Ubisoft confused on Wii U specs?

Kotaku: Is Ubisoft confused about the Wii U specs? One Ubisoft representative says that Assassins Creed will run on Wii U with HD settings in a very technical ways in an announcement at E3. Others say otherwise.

[iamnsuperman]

Know I am really confused. Has Nintendo finalised the specs yet. it sounds like they haven't

[Fishy Fingers]

No official specs yet, I don't even think the hardware is 100% finalised.

[NukaCola]

My though is the controller is the heart, but the system is the HD muscle. I can see each user having a controller which holds all your data. I don't think you share the controller because its specific to your unique profile. Cool idea but it sounds expensive as all hell.

[I_find_it_funny]

console is 1080p, check that box

[sikbeta]

To think there are no specs released to the public and devs are confused with the specs, I don't know what to think, maybe what Reggie said in some interview was true and it's just a box, but because it has nothing inside yet :P

And the title of the article is this one: "Ubisoft Struggles To Explain How Powerful the Wii U Is"

[Boody-Bandit]

Is the Wii U 1080p "native" or does it upscale to 1080p? Big difference between the two.I googled it I cant find the answer to that question.

[dabri5]

@Brutallyhonest

It has the capability to output at 1080p but that is really up to the software. Developers can choose to render the game at a lower resolution in order to get more power from the system for other things, then upscale to 1080p. This is what is done a lot on the 360 and PS3.

[zu4G]

why is this on PS3 page anyway?
f* that

[Active Reload]

Reggie said it himself, "Best graphics capability. Check the box." I have a feeling that that whole "Check the box" thing will turn into an internet meme...

[DatNJDom81]

From what I understand so far, and by no means take this as fact, its basically twice as strong as PS3 that has all games at least native 1080P. I guess the best thing to do is just wait for Nintendo to announce the specs.

[fr0sty]

Twice as strong as PS3 because the games are native 1080p (if they even are) doesn't make sense. Twice the resolution is one thing, but you also have to factor in how much geometry it can render per second, how well it can texture that geometry, how good it's shader effects will be in comparison to the other consoles, etc.. there are a lot of other factors that determine a system's overall power than just the resolution it runs at. None of the factors I mentioned even took CPU power or amount of RAM into account either, all of those contribute greatly to the overall power of the system as well. That, and they have not specified yet whether 1080p will be a native output resolution, or if it will be upscaled from a lower resolution.

So, you can't just say "it renders at 1080p so it's 2x as powerful".

[Legion]

@NukaCola

Only one user per system will have the use of the controller. Nintendo has already specified that the controller will not be sold seperately. All other users will have to use ulternate controllers i.e. Wii controllers. So not thinking the data will be stored with the controller per say.

[WhittO]

*now lol.

I thought Devs had the Wii U dev kits for like a couple of years so it would launch with a number of finished 3rd party titles?

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Nintendo never gives information away. The idea of the Wii U will probably work because it's Nintendo, but I thought their conference was poor. It got hype because of the new console, but you never, ever want the audience leaving with more questions than they had going in. Nintendo is too coy for their own good sometimes, especially Reggie Fils-Aime. I applaud them for extending the olive branch to third party devs, and inherently the hardcore gamer crowd, but if they are going you try to get people like me back on board, they have to go all the way.

Let's be real, specs and chipsets are a large part of the puzzle for the average hardcore gamer. We live for all the little details, and I feel they would be doing themselves a big favor for that relationship if they weren't so secretive all the time. But I guess they really had no reason to divulge too much info over in recent times, based on the people who have been buying their hardware.

[Valk]

LOL I love that last part."let's be realistic." then you make a broad assumption acting like any hardcore gamer must care about specs. Been gaming for over 30 years. I dont care what the specs are, specs are for fanboys looking to prove their product is better in some way or another.

I guess you never owned a PS2 right cause it was the weakest, or any first place hardware and you only game on PC since specs are so important...

Love it when console kids talk about specs and how important they are yet they play inferior consoles...

I bet speed is important to you to, you just have to have the fastest car, thats why you drive a Prius..

[HardCover]

"Been gaming for over 30 years. I dont care what the specs are, specs are for fanboys looking to prove their product is better in some way or another."

