Talking Point: Is Wii U's Power Really That Important?

I'm not concerned with power, but I think it's important from a standpoint of having third-party involvement. I'll happily play my Nintendo franchises and the few third-party franchises that I really enjoy, but I can't see the console sustaining success unless there's serious third-party support. ... and I can't see that happening if the console isn't more powerful than the current HD consoles and at least in the ballpark of the PS4 and the XBox 720.

Of course it's important! After all, so many games take advantage of such high specs....nevermind

The games sell it for me...though having some lovely visuals for certain games would also be nice. (like Pikmin)

I kinda wished Nintendo would just give us the specs already...because all of this talk about the U not being as powerful as other systems but out-ramming them and being 50% more than the PS3 and having a built-in toaster is giving me a headache.

Power is never a bad thing. Considering the Wii is only around 50% stronger than the GameCube, we had many phenomenal games to see the light of day in the last five years. Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Prime Trilogy and Monster Hunter Tri are three examples of AAA games made from the ground up from the Wii's "outdated" hardware.

All three of which are critically acclaimed and mentioned every time someone needs a reason to buy a Wii or even to persuade them not to. Three games that can't be found on the competition's consoles.

Now imagine if the Wii U is just as strong, if not stronger than the PlayStation 3. Games like Uncharted and Killzone are so massive in size, it seems like anything Nintendo wishes to do, can be achieved with that hardware. And with such talented developers at Nintendo they can, without a doubt, pull it off.

I won't buy one if it's not at least as powerful as an Xbox360 or PS3. Back when the Wii was released, I didn't care too much about graphics or power. Now I have a nice big HD plasma TV and a blu-ray player. Even the best looking Wii games are pretty ugly to be honest.

I think people have reason to be worried. If the hardware isn't up to par neither is the third party support.

The notion that the most powerful system is automatically the best is a thing of the past.

Exactly. The next generation is not one where the graphics will be king.

@5
How is Killzone or Uncharted massive in size? 10 hours of campaign is pretty small if you ask me.

I have to agree with WesCash on this one. I didn't used to care as much about power as I do now, and I have to blame my HDTV and Blu-Ray watching (on my PS3) for that. I have had multiple games on the Wii that are fun and look decent, but I just can't help but wish they were in HD...of course, it doesn't much help that my TV's crap for upconversion. And I'm a real Trophy fan, so having no such system in place on Wii doesn't help...figured I'd be honest about that.

All that said, there are still some Wii games awesome enough to make me play them regardless. Surprisingly, Chocobo Dungeon is one of them. Sure, it would've looked nicer (and had Trophies) on PS3, but it's still a great game and it's managed to keep my interest recently. The rest are mostly first-party.

You already mentioned the reason the Wii U needs to be powerful, multiplatform games. Straight up, it's often more profitable to release games that are on multiple systems then just one system. The Wii U doesn't have to be more powerful then the next Sony or Mircrosoft system, and fact is, it won't be because Sony and Microsoft will not finalize their system until the Wii U is finalized to make sure they beat it hardware wise, they have absolutely no incentive to release a new system until the Wii U is released. But the Wii U DOES need to be step above the PS3 in terms of horsepower. The 360 for example, is technically inferior to the PS3 hardware wise, but everyone developers games for the 360 and ports them to the PS3 (often poorly) BECAUSE IT'S EASIER. To develop games for the more powerful system, the PS3 first, would mean it might not run on the 360, cause it to red ring (that already happens with games that are made for the 360), and have to be downgraded everywhere to run properly on the 360, and that's extra work most developers don't want to do.

So the Wii U DOESN'T need to be the most powerful system, but it does need to be more powerful then the PS3 by quite a bit and be considered "next gen". Other things Nintendo needs to consider, a good online is very important to customers today, DO NOT say good online isn't necessary because you are promoting "playing in the same room" or some crap excuse like that, because good online IS NECESSARY.

im half concerned with power. the main reason isnt really about beautiful graphics. but more about competition and developpers.

Developpers like DICE or Bethesda get those power hungry, humongous budget titles. these titles are major and sell the most. these titles arent on nintendo consoles. Third party dev seemed to not put as much effort and budget into the Wii or 3DS games because you know, people want beautiful games, deep games.
nintendo games are amazing masterpieces. there is no doubt about it. but i would like to have 1 game system to play my games, and nintendo just dont make it where Sony did so far. i like battlefield 3. i like uncharted,skyrim,assassin creed. theyre beautiful,deep and powerful
if nintendo can have enough power for their version of these games without ridiculous graphical downgrade, then theyre winning the next gen system for me.
again, when i say ridiculous, i mean like CoD did. its downright ugly on Wii, clunky,squary,pixelized. And it just cant go where BF3 did in term of physics and movements. i have budget for 1 home console. not 2. so far, the ps3 outclassed everything, so i might go for the ps4 unless nintendo can prove they will handle next gen shooters.

at least, nintendo own the handheld market

Disagree, it was often not a thing of the past either. See: Gameboy vs. every other handheld from the entire 90s, PS2 vs. Xbox and GCN, GBA vs. ....nGage? DS vs. PSP (especially outside of Japan).

Yeah last gen has really opened my eyes on the difference between graphic power (or to be more exact how much better Wii's often artistic games will look in 10 or so years compared to retail 360/PS3 titles) and power in general. And even then I sometimes question that ('sup Xenoblade and many 1st party titles) and I'm glad this made the Wii such a contrast to the other consoles. But wow did it's lack of power make the system it's own worst enemy. Time and time again. Wii could have been a legendary system on the same level of SNES and PS2 just going by some of the incredibly high quality games, but Nintendo refused to learn from mistakes and paid for it last year. And it isn't like Nintendo needs to be on the same level as their competition in every thing (as a lot of what I like from Nintendo would inevitably be sacrificed for it) but they need to be good enough at least.

I think Nintendo is putting these anonymous developers out there to throw us off from finding the truth. If there is some doubt then the truth will never be heard.

