Is the Wii U a Next generation Console?

s the Wii U a Next generation Console?

Is the Wii U a next generation console? Answering the question is fairly difficult, because there is no clear consensus on what makes a next generation console. Mii-gamer firmly believe the Wii U is a true 8th gen console, but there are individuals in the gaming community that are adamant that the Wii U is just a current gen console. There claims lay on the sole argument that the Wii U is an underpowered console, and ultimately will not be able to complete with the next console offerings form Sony and Microso

[stonecold3]

noi would be surprised if Nintendo is already workingon a next gen console already the wii u is a stop gap generation until the ps4 and xbox 720 come out plus wii u will be getting older it has 2006 specs ?

[theBAWSE]

The wii u is a stop gap? ..if Nintendo does that there will be alot of pissed off gamers ..Nintendo have made their bed now they have to lay in it...I think they regret making such a low specced console as they are already talking about their next console!!

wii u isn't flying off the shelves and when the nexbox and ps4 are released things will get interesting

I havnt bought a Nintendo console since gamecube here's hoping they can get back on track

[decrypt]

Nintendo Knows..

Console gamers.. dont care about graphics.

Its how they won the last gen, as the highest selling console.

Is the Wii U Next gen?

In console terms sure it is, however from a tech perspective no it isnt, No console ever is for that matter.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

If the Wii U was simply a stop gap, it would have been released two years ago.

The Wii U is next gen because otherwise it'd be a pain in the a** to talk about the three next gen consoles together.

[EddieNX]

@ Decrypt , no console is ever next gen ? Are you serious ? What are you comparing them to , masively overpriced PC's ?

Of course the wiiu is next gen.

The Gap between PS1 and N64 graphically was MASSIVE. The n64 could push proper 3D games like Ocarina and Goldeneye and the PS1 was stuck with Pre rendered flat psuedo graphics.

Regardless of that the PS1 was a fantastic console and won that respective generation.

Point is , Power HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH defining a generation.
Whilst Sony fanboys may argue this , they're simply being hypocritical as the PS1 and PS2 were the weakest consoles of their respective generations , by quite a margin.

Generation is simply a measurement of time.

If a father has 2 sons , one is a 6ft7 Heavy weight boxer , and one is a 5FT Karate champ , they're both the same Generation of Children.
If 2 consoles are released one is super powerfull and one is more innovative , they're both in the same generation.

That's the meaning of the word ''GENERATION''

The PSP was massively more powerfull than the DS = Same generation.
The PSV is considerably more powerfull than 3DS = Same generation
The N64 was Considerably more powerfull than Ps1 = Same generation
The Ps4/720 may be considerably more powerfull than Wiiu = same generation.

Of course Sony and Microsoft fanboys won't be able to sleep properly tonight knowing this so they will have to downvoat to clear their mind.

Edit - Come on. I'm still waiting for a reply for some Childish Sony fanboy explaining how he thinks His PSP was magically a generation ahead of the DS and His PSV is magically a generation ahead of the 3DS. And that those same rules never applied to the PS1 compared to N64.

[IAMERROR]

It is by definition, as for what you personally believe? That's entirely up to you.

[metroid32]

Nintendo are hard at work on their biggest franchises u can bet ur life on it games that could if been shown last E3 got held bk to combat ps4 ect.

MarioKart
Mario World/Galaxy
Smash bros
Metroid
Zelda
F Zero
Eternal Darkness
Concept GP ? RUMORED
Project Offset ? RUMOURED

[bigbearsack]

Can we just wait and see what Nintendo can do with it. To be honest Wonderful 101 looks next gen to me, and I'm banking Bayonetta will not disappoint.
Nintendo screwed them selves with these ports.

[RankFTW]

Don't feed the troll.

[jmc8888]

Only people that don't know specs and technology say it isn't a next gen system. Or actually a better way is that none of the consoles are 'next gen'. But that's a different debate. So in general terms, yes indeed, ALL of them are in the same boat.

It was pretty clear WHAT the 720/PS4 were going to roughly be capable of and what can be wrung out of the Wii U is pretty obvious.

With the rumor spec release of the 720 and PS4 recently it is not in doubt. A 720/PS4 that basically packs an ATI 7850 is not that much more powerful than a Wii U. Sorry.