Now there's some good ignorance right there. I care about specs. I don't care about consoles or being "better." I happen to be interested in the tech side of things because I happen to be different than you.

Quit being as offensive as a fanboy if you're going to be belittling them like that.

[baker_boi]

@Valk

Well VALK, playin on the NES was fun at the time but I aint never goin back.

Sorry, I just can't play Devil May Cry 3, Eternal Sonata, God of War, Final Fantasy 13, or any game that has somethin to do with 3D on a 25 year old system.

Specs do matter, if you a hardcore gamer you DO care about specs, if you bought a Wii you care about specs. You wouldnt buy an Atari 2600 over the Wii would you? Hell naw.

If you did, you aint no hardcore game, you some kind of retro hipster bastard that needs to stay out of current console conversations.

[Mini Mario]

"
I guess you never owned a PS2 right cause it was the weakest, or any first place hardware and you only game on PC since specs are so important... "

Oooh Valk, stop making sense! These guys (for the most part) cannot understand statements that make sense!

I agree, i seriously care so little about the "specs" and more on the games im playing. I could play tetris all day everyday. Falling blocks!

And the ps2 WAS the weakest and nobody seemed to care, but now, oooohh now with the BIG - POWERFUL ps3 (for a console, because really it's still very weak tech wise compared to a PC), ....now its a big deal lol

HYPOCRITS everywhere

[DanteKnightsTemplar]

It will run depending on how fast the hamster runs on the wheel.

[devilhunterx]

I had to login just to give you a bub!

[dragunrising]

Nintendo hasn't finalized the specs so all we have is speculation. Perhaps the Tokyo game show will unearth more info. Regardless, I'm interested. Depending on what Nintendo does next gen, Sony and Microsoft may be influenced if it proves successful. Worth keeping an eye on for that reason alone. We could have xbox and playstation controllers with touch screens...

[NukaCola]

Vita my friend

[amilio]

3DS sir with 2 screens i may add

[iforgotmylogin]

so basically your waiting for Nintendo to test out the waters get ridiculed and made fun of and downgraded so that Sony and Microsoft can just copy down the line?
...

[ozstar]

Yes, its all very confusing.

Well it can run Crisis apparently, so whatever, beat up Nintendo general?

[newn4gguy]

You are not alone, Ubisoft.

[matey]

Just spitting rubbish BGAE2 clip on youtube very impressive but not on same level as Zekda tech demo not even close Michael Ancel show us a Dupulicate of that tech demo using ur Engine i know ur talking shit WiiU has Power 7 with 4/6 cores FACT 4 times the power of ps3 if that cant run ur crappy BGAE2 game then ur either talentless or a FAN BOY get a grip ps3 games didnt look like they do today when it launched its called evolving and WiiU already has RAGE/BF3/DARKSIDERS2/DIRT/CRYS IS/BATMAN/NINJAGAIDEN3/GHOST RECKON ONLINE/NMH3 ect most are getting a better version on WiiU and this is right from the off do u remember 360/ps3 looking this good at launch i think not and look how they evolved WiiU is 4 times the power of 360/ps3 easy just to be replecating ps3's best graphics already 1 year before final specs.

[SCW1982]

Is this how you talk in real life? What the hell.

[OhMyGandhi]

@Matey

at first glance, I thought you were posting youtube tags.

On topic:

if the console is the controller, and that video of the four or so people standing around the television screen is true: how will they price this?
for the controller alone, I couldn't imagine it being any less than hundred or so.
someone mentioned the same thing and got a bunch of disagrees. Why?

[GezForce]

thanks alot....... i'm now dumber after reading that post. may god have mercy on your soul!

[No Way]

I dare you to say that without taking a breath! .. or without a pause.

[tere52mx]

yeah ....

[pcz]

the wiiu should be more powerful than ps3/360, those consoles are 5 years old, so if its not clearly more powerful then that is just pathetic.

nintendo wont be getting my money if they dont have something more powerful than 5 year old tech

[Jdoki]

Even if the Wii U is significantly more powerful than the PS3/360 I think that leaves Nintendo in a similar position to what Sony has faced for the first few years of the PS3's life...

