UNCONFIRMED info on ATI GPU for Nintendo Wii: 8 pixel pipelines, 8 MB embedded RAM, programmable T&L

[Guest]

Sure, you're entitled. I'm not the usenet police. I just don't
understand why you would post five paragraphs full of supposed history
lessons and dubious advice for Nintendo, when you have already decided
that they only make products for babies.

I guess it's because I can. It is in response to you people's robotic
replies. You repeat the same thing and never waiver. Nintendo people are
the only ones hating on GTA and happen to be the only ones without it.

 

[Guest]

Naw. I would say it's more like a studio concentrating on strong scripts,
acting, and directing over "blockbusters" that concentrate only on special
effects.

You people like to make any excuse that you can. If the Wii flops, then
what would make up?

We already have two companies dedicated to pumping out "blockbuster"
games. Who needs a third?

If the third is in the race, you would think that the third would want to
win it.

No, it's like an automobile manufacturer emphasizing the driving
experience over raw horsepower.

The speak of the driving experience in terms of horsepower.

You don't think that Nintendo could afford to put out a console more
powerful than either the XBox or the PS3?

I don't think so anymore.

They could, and if they did, they

could offer it at a lower price than the PS3 by not including Blu-ray.
They have chosen to go in another direction, however. Can you blame them?

Yes. How can you go in any other direction but improving graphics? They
are in the VIDEOgame business, not the toy business.

People don't see Nintendo as the company with the high powered hardware
any more.

Of course not.

That's not their niche.

They cannot compete.

People see Nintendo as purely a game

company, that makes affordable systems and great games.

They see Nintendo as a relic of the past who is fighting to stay in the
game.

That's why the Wii

is an idea that is going to work for them. They are finally going with
their strengths

I thought that ther strengths were games? i await the day when I see Mario
on the 360.

rather than trying to compete head on with companies

....willing to go all out a give the people what they want instead of giving
us something that we don't need.

willing

 

[El Guapo]

I guess it's because I can. It is in response to you people's robotic
replies. You repeat the same thing and never waiver. Nintendo people are
the only ones hating on GTA and happen to be the only ones without it.

So your answer is that we made you do it? Weird.

 

[El Guapo]

You people like to make any excuse that you can. If the Wii flops, then
what would make up?

If the Wii truly flops, it might be time for Nintendo to leave the console
hardware market behind for good. It's not a decision they'll ever be forced
into, but one they would have to consciously make if the Wii fails.

If the third is in the race, you would think that the third would want to
win it.

I wasn't aware that this was a race. I thought the goal was to sell
consoles, games, and make money doing so? Tell me, do you think that is
easier to do with two additional competitors, or none?

The speak of the driving experience in terms of horsepower.
Huh?


I don't think so anymore.

And what, exactly, is your basis for that belief? They have a huge cash
reserve and their handheld business is extremely profitable. What would
stop them from building a more expensive console if they wanted to?

They could, and if they did, they

Yes. How can you go in any other direction but improving graphics? They
are in the VIDEOgame business, not the toy business.

They *are* improving graphics. They just aren't doing it to the extent of
Microsoft and Sony.

Of course not.

That's not their niche.

They cannot compete.

People see Nintendo as purely a game

They see Nintendo as a relic of the past who is fighting to stay in the
game.

That's why the Wii

I thought that ther strengths were games? i await the day when I see
Mario on the 360.

I suggest you hold your breath while waiting.

rather than trying to compete head on with companies

...willing to go all out a give the people what they want instead of
giving us something that we don't need.

If nobody needs it, nobody will buy it. So what are you worried about?
That it will be successful and your little pet theories will be proven
wrong?

 

[Guest]

If the Wii truly flops, it might be time for Nintendo to leave the console
hardware market behind for good. It's not a decision they'll ever be
forced into, but one they would have to consciously make if the Wii fails.


I wasn't aware that this was a race.

Well you should be aware that it is. ALL business is a race to see who
comes out on top.

I thought the goal was to sell

consoles, games, and make money doing so? Tell me, do you think that is
easier to do with two additional competitors, or none?

It is easier to do it without competitors, but Nintendo has two. Just
because you want to act like you are doing something else, does not mean
that it is not a videogame system.

Huh?

You see the commercials: "Introducing the 240 horsepower such and such..."

And what, exactly, is your basis for that belief? They have a huge cash
reserve and their handheld business is extremely profitable.

