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Close-Up Look at the Wii Hardware

youtube.com — Someone has YouTubed a portion of the lastest IGN Weekly episode in which Matt C. gives us a detailed look at the Wii hardware. Very nice walkthrough of the hardware. If only there was a GC and Wii size comparison.

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  • motang, on 10/12/2007, -3/+31That system is seriously one tiny thing. Looks very sexy!
    • slimthps, on 10/12/2007, -84/+7To me, it just looks boring..

      You can tell by the size that the hardware is below par, and I didn't realize that it actually IS an upgraded gamecube.
    • outhouseinput, on 10/12/2007, -76/+10Slimthps, you are exactly right. It IS subpar graphics wise compared to the 360 and ps3.

      Also, this 'reviewer dude' sucks. He is too damn lazy to measure the cord, and he is just very boring.

      www.Cabel.name should do all video reviews. Period.
    • PFS1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+71"You can tell by the size that the hardware is below par, and I didn't realize that it actually IS an upgraded gamecube."

      I swear I'm going to lose it if I hear one more person talk about the Wii as an upgraded gamecube as if that make the system aboslutely terrible for some god-unknown reason.

      The two share the same architecture. So what? It's 2-3 times as powerful and if you couple that with the brand new GPU and some good art direction, you're going to have some sweet looking games. Couple THAT with a cool new controller that inspires new ways of playing, and it's going to be a blast. I have no idea why the fact that it's been branded by some as an "upgraded" gamecube means that it's going to a piece of garbage.

      Even if it was abolutely direct upgrade, I STILL don't know why that would be a bad thing. Developers are would be familiar with the devkit and be able to start squeezing the most out of the new, more powerful hardware from day one. I don't mean to bring the PS3 in to it when it wasn't originally mentioned, but if people think that total redeisgns are the only way to make something more powerful, then have fun waiting till 2009 when people are actually able to use the cell to its fullest and paying $600 for the priveledge of playing other stuff in the meantime. Personally, I'd rather spend $250 on a system that is getting a lot of developer support because it's easy to make good-looking, fun games on right NOW, and wait for the overpriced PS3 to come down. Paying an extra $350 to sit on your console's potential for 3 years just doesn't make any sense to me.

      Sorry for the rant, and I know that my points here are probably loaded with a lot of opinion, but people caling the Wii an upgraded gamecube as though that makes it a ***** system for some reason drives me nuts.
    • zorikin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+51It's amazing how console fanboys can turn "upgraded" into a pejorative. Your Core Duo is nothing more than an upgraded 80486.
    • sych0, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25it looks like it can fit in a 5 1/4 bay!
    • thenewmadmax, on 10/12/2007, -18/+6at PFS1
      it IS an upgraded gamecube, gamecube being an awsome system, I dont see the problem.
      the wii will be, quick, cheap, and easy, just like i like everything else
    • razorpit, on 10/12/2007, -7/+26Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a PS3 an upgraded PS2? And isn't a X-Box 360 an upgraded X-Box? What's the deal with people saying the Wii is an upgraded GameCube?
    • dualscreenman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12The architectures for the 360 and PS3 have changed, but yes. What's the deal with people saying the Wii is an upgraded GameCube?
    • KJSatz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Yeah it has similar architectural elements to the Gamecube, which is good for developers because they already sort of "knew" the system beforehand, so beautiful games like Z:TP are possible out of the gate. It's 2-3 times more powerful than the Gamecube, so about 5 times more powerful than the PS2...I don't see the problem.
    • TheMikey, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6Fools.

      You should know that it's not the size of the Wii that matters. It's how you use it.
    • aggies11, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"You can tell by it's smaller size, that the new 65nm Xbox 360 CPU is below par, the 90nm was obviously better".

      Yes, because in electronics, smaller = worse... *Wait a second*. Unfortunately most people shouldn't comment on technology, because they often dont' really know what they are talking about :(

      The Wii is not simply a re-release of the gamecube. Nintendo still spent a TON of money on R&D. There is a ton of "fancy new tech" in the system. Unlike typical consoles though, all that time money and effort, creating the new tech, wasn't aimed at better FPS or fancier graphics. But smaller size, low power requirements, and a hi-tech new way of controlling the games (the Wiimote)

      So it's not like they opted out of the console arms race, they just made improvements in different areas. They had a different focus. They didn't just wait until the last minute, and say "we can save a ton of money by just re-releasing the gamecube with a remote control".

