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Anonymous Sources Talk Wii U’s Sub-Par Graphics

By Brian P Rubin | 03 April 2012 | 6 Comments   

wii u graphics slider

According to a post on GamesIndustry, anonymous sources within developers have determined that the Wii U’s graphics prowess packs less of a visual punch than those of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, putting Nintendo’s latest console behind the next-generation before it even launches.

“It’s not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360,” one developer is quoted as saying. “The graphics are just not as powerful.”

Another anonymous developer has supposedly corroborated that assessment, saying, “Yeah, that’s true. It doesn’t produce graphics as well as the PS3 or the 360. There aren’t as many shaders, it’s not as capable. Sure, some things are better, mostly as a result of being a more modern design. But overall the Wii U just can’t quite keep up.”

Now, it’s certainly somewhat disappointing to hear that the graphics won’t be up to the same level as hardware that’s already around six years old…but at the same time, are graphics the most important part of the Wii U? I just want it to not look like shit and be fun—that’s what I’m focused on, at least. The tablet controller is starting to sound interesting, especially with the hints and praise that some developers have been dropping lately. While I’d like to know that the graphics would be as good or better than the current crop of consoles, at the same time, maybe the “can’t quite keep up” graphics will help keep the sure-to-be expensive to manufacture Wii U at a relatively low price.

Think about it this way: a tablet controller with a touchscreen has got to be at least a little pricey, and that’s costs that Nintendo will likely eat in order to make the price point attractive to consumers. They’ll make up any lost manufacturing money on the sale of games, which is the basic method that companies employ when they release new hardware. But having super amazing graphics processing hardware would certainly drive costs up—so making the visuals “good enough” for high definition while pushing the innovative elements of the Wii U’s controller might be the smartest move.

I don’t really know anything, of course—this is all just random speculation and talking out of my butt. What do you think? Are you disappointed by the prospect of a new system with graphics that aren’t up to 360 and PS3 standards? Or are graphics less of a consideration these days, since everything looks pretty damn good already?

Via GamesIndustry

6 Comments

  1. Posted by VGCountdown on 03 April 12 at 10:37am

    The issue is probably that the machine itself is rendering everything showing up on the tablet controller, so resources need to be guaranteed for that.

  2. Posted by uberness3725 on 03 April 12 at 11:32am

    Well i mostly just want 1080p to be possible on a wii u. But even current consoles aren’t doing that so i hope it’s stronger in that aspect.

  3. Posted by Hach on 03 April 12 at 1:11pm

    While it was fairly obvious from the get go that the Wii U wouldn’t be a truly “next gen” console, admittedly, I was, at the very least, expecting better graphics capabilities than those consoles that are already more than half a decade old. I’ll be disappointed if these rumours prove to be true, but, in the end, I doubt such things will affect my decision to purchase Nintendo’s latest offering. In fact, price point is, indeed, a much bigger issue for me than sub-par graphics.

  4. Posted by Mugenite on 03 April 12 at 5:19pm

    Nintendo likes playing it safe. They’ve screwed themselves in terms of graphics and the console cycles, but will probably recover if releasing their console first hinders next gen sales. Even so, the ps360 are a strong duo on their own. Let’s see if Patcher is right about this one.

  5. Posted by xiupfm on 29 May 12 at 11:13am

    http://games.on.net/article/15711/Wii_U_Version_of_Colonial_Marines_Will_Be_Best-Looking_of_All_Says_Gearbox

    look at this. It completely contradicts what they have just said. In it it says that the “wii u is a powerful powerful machine” and will look way better than xbox or ps3. And this is from a games developer who have already made a game for it. So how can you in anyway argue with that. Probably the “xbox 720″ or ps4 will have better looking graphics.

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