Well, they did not for one. Also, they keep saying forget about graphics.
Only someone who cannot compete would say such a thing. It is as if they
gave up or are lazy and realized that this new era is too far beyond their
means. Just look at the DS and it's primative graphics AND design. When I
first saw the DS, it took me back to 1985! That was just my comment of the
DS, so please, spare me the DS sales and profit speech...

What would

stop them from building a more expensive console if they wanted to?

Maybe they just do not access to techonologies the way Sony and Microsoft
do. Sony and Microsoft have way more money than Nintendo and much more
resources. It's as if Nintendo might as well not even release the Wii.

They *are* improving graphics.

It's not aobut the graphics man, it's about the control! Those graphics on
the Wii are equal to a Gamecube with more memory to work with. It is what
the Gamecube should have been. It is not next-generation, which is
something that cannot be done on the current generation systems.

They just aren't doing it to the extent of

Microsoft and Sony.

In other words, they have done nothing.

It was...

Their strengths were having the most technologically advanced systems, fun
games to demonstrate the power of those systems and very strong 3rd party
support. Now, they have practically no real 3rd party support and this Wii
is Wiik.

I suggest you hold your breath while waiting.

We neve though that we wold see Sonic on another system either, or even Sega
not making consoles.

If nobody needs it, nobody will buy it. So what are you worried about?
That it will be successful and your little pet theories will be proven
wrong?

If it is good(mind blowing) I will buy it, but it looks like a desperate
attempt to sell to people(the ignorant) something that is represented as a
next-generation system when it is not.

 

[Jeff Nowakowski]

Nintendo people are the only ones hating on GTA and happen to be the
only ones without it.

I don't like the GTA series. Sure, it was an amazing experience when
GTA3 came out for the PS2, but after a few days of playing around in the
environment it became quite boring. The missions were frustrating too,
because you couldn't save your progress. Vice City and San Andreas were
no better. The whole series is stale.

As for graphics, the PS3 and the 360 aren't so much better than their
predecessors to justify their price. The 360 is over-heated and noisy.
The high definition TV market is an overpriced mess. I admit,
initially I thought Nintendo was doomed by not competing with Microsoft
and Sony in terms of power. However, after getting the "next-gen"
experience with the 360, Nintendo's approach is looking a lot more
reasonable and brilliant. I'm not a fan of Nintendo's Mario-world
cuteness, either, but I imagine they'll have some games worth playing.

-Jeff

 

[airraid.mach2.5]

UPDATE: today (well yesterday now) the website easynintendo.net
first edited / censored the interview, removing all the interesting
details regarding the Hollywood GPU in Wii.

here is what the EDITED version looked like,

QUOTE:
___________________________________________________________________
Note: All Wii hardware information has been edited at the request of
Ubisoft. We will not confirm any hardware information previously
published if asked.

Easy Nintendo: First i would like to thank you for this interview, it
really means alot to us here at Easy Nintendo.
Red Steel got alot of attention at E3 this year, what is Ubisofts
reaction to that?

Xavier Poix: Well we are very happy that everyone got to experience it
for themselves and that many of them came away pleased.

EN: How is the online multiplayer going to work? how many players, what
sort of modes will it have?
XP: Unfortunately i cannot comment on anything new in regard to
multiplayer at this time other than to say it will have most if not all
of the standard modes you would expect from a first person shooter.

EN: Can you comment on the price?
XP: (laughs) Sorry.

EN: How about the Wii hardware? What are the specs?
XP: Although i cannot give you exact numbers at this time i can give
you a rough idea about the power of the machine. I would compare the
graphics chip to somewhere inbetween the ATI [censored] and the
[censored], and the CPU to between the [censored] and [censored].

EN: Can you tell us how much memory at what speed the Wii has?
XP: I cannot say how much memory the Wii has, but its running at
[removed at request of Ubisoft].

EN: As we saw in many current-gen titles, 480p can result in
significant jaggies. Can we expect AA and AF from Ubisoft's Wii titles?
XP: Red steel will have 4x Antialiasing and 8x Anisotropic Filtering.

EN: What's been your favorite thing about working on Red Steel?
XP: The controller, easily.

EN: What was the biggest challenge?
XP: Not telling the world about it back in january (laughs). Honestly
the biggest challenge has been making sure the control is just right.

EN: Will Rayman on the Wii be a port of the current-gen game with new
controls, or will it have new art assets for Wii?
XP: Its not a port, other than that i cannot say.

