Report: Wii U uses last-gen Radeon GPU
Nintendo's Wii U sports a Radeon GPU similar to last-gen AMD cards, according to a new report. This puts it on par with PS3 and 360, but not vastly outpacing either one.
Nintendo has been more than a little cagey about the power of the newly-announced Wii U console, only implying that it's comparable to current generation competition like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. But a set of reports are coming out that, if true, shed some light on what's under the hood.
Game Watch (via Engadget) reports that the console uses a Radeon GPU similar to the R770 that was in AMD's last-gen cards. Engadget claims that this gives it a slight graphical edge over the PS3 and 360, which are similar to the NVIDIA G70 and R520, respectively. The Wii U also reportedly supports Direct X 10.1, and multi-display for up to four SD video streams.
Meanwhile, Develop reports that Crytek is working to bring CryEngine software to the platform. CEO Cevat Yerli says the tech is almost fully running on the system, but isn't ready to show yet.
Shacknews has contacted Nintendo and will update as more information becomes available.
-
Shacknews
replySteve Watts posted a new article, Report: Wii U uses last-gen Radeon GPU.
Nintendo's Wii U sports a Radeon GPU similar to last-gen AMD cards, according to a new report. This puts it on par with PS3 and 360, but not vastly outpacing either one.-
R770 vs R520 is like day and night
-
R520 is lowend of X1000 series
RV770 is (high-end) of HD 4000 series, therefore in HD4800 ranks
It's a custom part, it will be overhauled for WiiU , the core is based on that technology since it's cheap enough but also powerful , 2 series of radeons are ahead,
I don't like the sound of it though, RV770 were pretty hot ... and inefficent.
This is more architectural word, since it's custom , they can add other features wich HD4800 didn't had ... like multi-display support (4)-
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
-
-
I've heard it's more in the 4800 series performance wise.
-
-
-
Basically, also seems to be more capable with multi-display tech, which is obviously useful in the Wii U situation.
-
-
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
What are you talking about ... comparable ?
-
-
Man ... what are you talking about ... there is no high-end or low end RV770 ... RV700 is the HD4000 family , RV770 is the chip used in HD4800 sub-series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_R700#Architecture
And by the way, we already said Xbox uses ancient RV520 , called ATI Xenos. Equivalent to X1800/X1950 series of Radeons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenos_%28graphics_chip%29
... But is still don't know what you wanted to say with the first part of the sentence... :P i know these things , i build custom PCs for living ;) -
-
-
-
-
Yah if it has 1-2GB of ram it would be a decent jump in visuals, especially texture detail.
-
RAM is one of the higher cost components in the ps3/360 so I dont believe Nintendo (who never sell at a loss and usually triple the price) will put more in then their competitors.
No chance, in fact if this system comes out with a higher price point than the cheapest Xbox then anyone who buys it is a mug.
The tech is going to be old and cheap.... better than wii hell yeah and maybe as good as 6 year old xboxs but they will charge a premium!-
Given that it will be streaming a second screen it will probably have at least 768MB, now whether that's dedicated or not we'll have to see.
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
It's not "one controller per system" just one U controller. Everyone else can use wii classic or wiimote/nunchuck. This will make it a pain for devs though.... Or, on the other hand, the rumor that you can only have one U controller may be entirely false. It still has a while until it is released. We'll see.
-
latest we heard 2 controllers might possible.
-
Well, it's not possible yet but they're looking into it (which, IMO, would be bare minimum).
-
-
-
-
-
Essentially controlling a market with no competitors.
-
I pretty much agree with you, it'll be interesting to see if microsoft keeps supporting the kinect for their next console.
Also, I'm looking forward to see the handheld race when the Vita is 1 year into the market.
Despite not owning a Wii, I'm fairly positive that nintendo will do excellent anyway. -
I wonder whether people will fall for it a second time. I know an awful lot of people that rushed out to buy a wii / balance board because it was cooky and different, then have regretted the decision and left the Wii collecting dust in a cupboard.
-
-
Fat + Stupid + Lazy + Has enough money to buy it = bought?
-
-
-
-
last-gen and next-get are very confusing assertions
you don't know about what anyways , GPUs , Consoles , what ... ? Stop using these stupid mainstream callsigns of nonsense.
Speaking about GPUs, Nintendo will use HD4800 technology, coupled with upgrades, probably code based fixed and overhauls (they're not just converting a HD4800 into an console-grade part) , it's a custom part.
