Rayman creator: Wii U “surprisingly powerful”, Legends using new lighting engine

Rayman creator Michel Ancel comments on the power of Wii U, the console's large memory capacity, the new lighting engine in Rayman Legends, and more.

[LX-General-Kaos]

Its refreshing to see Rayman Legends creators ensure future Nintendo Wii U entertainment system purchasers that they are absolutely dealing with power. They also went on to inform us that no compression was needed, and a new next generation lighting engine was used for the exclusive one way development of Rayman Legends. A feat that was not possible with the limitations of current generation hardware.

In just about a months time the wait is over. Thanks to the hard workers within Nintendo HQ, the next generation will finally be available to the consumer.

And this is just the very start. This is just a launch window title, developed on newly discovered advanced technology. Once developers get a strong understanding on this more advanced futuristic technology within the architecture of the Nintendo Wii U entertainment system. Our minds and bodies will be treated to new visual experiences that we never thought possible in the past. Cheers to a new beginning. And cheers to the hard work from the employees at Ubisoft like Michel Ancel.

Rated E For Everyone

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I REALLY wonder what you're like in real life.

(I agree, btw, though maybe not as verbosely)

[decrypt]

Wii U “surprisingly powerful”

Decrypting MSG.. Here is what he really meant:

Wii U is Surprisingly powerful in comparison to Xbox 360 and PS3 which are terribly outdated.

In comparison to modern tech, The Wii U can be easily outperformed by a PC equipped with a 150-200usd GPU.

[Locksus]

Oh come on, it's his way of saying things. And I'm fairly sure he's just putting up an act but it's always funny to see how people are taking him way too seriously.

He lightens the mood around the gloomy N4Gers.

[badz149]

"Once developers get a strong understanding on this more advanced futuristic technology within the architecture of the Nintendo Wii U entertainment system. Our minds and bodies will be treated to new visual experiences that we never thought possible in the past."

futuristic tech? which one? new visual experience? the upper end of PCs have already been doing THAT for so long now and Wii U is already mid-range level, graphically speaking!

pfft why did I even bother replying?!

[morkendo23]

it is true Developers is promoting and supporting NINTENDO new product. developer need to show WII-U is innovative,up to par with 360-ps3 in power. lure in hardcore gamers and yet appeal to casual as well.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

@Locksus
I'm honestly not bashing him. It'd be great if it wasn't an act and he just talked like that all the time.

[aznrunner1881]

he's blatantly trolling

[stragomccloud]

Yeah, I almost always agree with every thins guy says, I just feel like everything he says sounds like a press statement. He seems very fair minded when it comes to other platforms though..

[Locksus]

Sorry Electric, my answer was directed to Grap:)

[wanieldiik]

"Wii U is Surprisingly powerful in comparison to Xbox 360 and PS3 which are terribly outdated." But that's so unfair, comparing hardware from 2012 to hardware from 2005/2006. With that said, Wii U will probably be a cool system, but it's unfair to compare it with ps3/360.

[badz149]

what to compare it with? the still unknown PS4 or next xbox? that's not much a comparison now would it, with basically nothing are known about the 2! comparing it with top end PCs is just going to bring embarrassment to the Wii U as it's graphically...you know...inferior to even last year's cards like HD6970 or GTX580!

[Computersaysno]

To be fair, Sony and Microsoft could probably just pump the clocks on their current hardware, shove another gig of RAM on their motherboards and call it next gen cos it'll be as fast as what Wii U is.

You think I'm joking but I would bet with the newer lower leakage semi conductor processes Microsoft could probably run 360's CPU and GPU at 50 percent higher clocks without even breaking sweat.

[wanieldiik]

I'd rather hold out with the comparisons until ps4/xbox720 gets announced. I mean, back in the days, I wouldn't you know compare xbox 360 with ps2 or something. Comparing a new gen console with a last gen console is so stupid.

[Wigriff]

LX: If there is one game that is pushing me more than others to buy the Wii U, it's definitely Rayman Legends. Origins was such an incredible game. I'm still not entirely convinced to committing to buying a system at or around launch, though – especially considering that the price will most likely drop by the Holiday season of 2013. By then the system will have started to show its stride, and many more titles I am personally interested in will be available.

It will be disheartening knowing that guys like you will be playing Rayman way before me, though, and makes me a little sad. Oh well; call me a hopeful skeptic, I suppose.

[LX-General-Kaos]

There is nothing wrong with holding out for a better price and game lineup. You are actually within the majority with that decision.