Wii U is close to 720/PS4. It will deliver the same games at a notch or so lower settings. AKA almost the same.

All three are years behind a mid range PC at launch. But all three will deliver great games and fun.

[TheLyonKing]

In terms of console releases yes it is, in terms of power no it is its own generation, generation 7.5 if you will.

[metroid32]

What part of a powerful GPGPU with dx11 and Compute shaders and 2 gig RAM/32 MB EDRAM dont you understand mate ?

The ps4 and 720 rumored gpu's are dx11 as well the ps4's is more powerful than wiiu,but the 720 gpu that's been confirmed by a well known developer its using the HD6670.

[-Falaut-]

Wow...just wow.

[zebramocha]

Dx11 is owned by Ms,Sony & nintendo would probably use OpenGL,while a gpgpu is good,it's not really all that much better than hd 6670.

[jmc8888]

The 7850 isn't that much more powerful.

People just don't realize this.

They somehow think it's going to kill the Wii U.

Nope. A notch or two higher settings. Same games.

All will play great games, but all three will be years behind a mid range PC from 2011.

Then Nvidia's Maxwell (aka Series 7) will be out before the consoles launch widening the gap (and ATI's 8 series).

[PopRocks359]

Another one of these?

Wii = Gen 7.

Wii U = Gen 8. That's it. Period.

[iamnsuperman]

Exactly. It is the next generation of consoles. If people want to write about this issue theyshould be asking is the Wii U a good next gen console? Not is the Wii U next gen

[BrianG]

Seems as if people have come to terms with the Wii being a current generation console even though it doesn't output HD.

So given that, I would say the Wii U is a "next" generation console.

Since the Wii U is out, wouldn't it be a "current" gen console? Making the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii "previous" generation consoles? Thoughts?

[BlackWolf]

More of these articles again. Not even gonna read.

[wiiulee]

its completely next generation because wiiu brings interaction that could never be done before in a home console, miiverse and all of nintendo's characters into hd...and its specs and memories are beyond current systems.....and it may end up being the only true next generation system while the competition focus on better pixels

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Yep, and I don't even own one yet.

[iNFAMOUZ1]

another freaking similar article...

[goldwyncq]

Believe it or not, Wii U is more powerful than the PS3 and Xbox 360. That's FACT. That alone makes it next gen. Though the next Microsoft and Sony systems will definitely offer more in terms of power.

[the worst]

nope the wii u is the wii 1.5

[dani25pr]

some people do not know what they say and that wii u is last generation. something xbox 360 and ps3 have 2gb of ram? nooooo only 512 of ram so much difference

[NYC_Gamer]

Wii-U=[Nintendo next gen console]even though the specs aren't edge breaking like many of us have hoped.....I don't really the console next gen myself though..

[Nevers0ft]

The Herp is next generation just as much as the Derp is. Having said that, neither will be as powerful as the Unngngngng XL which can lick windows 3x faster than either the Herp or the Derp.

[DivineAssault]

Its nintendos nx gen console.. Its HD, the games will no longer be FUGLY & its well built to do what current gen does.. Zelda & Metroid will look GREAT whenever they decide to make another.. But, I think THIS is what the Wii shouldve been from the begining.. Not now when the others will release machines that will terminate wii u instantly.. The nx gen games ps4/720 launch with will look & play better than anything wii u has right out the box.. It will remain a system thats primary use will be for 1st party titles that the fans crave.. Useless for any other means in a years time

[jmc8888]

An ATI 7850 is not that much better than a Wii U.

They will play the same games, and all three will struggle to run the Samaritan are Watch Dogs as they've been seen. The Wii U won't run it, but the PS4/720 will run it at lower settings then the demo showcased barely at 30fps. What you saw and liked, is on PC, not 'next gen consoles'.

It takes a lot of power to add the eye candy. People just don't understand how much power AA or tessellation or some of the other options suck up.

A 7850 is not powerful enough to run all these things on high settings, just like the Wii U. It'll just run them at slightly higher ones.

They should also be capable of displaying higher textures, but just a notch.

PS4/720 is modestly stronger than a Wii U. All three will play the same games for years to come.