Therefore "BASED ON" can only mean it's an arhictectural core of RV770, but in result it will be better than the original RV770. (in terms of support code,features , not in pure computing power)-
It's not last-gen , because this gen didn't even evolved fully , which is HD6000 series, the last was HD5000 and nintendo uses pre-last 4000 series technology , it's not A COPY PASTE , it's based on it , but it will be better , so they will end up with something like 5770
-
-
I really don't know in what capacity "based on" would mean undervolted
It's a custom mobile part, it's obviously not the same size as the PC parts, but based on means it is based on the RV770 CHIP (Graphics Processing Unit) it means what technology is it based on, the voltage information will not be possible to get until the console is released and some guy tests this ... they don't release these kind of detailed information.
-
-
*Citation needed
-
-
-
sucking cock and incorporating the most random stuff into a controller possible to distract people from the fact they're going nowhere. it worked for the wii!
-
[deleted]
-
-
I don't understand. Wouldn't a superpowered HD4800 would run circles around the GeForce 7800 derived chip in the PS3 and the ATI Radeon X1900 derived GPU in the Xbox 360?
-
-
Likely a Tri-core from IBM, maybe quad.
-
-
well verbatim yeah, but who knows what kind of system architecture it will have. the CELL is a powerful chip, but it was not really ideal for a game console, and the rest of the PS3 has a somewhat questionable design and makes it almost impossible to get anything like its potential in real world use. GPU's are alot easier to utilize at a high level though, so on paper it should be more capable.
-
ofcourse it will , WiiU will totally own both PS3 and 360 , wiiU GPU is ... let me measure, i'll report back.
look this in the meantime http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Diamond/HD_4870/6.html
X1800/X1950 is off chart ... too old :P-
[deleted]
-
-
-
PS3/360 hardware is already ancient. Reggie, you have failed me.
-
-
uhm.. ok?
-
Seriously, lol to that. People are still willing to run 720p or lower to get better visuals at 30fps. When we are running 60-120fps at 1080p with AA and AF cranked up, and with art assets an order of magnitude better than they are today, then MAYBE we can start thinking about more resolution.
-
-
A level or two of AA is often cheaper (GPU wise) than increasing res so that's often what developers do.
-
Running Dirt 3 at 1080p with 8X FSAA looks wonderful... no jaggies at all. So yes it is worth it!
-
-
-
wtf is this
-
-
What are you talking about , are you totally not seeing my posts.
-
-
-
-
Conan - there are so many asshats here, are they totally blind - ARE YOU SEEING WHAT AM I POSTING
WiiU WILL TOTALLY SMASH EVEN IF YOU HOOK UP BOTH PS3 AND 360 TOGETHER
WiiU = RADEON HD4800
360 = RADEON X1800/X1950
I said it in the first post of mine, it's DAY VS NIGHT.
"Engadget claims that this gives it a slight graphical edge over the PS3 and 360, which are similar to the NVIDIA G70 and R520 "
THIS ABOVE STATEMENT is TOTALLY misleading, ENDGADGET is OUT OF MIND.-
The shack is really going down the tubes, rofl.
-
oh ... now for the stupid double post and a freaking lag .. meh bugs.
... i mean , im posting this for like 30 mins , and nobody sees that the article is TOTALLY out of reality, the WiiU has NOWHERE NEAR comparable hardware to PS3/360
Endgadget is stupid.-
Who the fuck thakes tips from endgadget anyways , come on shack.
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
Holy shit. Dude, stop and think for three seconds. How big is the goddamn heatsink on a 4870? That keeps it at like 90c. Go look at a picture of the Wii U. The thing is half mITX at best. Unless the entire damn console is a giant GPU cooler, the thing won't touch 4870 performance. It's entirely possible that it's a RV770 running at such low voltage that it barely beats out the Xbox or PS3.
-
[deleted]
-
It would be foolish not to run something based off of a 5770 instead of a 4870, it was cooler, quieter, less power hungry, and had a better feature set (as well as better multi-display tech, which would be important for the Wii-U in particular). I'm sure they could optimize it a bit to bring it down to whatever they need to hit for the console.
-
-
I'm running a mobile 4870 in my laptop (granted, it's not clocked the same as a normal one), and it never hits above 60c under full load.
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
Conan - I think im sorrounded by ignorants ... or they just don't click my posts.
Again:
WiiU WILL TOTALLY SMASH EVEN IF YOU HOOK UP BOTH PS3 AND 360 TOGETHER
WiiU = RADEON HD4800
360 = RADEON X1800/X1950
I said it in the first post of mine, it's DAY VS NIGHT.