'Lateral thinking of withered technology' - A philosophy employed by the late, great Gunpei Yokoi, and one that is still used by Nintendo today. I think it's safe to say following that mantra has served them well.

Of course, visuals are important - I don't think anyone's denying that; but gameplay will always be first priority for The Big N.

I am seriously excited for the Wii U. I still get goosebumbs thinking about how I can continue my gaming sessions on the HD tablet controller...WITHOUT THE TV.

Witchcraft Nintendo! Witchcraft I say!

I hope for some new graphics, but what's most important to me, is Nintendo's great first party franchises. Nothing beats Mario or Zelda for me, along with all the other Nintendo 1st party franchises.

@WesCash Yes, Okami is absolutely hideous. Graphics > Art Style any day...

@Faron

Killzone may only have a 10 hour campaign but it's the size of the campaign's layouts and cinemas that take the space. Comparing it to any shooter before it is unfair. If you're not watching one of the best looking CGI movie clips of all time, you're enduring an onslaught of enemy fire in a massive world before you.

I've also been told the game in its entirety is around 40GB in size. There's a reason it's not for download via PSN. lol

^{All of which can be said about all three Uncharted games}

Ideally, it shouldn't, but we're at the mercy of the third-party developers unfortunately. If the "Xbox 720" and the "PS4" are not only more powerful, but they both have similar specs, then you can kiss that third-party support goodbye.

With great power comes great responsiliby.

to answer the headline bluntly: yes, it is that important nowadays.

@sdcazares1980 - Well...not necassarily. The development cost of AAA games of the current generation are insane, and I bet 3rd parties are shuddering at the thought of how much resources would be required for the PS4/Xbox Next. If Nintendo can establish a strong Wii U user base early, and IF the machine's power is adequate enough, and IF the cost of making games for it is right...well, I can see 3rd parties flocking to Nintendo's system in droves.

Yes and no, for Nintendo games (1st and 2nd party games) they don't matter as we will lap them up and they will be in HD. For 3rd party ones for now no, but once the Orbis and Durango then it will be hard, as if the rumors are right these consoles will be a beast.

If you have an old analog tv no. If you have a new tv yes. I love the old games but they just don't look right on an led screen IMO. I miss my glass tube television at times.

A new Zelda at launch would blow peoples minds and their wallets.

@Kage_88

I dunno.... they seem to be making a killing out of those triple A games for the HD consoles. We can only speculate, but judging from Nintendo's often tumultuous relationship with the third-party developers, there is still reason to worry.

For me (and prolly many others), the graphics issue is hugely important, if only from a timing perspective. I have a Wii, and I finally bought a PS3 last year, along with a 3DS. In addition to having way too many games already, I now have a graphically powerful system (for a guy who started with the Atari 2600 in the '80s, the PS3 still sports mind-meltingly awesome visuals) and two other systems that take the unique-gameplay route (I consider the 3D aspect of the handheld to be a major graphical leap too, regardless of the system's power). If WiiU comes looking for my ducats this year but doesn't have a significant graphical upgrade over the other rigs, there's no way I'm going to throw down money for a PS3-like system and even more games, no matter how unique its interface might be. I love Mario, Zelda, and the rest of the gang, but if WiiU can't blow gorgeous games like Galaxy and Skyward out of the water graphically, I'll likely skip a generation and focus on playing the shameful number of graphically beautiful unplayed games I already own for my other systems (e.g., I bought Kirby's Epic Yarn months ago but still haven't played it!). The new controller, as cool as it is, doesn't seem like enough of a selling point on its own for me (though if I had kids, it might be a whole different proposition; I'm sure Nintendo partly counting on that).

I liked 8- bit Mega man games more than 16- bit Mega man games. Case closed.

I'm sure Super Smash Bros. (Wii-U) will utilize the Wii-U's full power. Or a new Star Fox game to show just how powerful it can be.

whatever will be will be. Now if only we could get starfox on the wii u <3.

Its not that important to Nintendo fans. After all we are not necessary fans because of the graphics. Game play is where it's at. However if they want to appeal to the HD fans then I think it needs to be more powerful. I don't think a controller is going to make them switch systems they play on! Nintendo really needs to utilize that new control in many different ways to win them over. Just think of the next Madden game. Select all your plays on the touch screen. Design your one plays will be a piece of cake as well. And the possibilities for rpgs will be Hugh! Lets just hope its not all maps and inventory. That wont cut it.

Yes, it is. If the WiiU ends up being significantly less powerful than the others, as the Wii was (which I can almost guarantee won't happen, but still), the 3rd party support will once again drop.

Tell me, how many new games have come out for the Wii this year? Exactly. I'm not a graphics horse by any means, but it's more the ability to play the games the other consoles will get. If the WiiU just can't do it, then we'll be stuck with first party games and the occasional good 3rd party game again. And while those games are usually fantastic, they can't carry the console in terms of lastability.

WiiU's power will be important if it can be described as "two Wiis duct taped together". Fortunately I don't believe that will happen. The real question isn't "is power important?" but whether the WiU wiil be be as powerful as the PS3/Xbox360 or as powerful as the PS4/Xbox720. That's the real question. And the real answer is it will be more powerful than the current systems, but only slightly, which means it won't be as powerful as the next next gen systems, so limited 3rd party support once again. But that's ok as long as 1080p remains the standard tv. The PS3 didn't kill the Wii for me, getting a 52" 1080p tv did. On the old 36" tube tv the Wii looked great, but it can't compare now. Playing Sonic Colors on the Wii is depressing after playing Generations on the PS3. But I don't think that would have mattered as much on the old tv. So, if tv's stay at 1080p for the next 5 years, the WiiU will be fine, even if 3rd party support next next gen is a little limited.
The more important question is - does price matter? Maybe that will be the next talking point: $500 high spec WiiU or $300 current spec WiiU? I'm voting for the latter.

@sdcazares1980 - Yeah, I suppose you have a point. Its been evident that gigantic 3rd parties such as EA, Activision and Ubisoft have made record profits with IPs such as Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty. Guys like those have seemingly limitless cash-flow...