Multiplats on the PS3 look pretty much the same as on 360 - there is no incentive for devs to work to the strengths of each console, especially with the proliferation of cross console game engines - such as Anvil, Frostbite, Rage, Unreal etc.

Even if the Wii U is significantly more powerful than the PS3 nearly all multiplat devs are going to simply reuse assets built for the lowest common denominator - the 360 or PS3.

Only first party titles are going to really push the Wii U, in the same way only 1st/2nd party devs have really push the PS3

[The Great Melon]

I almost think that Nintendo is releasing the Wii U either too soon or too late. From the footage that we have seen, the machine looks only to be slightly better than current consoles. This means Wii U (if it's stronger) multiplats will be held back by Xbox 360 and PS3 giving little reason to purchase another system.

Also if the graphics aren't a level above the PS3 and Xbox 360 there will be little reason to create any third party exclusives that pull people in during early parts of its life cycle. Multiplats might be disappearing, but I think the early exclusives will continue to be important in future consoles. Gears of War was an example of such a title that pulled people into this current generation and built a fanbase for the Xbox 360. I think if it wasn't for that game this generation might have played out much differently.

[Valk]

Pro tip kid. It looks like footage from other consoles because it is footage from other consoles.

Simple concept yet like an oiled pig its hard to grasp for some.

[The Great Melon]

I am aware of that the footage Nintendo showed was PS3 and Xbox footage. If they wanted boast that the Wii U is powerful then they ought to have shown PC footage instead. From the few tech demos or "experiences" as Reggie put it (Japanese garden or Zelda concept) the console does not look like will be a drastic improvement over current consoles.

So.... I still stand by my original point that it will be difficult to generate adoption.

[ElementX]

This author is grasping at straws just for something to publish.

[SCW1982]

What do you expect it's Kotaku.

[aPerson]

They shouldn't have announced it if they haven't yet finished developing the hardware.

[ElementX]

They want to create hype. That's like saying a game should'be be announced until it's finished. Sony's 24" 3D TV wasn't finalized, either.

[Ju]

Well, people could actually play on Sony's TV, while nobody really knows if anything at all ran on that box Nintendo showed. No hands on on that Zelda game which turned out to be an interactive video. I thought we left those times behind us.

[LilDeja93]

"Ubisoft confused on Wii U specs?"

Aren't we all.

[pcz]

ubisoft didnt ever say they were confused about the specs anyway, only the author of this piece interpreted that ubisoft are confused. there is a big difference.

just a sensationalist article designed to grab attention, when really there is nothing new here

[spinbot_lv1]

people and developers are going mad for wiiU specs! this is not a good thing.All these expectations on WiiU
specs could become a general disappointment,
if the WiiU turns out to be a console
line with PS3 and Xbox360 specs.

[death2smoochie]

I keep saying this.
Nintendo has to release the WiiU specs and do it soon.

[FinalomegaS]

there's a different between

confused

&

in the dark

Nintendo has given exactly what they want you to read and know.

They control all information being sent out. That's why Ubi can't say because they have an NDA most likely.

Why haven't Capcom shown anything? and other big players. I'm sure the specs are really worthy to being what we've read, but they might be trying to buy more time until the next big show.

I too was devastated when I saw the conference... god knows...

but the info has been trickling out like a dam bag of sand... wtf.

SHould of just MEGATON the dam conference ( show nothing for 3ds , do that after the big conference or a round table)

but meh, they wanted to confuse us all...

[TLG1991]

im confused on the whole situation, is wii u just a new controller for the wii or a new controller for a new system or is the wii u the system or is it just a video streamer controller? it looks like a massive fail if most people dont know what it is or does or anything and if the devs or confused well theres no hope!

[ApexHell]

there is a wii u console that looks like a fat round wii, and the controller is the controller for the console, i was confused at first too since nintendo was putting so much enphasis on the controller,

[thekiddfran]

For the first time in gaming, Nintendo made a console launch boring and confusing.

[danielle007]

I would argue that it's better than unintentionally hilarious, like some past console reveals have been...