[HammadTheBeast]

Kaos... do I see hypocrisy?...

[chronoforce]

that price drop ain't gonna happen next year unless they decide to start making loses which they don't like doing,or if not enough people buy the system, what they will do is try add value to the package be it games or accessories, plus the next PS360 are probably going to make the price look rather cheap

[Wigriff]

"We don't expect a price cut until summer 2013, at the earliest, but do expect a cut prior to holiday 2013. Any prospective price cut will depend largely on competition, which we expect to materialize in the coming weeks." -Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter

[fermcr]

Wii U “surprisingly powerful”... compared to what exactly ?
A modern PC ?
A X360/PS3 ?
A modern smartphone ?

[TripC50]

It's nice out today...compared to what
exactly ?
A different day ?
A rainy day ?
A day in march ?

[fermcr]

When someone says it's nice out today, certainly he means it's nice sunny day or a good weather day.

Your comparison is pretty stupid.

[SephirothX21]

lol

[animegamingnerd]

i always find by your comments weird cause your icon is light and for some reason i imagine him saying that

[jivah]

What the f**k is wrong with this guy. Is he always like this. I wanna kick his a** n scream "write regular comments" at the same time

[Cyb3r]

I cant wait till there are games that show what the Wii U can do power wise

[chadboban]

One of the reasons I'm getting a Wii U next year for sure. Rayman Origins was incredible!

[ape007]

i also noticed that the lightning in the last zombie u video looks incredible

[NYC_Gamer]

I really like how Rayman makes use of the Wii-U pad touch controls

[DivineAssault]

theres no doubt that the wii u has decent power under the hood.. Its going to be a perfected current gen console.. Little to no loading, fast UI, smooth framerates, etc.. All at a decent price compared to the competition too.. No game installs will be awesome too because of how fast it reads the discs.. I hope to see more games that take advantage of these features.. I like rayman origins & enjoyed legends with the little time i had with it.. I will definitely buy this game one day

[AO1JMM]

I really do not understand why you got disagrees.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

He got disagrees because he called Wii U current gen console. To the nintendo fans it's next gen lol.

[WiiUalpha]

@nowayout, The only people who are stupid enough to think it isnt next gen are fanboys for other consoles who lack the understanding of how generations work.

It's Nintendo's next console. It by very definition is next gen. It's kinda sad that there are some people who are really too stupid to comprehend such a basic concept.

[ronin4life]

Expect the next Xbox and ps4 to also be "current gen perfections". A company would have to be crazy or wanting to drive themselves into the ground to go much higher than that.

[CalvinKlein]

sorry bro, it is a gen ahead of the ps3 and 360 no matter how desperately you try to spin it. Why is it a perfected current gen console if it is coming out 6 years later and is a good amount more powerful as well.

[GraveLord]

Surprisingly powerful compared to PS3/360.....but just looking at the rumors of PS4 it will leave the Wii U in the dust. For one, it looks to have DOUBLE THE WII U RAM(4gigs vs 2gigs) and it looks to not only have an APU, but also a dedicated GPU as well.(Basically has a powerful gpu, and a weaker one that can work together)

Again this is just based on "leaked inside info". Anyway a next-gen console doesn't need to be $599 to outdo the Wii U. A $400 could easily outdo it.

EDIT IN REPLY TO RONIN4LIFE ABOVE:
No, PS4 and Xbox Next WILL NOT be playing it safe. You know, matching the Wii U in power would probably be the stupidest thing they could do. By PS4/720 having much higher specs than the Wii U, it guarantees those AAA high profile titles will be exclusive to these consoles. Microsoft and Sony will be happy to repeat this gen, but without all the mistakes($599 price, RROD, alien technology...etc)

[Shok]

"Surprisingly powerful compared to PS3/360"

Isn't that how it should be though?

It's funny how people were expecting the Wii U to [somehow] be on par with 2005 tech, but now that they're convinced that it's stronger, they're changing their tune and saying that being more powerful (and not just marginally so) is NOT enough lol.

You people make me laugh xD.

[LX-General-Kaos]

Well said sir

[Ck1x]

I agree man! What doesn't make sense is that it's public knowledge that early Devkits for WiiU were using underclocked Radeon 4850 chips(which at the normal clock rate produce 1Tflop of power.) When the final Devkits were sent to developers, the first comments that were made about the new Devkits. Was the excitement over the added power that the most recent version brought to the table. So how does anyone in there right minds believe that the 360/PS3 are pushing anywhere close to a Terraflop of power. Not to mention that Epic stated that Unreal 4 could be achieved running with 1.1Tflops of power at 720p. Which falls in line with what Mark Rein had mentioned about the WiiU. That they wouldn't be supporting the system with software themselves, but if a developer chose to make a game with Unreal 4, it would work on the system...