"Engadget claims that this gives it a slight graphical edge over the PS3 and 360, which are similar to the NVIDIA G70 and R520 "
THIS ABOVE STATEMENT is TOTALLY misleading, ENDGADGET is OUT OF MIND.
-
-
[deleted]
-
Report: Shacknews' misleading headlines get noobs' panties in a bunch
-
R770 huh? I personally use an ATi Radeon 4870 by Sapphire. The heatsink isn't THAT large and it runs all games at max, except for a select few that are poorly coded (Saints Row 2).
In terms of heatsink size, compared to vehicles. The super cars don't use a single heat sink, they cover the entire body of the car. If Nintendo does some ass-up overhaul, they will most likely have the entire body of the Wii-U be a gigantic heatsink, excluding the face plate so you can eject the disc.
Looking at the 4870 personally, the Heatsink is the size of my fist if I could remove my thumb. I have the Vapor-X version, the only reason the heatsinks look large is because the plastic housing used for creating tunnels for wind.
Going back to Heatsink design itself, They can just have a copper block the size of a quarter on top of the die and have 2 heatpipes on each side (if the Wii-U is standing up like a normal Wii) the top and bottom goes to the rear of the console go vertical and have a massive Slice'n'dice spiderweb aluminum heatsink, it will work.
As for RAM, 1GB is overkill. The Xbox has much less than that. 512MB is well enough for RAM. If you compare it to computers, a computer requires multiple gigabytes of ram because it runs games AND the Operating system in conjunction with programs. The reason the console's can get away with using 64MB of ram is because it's 100% dedicated to the game, rather then the components surrounding the game like multi-tasking of an overlay or background program managing > 9000 drivers.
Wrap it up in Bacon, even the 4830 can run games quite nicely. Hell I've run games on 4 different 4350's and they can run most games on low-medium, so the 4800 series can bulldoze any future game.
The next Xbox and Playstation will most likely adopt the same tactic, picking up older, proven hardware. A few people raged when they found out the Playstation runs an Nvidia 7800 or whatever it was, because the 9K series was already out. Xbox ran a custom ATi card even though the HD3k series was already making way.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo went back on their word and used an Nvidia ION. "You are dead. Not big surprise."
Or the Nvidia TEGRA
or Viacom....
/rant-
-
yup I'd expect it to have 1+GB, maybe 1GB dedicated video ram, 512mb system memory?
-
I would hope for at least the latter, we shall see.
-
-
-
So, you run Crysis 2 at full detail at a high resolution on your 4870? That's funny, because I have the same card and there is no way I can do that.
-
[deleted]
-
I got 30+ fps at 1920x1200 on a 4850 once I used the custom config utility to turn off AA.
Then I got rid of the annoying motion blur for gameplay purposes and enjoyed a 40-70 framerate. Some of the screenspace effects in crysis 2 are just not optimized well.
Besides crysis 2 pc performance is hardly a predictor of how a custom hardware platform with roughly the same horsepower would run the game. -
I can run Crysis 2 on ultra max + some extra settings in the config at 1920x1080 without vsync. I'm not sure what it is but my major bottleneck is my core, because I have a 5600+ which is a dual-core at 2.9Ghz. I have the 4870 and 8GB of RAM.
Now that I think of it, 1GB ram on a console isn't that overkill. I say that because the PSP has 32MB (Slim-64MB). As long as they don't use some proprietary RAM like XDR or something, they can probably afford to put 1GB onboard. The controller is probably a big cost factor...
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
It was brand spanking new. ATi's R520-based cards came out Oct 2005 and the Xbox 360, which had an in many ways more evolved GPU came out Nov 2005. ATi wouldn't follow up with a new PC GPU incorporating those features until R600 showed up in May 2007 (and disappointed many people as nVidia had seized the performance crown until then).
-
[deleted]
-
Performance wise it was about equal to the R580 while maintaining lower thermals and power draw due to the features included that wouldn't exist elsewhere till DX10.
-
-
Both times the Xbox has come out with a slightly more advanced GPU than what was available on the PC. Both times features from the Xbox came to the PC. Microsoft's bankrolling will net us another advancement of architecture hopefully.