      Whether their focus, on novel control interfaces, not better graphics, was ultimately the right decision, remains to be seen. But to say it's an inferior piece of tech is to simply proclaim your ignorance on the topic :/

      Aggies
    • Levarris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Great video. Ok here's where my OCD comes in now hehe. The part where he took the Wii out of the stand and lay it down flat as horizon that really started to worry me lol. Because all console games I've ever played was always play as horizon and not vertical because I was sacred of the feeling that leaving it at as horizon that the games may get scratch that way. Maybe it wont though maybe the way they may the Wii system works out to play the games with out any problems with it standing as horizon.
  • inferno10, on 10/12/2007, -8/+30Dugg for the hilarious background music.
    • Scott2, on 10/12/2007, -18/+4I had to stop watching it because of the music. I want a Wii, but that was far to fanboyish.
    • bking, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6It was funny for the intro, then it got ***** and distracting. You know this.
  • nights0223, on 10/12/2007, -1/+33What's up with his hair? He looks like Ace Ventura.

    http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004RYZM.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
    • john2kx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+36it's part of his hipster look, complete with jacket and batman shirt, that's supposed to appeal to the 18-29 crowd.
    • Zipp425, on 10/12/2007, -4/+46It was funny how he totally dissed the 360...

      "unlike other consoles, it wont break on the first day you buy it"
      "its not a big brick"
    • Roger, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14"Hipster Doofus"
  • teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -17/+8Why not just watch this on IGN, even the free version of the video should be better quality then the youtube version.

    http://media.games.ign.com/articles/693/693580/vids_1.html

    Great video by the way, dunno how I missed it during my daily ign browsing.
    • ScottMaximus, on 10/12/2007, -7/+22You actually browse IGN?




      ewwwwwwwwwwww I feel dirty.
    • teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2I got down mod'd for posting a link to a higher quality version of the video? What the ***** is wrong with you people!?

      Digg has become a cesspool of ignorant morons these days.

      Yes I do browse IGN, they have 720p videos of almost every 360 game which is much better then the crap anywhere else. I get my news from better sources but nobody beats IGN when it comes to high quality game videos.
  • connizzle, on 10/12/2007, -30/+5no internet play??
    • smiley2billion, on 10/12/2007, -4/+30It has wireless built in.
    • diggimon, on 10/12/2007, -19/+4I was hoping for an Ethernet port but I suppose I need to get with the times. 2007 here we come.
    • coldphoenix, on 10/12/2007, -42/+4The Wii was never planned to have internet play, it can basically do everything else on the web, just not play against other people.
    • subhuman, on 10/12/2007, -21/+2Thats a point, how can you use a web browser, with no way for the console to connect to your network?
      Unless you have to buy some sort of usb -> ethernet adapter, which is kinda lame.

      Console looks pretty awesome though, the size is what impresses me.
    • thenewmadmax, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11sure the wireless is good, but if you have a 10/100/1000, it''d be much better lag wize
    • Bob042, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Here's the options for connecting the WIi to the internet that I'm aware of:

      Use built-in wifi and an existing wireless network.
      Buy a USB>Ethernet converter and plug it in that way.
      Buy a wireless USB adapter or access point, and create a wireless network.

      Personally, I prefer the Wii having built-in wifi over built-in ethernet, because I really don't want to run a cable down my hall and into the room with the TV/Wii.
    • thenewmadmax, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12@ bob, id like both
    • Micrll, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8my college prohibits wireless in the dorms, so usb ethernet adapter for me...
    • greatcaffeine, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11@thenewmadmax

      The lag is going to be determined by your internet connection. Normal broadband can be anywhere from 1.5Mbps to 10Mbps (yes it can be lower or higher, but that's just a typical range). The 802.11g standard is 54Mbps, and even if it doesn't operate at a perfect 54Mbps all the time, you're still going to be well above what your ISP gives you. The ISP would be the bottleneck here, not the wireless networking.
    • thenewmadmax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@ greatcaffine, very valid point, but having a microwave on the opposite side of my TVs wall, might be an issue as far as lost packets go
    • phrstbrn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@greatcaffeine,
      Bandwidth isn't the problem with wireless networking. It's latency and packet loss. If you're browsing the web you won't notice, but I can notice the extra lag when playing a game (mostly in a FPS) over a wireless network, rather than wired.
    • diggimon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Are you lot sure nintendo are planning to support a USB>Ethernet converty thingy? I haven't seen anything about that anywhere.
    • Araya213, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It'll most likely have to be specifically designed for the Wii. I have several usb to ethernet converters laying around and they all require drivers, those drivers are included in XP but I don't think the Wii will have support for them. But since you are able to use USB devices and SD cards, maybe it will be adaptive to windows drivers, but I doubt it.
  • milomilomilo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21ok, now thats just stupid.

