Did the Wii U launch fall flat on its face?

[TrekkiesUnite118]

Nintendo didn't steal that from Sega, nor did it prompt Sega to revive the Dreamcast name. Sega just renewed the patents as they were about to expire after 10 years. It may have also been due to someone getting a hold of the www.dreamcast.com domain and turning it into a phishing site.

[MrSega]

Ok. Still proves that Nintendo didn't steal the idea from Sega, in the dreamcast era, like someone suggested.

They actually did. If you check out my link, you'll see that not only did Nintendo copy the same concept as what SEGA and Midway were planning, but the inventor himself actually filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Nintendo. Power Glove used a more subtle concept of "circluar motion sensor" like what Eye Toy tried.


The video demo shows the man playing Ready2Rumble using motion remote controls in the exact same fashion as the Wii-mote. He's waving the controller and wielding it.

[Knuckle Duster]

ARM Instructional Sets are equally similar to RISC(since RISC was designed by ARM Corp back in the late 80s). They offer a way more cost efficient, lower price CPU performance because they divide each microprocessor but can be modified and altered unlike x86. ARM is WAY cheaper than x86 and offer the same performance via off-the-shelf variants. This is why I have optimism regarding Nvidia's Denver and Boulder lines.

ARM has the advantages of lower power consumption, and I think Tegra will lead in it's market capture. You're missing the point though. We're not there yet. It's performance is better, but it doesn't compete yet with mid-to-high range x86 hardware, the new GPUs aren't as cost effective yet.

You seemed to have forgotten why Dreamcast was so much more easier to code than PS2 and Gamecube and why NAOMI's Arcade line lasted so long, SH-4 itself had a unique design. It could overclock and still keep costs down. x86 is pretty unethical at overclocking and most of the time your averaging a limit in processing performances.

This in a word: Retarded. Overclocking != Easier to code for.

The PS2 and Gamecube both used customized RISC based processors with a MIPS ISA. The Nintendo ran off a PowerPC core.


Indeed, let's start rambling about the differences between writing to the metal on a RISC based processor from 15 years ago, and a CISC processor line that's architecture has been reworked half a dozen times. Let's have a sales pitch to snuff out the x86, which currently dominates the consumer market, and has a substantial chunk of the back-end of many clustered server farms. I can't begin to fathom the irrelevancies you're throwing up in regard to to my point here.

"x86 is expensive! Risc is better! Dreamcast's SH-4 was easier to code for and overclock compared to those two other similar platforms! Wait, what am I talking about again? Oh yeah! Dreamcast was so awesome! I don't know what I'm talking about, but I feel compelled to pump irrelevant dead Sega hardware comparisons so when they resurrect alongside Jesus, I will be welcomed into the promised land for doing my part!"

In regards to graphics, AMD is WAY too overrated. In layman's terms, their GPU's are crap. It's basically a rehashed never ending cycle of customized GPU cards with slightly different instructions and variants. Both R8 5770 and R9 6770 are pretty much identical.

Nvidia's approach is alot more economical than AMD's currently. Most of its line of GTX's are far superior in power and performance and its mid range GT series has a much Yes, there's a more bang for your buck, but you are getting a less costly performance.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-...M.77110.0.html

Nvidia & AMD are both competitive, and offer high performance products. Nvidia currently reigns for the mobile GPUs, but that will likely change with AMD stomping on Intel's bottom line with their own APU's that have better gaming performance than the GMA IGP's. Intel APU & Nvidia would cost more, and likely still give you better performance in a Laptop. At the end of the day, you have Intel/AMD x86 derivatives backing the setups.

And Imagination Tech, who lead the early days of the GPU market during the late 90s and of course designed Dreamcast's Power VR 2 has introduced the world to " Real Time Ray Tracing". This tech has been inaccessible since its inception in 2006(used only in films like Avatar and RANGO), but IM thanks to acquiring Caustic Graphics,Inc in 2009, its only taken them 3 years to develop the first RTU card. Which is capable of full 3D and ulitized Brazil 3.0 a.k.a Open RL 3.0(Exclusive to Imagination Tech)

http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news...00-boards.aspx

The pricing for the first model R2100 is cheaper than Nvidia's Kelpler and will be even more affordable that AMD's upcomming Radeon 8450 "Tahiti" GPU.


These cards are superior to the PC market with R2100 capable of up to 50 million rays per second(equal to 3.5 billion polygons per second) on just 4GBs of built-in RAM and uses a build in "Caustic Visualizer 3D rendering engine. For just under $800 its quite a steal for UNREAL 4 like visuals.

Even Id Software Executive Producer John Carmack states its potential in a comment:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/...-tracing-card/

Right. We're looking at another GPU competitor... selling a $800 card... which is somehow less expensive than the already widely available, dirt cheap x86 line of CPUs?

In conclusion, I would point out that we are moving back to the days of cheaper ISA CPUs and to the days where graphics were getting better. How far a leap on a technical standpoint remains to be seen and only a few tech R&D brands want to go forward. I see strong potential in Caustic, IM now has the ability to surpass AMD in 3D accessibility.

Who is debating that we're seeing competitiveness in the GPU market?

You said this:

Somebody has to introduce new graphics technology OUTSIDE of the PC market and take us away from expensive x86.

Imagination Tech with Caustic Graphics,Inc and NVIDIA are coming to the call with the idea of cutting edge graphic tech and cost effieciant microprocessors.