-
Yeah, we'll probably see the HD 7000 (or maybe 8000 by then?) in the next Xbox, though I really don't know what it will do with all that power?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
my head is going to explode , the journalists have no idea, and people commenting even less
360= LAST, LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN
WiiU = LAST LAST GEN
H. U. G. E. D. I. F: F. E. R. E. N. C. E.-
WiiU: Day
360: Night
-
The Shack's Title is misleading , as well as Engadget is a bad bad source to start with
-
WiiU: Elephant
360: Fox-
CURRENT GEN OF ATI GPUS: RADEON HD 6000 SERIES - NORTHEN ISLANDS - 40nm rehaul (nvidia terminator)
LAST GEN: RADEON HD 5000 SERIES - 40nm introduction (nvidia killer)
LAST LAST GEN: HD 4000 SERIES - (nvidia close up)
LAST LAST LAST GEN: HD 3000 SERIES - ( no idea)
LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN: HD 2000 SERIES - (no idea)
LAST LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN: X1000 SERIES - (no idea)
HD6000: Antilles (extreme), Cayman (high-end) , Barts (mid-end) , Caicos/Turks (Low-end)
HD5000:
HD4000:
HD3000:
HD2000:
X1000:
WiiU: HD4000: RV770: WiiU uses HIGH-END of the LAST LAST GEN. (HD4800 series)
360: X1000: RV520: 360 uses LOW-END of LAST LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN. (comparable to X1800 in processing power .. but was not based on RV570 core for some reason)
Earthshattering Difference
Astronomical difference
Jumbo sized difference
How can i explain to you people to understand !!!!
WiiU is extremely powerful. But obviously when new Xbox and PS4 comes they will be even more powerful ... let me guess , all over again ? .. .everyone will be busy with WiiU and those guys still left in the water :P
WiiU needs to have enough ram to compete for long-run , RAM is the biggest issue for consoles.
ORIGINAL Wii uses ATI Hollywood 90nm GPU clocked at 245 Mhz , the improvement between Wii and WiiU is measured in light-years.
Like a 1995 porsche vs 2005 ferrari.
When WiiU is released , it will have NO COMPETITION. That means it will blow everything else out by a long shot.-
whoops i forgot to finish :P
-
Okay continued here ... click this !
Current gen already explained in above post ( HD 6000 series, >>NORTHEN ISLANDSEVERGREENR700R600R600-
Okay continued here ... click this !
Current gen already explained in above post ( HD 6000 series, >>NORTHEN ISLANDS , DX11, 40nm improvement, core overhaul)
LAST GEN: RADEON HD 5000 SERIES - >>EVERGREEN - 40nm introduction, DX11, (nvidia killer)
LAST LAST GEN: HD 4000 SERIES - >>R700 - DX10.1, 55nm (nvidia close up)
LAST LAST LAST GEN: HD 3000 SERIES - >>R600 - 55nm R600s ( no idea)
LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN: HD 2000 SERIES - >>R600 -65nm R600s (no idea)
LAST LAST LAST LAST LAST GEN: X1000 SERIES - >R520 - 90 nm (delayed release)
CORRRRRRECTION: IT APPEARS THAT 3000 SERIES ARE THE SAME GEN ... THAT MEANS ONE LESS GEN ... Technically we should remove one "LAST" - but it's not really it , R600 converted to 55nm process were the HD3000 series, it is an improvement normal people will notice without knowhing what was actually done , so , PRACTICALLY it's still another gen but maybe not fully technically.
Every one of these has PRO, LE, XT postfixes that further define the sub-series, but this is not comparable to WiiU custom designed part , when they release more info we will know to what it is comparable, when the console is released we will know even the smallest details.
HD6000: Antilles (extreme), Cayman (high-end) , Barts (mid-end) , Caicos/Turks (Low-end)
HD5000: Hemlock(extreme), Cypress (high-end), Juniper (Mid-end), Cedar & Redwood (low-end)
HD4000: RV790 (high-end rehaul) , RV770 (high-end), RV740 (mid-end 40nm post redesign, but not faster), RV730 & RV710 (low-end)
HD3000: 55nm Conversion (all)
HD2000: RV670 (wikipedia?80nm? High-end), RV630(mid-end) RV610 (Low-end)
X1000: R580(FIX - high-end; X1900 and X1950 series) R535 , R520(series) ... etc
X700 / X800: R400 ...
X300 / X600: R300 ...
NOTE: TIMELINE .... ATI Xenos was based on R520 core because R580 (X1900) came LATER for Desktops (i don't know why wikipedia uses R520 for the family name) ... for example HD4700 series also came HALF a year later with some redesigns and changes (40nm process) ..etc
These are called "SPRING REFRESH" cards .. usually come out in march/april
NOTES:
HD3000: R600 Technology on 55nm, "HALF-GENERATION" upgrade (PROCESS SHRINK and other code-based improvements)
NOTE: R500 FAMILY has some stupid naming .... for some reason it's called R520 ... but the same name shares is the flagship core's name "R520" ... 360 is just better than than X1800 , comparable to X1950 in processing power , but is NOT based on R580 core.
