IBM, AMD Providing CPU, GPU for Nintendo Wii U

[notuptome2004]

[citation][nom]Thunderfox[/nom]Built at 45nm in 2012? I know they have to make some prior to launch, but still, what else does IBM make Power chips for any more besides consoles?[/citation]


Umm Servers and stuff

 

[aje21]

What I don't understand is aiming for 45nm in a 2012 console which will need to be on the market for years to recoup the development costs.
I'd expect the controller to have much in common with the DS family as far as hardware is concerned. What I don't understand is why they'd not just have a version of the DS which was a U controller so you could play linked or standalone.

 

[eddieroolz]

For those that question the wisdom of 45nm, why not?

Consoles don't need to be overclocked or even worry about power usage for that matter. On the other hand as long as cooling is sufficient (read: Xbox 360) then a proven, low-cost process should be used instead of opting for a newer, riskier process.

 

[jfby]

[citation][nom]slabbo[/nom]all we know so far on the price, is that with the console and controller it will most likely cost more than 20,000 yen ($250). In Japan the Wii launched at 25,000 yen, $250 in the US.http/www.gamersmint.com/nintendo [...] e-than-250I'll be surprised if it costs less than $300 by 2012 seeing as how the US dollar is losing it's value the way it is. If it is $300 by launch it would be a steal at that price.[/citation]

I've played games at 1920x1080 that I can't max out with 5850 in crossfire, but it all depends what you are playing and what you call 'maxed out'. If you don't include MLAA and 8x AA/16x AF, then sure a 5770 can probably do it all.

 

[feeddagoat]

I want it to have steam.

 

[warmon6]

[citation][nom]iam2thecrowe[/nom]not just batteries, IBM batteries that have 3x the power in 1 battery . but on a serious note, why dont they make it play dvd's/blueray. thats one of the reasons i have a PS3. I actually rarely use my ps3 for games, just a cheap HD media centre. It also better have more than 512mb ram, im expecting 4gb, its so cheap, why not? Although IBM's supermemory will probably cost lots.[/citation]

I cant say for the Wii-u but for the wii, it was due to license issues and the cost. (nintendo was say something like the wii would be $300 if it was able to play dvd's or something along that nature.)

So im going to guess the same thing. Then again with over a year till launch, things could change. (If history any indicator, the launch will mostly likely be in Nov. 2012)

 

[dark_lord69]

[citation][nom]leper84[/nom]Can it play Crysis (2 doesn't count)?[/citation]
My 4870 can play crysis. This GPU will be faster... so yes, it can play crysis.

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]well a top end 4XXX single preforms about the same as a 5770 and they also cost within 10$ of each other, and thats retail price not whole sale. its possible they go with that, considering i havent played a game yet i couldnt max at great frame rates on a 5770.[/citation]
Thank you! Yes, I agree. I have a 4870 and there is no game that I can't get good frame rates on and still have some eye candy turned up.

"If you don't include MLAA and 8x AA/16x AF, then sure a 5770 can probably do it all." -jfby
Maybe when you have an extreme video card setup adding those is what you call maxed out but I'm certain he was just talking about the in game settings. And honestly if you are running 1080p resolution, you don't need much (if any AA). Low resoultion games needed AA. (Example: Super Mario 64. That game needed some AA BAD!!) at 1080p you don't really need AA. I'm sure there might be a slight difference but compaired to the jagged edges that exsisted in older low resolution games it's almost un-noticable. Aside from all that I can turn AA and AF on to a low settings for better quality picture and still get good frame rates in most (not all) games. On the other hand the Wii U will have a GPU that is faster than mine is...

 

[jfby]

[citation][nom]dark_lord69[/nom]My 4870 can play crysis. This GPU will be faster... so yes, it can play crysis.
Thank you! Yes, I agree. I have a 4870 and there is no game that I can't get good frame rates on and still have some eye candy turned up."If you don't include MLAA and 8x AA/16x AF, then sure a 5770 can probably do it all." -jfbyMaybe when you have an extreme video card setup adding those is what you call maxed out but I'm certain he was just talking about the in game settings. And honestly if you are running 1080p resolution, you don't need much (if any AA). Low resoultion games needed AA. (Example: Super Mario 64. That game needed some AA BAD!!) at 1080p you don't really need AA. I'm sure there might be a slight difference but compaired to the jagged edges that exsisted in older low resolution games it's almost un-noticable. Aside from all that I can turn AA and AF on to a low settings for better quality picture and still get good frame rates in most (not all) games. On the other hand the Wii U will have a GPU that is faster than mine is...[/citation]

I'm not disagreeing with you, but playing games like Bad Company 2 or the like, the AA is noticeable. It's not much, and the difference of 2X AA and 8X AA isn't too noticeable compared to games several years back, but there are reasons people continue to upgrade their cards as their are differences.

Even a game like Star Trek Online will beat down cards at 1080; my brother has a 4890 and with everything turned all the way up he gets frame rate drop whereas I can get by OK. And there is a noticeable difference when there is a lot on the screen in the incidence of 'jaggies' when you compare 2x and 8x AA. Sure it's probably a graphical optimization issue requiring more power than it should, but it's still there.

 

[sinfulpotato]

The controller won't be THAT much. It won't have much hardware to it. The games are STREAMED to it. The controller itself will be low tech.

 

[Guest]

It will likely have new graphics aka 5000 or 6000 series, maybe even 7000 series but at the low end. Like 55xx or 65xx or even lower. If it were to come out today I am guessing it would have around 200 stream processors, but since it is coming out in 2012, I will guess 400 stream processors, with 640 as an upper limit.

If you look at the power budget on the wii, the current one only uses around 35 watts, with a budget of around 12 watts for graphics, which is the same as integrated graphics in a notebook. The new Wii will likely have a similar power envelope, so the number of stream processors will be rather low. Fortunately they will almost certainly be using 28 nm transistors by them.

I am really disappointed that the cpu will only be 45 nm. AMD will have no problem making 32 nm CPUs by then, and Intel will be cranking out 22 nm.

 

[Marco925]

[citation][nom]iam2thecrowe[/nom]not just batteries, IBM batteries that have 3x the power in 1 battery . but on a serious note, why dont they make it play dvd's/blueray. thats one of the reasons i have a PS3. I actually rarely use my ps3 for games, just a cheap HD media centre. It also better have more than 512mb ram, im expecting 4gb, its so cheap, why not? Although IBM's supermemory will probably cost lots.[/citation]

For blu ray, It would cost money in licensing fees, drive up the cost of the console. Nintendo doesnt make DVDs or blu rays, those are Toshiba's and Sony's equipment. so they develop their own discs that are similar to, but not the same as. And also, one of the discs belong to the competition, that would be like supporting the competition.

 

[fir_ser]

The Wii U will contain under its hood some decent hardware, so it should be a capable console.

 

[fir_ser]

Hope to see a wider range of games on the Wii U.