I guess the ball really is in Nintendo's court when it comes to 3rd party support...I wonder what developers like Tim Schafer think about the potential cost of the next-generation...

I'm not really worry about nintendo, they know how to work with what they have, The wii u could have the same power as the wii and nintendo would make awesome games anyways, but I want the wii u to be a little more powerful than this generation, so thirdparties couldn't make excuses and bring support to the wii u.

I'm just going to point out for those whom try to post otherwise that power, as broad of a term as that is, affects more things than just the graphics. Having an underpowered system means more than just the visuals will be impacted.

I doubt the WiiU will be cheap, considering the controllers. The controllers themselves could easily be like $200.

Personly i think power matters coz if you dont have enough power you lose out on some great third party games

the wii U has to be more powerful than the wii. however, nintendo is and has always been about characters and gameplay over graphics. having great graphics is one thing but if you don't have innovative gameplay then that won't count very much.

so perhaps when comparing it to the wii, it has to be more powerful. but third party support is crucial. the wii U has to have that in place and developers have to make the most out of the development kits and hardware they got from nintendo last year. the wii has done tremendously well, but the lack of good 3rd party games was telling and so many major developers shunned the system in favour of the PS3, X-box.

developers need to not compare the specs of the wii U to the PS3, X-Box but rather use those development kits and focus on making great quality wii U games.

@misswliu81

Unfortunately, it is up to the third-party developers on how to make the games.

I believe its important because like wii was a great innovation but 3rd party chose and will continue to choose more power no matter what the innovation is. I also want more power graphics aside, but simply because devs can put more into a game for better everything. Also this reeks of Wii tragedy all over where itz great at first then next consoles come out and forget about Wii U or Wii U getz watered down ports or a narrative story just like what happened with wii. If Wii U has both Innovation and power I can almost gaurantee that it will last long, continue to have 3rd party support even after other consoles launch, and live long and I want it to live long such a great idea of a console with tablet controller shouldnt go to waste if nintendo doesnt car about longitivity, or forgotten about devs because its a great idea but but not as powerful. I dont want plme and other people buying Wii U and being sigmificantly powerful and only enjoying GTA5 and other great games for one year until ps4 and 720 comes out then once again like the wii, we cant enjoy games lile mass effect 4 (haha), and GTA6 because its not as powerful compared, so it becomes a skip and all nintendo fans that have a wii u can.only turn on their system when thr next nintendo game comes out, and a almost full experience COD title from treyarch but not quiet.
So I think.i should be powerful only because most or almost all decs out their rely and favor power and if nintendo nails power with innovation, then we have nothing to worry about missing out on games.
Personally if the Wii U is only 20% less powerful then other next gens I wouldnt mind and devs prob wouldnt either considering ps3 is little more powerful than 360, but still get same great 3rd party games.
P.s. Change it to Nintendo Stream, I like that name

everyone should already be using light based metatronics

In a way I disagree with the article. The notion that graphics are becoming less important, I feel is overwhelmingly the opposite of the truth from the gaming community at large.
As a long time nintendo fan and owner of a Wii and DS, I can attribute that no, graphics are not everything. I love both systems.
However, I can say that from the perspective of a 360 owner and your typical gamer who's mouth waters at a pretty game, that the closer we get to photo realism and Avatar/pixar -esc graphics in real time, the more and more I want to actually see it happen all the way. I feel many "hardcore" gamers probably feel the same way, but even just the gaming community at large.

I do think that developers need to focus on quality of the games though, because although Battlefield 3 and Crysis 2 may be two of the prettiest games on 360, I for one was not a fan. I got burnt out on the FPS genre by COD4, after only owning 2 & 3 before it. Nothing has come out thats been so good that has brought me back to it, I just simply cannot enjoy it anymore.
So with that one example, do graphics make the game? No. Because then I would've enjoyed it.
But, with a game like Skryim, did the graphics overhaul from Oblivion make it a better game? It sure as heck helped! A lot of mechanics were changed for the better in Skyrim, and graphics were definitely a leap forward from Oblivion. All helped for immersion, and overall enjoyment. I loved being on top of a mountain and peering over the vast beautiful world around me.
Assassins Creed is a series that benefits greatly from great graphics as well. Immersion is the word here, folks.
Mario games, in 1080p, will only make the vibrant colors and brilliant levels pop in an eye-catching way more than ever before.
Zelda games will benefit in a way similar to Skyrim for having great graphics.
Pikmin would benefit in that tiny world to having sharp, realistic textures when you get up close and personal to a plant 10x the size of the pikmin.

I will simply say this - power cannot hurt. It also gives the developers more room to build what it is they want to build, with less struggle. And they can build bigger, more expansive, more detailed worlds with better processing and graphics.
The Wii U needs to be more powerful than the current generation.
Not equally powerful, and CERTAINLY not weaker. Nintendo will destroy itself if it releases a SECOND console this generation that is not even as powerful as 360/ps3.
It needs to be more powerful than anything out there today. Even if it is flat out beaten by the ps4/xbox 3, it needs to be better than current consoles otherwise it will never be considered next gen.
Also, the Wii sold because of it's controller.
The Wii U will not sell simply because of the controller. It has sticks and buttons that have been used in gaming for a very long time.
It has a touch screen. Just like a DS.
It is not such a brand new idea that it will sell off the "gimmick" of the controller alone.
Although I'm excited for all the uses on that touch screen combined with a TV and glorious HD, THAT'S THE THING! GLORIOUS HD, i didnt even mean to type that, it came out. I'm excited to see a powerful nintendo console once again. It is something I miss dearly.

Personally, I'll be buying a Wii U for its games. If being more powerful and having better graphics will entice more QUALITY third party titles, than great, but my Wii has done me proud, and looking at my library, the vast majority are Nintendo published titles. ... ... hd will be nice though.