PC, well, it will have 2x GTX 790 which is far more powerful than an ATI 7850. Or in other terms, the PC will have better processors AND an ATI 8990 out before the 720/PS4 arrive.

The difference between an 8990 (and most definitely 2 of them) and 7850 is greater than the 7850 vs the Wii U.

Wii U will play games on low-med settings. 720/PS4 will play games on medium-high settings.

PC will have very high and ultra settings.

This is how it will be AT launch, and PC will only widen the gap with every new card after that.

PS4/720 are starting off in a different spot. They aren't equivalent to a top end PC graphically with a little something newer and extra. They will be worth a budget PC from 2011 against 2013 PC parts, dual gpus, and sli'ing single or dual gpus.

[Ck1x]

Couldn't agree more! People are expecting to see way to much out of these next consoles and they aren't considering the law of diminishing returns... We are hitting a wall on what can be achieved in such a confined space on consoles and that's why all of these great demos being shown are on very high-end PC's. Most people think that companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo can just throw 3Tflop chips into their consoles and expect everything to work consistently for 4-5yrs or however long you may own that console. But in fact these companies have to design their hardware around what's inside to ensure that the device will be of quality for many years. Even if Sony and Microsoft include GPU's that are close in power to the 7850, people can't expect that these chips will run at 800 or 900mhz! They will down clock whatever hardware they are using for the sake of it being more reliable in the end.

[Z501]

...

[Z501]

*double post* "Wii = Gen 7. Wii U = Gen 8" (just a question here) Wouldn't that make the PS4/720 Gen 9? If not. Why?

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Really?!

They are ALL apart of Gen 8. How isn't that made clear here?

[jmc8888]

Because the ATI 7850 is not that much stronger than a Wii U.

The ATI 7850 is nice, but it's not that powerful.

All three will play great games that will look good. But the 720/PS4 will not blow away the Wii U.

It most definitely will 'hold it's own'.

[strigoi814]

Nintendo will announce a wiiU-S. nextgen

[Z501]

*looks around* Where's the PS4 & 720? (for example: because i'm still confused) Let's say Nintendo releases a NEW console Nov 2013. Would that be Gen 9? With that said. If MS/Sony release their NEW consoles in Nov 2013. ^ (same time) That will still make MS/Sony consoles Gen 8 but Nintendo's console Gen 9??? Just looking for clarity.

[solidt12]

I wonder what a game would look like on the Wii U that uses the full 1 gigs of ram? I wonder how much ram the current games are using also.

[LOL_WUT]

Nope, it's not next-gen regardless of what the fanboys say. ;)

[Ck1x]

What's funny is thinking back on all of the negative comments against WiiU's CPU being slow. But if all the rumors pan out to even be somewhat true, then it would seem that both Sony and Microsoft will move in the same direction. To have lower clocked more efficient CPU's, while focusing more on a powerful GPU to do most of the work... If both companies end up using multicore mobile cpu's for their consoles and somewhere in the range for the GPU's that have been rumored. Then I don't know why people are expecting such a quantum leap out of the next-gen of consoles. That demo required 2.5Tflops of power to look like that and Agni's Philosophy used a GTX 680 which provides 3Tflops of power, so its clear that neither console will be anywhere close to that kind of computational power. But they will have some very sharp looking games none the less though!

[metroidfusion2]

Only a few people know what they are talking about lol and divineassault shut the fuck up you always say something like that on wii u articles when you know nothing about the omni and xbox 8 and since they wont be much more powerfil then the wii u the wii u will get ports and an example is HUMAN ELEMENT COMING OUT FOR ALL 3 CONSOLES IN 2015 and a prequel or something is coming out for the ouya when it comes out this year

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

People fail to see that Nintendo's Generations usually last 5 yrs. VS. Sony's and Microsoft's current commitment to a 10-8 year cycle.

In 5 years, they will try to drop a new system- and that system will slightly surpass PS4 and 720.

[AO1JMM]

Talk about beating a dead horse.

I seriously cannot wait for the PS4 and Nextbox so these articles finally die off.

[black911]

It can be what it wants to be. With its Pals Pokey,Pickel and Goo