XBone. And in all cases, they'd be different, and worse. Not worse, as in, the non-Wii U versions would be worse, but worse as in, the games would be worse on all the systems including the Wii U. But since these games were made to be Wii U exclusives, the developers made them with that in mind. They won't be ported, and because of that, they didn't have to prepare for any potential coding headaches it might have brought up.
That said, if these were made to be exclusives for the last-gen systems? I feel like the PS3 could probably do a bit. MarioKart 8 looks more impressive to me than the others, and I can't say that I've seen something on another system that was like it. I'm sure plenty of people will tell me that there's no reason the PS3 can't run MK8, but I've never seen a PS3 game that looks that beautiful while being played to the same effect.
But most importantly:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(eighth_generation)
Note the "Other systems" section. A generation is defined by the public perception of a transition. Hardware is incidental.
OP says: could X/Bayonetta2/MK8/SB4 be on the PS3/360?
Sure. They could also be on the PS4/XBone. And in all cases, they'd be different, and worse. Not worse, as in, the non-Wii U versions would be worse, but worse as in, the games would be worse on all the systems including the Wii U. But since these games were made to be Wii U exclusives, the developers made them with that in mind. They won't be ported, and because of that, they didn't have to prepare for any potential coding headaches it might have brought up.
That said, if these were made to be exclusives for the last-gen systems? I feel like the PS3 could probably do a bit. MarioKart 8 looks more impressive to me than the others, and I can't say that I've seen something on another system that was like it. I'm sure plenty of people will tell me that there's no reason the PS3 can't run MK8, but I've never seen a PS3 game that looks that beautiful while being played to the same effect.
But most importantly:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(eighth_generation)
Note the "Other systems" section. A generation is defined by the public perception of a transition. Hardware is incidental.
Well, yes. It's underpowered. Can it do what the PS3 can't? If pushed to the edge, then yes. Though it won't be a large difference, the PS3 would still have to make sacrifices to play what the Wii U could run.
But then, all systems are under powered. The PS4's amazing, as long as you don't know what a gaming PC can do.
And let's face it, the Wii U isn't on par with PS4 and XBox One. But, it is the only console that looks a Hell of a lot better then the last gen model.
The PS4 only slightly looks better then the PS3.
But then, all systems are under powered. The PS4's amazing, as long as you don't know what a gaming PC can do.
And let's face it, the Wii U isn't on par with PS4 and XBox One. But, it is the only console that looks a Hell of a lot better then the last gen model.
The PS4 only slightly looks better then the PS3.