EN: We've been hearing a lot of consistent talk about 60fps at 480p
widescreen from other developers. Is this something we'll see a lot of
on Wii?
XP: I believe so yes.

EN: Why is this target so easy to hit?
XP: The hardware is totally free of bottlenecks, nothing is slowing us
down.

EN: For us graphics whores, what kind of sweet graphical effects will
we see in Red Steel or Rayman that we haven't
seen in Gamecube games?
XP: We have alot of self shadowing going on, also we will have some
normal maps and bump maps things like that.

EN: Will there be any innovative uses of physics in Rayman?
XP: Quite a few interesting things with physics in both Red Steel and
in Rayman. We've got ragdoll in Red Steel for
example.

EN: You said that you were using FEAR as inspiration for Red Steel's
AI. How is that shaping up?
XP: Yes, we loved FEAR and we tried to draw alot from it in terms of
AI. In Red Steel the AI will throw grenades
back at you, it will duck for cover and also try to flank you. Many
things.

EN: Will we see any sort of single disc network play like you have on
the DS?
XP: No comment.

EN: Will Sam Fisher be making a return to Nintendo's home console?
XP: At some point.

EN: Lost Magic was one of the first compelling 3rd-party games for the
DS in a while. Does Ubisoft have any more big
plans for the handheld?
XP: We do, keep an eye on the Tokyo Gameshow.






Last edited by Jessica on Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:06 pm; edited 6 times in
total










EN: What was your favorite Ubisoft Gamecube title?
XP: Prince of Persia (all of them)

EN: Speaking of Prince of Persia, will we be seeing more acrobatic
platforming adventures on Wii?
XP: No comment.

EN: Metroid Hunters was an amazing feat on the DS. Any chance that Ubi
will enter the fray with an FPS of their own?
XP: Possibly.

EN: Could you possibly tell us anything specific about the Wii GPU?
XP: I can tell you that it has [censored], and that it [censored]. It
really takes a huge load off of the cpu.

EN: Is the T&L setup fixed function like it was on the gamecube?
XP: [censored].

EN: How much Edram does it have?
XP: [Censored]. Unfortunately I am out of time, id like to come back
for another interview sometime.

EN: Thank you very much Mr. Poix.
_______________________________________________________________________

UNQUOTE


the interview has now been COMPLETELY removed from the website, which
is very mysterious indeed.

maybe the info was real, with Nintendo, and Ubisoft putting pressure
on the website to take it down,

or, this is a game those that work for the website are playing to make
people think its real because all of a sudden "the info is gone, OMG it
must be real then".....

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

The Nintendo people have been trying to brainwash us with the "forget about
graphics, it's about control" BS in order attempt to draw attention away
from the weakly powered baby system.

I think you are misunderstanding (on purpose?). Nintendo's point
wasn't that graphics don't matter. On the contrary, great graphics can
help immerse you in the game.

What Nintendo said was that the graphics quality is already very good,
but that there was a lack of focus on other things that also help
immerse you in games, such as how you control them.

I actually started out playing FPS games using only the keyboard
because I only had a laptop back in those days. But when I got a new
PC with a decent mouse, a friend of mine convinced me to switch to a
mouse+keyboard combo. I'm glad that he did, because it really did make
FPS games more enjoyable.

....

Now with 3 machines and two who match up and the other who does not
match up with the other two - spells doom for Wii.

Don't forget that Wii doesn't suppord HD graphics, so it doesn't have
to be as powerful as the other two to generate nice looking graphics
on normal TVs.

That is when the public(if they actually go for this gimmick) will see the
difference and see that Nintendo has sold them a bill of goods. Nintendo
needs to stop playing games or just admit or market their systems as
kiddy systems and not serious gaming machines.

Serious gaming machines? I don't know about you, but I play games
because it's fun.

Nintendo seems to be doing something right, though. The DS is killing
the PSP after all, despite being a "kiddy system".

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

Yeah, but if it does, then Nintendo has scammed people out of their money.

Not at all. People know exactly what they are getting. Nintendo has
been preaching about it since the system was announced.

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

Nintendo's history is of a company who DID give a damn about graphics. ....
Now that they cannot compete, it is not about graphics? They (keep) saying
"forget about graphics, it's all about the control!" Their history proves
it WAS all about the graphics and they had a new controller also. Now that
their graphics don't match up to the competition, they took the control too
far in order to draw attention away from graphics.

You are completely missing the point.

