Topic: is the wii u powerful enough?

Let me state first that I own a wii u and enjoy it immensely, the device is severely handicapped. I'm playing deus ex currently and it's terrific but the frame rate chugs along while not looking spectacular. One of the articles today mentioned it was hard to recommend batman: AO because of the poor framerates and pop in. I'm hopping in the future maybe some type of partial game install can help some of the issues of texture streaming. But with the struggles it has currently with ps3/360 ports are any indication the wii u might end up like the dreamcast :-/

... so yes, yes it is

very nice post @discostew

Wii U just need boost in sales nothing else (50k,80k,60k) these are global sales numbers according to vgchartz and they need to jump to 150k average - and after some time we will seeing nice looking 3rd party games.

@skywake
Even that is somewhat not accurate. I prefer a few things on the Wii U version, and some things from the PS4 version. Both the Wii U and PS4 versions are clearer.

Just in that first scene, there's more rain and a bit of better lighting on the PS4 version, but I don't believe that the Wii U can't do the same.

huh? It's a video showing image quality comparisons. The Wii U runs pretty damn well and looks significantly better than the PS3 version in particular. In a game that's running on all of the platforms the Wii U sits well above the consoles that are $150AU cheaper and well bellow the console that's $200AU more expensive. I suspect that if you threw a mid-range gaming PC into the mix it would do better again. Plus the Wii U has Mario and you can play the game without the TV if you get interrupted during the game.

If people were happy with the quality of visuals in the ""HD gen" then the Wii U is that and some plus extras. Given those facts for the price you're getting a pretty good deal. Thus the answer to the thread title is yes, yes it is.

@skywake
I'm trying to say that the Wii U version is better than 7th gen versions, but there are still bits of better lighting and textures in the PS4 version that I think the Wii U can do as well, even though that is not the case within the video.

Personally, I think the way they made that guy's face look in the PS4 version is worse, but that obviously wouldn't be determined by the the capability of a system.

Isn't that the truth.

It appears that third party support will continue to be overshadowed by Nintendo's offerings. Yet again.

Exactly. The capabilities of the PS3 and 360 are still fine for most people. The existence of the PS4 and XB1 doesn't automatically make the previous consoles bad.

The problem with the Wii U isn't about power (as it has shown that it can handle many games coming out on PS4/XB1 at a lesser quality), but it's the developers that put Wii U as an afterthought. Delaying the game to a later date than others versions, cutting out content, or even sabotaging their own Wii U releases (yeah, I'm looking at you EA!). All these different "excuses" with regard to the Wii U, and then they complain about poor sales because no one wants to buy them. Of course they won't buy a copy of a game that wasn't put on equal ground with other releases. Why don't developers see this? Giving a console exclusive content is one thing, but to make another console version inferior in this manner is really the mark of a "lazy" developer.

The Wii U does not need to be as powerful as the PS4, or Xbox One. I think all needs to do is have games run smoothly at 1080p. Do they need to be super realistic? No (and I certainly hope not). Do they need the most cutting edge physics, and textures, and computations per second? I highly doubt it, especially since NES games were already difficult enough--and that was AI + game design from 25 years ago!

Already we're seeing that the PS4 has been too complex for their coders, with their flawed launch software. Let Sony and Microsoft beat each other in their arms race, while Nintendo just makes solid titles.

It's powerful enough for Nintendo but I think 3rd parties are going to struggle to get much out of the CPU with their ports. Games were already too reliant on CPU power and PS4bone aren't going to change that.

Actually if anything CPU power is less of a deal now than it once was. That's the weakest part of the Wii U but at the same time the Wii U isn't doing game streaming or any of the multimedia stuffs those other guys are. And even then the PS4/XBOne are significantly underpowered in terms of CPU compared to pretty much any PC processor that's not built for super low power consumption passively cooled computing.

So you are right that there is trend to better utilisation of resources and the Wii U is comparatively underpowered in terms of CPU. However if that's where things are going Sony and Microsoft need to watch their back. When Steam Machines launch early next year every single one of those SKUs will have more CPU power than both the PS4 and XBOne. Round two will have cheaper SKUs that will kill them in every spec. If it's a spec war or even a $/FPS war then we know what platform will reign supreme.

Yeah, screw third parties! Screw anything that Nintendo wasn't directly involved in! Screw anybody wanting to play anything not made by Nintendo!
No. Just No.

But anyway, the Wii U can run the equivalent of Direct X11 with no problem. SE was just lying through their teeth. So the problem isn't wether or not it's strong enough, it's how well it sells.

Glad someone else felt how I did when I read @CapnPancakes post.

Ummm... watch a trailer for Monolith's X for Wii U....
That is the most impressive next gen game so far.

@skywake
Yeah it's true that Steam could destroy them in a spec war but consumers are idiots and will just believe what they want when it comes to specs.

When you look at what Nintendo devs can get out of a console in terms of framerate and draw distance with lower power (Xenoblade still shocks me) you can see why they don't feel the need to raise their power consumption but 3rd parties will never take the time to optimise their games for an interesting new hardware setup. We just need Nintendo to actually put next-gen effort into their HD games and show just how close they can get to their rivals.

It's more capable than the Wii, so yes it is a step for Nintendo and has adequate capabilities. No one should expect the Wii U to compete with the PS4/Xbox spec-wise, but with effort, teams that put in the effort and optimize their software to the Wii U should get some effects above the capabilities of the PS360. I'm personally curious about how much drain the Gamepad puts on the console. If anything, the Gamepad should have been the Wii U's true asset, but Nintendo hasn't even capitalized on the concept yet, instead opting to use it in novel and ultimately useless ways.

It really isn't by a long shot.

I am no position to discuss the capabilities of any system. I am not that technically gifted when it comes to gigaflops and bandwidth or whatever. From what I have seen with my own eyes regardless of specs there is a gap between the wii u and the PS4. How big this gap will end up depends on the console you support. If you support the wii u it is most likely going to be a small gap. If you hate the wii u then the gap is going to be enormous.

However the part of your post that got my attention was your questioning of third-party support. The way I see it the wii u is heading in the direction of the wii where 3rd party is concerned. I could be wrong but i am only giving my outlook.
I asked myself this question and concluded that if I want third-party games it's either the PC or most likely another console as the third party games I will really want are not on the PC.
Again. I could be wrong but if you want 3rd party games you might want to start looking at other consoles or the PC if it applies.

This subject relies on opinion, which is exactly why we shouldn't be discussing the specs. I agree that X is ONE of the best looking games, game mechanic and visual wise.

I may not be looking forward to it as much as Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart, but I'd definitely rather have X over Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts III.

That's why opinions shouldn't get everyone riled up, because someone probably wants FF15 or KH3 more and that's not the case for some of us. It's the main reason why calling a fanboy makes absolutely no sense sometimes, because whoever's calling someone a fanboy usually has a different opinion that could easily be defined as the same.

I' not trying to say I don't care about third-party games or that what Nintendo makes is all that matters, but rather that the company itself doesn't really care as much. Sony and Microsoft tailor make their consoles for third parties, while Nintendo makes the console for themselves and hope that third parties will jump on board as well.