Really good read below.

Shin'en on Wii U power/ease of use, WiiWare success

It's a lengthy insightful interview that covers Shinen's 3DS, Wii and Wii U development. Info on Nano Assault Neo Wii U and more interestingly, tech insights into Wii U. They also say "Nano Assault would have never been created without playing Mario Galaxy before."

I'll just post the tech stuff:

FAST – Racing League on Wii had problems to maintain solid 60fps when having two players splitscreen. For that case we added a CPU based Occlusion culling system. Since then every game we do can use that system, no matter if it’s on 3DS or Wii U. As the complete engine is powered by an own designed scripting language there are no boundaries. New code and modules are exposed to the script and then they can be freely used.

The game will be around 100Mb. For download games we always use our best compression and procedural techniques to keep the players happy without scarifying any quality. It has very high detail in its graphics and audio is coded in 5.1 LPCM surround.

The 3DS and Wii U GPU are totally different. The 3DS GPU is very specialized while the Wii U GPU is quite open. For both designs you have to choose wisely how to use them. Both can generate great visuals and have lots of options.

When testing our first code on Wii U we were amazed how much we could throw at it without any slowdowns, at that time we even had zero optimizations. The performance problem of hardware nowadays is not clock speed but ram latency. Fortunately Nintendo took great efforts to ensure developers can really work around that typical bottleneck on Wii U. They put a lot of thought on how CPU, GPU, caches and memory controllers work together to amplify your code speed. For instance, with only some tiny changes we were able to optimize certain heavy load parts of the rendering pipeline to 6x of the original speed, and that was even without using any of the extra cores.

In comparison to the Wii, the Wii U has much more potential for optimizing. On Wii you knew what was possible and used that power. On Wii U you can take many different approaches to tackle a problem. Fortunately you already have lots of power at hands without digging deeper. So i’m pretty sure we will see many cool stuff on the Wii U when developers are understanding it better.

Q: Weak CPU?


We didn’t have such problems. The CPU and GPU are a good match. As said before, today’s hardware has bottlenecks with memory throughput when you don’t care about your coding style and data layout. This is true for any hardware and can’t be only cured by throwing more megahertz and cores on it. Fortunately Nintendo made very wise choices for cache layout, ram latency and ram size to work against these pitfalls. Also Nintendo took care that other components like the Wii U GamePad screen streaming, or the built-in camera don’t put a burden on the CPU or GPU.

Q: Is the system capable of effects not present or not really used on current gen consoles?


For Nano Assault Neo we already used a few tricks that are not possible on the current console cycle.


Due to the modern GPU architecture you have plenty of effects you can use to make Wii U games look better than anything you have seen on consoles before.

Q: What does this DSP bring for sound creation on Wii U?


DSPs in current hardware are mainly used to take tasks away from the CPU. As we take audio in our games very seriously we were happy to see that the DSP can handle all the tasks we throw at it. We use it for 3D audio, lowpass filtering and many other things.

Q: The RAM?


In fact we simply forgot to think about the memory size in the Wii U. There was always enough there. We never had to cut anything down due to memory restrictions.

Q:  About the ram, are other parameters than latency such as bandwidth favorable compare to current platforms?


I can’t detail that but for us as a developer we see everything works perfectly together. Many systems in the past forced the programmers to shift around their data and code quite a lot to fight against latency.

Q: 1GB for OS. Do you forecast more memory to be unlocked?


Nano Assault Neo only needs a fraction of the memory, even when all assets are unpacked and processed. So we use all remaining memory as a cache. So for instance loading times are nearly zero after a short while. It feels like playing from a SNES rom

Q: Do you think the system is future-proof, does it have the required feature-set of the next generation games (we’re talking about direct x 11/OpenGL 4 level features) and that it will run titles available on its rival platforms?

We can’t be too specific on the Wii U hardware but you can’t compare anyway an OpenGl/DirectX driver version to the actual Wii U GPU. I can only assure that the Wii U GPU feature set allows to do many cool things that are not possible on any current console. The Wii U has enough of potential for the next years to create jaw-dropping visuals. Also remember the immense improvement we saw on the PS3 and XBOX360 over the years. I’m really excited to see what developers will show on the Wii U in the years to come.