It *was* about graphics because back then the graphics needed a lot of
improvement. But these days we are getting very realistic graphics, so
the need to push really hard on the graphics side is gone.

Also, Nintendo didn't change the controller because Wii didn't have
the graphics capabilities of the others. They could have continued to
participate in the graphics race, but they decided that they wanted to
change the way games are controlled instead.

Really, what VIDEOgame company is going to tell you to forget about
graphics?

Nintendo didn't tell anyone to forget about graphics. They told people
that graphics are getting to a level where they are good enough, and
that it's time to look at other aspects of gaming instead.

This is like a movie theaters telling you to forget about the picture, it's all
about the sound.

And your argument is "forget about the sound, it's all about the
picture".

It is like an automobile maker say forget about the engine, it's about the
steering.

And your car maker tells you to forget about the steering because it's
all about the engine.

Nintendo's point isn't "either, or". It's "both, and now it's time to
focus more on this thing because we've been focusing on the other
thing for ages and it's good enough by now".

I know how to smell propaganda a mile away. See, this time the
only thing unique that Nintendo has to offer is this controller. They
have lost the graphics race for the first time.

They haven't "lost", because they never tried to participate in the
first place this time around. And indeed, the controller is what sets
Wii apart.

It will show in the long run. This Wii will be Nintendo's Saturn.

Like the DS is Nintendo's saturn in the portable market, where it is
slaughtering the graphically better PSP?

 

[Guest]

I think you are misunderstanding (on purpose?). Nintendo's point
wasn't that graphics don't matter. On the contrary, great graphics can
help immerse you in the game.

What Nintendo said was that the graphics quality is already very good,
but that there was a lack of focus on other things that also help
immerse you in games, such as how you control them.

If that were true, then all they had to do was release the controller for
the Gamecube.

I actually started out playing FPS games using only the keyboard
because I only had a laptop back in those days. But when I got a new
PC with a decent mouse, a friend of mine convinced me to switch to a
mouse+keyboard combo. I'm glad that he did, because it really did make
FPS games more enjoyable.

...

Don't forget that Wii doesn't suppord HD graphics, so it doesn't have
to be as powerful as the other two to generate nice looking graphics
on normal TVs.

That's a good point. Then the Wii's graphics should be on par with the PS3
and 360 then, but without the HD?

 

[Guest]

Not at all. People know exactly what they are getting. Nintendo has
been preaching about it since the system was announced.

BS! They still have not released specs for the system. They have not told
us much about the thing. Also, most of the buying public does not read
magazines to keep up on this info.

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

Also, they keep saying forget about graphics.

No they don't. The graphics capabilities of Wii are a vast improvement
from GC.

Only someone who cannot compete would say such a thing.

Except they didn't. It's a straw man, and thus your entire argument
falls apart because it all rests on this little straw man.

Just look at the DS and it's primative graphics AND design. When I
first saw the DS, it took me back to 1985! That was just my comment
of the DS, so please, spare me the DS sales and profit speech...

But you are irrelevant, aren't you? The DS is outselling the PSP EIGHT
TO ONE in Japan right now. How's that for "primative [sic] graphics"?

It's not aobut the graphics man, it's about the control! Those graphics on
the Wii are equal to a Gamecube with more memory to work with.

Incorrect. You are grasping for straws.

In other words, they have done nothing.

Yes, they have improved the graphics capabilities of Wii, and added a
new control system.

We neve though that we wold see Sonic on another system either, or even Sega
not making consoles.

Sega was in big trouble. Nintendo isn't. Nintendo was the only company
to profit from their previous generation console. It also dominates
the handhelt market, where it makes bucketloads of money.

Nintendo is a healthy company, while Sega wasn't.

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

If that were true, then all they had to do was release the controller for
the Gamecube.

No. That graphics aren't the only focus this time around doesn't mean
that Nintendo shouldn't release a more powerful system. Nintendo isn't
saying that graphics are irrelevant (I even point this out!), but that
the focus should be on something else - the controller.

That's a good point. Then the Wii's graphics should be on par with the PS3
and 360 then, but without the HD?

That's what Nintendo said at least.

 

[Stabby Rip Stab Stab]

BS! They still have not released specs for the system. They have not told
us much about the thing.

They have, as a matter of fact. They have told us that graphics are
not the main goal this time around.

Also, most of the buying public does not read magazines to keep up on this info.

By your logic, both Nintendo, MS and Sony will be scamming people.