I'm not all about graphical power but in this case I would have to say power matters SOMEWHAT and for a couple of reasons:
1) There may not be that much 3rd party involvement (again) which means we have to wait months until Nintendo drops the next hit.
2) People are not gonna like paying more for a console that is weaker than the 360 and PS3 which are probably gonna cost less than the WiiU when it's out.
3) IMO the Wii's controls were revolutionary, but this control doesn't seem as revolutionary it looks like it won't be as versatile as the wiimote and this system needs to rely on more than just the controller.
Yes games make the system amazing but if developers give up on it again then we'll have another Wii story on our hands where Nintendo was the only Company making good games on the system. The last good game on the Wii (not made by Nintendo) was rayman origins and that came out months ago. The only company supporting the Wii right now is Ubisoft because people like to dance. I just hope everything works out this time around. Gonna cross my fingers and wish the WiiU the best of luck.

@sdcazares1980 not just games but quality games, rather than crap shovelware.

There's always been a need for more power with me simply because that's what I'm used to when a new console comes out. The games should look better. I definitely want to see an improvement over Xbox 360 and PS3. It doesn't have to be that much, but I would prefer it be noticeable, even if that just means a few more polys running at 1080p instead of upscaled lower res crap.

Yes and no. Fantastic games can be created without power. It helps if you have a creative idea behind your system which Nintendo is fantastic at doing. They've made motion controls and touch screens normal in gaming and they still do the best job at using both. Heck, they've been rather important in designing the normal controller that everyone uses.

However, you have to admit that the Wii has missed a lot of really good games due to the lack of power and the DS isn't looking fantastic anymore either.

The problem is that if the Wii U is less powerful then other next gen systems by a lot then we will continue to miss out on good games at a time where systems are too expensive to buy two different consoles. You'll get great Nintendo games but nothing else.

Plus, in this case, HD seems like the main advertiser for the system. There isn't much else. A controller with a touch screen and gyro controls, been there, done that. If the system is as underpowered compared to the 720/PS4 as the Wii is to the 360/PS3 without a major new idea then Nintendo might not make as much money with the Wii U as they could.

Plus, in this case, HD seems like the main advertiser for the system. There isn't much else

We know little to nothing about the system. Assuming this, is pure ignorance.

I really don't care much about the power of the system. Sure, the super mario bros graphics didn't require a lot of power, but exactly how much more would one need? It looks perfect for the kind of graphical style it's using, and it doesn't need to be more powerful. Eventually, graphics are going to be irrelevant, as there WILL be a certain point where graphics cannot be enhanced anymore. This is what I call the "reality limit." Graphics simply cannot become more vivid and detailed then they are in real life. Eventually, we will reach the point where handhelds can play games that look as good as Crysis 2. Where do we go then? at that point, graphics can't be enhanced much more. At that point, graphical and processing power will be pretty much useless as it would reach a point where it could not advance any farther. Luckily, developers can actually focus on good gameplay at that point, not just fancy graphics to appease the salivating masses.

"At the end of the day, forget statistics and tech specs: it's the games that give a console its real power." Well said James. I think that about sums it up.

As long as it can do games just as good as that Zelda HD demo, than it's good enough for me!

@Chrono_Cross I'm only basing that off of what Nintendo showed us at E3. You can play it without the TV being on like a handheld, it has a controller with gyro controls, a touch screen and a camera and it is in HD. The only thing Nintendo fans haven't had before is HD and if the system is a bit more powerful then current tech from 2006, that isn't incredibly special and won't help us get next gen games from other systems.

I'm sure more information will be revealed at E3 but based on the information Nintendo gave us when they knew that we wouldn't have any more information for an entire year, it isn't anything special in the power department or the controls department. I hope they prove that it has something worthwhile this E3 because I like Nintendo.

Either way, the Wii U will have fantastic Nintendo games. It won't matter if it is underpowered or not. The power decides if we have anything else.

yes i am concerned about power for the wii u. devs want to work with a machine that they can have the power right there for them. devs want more and more power at their disposal. they complained how the wii was underpowered when they could just be creating some great games with good visuals for the wii. so i hope ninty gave the devs enough power to work with so they can stop their belly aching. but the ds didnt have amazing power but some devs actually created some great games for it. in the end devs need to be creative and not put out some gimmicky crap that no one will be fooled from..

@Neram Very true, but at the end of the day, if your console isn't strong enough to play the good games the other consoles are getting, then power might have been a good idea.

if you want to out sale xbox and ps3 yes nintendo it does.

I haven't owned really any of the "High end" consoles/PCs in awhile with the Wii being my only 7th gen system and have a laptop that can't play any high end games. So I'm not to concerned with power anymore, I just care about the games.

We live in a era of graphics wh0res, if nintendo wanna capture the hardcore gamers like they said they really need power on their new console, imagine developers cancelling games for wii u cuz the console cant run the new engines or even the ones that they use now.

First of all, I have no doubt that the Wii U will prove to be more powerful overall than the current-gen systems and I think E3 will show that. Second of all, even if the Wii U isn't as powerful as Microsoft and Sony's next-gen systems at least the Wii U will be playing in the same resolution as the other systems, which will be a big help. So the difference in the graphical appearance of the systems won't be as big as it is now. Frankly, I'm not that worried about third-party developers rejecting the Wii U, especially at first since the Wii U will be the most powerful system on the market for maybe two years. Microsoft and Sony really don't want to release new systems any time soon for a number of reasons. But I think they'll be forced to eventually because they don't want Nintendo to have the most powerful system on the market for too long.

@ElDelEl #29
Dude, I won't let my kids lay a finger on my touch screen controller (when I get one) for at least a year after I get it. In my opinion, touch screens are not for kids since they tend to destroy them quickly. You can bet that controller will be under lock and key to prevent any scratches. Just saying, kids are the devil.

@56
Nintendo fans have had a a tablet controller that could stream HD games from the console itself? Where was I at?

You're also missing the fact that Nintendo hasn't shown us all of the features. Let alone to this extent. Sure, we've had a camera before on a handheld but they're always terrible. Gyro controls on our 3DS has always been poorly implemented in even "AAA" Nintendo games (Mario Kart 7). The touch screen is obvious but it has never been done for console before. Or in other words it has never been solely implemented in every game like Wii's remote.