"When testing our first code on Wii U we were amazed how much we could throw at it without any slowdowns, at that time we even had zero optimizations. " this is similar to what Michael Ancel said about throwing very high quality movie quality textures and art at it uncompressed and still having it work. And what Ancel said about it having "almost limitless memory" it seems Nintendo have done something to reduce the memory latency greatly according to this interview. Also it confirms what we already knew about the DSP, it offloads work from the CPU so this slow CPU talk is from devs who weren't using the DSP, we know this because we heard that DSP programming use was only unlocked around E3.

Is ZombiU online?

OMG its not. Nintendo is still in the stone age. What a complete utter disaster.

gamingeek said:

Not sure. The multiplayer video preview up top says no but I don't know if she was talking about the demo they were playing on that day not being rigged up for online.

I just read from a dev on GAF that the Wii U has a Co-Processor from ARM that he just learned was multicore. It handles the streaming to the gamepad and possibly the camera functions. So that Shinen interview must have been talking about that:

"Nintendo took care that other components like the Wii U GamePad screen streaming, or the built-in camera don’t put a burden on the CPU or GPU."

But the actual rendering of a separate viewpoint still has to be done by the main system, so it's still doing 720p + 480p to the pad but the actual streaming etc is done by the co-processor.

She clearly says no. NSMBU is not online, neither is NintendoLand, its embarassing at this point that a company still doesnt get online. Yeah Blops will be online but I bet that is all Activsion, same with ME and EA. Nintendo needs to get their shit together. The truth is we still no nothing of their online plans.

Dvader said:

She clearly says no. NSMBU is not online, neither is NintendoLand, its embarassing at this point that a company still doesnt get online. Yeah Blops will be online but I bet that is all Activsion, same with ME and EA. Nintendo needs to get their shit together. The truth is we still no nothing of their online plans.

I see what you are saying about Nintendo's games not being online, but why are you blaming Nintendo for Zombi U when other devs are getting online games up for launch? It's Ubisoft not doing it. Even Sonic Racing is online on Wii U.

As far as I know Nintendo have said that it's allowing companies to do what they want with online instead of having a single unified system, you have a code for Wii U, a single network code and then devs implement online as they want.

No one checked out these commercials?

New Super Mario Bros. U - NA commercial

Wii U Zelda battle quest Nintendo Land Commercial damn html

links here

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Dvader said:

Do you believe if this were on 360 and PS3 Ubisoft would ever release a game without online support. The mentality of the Wii U in general is what allows Ubisoft to get away with this basically. They know its not a big deal if a game on a Nintendo console has no online especially when all the first party games wont have it.

Fine with me.

Bottom line, Wii U can do online and the Zombi U team decided not to use it. Other developers chose to implement it in their games.

Shin'en explains why Nano Assualt Neo is 720p instead of 1080p

Question: Neo’s resolution is 720p. Why is it not 1080p? Beside, we’ve witnessed jaggies and seemingly a lack of anti-aliasing in some other games footage, can you reassure us on the image quality of your title? With its more up-to-date GPU and other factors such as cache amount, the Wii U should be pretty capable in this area.

Any modern GPU supports various anti-aliasing modes with the usual Pros and Cons and it’s the case for the Wii U one. Many GPUs have a certain amount of AA even for ‘free’ when rendering. Usage of these modes depends on your rendering style (like forward or deferred) and other implementation details.

Nano Assault Neo is running in 720p yes. We had the game also running in 1080p but the difference was not distinguishable when playing. Therefore we used 720p and put the free GPU cycles into higher resolution post-Fx. This was much more visible. If we had a project with less quick motions we would have gone 1080p instead i guess.


It’s not a problem to make beautiful 1080p games on the Wii U. As on any console or PC such titles need ~200% more fill rate than 720p. You can use this power either for 1080p rendering or for more particles, better post-Fx, better materials, etc.


It should also be not forgotten that many current gen games don’t even run at 720p, but at lower resolutions which are scaled up (not to mention that most also only run at 30fps).

As many of us know, setting up a universal remote is usually a nightmare of inputting long codes until you finally stumble upon the one that works. With Wii U, all you have to do is select your box’s manufacturer (which is likely emblazoned just under the screen) and the system will automatically do the rest. Both times I’ve gone through this process, the Wii U synced perfectly with my television on the first try, and within a matter of seconds. After just a few moments and a few taps, I was able to adjust the volume and channels and change the input right from my GamePad, as well as power on and off both the system and my television. I very much enjoyed using the tablet controller in this way, more so than I thought I would. Who thought upping the volume on your TV could be so exciting?