    Now your telling me the system is inferior because its too small?
    Your just looking for something to complain about.
  • tomhutchinson, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21Good to go.
    • Derrelicte, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12That got so ridiculously annoying after the first two times he said it.
  • cell00, on 10/12/2007, -18/+6I came. Several times. Giggidy.
  • Coffeedemon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24Wasn't *that* close-up. Camera was a mile away for some shots. "As you can see with this proprietary plug... "

    No we can't jackass - zoom!
    • zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"Wasn't *that* close-up"

      Yeah, it reminds me of the scene at the start of American Pie where the guy goes 'that's a tit, that's definitely a tit'.
  • JavertHolmes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14I wish he would have talked more about the sensor bar. How it mounts (if it does mount in any way), its orientation, what kind of real estate it's gonna take up, etc. He just completely blew by it and spent more time talking about the console holder than the sensor bar.
  • super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8the wii-mote/nunchuck need a magsafe connector between them, i can just see the cable getting ripped out by some one who was a little overzellous http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/design.html - for demonstration of mag safe
    • JavertHolmes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Yup, that type of connector with a trigger that automatically pauses the game when the two disconnect and you'd be set.
    • Bob042, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7The problem I can see with that: Magsafe is designed to be strong when pulled straight out, but break extremely easy at any angle. With the usage of that controller, it seems that I'd always be pulling it at an angle, and having it always fall out.

      That being said, I do hope it comes out with reasonable stress, as opposed to the cord just tearing out or something.
    • eatMorChikin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I don't get why Nintendo didn't just remove the cord and make both the remote and the nunchuk wireless. I'm sure it's more fun to play without the unsightly cords dangling from the controllers.
    • rabidmoose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Seriously guys, there is no need to worry about pulling that cord out. I've played the thing, and was investigating just that. You would have to be TRYING to pull it out.
    • KJSatz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Eatmore-

      People complain about $60 for a Wiimote+Nunchuck...it'd be a lot more if they were both wireless, plus the Nunchuck would need its own batteries, etc.
  • ikenthepainter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Can anyone tell me what the relative cost will be of the system and it's approximate release date?
  • Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+53I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that:
    1) This wasn't scripted
    2) He didn't want to do more than one take
    3) He didn't want to cut and edit it

    "If the Wii is standing up, the Gamecube slots are at the top.....
    ...
    ...and if it's on its side, then the slots are on the side."

    I wish he'd been a little more thorough and told us where the Gamecube slots would be if we had the Wii upside down, because I'm at a total loss now and this has really ruined my planning.
  • OpCzar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Finally I get to know if there's a brick that connects to it. Seems that it's just a power cord that goes directly into the back of the unit.
    • Bob042, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3That's really pretty impressive engineering if the power block is inside the unit. It's tiny, and the system will be "on" 24/7 with no fan running except when a game is being played.
    • porplem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Pretty sure it has one.

      http://gonintendo.com/?p=3409
    • JavertHolmes, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1"porplem, pay no attention to that grey brick you see over there. It's just a regular cord... attached to a... sensor bar calibrator!" -- Wizard of Oz
    • deeek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There is an external power brick for the Wii.
    • rabidmoose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There is an external brick, and it's smaller than Gamecube's.
    • zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@porplem

      That picture is from June which was still around the time they were showing hollow Wii cases on display but the actual Wii hardware was running inside of Gamecube cases as the final engineering wasn't complete. At the time this was discovered people thought Nintendo was actually running the demoes on Gamecubes but rather they were just in Gamecube cases. So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was simply a Gamecube power supply and not the actual supply that comes with the shipping Wii (if it has one) which some folks are saying is smaller that the 'cubes.

      Here's a link to the old story:
      http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/at-e3-that-was-not-a-wii-but-a-gamecube-174625.php
  • olddirtycr, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4Reminds me why I avoid IGN...

    He didnt look happy to be there, he wasnt ethusiastic which made it boring, he came up with everything on the spot which isnt bad but he sucked at it...
    • thenewmadmax, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6i remember back in the day where IGN was THEE place for vid game news
  • bglav, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1That guy was lame... Borderline depressed...

    Although the music was hilarious.
    • OpCzar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17"That guy was lame... Borderline depressed..."

      I prefer not having the "salesman" overzealous fake enthusiasm approach for something as banal as to where ports are situated.
    • andrewrchambers, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4if i were matt form ign i'd be depressed. everyone nintendo fan on that site practically worships him and monitors every move he makes.
    • coonzel, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Yeah I noticed that too. This guy actually did a horrible job presenting the Wii, and he seemed nervous as ***** about it. Excuse me for pointing this out, kudos for him trying, I'm not the hottest at presentations myself, but there are much better people suited for this kind of thing. For something this interesting to watch, I would have taken any annoying Youtube child over this guy.
    • bking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This is one of the bad sides of the internet's mass-journalism movement. Rather than actually hiring somebody with any kind of broadcasting, production or improvisation skills, they just send some dork and a guy who can hold a camera to a trade show to "report" for their site. The guy talking couldn't form a confident sentence, and the camera operator had no clue what kind of b-roll he needed to get after the shoot (proprietary connector, sensor bar).