@smashbrawler331 #53
I agree that it would be impossible to make anything that looked better than real life. I'll leave you with a few reasons how things could improve in the future though: quantum computing and holographic storage. That is all.

I don't care about the power of the system. I do care about the games coming out for it though, and the developers DO care about the power, thus making the amount of games for it go up or down depending on its power. If it isn't powerful enough, then I will care, because the developers making games for it care.

I'd say James has it right. Nothing to add here.

While I myself don't mind the graphical capabilities of the hardware, there is a fairly legitimate reason why it would be so important: multi-platform games. While these games existed throughout this generation, they oftentimes ignore the Wii due to its graphical and processing limitations, and when there was a title that made it to the Wii, they were generally botched due to how different the engine needed to be in comparison to the other two-plus versions. As clarified by the others, multi-platform games are generally more profitable for third-party developers due to how much more accessible it is to the general audience, and developers need that confidence to continue giving admirable support to the Wii U. That being said, Nintendo made a smart move by acting first, as it will definitely help the console last after launch (provided that no other console is announced before that time).

Quite simply: If the Wii u is only as strong or even weaker then a xbox360, then Nintendo's words about reeling in good third-party support/hardcore gamers doesn't have a meaning! Because no developer wants to bring their xbox720/Ps4 games to the Wii u if they have to compromise so much on the graphics. + that they have to retool their games because of the Wii u controller. Not many developers will bother, I fear!

It is pretty incredible that even specialized sites like this one assume that more power can be used only for graphics. It is also pretty amazing that some ones here believe that power only means higher resolutions. Or these thinking/believing that the PS3 can render graphics of real-life quality, so that there is nothing to improve.

Check these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03SVGktjLs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KK6Fo3Y0AU

You may need a battery of PS3s working together to have something similar, and none of the two examples is running on max video settings.

I think Sony and Microsoft should make weaker consoles so Nintendo's can be the most powerful one on the market!

@Alexneon

They can still make those games for the Wii U even if the power is much more powerful than advertised. That would also theoretically mean that the developers would make multi-platform games for all three console systems without compromising much of the game specs.

It depends how long PS3 and 360 are going to stick around. If they've got a good long time to go, then no. It'll make third parties more inclined to develop for the Wii U as well. If the PS4 and next X-Box are just around the corner, then yes. We can't afford to have another lag-behind power for another generation, I think.

answer to the "talking point" title: no.

I think it's necessary to have the extra power in order to get the support of 3rd party games. The console has had a long strong run but it needs the support of other developers to make it a central system, otherwise players feel the need to own a 360 or PS3 just to play big name 3rd party games.
However, I do believe Nintendo can make great games without the extra processor but please give mario a break if you want to prove the console has graphical power.

The WiiU's power is about as important as the wii's. Which is to say I'm fine with any likely result, but everyone else is going to b@#$% about it.

Its is somewhat important because it can create some new kind of games and mean more/better/easier cross platform games from future PS/XB, but only as long as it doenst add to much to the price and power consumption.

A trinity based APU would probably be as powerful as I would ever want.

Anyway I would guess a jump similar to the GC ->Wii in terms of power in comparison to the XB360.

The Wii was ok, but nobody developed for it. I'm not saying good games didn't come out, just that Bioshock, Assasin's Creed, Batman Arkham Asylum/City and many other third party titles were on the other systems because the Wii couldn't handle them. I think graphics capability matters a bit.

Personally, I think that to a extent, yeah, power is going to play very large role when it comes to the success of the Wii U. But didnt that guy from Crytek and Epic Games or whatever said that they are excited for the Wii U? Both of which make very graphically impressive games? Also, Assassins Creed 3, Darksiders 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3 are going to be on the Wii U, so I really cannot imagine the developers of said games would put them on a platform that is graphically less powerful than Xbox/PS3. Earlier this post, I said to an extent because graphics can only take you so far. When it comes down to it, it comes to a blend of graphics (which I'm not worried about), and gameplay (which Nintendo will have no problem doing). My only concern is the online....

I honestly cannot see how Nintendo could take a better processor, more RAM, a better GPU and somehow make it "less powerful than the Xbox 360".

My guess is that Wii U will be more powerful than 360/PS3, then fot the next-gen (providing the next Xbox and PS4 release within the next 2 years) it'll be a similar situation to the PS2/NGC/Xbox; with all the consoles getting pretty much the same games.

Though I didn't really touch on it before, yes, I am aware that a powerful system is used for more than JUST graphics. For example, let's use the Overlord series. In Overlord 1 & 2 on PS3/360, you can command up to 50 minions at once by game's end. In the Wii-exclusive title, however, the limit is much smaller...30? Not sure...never finished it. It didn't run very well with what it DID have, I know that much. Just one example that comes to mind for me, anyway.

So yeah, even power-wise that's NOT directly graphical, power is necessary to make multiplatform games. That would be why Assassin's Creed wasn't on Wii but ACIII is coming to Wii U. It's also why AC: Bloodlines on PSP SUCKS! Not enough power to replicate the experience.

So yeah, as a general rule, power is good, of course, and for several different reasons. From what I've seen thus far, I'm not really concerned about Wii U being underpowered...but that might just be because I'm still not sold on the system with its lack of exclusives.

All the Wii U has to do, from a technical perspective, to impress me is for the controller to show on screen action with no input lag.
The only issue that I see in the long run with the Wii U's power is the porting of third party games. Nintendo could see a similar situation as with the wii where games can't be ported from PS360 because of hardware limitations, which obviously limited the wii's software lineup. Though I suspect that even if the Wii U is only slightly more powerful than the HD twins it will still be in the same ballpark as I expect a more modest jump in power this time around for the competition.

I think we are about to be blown away by a Metroid first-person WiiU remote, EPIC HD graphics/cutscenes

ETCETCETC. Metroid is just due. Other M was kinda an offshoot and not that memorable IMHO. Metroid Prime is really the last real Metroid effort.