Ubisoft has their shit together when it comes to system launches. You know they will have their next big "AC" like franchise ready to go for the next 360/PS3. Maybe its Watch Dogs.

Kotaku said:

My Wii U Is In the Living Room, But I Can Play Its Games In My Bedroom

I've had the Wii U for one day, and the way I play console games at home has already been forever transformed. I think you should know how. It's the only rational reason I have for sharing half of the floor plan of my apartment with you. (Please don't turn it into a Counter-Strike map!)






If you're at all interested in the Wii U, this is important.






Nintendo sent me a Wii U earlier this week. I got it yesterday and took it home. I set it up in my living room (you can see its location in the floor plan above). I powered on the new Super Mario Bros. game it's launching with. The game's graphics appear on your TV and on the Wii U's GamePad—the signature controller with the six-inch screen—at the same time.






I looked down at the GamePad.






I started playing.






Then I started walking around my house and learned the three things about the Wii U that will literally reshape how I play console games at home.






See, most consoles force you to play their games on your TV, so I can only play an Xbox 360 game on my TV. The PS3 clumsily does let you stream some games to the PSP, but I could never get that "Remote Play" feature to work.






The Wii U, however, lets any game that supports "off-TV play" run on the controller. This controller is wireless, which means... maybe I could play New Super Mario Bros.—oh, I don't know—in the bathroom?


Nintendo suggests that the GamePad can work up to a range of 26 1/4 feet, but that's presumably under ideal conditions: big open rooms, through thin walls, etc. I live in a pre-war condo in Brooklyn New York. The walls are thick. My WiFi router, which is in my bedroom, can't get its signal through more than two walls (it gets into my dining room but not beyond into the kitchen). So... the Wii U?


The results of my test:

1. The GamePad can still play Mario when I go to the far end of the living room, meaning, I can give up the TV to my wife, plug headphones into the GamePad and continue playing a Wii U console game at the other end of the room, while she's using the TV. This is a very good thing.

2. The GamePad can still play Mario when I go into the bedroom and lie on my bed, which means that I can stay up late, in the dark, playing a Wii U console game. I can also leave the GamePad on my nightstand, power it and the Wii U on with a press of the GamePad's power switch and start playing my console in the morning—without getting out of bed. Note: this may have a radical effect on my ability to play Call of Duty: Black Ops II multiplayer at strange hours.

3. The GamePad cannot still play Mario when I'm in my bathroom. Hell, it can't even reach my bathroom. The signal fails when I begin to walk down the hallway. I can't even get past the coat closet let alone to the door that follows, which leads into my bathroom. Thus: the Wii U will have to wait when it's time for me to go to the restroom.


I'm not sure I can effectively convey how odd it is to have these new options for playing console games at home. It's not quite like the shock I felt in the late 90s when I got a cell phone and was suddenly able to make phone calls while walking down the street, but we're in the same ballpark at least. It's impressive and exciting to have these new options, and I'm curious to see how widely-implemented the support for off-TV play will be. I'm also curious if advances in tablet gaming and dedicated handhelds will diminish how impressive this is in the coming years. But, for now, the prospect of playing a new console Zelda in various rooms of my house? I'm into it.







A few extra notes about the test I ran: 1) The GamePad also ran Mario when I went out my apartment's front door, closed it behind me and walked halfway down the stairs. 2) As you reach the GamePad's outer range, the framerate of the Mario game begins to get choppy, but, oddly, the chop is more pronounced when you're walking to that outer range and then smooths out if you stand still. 3) I've only tested this with New Super Mario Bros. U and therefore have no idea if any of these tests would have gone differently with different games. I don't see why they would, but you never know

Some peeps are saying it might be best to put the Wii U in a central location and have a really long HDMI cable. But wouldn't you also need a really long sensor bar wire too? Maybe someone will sell a distance kit?

edgecrusher said:

My Gaming Room & bedroom are right next to each other, so I should definitely be able to fall asleep in bed playing the console, or while my girlfriend is riding me like a champion.

That is what Nintendo needs to focus on in their ads.