Now i saw the naming scheme ,... CORRECTION , 360 does NOT use LOW END X1000 .... 360 uses the best X1000 technology , it is even better than X1800/X1950 feature wise , but it has comparable processing power like those, R4XX and R5XX have weird naming scheme.
THEREFORE: if 360 was a BASED ON R520 then but it was actually better than the original X1000 series, then we can say WiiU is going to be no different, based on RV770 we will get a better one and will probably range into something like HD4890 or even HD5770 ... just as i thought originally , it's a CUSTOM PART and they do not just copy paste the HD4800 series , it will be EVEN BETTER !!!! But the CORE technologies such as DirectX and nanometer process will probably REMAIN that's why it's said "based on" .. they will probably upgrade code-wise and HDMI versions , as well as OPEN GL support ... there will be a number of upgrades , yeah , it will be even better !
Because 360 GPU was designed as ATI Xenos .... ATI then made RV600 based on Xenos (not a real based on, but just Xenos was the last high-end part they made, speaking about core architectural context)
But the point is .... 360 used the best AT THE TIME ... (better)
But WiiU will use like pre-last gen at release.
No worries ... hardware is so much ahead of software , it's just not comparable because of moore's law and for nintendo it's okay , enoguh for HD and also cheap enouhg ... nintendo can make great games only because they profit from the consoles too ;)-
You need more capital letters to win an argument on shacknews.
-
-
I kinda feel bad that you put in all this effort and the thread will expire in a few hours
-
Ill-conceived but informative.
-
-
[deleted]
-
Even if they used the same hardware they'd probably be more competitive on the TV unless they both start streaming video to other devices at the same time as well.
-
that is 3 years away
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
manar003, I'mma let you finish, but you're wrong.
-
-
I would also have accepted SNES.
-
-
-
-
-
this is the post of a crazy person.
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
Ah had a quick laugh out , anyways, im serious while being serious , that indie's have no release control over their OWN titles, it's absurd, gladly microsoft actually fixed that.
im serious , but the crazy look is not for those guys who don't know the jokes,
im actually laughing when im typing xD
im not really stupid , because it's all true info :p
you just hear opinions from the PRO :)
GOT THAT ! You guys asking your self WHATS going on, well , i just freaking MADE everyone's freaking attention up , you SEEE now , that WIIU is not comparable to 360 , it is a technial topic in which my personal opinions and favourites have nothing to do with.
Just check out the first part of the thread, the freaks nobody seen my posts and i kept trying unitl you freaking SEE , Shacknews is wrong because Engadget was WRONG in the first place.
But you are right on something, when it comes out, it'll be 3LAST Gen probably ... remember , it's a custom part , it will range more than 4800 series , and will be probably comparable to something like 5000 series mid end (5700) + eyefinity.-
[deleted]
-
-
Hahahaha, holy shit. So this guy has a history of mental illness? Good to know.
-
I have no idea what's going on here.
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
If you and valcan_s touch the universe is going to have a localized explosion in a 10^12 LY radius.
-
[deleted]
-
ulillillia finally gave up on proving that bubsy 3d was the greatest game ever made
-
-
-
-
-
-
my pleasure
-
-
-
The first part of the thread just didn't get it !
WiiU: Shark
360: Tuna
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
That word doesn't mean what you think it does.
-
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
I agree, this system sounds plenty powerful enough for me. I just hope that they get the games this time around. The Wii failed in that regard because not only did it fall short of the HD gap, but it forced a control scheme that didn't work well for conventional games. The WiiU addresses both of those complaints so hopefully it will get good core games even if the hardware is a half-gen behind or whatever.
-
-
-
I think the ideal situtation for Nintendo would be to release something more powerful than 360/PS3 but less powerful than 720/PS4 for $299 in June 2012 (immediately post-E3) IF Sony + MS don't release 720/PS4 until winter 2014-spring 2015.
This would give them ~2.5-3 years of getting superior 3rd party versions of everything, and downports of 720/PS4 games until they can release a system more powerful than 720/PS4 for $299 in 2017.-
Yes it is, it's already light years more powerful than what $ony and M$ have.
-
-
-
Now you're playing with MAXIMUM POWER.
-
I hope WiiU will have Crysis !
-
re-release shouldn't be off the list, it could prove good , like a Crytek Nintendo Pack - Crysis ; Warhead and Crysis 2 for 50$ ... sold
-
-
-
-
true.
-