But, I think Reggie is one of the most charismatic people that present at E3, and I always find it interesting to watch new technology.

[danielle007]

That huge Reggie guy said that the system is 1080p, so .. that's at least something. But, I guess the issue here is that whether it can handle the engines of the games well enough.

But, I think it wasn't very wise to not be prepared enough going into E3 that they can't tell us anything except "Hey! Look at this controller. It's cooool. .. Also, fish."

[zero_cool]

I wouldn't be the least surprised if wiiU used custom mobile processors & mobile memory inside the hardware because it's cost effective,power efficient & powerful enough to produce next gen quality games effectively.

http://www.arm.com/index.ph...

http://www.imgtec.com/index...

http://www.nvidia.com/objec...

Well that's my two cents folks!

[Ju]

Well, it has pretty much been confirmed, it's an IBM CPU:

http://www-03.ibm.com/press...

And the GPU is AMD:

http://www.amd.com/us/press...

Sorry to destroy your dreams, but, nope. Not gonna happen with Arm/NVidia.

[zero_cool]

Well it's not my dreams im just going by nintendo's infamous track record on taking baby steps when it comes to adopting newer technology that they would take the lowest cost route to achieve next gen quality.

[Ju]

Check out the links. It's not gonna happen. Those are official press releases or the resp. companies.

[Valk]

Kinda funny Nintendo introduced the Wii the same way and it wasnt a problem. tons of noob gamers on this site now it seems.

Yes kids its just a controller for the Wii that some how outputs 1080p to your TV...

amazes me how many people will openly admit they're a moron just to take some cheap shot at a company they will never support.

[frostypants]

I supported Nintendo until they gave core gamers the finger. I'm not sure how you can love them for it.

If they can change their ways, great. But a shamelessly bogus presentation isn't enough to regain lost respect. I'll believe them when they prove it (and proof will not be another Zelda game and a bunch of stale cross-platformers).

[MasterCornholio]

I understand your feelings. Except in my case it was Microsoft instead of Nintendo. The minute that Microsoft shifted their attention to Kinect that was when i got rid of my 360 in favor of the PS3. Because i go where the core games are.

[frostypants]

The simple truth is that the Wii U is phantom-ware right now. It exists solely as a conceptual mock-up. It doesn't even sound like they have a true prototype yet, and I think any implications that developers have hardware yet are a lie.

[MasterCornholio]

The specs have me a bit confused as well. While i dont doubt that it will be more powerful than the PS3 what i cant tell from the specs they have given us is how much more? And that is probably because the hardware isnt done yet. But knowing Nintendo they never will sell their consoles at a loss.

[frostypants]

Your last sentence is the kicker. Nintendo was able to sell the Wii despite buyers getting less for their money, because the motion control thing hooked people.

I don't think Wii U has that same kind of hook. As such, they will live and die more on the hardware specs than last time, and given that Sony and to a lesser extent MS are willing to sell their consoles at or below cost, Nintendo will have a very tough time competing against 2 other next-gen systems that offer more bang for the buck.

[Ulf]

Don't expect marvels from the Wii U, folks. Even if it has a bit of extra GPU muscle, 3rd party devs are not going to put extra effort into making "better" games for the Wii U until it has a well-established userbase.

In other words, by the time making games that use 2x (or 3x) as much memory, and slightly more powerful GPUs is worthwhile, Nintendo's competition will have moved on, as well.

The only serious advantage you can expect from the Wii U, in the near future, is better framerates, and maybe some shaders that more closely resemble the PC versions of some games. It won't be 1080p, except on simple games, and it won't look "next gen", either. It will, essentially, be a slightly improved XBox 360 or PS3 experience, with a different controller. When I say "slightly different", I mean an average 30fps, with no frame tearing, where the 360 version might average at 29fps with some mild tearing, and a full 720p, where the 360 version might be an upscaled 600p, etc.

You have to consider that a significant portion of the Wii U's extra GPU muscle has to be utilized to render an image for the controller, as well -- assuming 3rd parties are even willing to put effort into doing anything extraordinary with it, until there are enough potential customers to justify the extra dev time.