There is absolutely no ground for this position yet. x86 derivative APUs are cheap as hell compared to any fantasy-land cutting edge RISC based ARM/Tegra, and the new line of GPUs like the Nvidia Titan. They will obviously get better, cheaper, and are already more efficient, but they are not there yet.


My point:

x86 isn't expensive compared to the cutting edge bullshit you're talking about here. It's so cheap and there's so big an established scene around it, that anything else more efficient is still more costly to develop around. ARM is going to kill it, but you can't find a multi-core ARM SoC right now that can stand toe-to-toe with the newer Intel or AMD APUs. The Tegra isn't there yet.


On topic:

Bayonetta is a ridiculously overrated and polarizing game, the sequel is in no way a system seller for me.

Look at all this bullshit being thrown around about gimmicks! As if they're automatically inferior to the glorious and pure non-gimmicky consoles that may or may not have introduced them.

"How DARE Nintendo steal Sega's ideas! You would think they would have their OWN good ideas and not try to please fans of those gimmicks!"

The Gamecube was good, the best hardware, wireless controller option. The Wii was a broken promise in the pursuit of blue ocean economics.

The Wii U inherited the Wii's weakest legacy: Fragmentation requiring you to buy wii motion plus controllers, nunchucks, classic controllers, Wii U controller pros. The sandboxed access between the old and new virtual consoles is bad design. It is getting xbox 360 ports and offers not much beyond that, their online ecosystem is lacking. It doesn't upscale all Wii games and the ones it does support isn't much of an improvement, but I suppose we should all be thankful that they're finally giving us HD.

It just looks like a fucking mess and a bad joke. If the only reason to buy one is the theoretical games where you now have to look down at a display in your hands, a feature that will likely be offered through other platforms, It's doomed to the mercy of Nintendo's own software innovations... someone should tap them on the shoulder and tell them to wake the fuck up. Miyamoto properties are wearing thin, it's time to throw money behind a bunch of new game designers and let them become industry rockstars.

Nintendo is still breaking even on it, at least. I still see no reason this thing has any more value to me than buying a Virtual Boy.

[bultje112]

another feature that btw again was stolen from sega by nintendo, see the vmu.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

What makes you say that? The Wii U Tablet controller? That's a bit of a stretch I'd say. Just because the Wii U Pad allows for some similar features as the Dreamcast VMU doesn't mean Nintendo stole the idea from Sega. Same with the GBA connectivity with the Gamecube, it provides some similar features, but has a bunch of radically different ones of it's own.

[bultje112]

the idea to have a controller interactive screen with the videogame. btw my point here is that nintendo wether they stole something or not, that doesn't matter, what matters is that they are very unoriginal.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

the idea to have a controller interactive screen with the videogame. btw my point here is that nintendo wether they stole something or not, that doesn't matter, what matters is that they are very unoriginal.

The VMU screen in Dreamcast games isn't really interactive from what I remember when you have it in your controller. Most of the time it just flashes pictures at you, or may display your health. The closest to being interactive is when it beeps at you in some games when you are near a secret.

Is the Wii U the first system to have a screen in the controller? No. It can still be innovative though with what it does that previous ideas didn't. The VMU has innovative as it is, is quite limited in it's usefulness. The Wii U Pad not only displays game data on it's screen, it allows for actual interactions since it's a touch screen. The Wii U Pad can actually display the image from your TV so you don't need the TV to play. So while yes you are right that Nintendo didn't come up with the idea for a screen in the controller, they are still being innovative with how they are using it.

[Soulis]

btw my point here is that nintendo wether they stole something or not, that doesn't matter, what matters is that they are very unoriginal.

I sence some Nintendo hate here, no?

You can say many bad things about Nintendo but being unoriginal is not one of them, sorry. They have a huge record of being original anyway, they created/evolved many of the stuff we take as granted today and i guess Sega has stolen from them in the past several times. Even "minor" things like the cross shaped D-Pad and the shoulder buttons. So don't act like Sega are the creators of anything.

Also, the pad screen has nothing to do with the VMU. Its an evolution of the DS second screen which was an evolution of the dual screen Game and Watch series Nintendo produced in the 80's.

[NeoVamp]

what matters is that they are very unoriginal.

Pfff everything is a rip off, ever since humanity came to be people have been basing their idea's on older idea's.

If anything they should be praised for making it financially successful.

[bultje112]

yes because this whole world revolves around money and we should be really happy with that

[j_factor]

I think the money they made is enough praise.

[doomguy]

Watch Dogs has now been confirmed for Wii U, its a good thing Ubisoft is Supporting the U or i wouldnt have much in the way of interesting games coming to look forward to.
http://wiiudaily.com/2013/02/watch-d...med-for-wii-u/

[NeoVamp]

yes because this whole world revolves around money and we should be really happy with that

It does revolve around money, and even though we don't like it I don't see the need to lie to ourselves about it.

[bultje112]

I think the money they made is enough praise.

I think not

[doomguy]

I don't know if you could really call the Wii remote innovative, maybe you could argue it if Nintendo themselves hadn't put it on the backburner. It certainly seems like the third choice of control for Wii U. Also very few Wii games are really more fun with motion controls, partly because it wasn't very accurate before Motion +. Most Wii games which support the classic controller are better played that way IMO.