Also looking for a crazy Mario-type game (side-game) to come out before the true successor to the Mario Galaxy duology comes out.

The Wii U will not touch the 720 and PS4 in terms of hardware. But I also believe that it will be closer to those than the Wii was to the 360 and PS3. We will see decent ports of 720/PS4 for a couple of years, but when developers get a handle on it, then Nintendo will have to face releasing a new console. Honestly, though, Nintendo's gamble paid off - they are now on their own hardware schedule after taking a power cut last generation. In a sense the Wii U will be the best system for hardcore gamers because the Big N will bring innovation like they always do and the Wii U will be home to games that cannot be done anywhere else.

"The notion that the most powerful system is automatically the best is a thing of the past."

When was it ever a thing? The weakest system is almost always the overall best each generation.

Power is the most important thing right up there with good games and a decent controller. That's the ONLY thing separating next gen from current gen. Don't keep looking at sales, because we all know if the Wii was the same price as the competition at launch it would have not stood a chance in sales... Nintendo is amazing but this new tactic of releasing last gen systems and calling them next gen is frustrating and if they continue long term it would most definitely be the death of Nintendo's reputation as a game company.

Aren't you guys TIRED of buying systems with gimmicky motion controls and processing power so bad that it is not able to keep up with multiplatform games??? I have a Wii and I really regret getting it.

The Wii U needs to be fairly powerful. If it can out shine the PS3 and Xbox 360 that will be enough for me. Most games nowadays rely on on high power to look good, but Sony and MS have hit a wall. TV resolutions won't go up. No one wants to buy a new (costly) TV for their console. Most devs seem to make little use of a consoles maximum power. Games and innovation will be a big factor for a while. This should cause a period of great games and console wars.

Oll but one of my friends prefer PC gaming... But, nintendo really need to make the WII U powerful... It's how they lost precious consumers... Theres some staff at my school who said the nintendo 64 was the best console. They all play XBOX now....

I've always backed Nintendo for the first party games. Not becuase of third party games or powerful graphics - I've got a PC for those.
As much as I'd like to see what Nintendo could do with a powerful console, that doesn't matter as much to me as the quality of the games themselves. Having said that, I'm sick of playing great Nintendo games like Skyward Sword becuase of the outdated graphics, and sometimes I imagine how amazing it could look if Nintendo were able to utilize the power of HD consoles.
While I would much prefer the tech behind Nintendo's next console not to be embarrassingly old or cheap like the Wii, I will buy it anyway as long as Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Smash Bros will be there. So while power isn't everything, here's hoping Nintendo listen to their customer base for once and give us long-time fans what WE want. I guarantee that keeping the fans happy will be a great asset to the company, and with it will come great profit opportunities.

Gameplay is where it's at, Good graphics are a nice addition though, Icing on a cake

Power is very important. Wii U may get third party support now, but when others move on to next gen, Wii U will struggle because developers will move on to the next gen too...

Unless they`re planning on keeping the console around for only a year or two, i'd say Yes. The days of playing the underdog have ran it's course.If they try milking it any longer, they'd be kicking a dead horse.

It's not enough to outpower the PS3 and X360. It needs to be decently close to the competition's next-gen consoles if Nintendo is going to win back hardcore gamers and 3rd party developers. I'm tired of seeing releases scheduled for both the PS3 and X360 but passed over the Wii because of its limited power.

Gameplay greatly exceeds graphics (though graphics are somewhat important). I would much rather play the original Final Fantasy than almost any new game out today. There is a lack of difficulty and gameplay today that is very disappointing to us retro gamers. Beating a game used to mean something. Now it is just like watching a movie; There is no sense of personal achievement (There are some exceptions). Today it should be a balance between gameplay and grahpics to please the older and newer generation, even though substance is greater than looks. The new generation has been greatly deprived, and has a bad reference of what video games are supposed to be measured against.

Lots of good comments here, always good to hear both sides of the argument!

A console (bunch of hardware working together) is not designed to have good games or bad games, that is up to the game designers. But the power of a system will determine which games can work on it and which ones simply cannot. By 1990 someone might have concluded that games cannot be any better than these running on SNES (mostly if all your gaming experience was limited to the NES), and 20 years later we have super mario galaxy, but to run it you need a system that is many many many times more powerful than the SNES. The same happens today and will happen in the future, power opens many doors for the devs, it is up to the devs to use it or not, on the other hand lack of power is the most limiting factor for devs. Is that you think that Nintendo cannot take any advantage of a future console equivalent to 100 Wiis?

The Wii u , will be nintendo's last home machine. Very sad but true. It will not sell aswell as the wii, for a couple of reasons, the "hardcore" gamer will not buy it in great numbers, because they have been bitten and stung by the wii and wont make the same mistake. The casual granny market wont buy it because they have a wii and wont see the need for an upgrade.

Some of my greatest gaming memories come from nintendo machines, but like most people who have played games for 30 years,they dont want to waggle and dance to play games. A new controller is not enough to save the Wii u long term.

Nintendo should do a sega and just develop games. How good would a new mario kart or metroid be on the real next gen machines, if nintendo could put more funds into game design. With full trophy support, "BING" mario has just collected 10,000 coins. WOW

@BudrSbastig You know about our PlayStation site Push Square, right?

I highly doubt the Wii U will be Nintendo's last home console. They've been doing supremely well so far with the 3DS. It's too early to say what will happen, but this could swing into Nintendo's hands favourably or it'll be a complete flop.

And I have to say, the 3DS' starting run out of the gate was a complete flop but yet now look at it. You can't judge a console that hasn't been released yet, nor can you judge it when it's only been on sale for a month.

I think the Wii U will be a success, but this will hang on only if the third-party support is there. The Wii has absolute garbage third-party support with only a handful of AAA games amongst the crappy dancing, moving, swinging, shaking, booty wiggling games that the third-parties could just throw out... I just hope Nintendo will have some better quality control this time round.