[Ck1x]

I think people arent really understanding the big picture here! Nintendo is playing a game of chicken right now with both Microsoft and Sony. Because now that they have thrown their hat into the HD ring, it makes this a fair and even fight across the board. So Nintendo doesn't want to play all of their cards just yet in the public eye... Nintendo can do one of two things! Release the Wii U at a slightly more powerful stance than the PS360 for say $250-$300 or do an order of magnitude much greater and make this thing 3-4x more powerful and charge $400... I personally would prefer if they do the later as I would want a console that I can have and expect to see all the new and latest iterations of Assassins, Bioshock and whatever Mass Effect version we are on at that point. But if history serves right I think Nintendo is trying to take a page from Microsofts book and try to obtain any early adopters that are getting a lil bored with their PS360's and want something different and If people would take a good look that served them well this go around as Microsoft has faired well against the be all end all machine that was the PS3...

[Ck1x]

I think what gets me the most is how contradictory these statements in the media are! You have anonymous studios claiming that the system is barely on par with the current gen... Then you have statements from known developers saying it's native 1080p(true), Crytek has their Cryengine 3 up and running on this thing already!(true-their statement) and the claims of massive amounts of memory this thing has... Which we know they aren't talking about a hdd so none of the current consoles have fit this description which leads me to believe this system is significantly more powerful like first claimed in the very early unveilings of the Wii U... And I'm not a Nintendo fanboy either as I do own a PS3;)

[Dark_king]

Considering Nin hasn't finalized the system spec no developers should be believed yet.Not that they would be lying,Nin might release a weaker system then what they have told developers.It actually happens alot more then people know.PS3 original system specs were higher then the actually system.PS2,Game cube,Wii,N64,PS1,Sega DC were also.

[Sprudling]

Supporting native 1080p is no big deal. The PS3 did that 5 years ago. Anything with HDMI can in theory output 1080p, but that says nothing about how powerful it is.

[death2smoochie]

The PS3 cannot do "native" 1080p for 99% of its game library like the Xbox360. It up-scales to 1080p. Different animal altogether.
Almost all games that are "native" 1080p on the PS3 and Xbox360 are PSN or XBL games or games that are not graphic intensive with static backgrounds etc.

You will never EVER see a game like Uncharted or Gears of War or Crysis 2 or BF3 etc on those consoles running native 1080p...unless you want to watch a slide show...

[Sprudling]

What did I just say? The capability of outputting 1080p doesn't say anything about computational power. You're agreeing with me, and you don't even seem to understand it.

But it goes both ways. Saying that the Wii U can output 1080p doesn't mean it's powerful enough to make good use of it. The PS3 proved that. Not that it needed proving, because that's just obvious.

[fullmetal297]

So I know the Wii U will have more RAM and has a similar architecture to the xbox 360.

[TenkoTAiLS]

I'm thinking Nintendo are making sure no one says anything specific or talks about what it can do beyond the controller untill thay are ready, or have finalized it, simple as that. There's nothing to assume either way since there's nothing to go on. Unless you enjoy getting worked up over rumor and by doing so working up the hype around the system, therefore doing Nintendos job for them which is probably what they planned all along. Just a hunch

[boss_killa]

Nintendo could have avoided all this mess by releasing specs. If the Wii U was powerful they woulda showed them off and let the whole world know.

[VictoriousB13]

I think Nintendo doesn't even know exactly what system they're developing.

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

Nintendo : Please trust us when we say that our new console is somewhat maybe probably as powerful as PS3/360.

[Bolts]

Basically he's saying that there won't be an Assassin Creed game on launch day. Developing games for a system like this takes time. You can't just flip a switch when the hardware has been finalized then push it out the door.

Typical of Nintendo to treat 3rd parties like shit so they can crank out shinier versions of Zeldas and Mario Karts.

[assmonkey]

Yeah so am I... Nintendo really should have done a better job at explain their "next gen console"

[frankymv]

First off, that was a terrible post by Kotaku. Too many generalizations.

Second, nobody is talking about the specs because they are under an NDA and they don't want to be slapped with a lawsuit.

[Orionsangel]

I'm confused why we need a new Assassin's Creed game every year. You're making me hate Assassin's Creed!