Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS FeedsWii U Final Specs Leaked?
Category: GamingPosted: September 11, 2012 11:24AM
Author: ClayMeow
There have been a lot of rumors and speculation surrounding Nintendo's upcoming Wii U, from leaked specs back in December to a Microsoft executive saying it's effectively an Xbox 360 in the graphics department. Today, an anonymous source posted what are supposedly the final specs for the Wii U:
CPU: "Espresso" CPU on the Wii U has three enhanced Broadway cores
GPU: "GPU7" AMD Radeon™-based High Definition GPU. Unique API = GX2, which supports Shader Model 4.0 (DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.3 equivalent functionality)
Memory: Mem1 = 32MB Mem2 = 1GB (that applications can use)
Storage: Internal 8 GB with support for SD Cards (SD Cards up to 2GB/ SDHC Cards up to 32GB) and External USB Connected Hard Drives
Networking: 802.11 b/g/n Wifi
Video Output: Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i
Video Cables Supported: Compatible cables include HDMI, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
USB: Four USB 2.0 Ports
Now it is definitely important to take all this with a grain of salt. This was posted by an anonymous source with no evidence to support it. That being said, if these specs do happen to be accurate, the Wii U will definitely leave much to be desired. Though the CPU is supposedly faster than any of the current consoles and 1GB of RAM is certainly greater as well, I can't help but notice the lack of DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4 support. If that's the case, it looks like that Microsoft executive may have been correct – the Wii U is simply on par with last-gen consoles when it comes to graphics. Though everything surrounding Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles have been veiled in secrecy, it seems likely that Nintendo will once again take a back seat to its competition if these final specs are accurate. While Nintendo has never been about graphics, one has to wonder if the Wii U offers enough, even over its predecessor. Nintendo's Wii may have been behind the curve in graphics, but at least it offered a unique (at the time) gameplay experience. Will the Wii U's GamePad offer that same unique gameplay experience to drive sales? Doubtful.
Nintendo is holding a Nintendo Direct Wii U Preview event on Thursday, September 13th at 3PM (UK time), so we may not have to wait long to know if these are indeed the final specs.