[Ck1x]

All in all, what you have pointed to about the PS4 are just rumors and not leaked inside information! I can't say for Sony, but its almost guaranteed that Microsoft will go for something that is somewhat powerful but affordable at the same time... People aren't looking at the reality standpoint of the situation. Its not what if both Sony and Microsoft can make a stronger system than Nintendo, since that's pretty much a given of what will happen. But what kind of investment will these companies need to make to showcase a noticeable graphics leap over the WiiU is the question? How much will systems like this cost over what will likely be a more affordable looking HD WiiU when PS4&720 arrive?

[MasterCratosKong66]

I'm incredibly skeptical that the next PS will be able to offer a huge leap over the Wii U for $400 without a unnecessary high financial loss. But heck if you are right I'm sure it will look nice sitting next to my Wii U earlier than expected.

[metroidfusion2]

Wow so many people are stupid and need to do their research on the wii u and the rayman guy already said the wii I can do native 1080p and 60fps easily a month ago or something and that the wii u has 7 native 1080p and 60fps games already and I'm sure more are going to be announced since it does have 50+ games coming out and that there is more 3rd party support to be announced the wii u is the ultimate console if you don't see it now then you will see later and that the wii u has a 1 or 2 year headstart on the 720 and a 2 to 4 year headstart on the ps4 that's millions old and a lot more 3rd party support but dumbass people who go off of rumors which can easily change are just plain stupid lol

[Toadmaster89]

I love all of these comments people leave. They remind me when the 3DS was about to come out and all of the 3DS-related articles would usually get "that" guy commenting on the demise of the console and how bad it was.

N4G users makes me laugh.

[deafdani]

Internet users make you laugh, you mean. This isn't something exclusive to N4G.

[metroidfusion2]

@Toadmaster89 exactly lol

[Ck1x]

The most impressive comment to me that Ancel makes regarding the WiiU, is how at times they forgot to even add texture compression and everything still ran on the system just fine. If that isn't a testament to the system being next gen then I don't know what is... Mark my words, there are going to be some very impressive looking games on this system in due time!

[V0LT]

The graphical leap in the next PS /XBOX won't be all that significant IMO from what you are seeing today. Everyone is getting their hopes up a little too much. Therefore I think the Wii-U will hold its own just fine.

[neogeo]

WiiU will have so much power it will blow your balls off.

[representj]

@ylwzx3
the graphic leap won't be all that significant from what you're seeing today? You must be crazy dude and you don't know nothing about next gen, i gurantee you and the other folks who don't know jack about next gen technology on this forum that the next gen will indeed be a a huge leap ahead of what is shown on the current gen consles, and that includes the Wii U, THE wii u will be shit in terms of tech specs when the next gen xbox and playstation will be released, i recommend you (ylwzx3) and other guys think before you post anything stupid

[Neonridr]

I'm sorry, what kind of resolutions are you expecting for the next gen? You think we are all going to be able to afford 10,000 4K TV's? It's going to be 5+ years before 4K TV's become standard, so companies aren't going to build their support around tech that may or may not take off. Sure games will all be native 1080p, so game textures and environments will look very sharp with lots of effects and lighting sources all happening on screen. You will not see a significant difference like we did going from the Xbox to the 360 or the PS2 to the PS3. Game Physics, World Sizes and on screen action is what will be improved for next gen.

[stuna1]

@Neonridr

Although I agree with your comment, I don't think that just because a console can support 4k rez means that there won't be targeted resolutions between 1080p and 4k resolutions!

As of now there are tv's on the market that do above 1080p! And also plenty of monitors capable of above 1080p which are affordable.

As far as the WII U is concerned I'm confident that it will become a staple in the console arena.

[V0LT]

You couldn't have said it better...

[Benjamminkno]

Stop with the graphics wh#res. I'd rather play Megaman 3 or Startropics than half the new games that come out. What's interesting is that the Gamepad has a good bit of power too. I just hope there's room for Ps3 and 360 in this kind of market.
Apple can go somewhere.

[trikster40]

Played the Rayman demo on the Wii U at Best Buy. I was shocked that this was the ONLY playable demo on the station. It definitely was pretty and I think did a good job of showing the potential of the gamepad.