      Media is becoming more plentiful, but scores more half-assed. Quantity over quality, whee.
  • eN1X, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1YES SIR I LIKE IT!
  • reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4If you watch the complete video (IGN Weekly) he does a tour of the Nintendo Store in NYC. The manager showed him the gameboy which got damaged during the Gulf War but was still working. Matt says that if Microsoft had a similar store instead of that Gameboy there would be a 360 which would be working after 3 months.
  • mobilehavoc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I like the Wii and may get one but damm that guy in the video is a complete tool.
  • cheeze69, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4I'll probably get buried for saying this but here goes...

    After I heard the announcement that the Wii was going to be $250 with $50 games, I lost much of my interest. I've long been looking forward to the Wii as I expect that it'll have fun, unique games, be reasonably priced, and in some way, place Nintendo as the anti-console who flips the bird to the Xbox/PS3.

    However, seeing the hype and excitement over the Wii, Nintendo lost some of that anti-establishment (for lack of a better phrase at the moment) when they maxed the prices out. $250 for the console. $50 for the games. $60 for the 2 pieces of another controller. I was hoping (expecting) that the big N would defend their ground with a $199 console with $40 games instead.

    I'd feel good supporting them in a cheezy, vote-with-my-money way if they offered the lower pricing. However, at the prices that have been announced, it's just buying yet another console that happens to have a couple gizmos the other currently don't. As such, I've gone from counting the days until the release to being rather "I don't care" about the whole thing. Actually, because of this deflation of my expectations, the Wii is in the same ballpark as the 360 for me - not something I need or want enough to spend the money.

    OK, go ahead and bury this comment since it's somewhat anti-Wii (well, really it's anti "get every red cent we possibly can from the hype!") but alas, I've gone against the masses of Wii Diggers and await my punishment.
    • BrandNewDigger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0They may as well max out the prices at launch because they will sell out no matter the price. After the holiday season once all the hard-core fans have their Wii's I'm sure we will see at least the game prices drop, and if they are doing well with game sales, maybe even a console price drop. So don't count out Nintendo yet if you are looking for a better deal, they are just making a smart business move for the holiday season.
    • ElectricGrandpa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Dude, they HAVE to start the console at a reasonably high price. The price can only go down from wherever it starts from. There are thousands(millions?) of people who are going to buy it on-or-near launch at this price. If you're too cheap to buy it, then wait a while till it has a price drop. Simple.

      This is a VERY realistic price for it, it's already the lowest-priced console, so why does it need to be THAT much lower?
    • gimplar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'd have to agree. With $250 I believe the Wii loses a bit of an edge against the PS3/Xbox360. Something under $200 is much MUCH more attractive.

      As for the tech I think Wii went the right way. Why fight the console war on Microsoft's and Sony's ground? Why get caught up in the clock-frequency race or the multi-core race? Do good games really need a multi-core system to be fun? Do they need 512MB of DDR3 video ram to captivate players? Is that 1021 lines of resolution going to make the game more enthralling? I'd say no. If you look at a lot of the Wii games they aren't especially beautiful, in fact they're pretty ass ugly if you compare them with PS3 games or Xbox360 games.

      Wii games are however, innovative and stunning in regards to how you interact with them. You get up, you move, you swing your arms around - all this will inevitably lead to a whole lot of whooping yelling and, in general, a good time. The interface of the Wii forces you to get involved. That's where Nintendo is trying to move forward.

      Think for a moment. What were the best games you've ever played? Were the graphics the reason why the game was so good?

      For me, the best game I've ever played would be FF3 on the Super Nintendo. Hideously bad graphics by today's standard but it still stands out as one of the best games ever. Same with Planescape: Torment for the PC, even for its time the graphics were bad (2d sprites when 3d objects with over a ka-jillion vertices were the norm).

      You will pay for the fancy super nice 65nm process chips that make the other next-gen consoles so powerful. Sure your transistor sizes will be INSANE, and OMG the switching frequency of those transistors will be so high! But really..who cares. I've been bored with the Xbox360 for some time now. I don't want faster and better graphics, I want compelling games.

      Compelling games for a reasonable price.
  • altosaxon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I am so excited... although that gamecube flap looked to be a little flimsy:(
    • Asidic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The flap sounded pretty solid when he closed it, not flimsy in the least. I guess we'll see when it gets released.
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