I think no matter what the Wii U is going to be an uphill battle. I love my 3DS and think it's an amazing upgrade to the DSi, but all my fellow gamer friends (who would consider themselves hardcore gamers) dismiss Nintendo anything out of hand. The meme has been set in place with the overwhelmingly amazing success of the Wii as a casual gaming platform, that nintendo is for kids and casual players. The Wii U, IMHO, must equal or outmatch the next crop of consoles in terms of power so that it can't be dismissed out of hand. A new controller, while I think is certainly interesting, will not sell it unless there is a killer game behind it.

Also to note, as someone that isn't a casual gamer nor a true "hardcore" gamer, now that I have my 3DS, I haven't played or used my Wii since. It's become our Netflix player for the TV. So I think graphics/power is vital to the experience. If you're going to have an RPG on the system, beautiful visuals are a must and people will compare between systems.

@james I love nintendo as much as the next gamer, At the mo my 3ds is still getting equal play time with my vita, but I really cant see Wii u selling as well as the wii did.

If nintendo made games for other consols, more people would have the chance to play em, which would make more sales= more money to make new games, win win!

Just been over to push square! hee hee

BTW, in PS there is leaked target specs for the Orbis. If they plan to use ATI 7670 GPU then the PS4 will fall well behind todays top gaming PCs again, so it might really happen that distance between WiiU and PS4 will not be that huge at all.

i think if nintendo does a SEGA and become a third party developer and stop making consoles, i will be worried they will turn out just like them.

and remember, SEGA have been struggling lately. have you seen reports of them cutting development costs, cancelling games and scaling down staff because they haven't made enough money? that could happen if nintendo becomes third party.

@BudrSbastig

I agree with you that the Wii U might not sell as well as the Wii did but it doesn't have to in order to still be a financial success for Nintendo. And remember that if Nintendo does go down the route of purposefully limiting the system's hardware, like some are suspecting, that means they'll be making a lot more money off of each system sold, as they'll be using less expensive technology. The fact is, millions of people like me will continue to buy Nintendo's systems regardless of the third-party support because Nintendo offers a gaming experience you can't get anywhere else. There are a lot of people who have PS3s and Xbox 360s that buy Wiis just to play Nintendo games. It would be nice to have as much third-party support as possible but not having it won't be enough to sink Nintendo and force it to stop making home systems.

The whole graphics race is heading to a dead end anyway.
Digital Distribution is where it's at. Smaller games at a fraction of the price, giving you twice as much fun. They're made with a passion and creativity that you just don't see in most retail games anymore.
But on that front, if Nintendo can make their games look amazing, then that is all that matters. With PS3 levels of power and HD I think it's entirely possible, given what they achieved on the Wii.
Besides, I'm still not convinced 'next gen' graphics will look that much better anyway.

=.=; sigh I'm not going to be able to get another console till I sell one....which isn't going to happen. Curse you PS3 Slim for no reverse compatibility and taking up the most space!!!

To be quite honest I think that the wii u has a lot of power but it's just being hidden from the public and as for super Mario bros mii I think Nintendo is making a show out of it because thats actually the secret 2d Mario on the 3ds.

It matters. Why? It has to be powerful enough so that when PS4 and Xbox 720 come out, they don't have to make big changes in order to release the same game on all 3 platforms. We don't want a repeat of this generation, and that's what I'm worried about.

Yes it matters.
No one is expecting the most mind blowing visuals or horsepower, but yes, they do matter.

"The notion that the most powerful system is automatically the best is a thing of the past."
The problem is that a lot of people, apparently, are still in the past.

@sc100 The fact is, millions of people like me will continue to buy Nintendo's systems regardless of the third-party support because Nintendo offers a gaming experience you can't get anywhere else. >>

exactly, well said.

The Wii rocked even being the technical underdog it is, so I couldn't care less how Wii U stacks up to PS3 or Xbox 360. I understand that it's important to developers, and that, in turn, has an affect on the 3rd party situation, but the way I see it, there really aren't a whole lot of 3rd parties doing anything unique anyway. Nintendos games are a shimmering beacon in a sea of FPS and WRPGs, which are genres that were never my cup of tea really. Even once great Japanese developers like Capcom and Square-Enix haven't been producing the compelling content they originally became known for. The bottom line is that you should buy a Nintendo console for Nintendo's games, and that should be reason enough.

I think it depends on what they want to do with it. Super comlx game that takes forever to load? Power. Zelda HD? Reasonable power. RPGs and New Super Mario Bros? Decent power. An all around concole? Pretty good power. I think it'll be a lot of power for a Nintendo console and it will be able to do a lot. I think since it's gonna be an all-around, HD, remote-is-the-next-best-thing console, it'll have to be really powerful.

@66

No, we haven't had a tablet controller that can stream stuff. I still don't see why it is that exciting though. The tablet is single-touch, right? I like single touch, it means that it reads your touch right away and you can use it with a stylus but it still means that the touch screen won't be able to accept two things at once which takes away the point of a big touch screen. I prefer the DSi to the DSiXL even though I prefer the Ipad to the Itouch. I might be wrong on it being single touch but I'm pretty sure that I'm not.

And of course there are going to be features that haven't been mentioned yet. This article was written at a time when we don't know those features yet so you can't really take them into account.

So if we take into account only what we do know then there isn't that much to be excited about and a lot to be worried about. You can use it when the TV isn't on, it is HD but we aren't even sure if it stands up to what will be last-gen consoles, it will have near-field technology (haven't heard any ideas for using it except micro transactions and figurines to add stuff to your game), it will have accounts, it will have gyro controls and that really is all I can think of. If they wanted to announce it last year and give no other information for a year and still have people excited then they needed to give more information.

Yes, I know Nintendo will make great games for the Wii U. I'm excited about that too. I want to see Nintendo games with power. I want Nintendo to prove they can do modern games. What games have they announced? Pikmin 3. An entire year of no news of any Nintendo published games except that Zelda will eventually be on the Wii U, SSB might eventually make it to the Wii U and Pikmin 3. Nothing to be excited about yet.