My only concern was that it seemed a bit busy to me. I got to the part where you switched control to the gamepad and slashed ropes and moved platforms around. I was wanting to watch the tv but had to watch the gamepad. It just seemd like I couldn't really concentrate on one thing. For a launch title tho, it definitely shows the potential.

[trikster40]

Whoa, don't know what happened but it quadruple posted and I can't remove them! Sorry!

[trikster40]

Played the Rayman demo on the Wii U at Best Buy. I was shocked that this was the ONLY playable demo on the station. It definitely was pretty and I think did a good job of showing the potential of the gamepad.

My only concern was that it seemed a bit busy to me. I got to the part where you switched control to the gamepad and slashed ropes and moved platforms around. I was wanting to watch the tv but had to watch the gamepad. It just seemed like I couldn't really concentrate on one thing. For a launch title tho, it definitely shows the potential.

[trikster40]

Played the Rayman demo on the Wii U at Best Buy. I was shocked that this was the ONLY playable demo on the station. It definitely was pretty and I think did a good job of showing the potential of the gamepad.

My only concern was that it seemed a bit busy to me. I got to the part where you switched control to the gamepad and slashed ropes and moved platforms around. I was wanting to watch the tv but had to watch the gamepad. It just seemd like I couldn't really concentrate on one thing. For a launch title tho, it definitely shows the potential.

[trikster40]

Played the Rayman demo on the Wii U at Best Buy. I was shocked that this was the ONLY playable demo on the station. It definitely was pretty and I think did a good job of showing the potential of the gamepad.

My only concern was that it seemed a bit busy to me. I got to the part where you switched control to the gamepad and slashed ropes and moved platforms around. I was wanting to watch the tv but had to watch the gamepad. It just seemed like I couldn't really concentrate on one thing. For a launch title tho, it definitely shows the potential.

[neogeo]

SPAM!!!!!!!

lol

[josephayal]

the wii U is powerful just like the PS4 and Xbox720

[Ck1x]

If people want to know what the difference will look like between the WiiU and PS4/720. Go on YouTube watch a HQ video of the Radeon 6670 running Battlefield 3 and then watch a HQ video of a Radeon 7850 running Battlefield 3. I promise the difference isn't as drastic a most here would make it out to be and the mainstream public surely wouldn't notice this! These two cards are probably what is one, comparable to what's in the WiiU and two, around the protected PS4/720 projections. Next gen graphics are already here in the form of PC cards and consoles won't be out doing the PC anytime soon...

[TemplarDante]

Except theres no HD6670 in there, theres a HD4850

[Neonridr]

source for that TemplarDante? - or was it something you heard from someone else..

[TemplarDante]

People agree, disagree constantly over the Wii u.
Fact is, 3 overclocked wii broadway CPUs power the thing.
Tell me how even a 360 tricore from 2005 doesnt stomp the thing?

Nintendo, do you have any damn shame?

[Neonridr]

because they are redesigned chips. It's not like they took 3 chips from a Wii and slapped them together. Jesus, how can someone create a chip from 2012 that is slower than a chip from 2005. It just doesn't happen. Nintendo would have to go out of their way to make the chips worse. In fact it would cost even more. Just because the clock speeds might be a little lower doesn't mean that the way the architecture of the chip is designed doesn't account for that. Plus when you have a GPGPU setup you can offload some of the calculations that the CPU would normally do and have the GPU do them instead, thus freeing up valuable computation cycles for something else.

[representj]

@ josephayal

yeah dude, keep thinking like that lol

People these days

[violents]

Isnt saying to wii u is as suprisingly powerful compared to current gen equiptment like saying my new camaro is surprisingly powerful compared to my 1972 corvette?

Why do people keep comparing next gen equiptment to the last gen of equiptment. If you want to make a valid comparison in my mind you have to wait for the ps4/xbox720 to come out then we can see where ninty really stands, or falls.

[stuna1]

This is no different than when the original Xbox came out to be compared to the ps2! Sure the time in release was shorter than the ps3/xbox 360 as opposed to the WII U.

So it pretty obvious that their are going to be marked improvements over what we've grown accustomed too! I just hope Nintendo sticks to their word.

[Tzuno]

I like Nintendo moves, they are working with old developers to revive some lost franchises and that might be a plus for them.

[Schawk]

Rayman creator: Wii U “surprisingly powerful”, Legends using new lighting engine
He is talking to fanboys who hate on the wiiU

[Munnkyman]

Look what Nintendo did with the wii and their games. I just can't wait to see what they do with a way more powerful system then the wii.