I don't think Nintendo is doomed and I want them to succeed but they seem like they want to recapture the "hardcore" market and keep the people who bought the Wii also. I don't think they get it. Barely beating last gen won't cut it for people who don't care about Nintendo systems just for the 1st party games. People who care about Nintendo systems for the 1st party games won't care about the power. Parents will care about the price. I wish they would pick who they want to focus on. Hopefully, E3 will clear a lot of stuff up.

@Dodger I know you probably aren't really taking anyone's side in this yet and obviously the WiiU is going to have to be pretty more powerful than the Ps3 and Xbox(and in the same league as the upcoming competition), but how can you act like there is nothing to look forward as of yet? I don't mean to snap at you, but we don't know what all is possible with the one thing other than 'power' that I'm sure everyone is curious about: the controller. Apparently from what we've heard of devs, it has a lot of potential over just an average controller, so that's something to look forward to already, imo. Along with the HD, etc. that we do know.

Obviously MS and Sony are going to look to overpower the WiiU with their upcoming systems, but what exactly do you think they are planning to bring to the table, other than power, that will make some of their games stand out? I'm sorry but just a regular controller and a beefed up engine isn't going to cut it in the long run, imo. Just as has been said before, graphics and stuff can only go so much further(as an example), so they are going to have to find other ways to keep everyone onboard eventually, imo.

Now don't get me wrong, some of their games are amazing in their own rights and we know next to nothing about what they'll bring to the table, but it's getting a little tiring seeing just power put into games as well...especially if you are just going to give us a simple controller.

It's nice to see that we have a lot more think about concerning what else the WiiU will be capable of, since the Big N looks to be trying to keep innovativeness while adding in power as well. My point is, unless the Nextbox and Ps4 have something that only each other could bring(taking power out of it), they're going to be misses for me.

All three companies(Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) are smart and could more than likely pull off some great ideas(N especially), I just wish the latter 2 would turn the creative bits of their brains on as well.

The reason the streaming touch screen is so important is because not every gamer is a single 30 year old or a teenager. Being a hardcore gamer and a family man means that I have to play my M-rated titles after the kids are in bed. Even then, though, the wife likes to watch TV. So the Wii U will be a godsend as I will be able to play RE6 (fingers crossed ) and ARKHAM CITY whenever I want without subjecting my kids to graphic violence. And I own a 360, and I am pre-ordering a Wii U AND buying ARKHAM CITY a second time specifically for the reason stated above. (Extra gameplay features will also be nice)

@BudrSbastig Haha well then if that's the case Microsoft and Sony shouldn't be making new console because NOTHING can save them either. They cant even come up with their own innovative way to play games.

I've always loved Nintendo but since Wii had come and Nintendo are getting cheap on us !!! I am 31 years old fan and I deserve a hardcore game on a powerful Nintendo console !!

Someone did a full dissection recently of the WiiU's specs from what we know so far such as the Graphics Card it's using and the Power7 CPU.

Turns out.. WiiU indeed surpasses this gen after all.

This is what happens if you go out and piece things together, and not just go by rumors. Of course, I'll still wait for Nintendo for the official numbers just to really shut the haters up.

All I really care about is the possibilities in gameplay the WiiU will be bringing to the table.

And do you think game devs will risk their games to be dependant on new gameplay ways provided by a controller exclusive for a single console with a null install base? That would work only for Nintendo exclusives. If you are a game dev company and you have one WiiU for every 1000 PS3 and 1000 XBoX, would you invest your time for a game that depends on this new controller? Someone will say that top on gaming innovation is Kinect, and only few companies are risking to develop pretty cheap casual and exclusive games for it (and the install base of Kinect is already huge).

Its really just time to Level Up.. Nintendo !

@KoMiCtUrTlE thnxs for that info because that's exactly what I heard from people at Gamestop. Soo we kno for sure graphically its more powerful then the 360. And do u kno where i can see this dissection or read about it?

@Mandoble... seriously, why are you on this site? We all know you hate Nintendo, it doesn't mean you have to go around hating on ALL NINTENDO SITES, seriously, we're all sick and tired of your hating. We don't even care what you say anymore and we don't listen to you anymore. You are wasting you time here posting that crap.

@3Dangerous3Dash U must not really like this guy huh?

It's not that I don't like him(which I don't) but he's hating Nintendo on a Nintendo site! He's doing it everywhere he can, making up assumtions, making up ideas that makes him miss the main point! He's trying to get people to hate Nintendo on a NINTENDO SITE!!!!! Really I wish he would shut up and go to PushSquare or something.

@3DangerousEDash LMFAO XD
you posted the same thing twice.
I got your back btw. 0 0
▼▼▼
▲▲▲
oh yeah, what kind of question is that? Of course power matters!

Let's be honest tv are getting bigger and getting more HD and if nintendo can't at least pull the 1080p off then i'm not sure how well it will do cause I have two tvs and one of them is too big to play wii games cause it makes them look really bad, and the other one works well with the wii it's the perfect size but were going to be replacing it soon with a bigger tv. I hate when people say graphics matter but in this case if nintendo stays behind for another 6 years I don't see how the new touch screen will float them through this one.

The power is not on the top of my list, but it is nice to have good graphics.

@3Dangerous3Dash lol i like you!!!! I have the same problem with NintendoFTW!!! they don't understand the difference between stating an opinion and straight up bashing Nintendo!!!

@danschemen I have yet seen a tv got higher then 1080p, but if there is it don't matter. Most games cant even run 1080p anyway, or soo i heard!

@Faron What he means is GRAPHICALLY and by how much data it is

I'd say graphics and HD can make a difference to any platform but tbh gameplay is king. If the big N decides not to go that much much for power so be it. Just give me another zelda and metroid with great storeys Power is good but no essential.

The Wii U will defiently have to be better than what 360 and PS3 looks like or many people will disapointed and it will fall victim to the same thing the Wii had. where it misses out on all of the 3rd party games that the other two consoles get.

Why can't Nintendo make a super powerful system, and just take a hit on console profits like MS/Sony does, and recoup with software sales? Nintendo doing everything on the cheap is a tired old trick.