ATI on Wii E3 graphics: Tip of the iceberg
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Jun 2nd 2006 at 6:40PM }
Even after Nintendo's continued insistence that the Wii won't even remotely churn out the kind of graphics seen in other next-gen systems, some still hold out a vague and poorly formulated hope that someone simply forgot to flip a switch somewhere. GameDaily Biz pursued the topic of visuals with ATI's John Swinimer, Senior Public Relations Manager of Consumer Products and came up with the following choice quote: "I think what you saw [on Wii] was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Hollywood chip can bring to the Nintendo Wii."The thing with an iceberg is that you never know just how far down it goes -- it might not go down nearly as deep as your expectations do. Swinimer goes on to say, "I really don't think that it's about the [specs]; I think it's about the innovation that it brings to the table-the motion-sensing, the always-on capability, which is really cool too-the fact that the chip is powerful enough and responsive enough to be there at a moment's notice, and I think that's pretty cool for the average gamer."
That's not the kind of answer that would imply a forthcoming bloom in graphics. And that's okay. The funny thing is that ATI and to a lesser extent, Nintendo, feel compelled to constantly explain why the Wii's graphical abilities don't stack up to the competition, instead of letting the system speak for itself. You've made your decision, Nintendo, and you've justified it with a strong E3 showing. That's all the explanation you need.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hoffer @ Jun 2nd 2006 7:27PM
I will buy a Wii and have a ton of fun with it. Saying that, I would have gladly payed another $100-150 for HD graphics. I know that's not Nintendo's plan, but I just thought I'd say it.
Rex Longwind @ Jun 2nd 2006 7:48PM
im perfectly resigned to "sub-par" graphics from the wii because i know it will be a lot more fun. but just wait, in 4 or 5 years, when the next generation is coming out, you'll see some pretty slick games come out that look every bit as good as some xbox 360/ps3 games.
wii the people @ Jun 2nd 2006 8:31PM
I don't agree that Nintendo "feels compelled" to explain about their graphical capabilities or lack thereof. Every article that I've ever read someone else "feels compelled" to bring up that particular point. It seems to me that Nintendo simply re-iterates "Yes, we know. We're not doing that, we're doing this." I even imagine them saying it in an elaborately patient voice usually reserved for talking to grandma who is suffering from Alzheimers.
Josh @ Jun 2nd 2006 10:07PM
Pretty funny, wii the people.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure what Swinimer is referring to has nothing to do with graphical power, but other features like WiiConnect24, which he mentioned.
Wii @ Jun 2nd 2006 11:00PM
Its all about the gameplay and game then pretty graphics
r-deezy @ Jun 2nd 2006 11:41PM
This constant talk about the Wii's graphics is so crazy to me - i feel like people are implying that the Wii is going to take a step backwards and have horrible graphics.
Bottom line, they're not gonna suck.
TME @ Jun 2nd 2006 11:50PM
With MS and Sony focusing so much on HD gaming they really left the field wide open for all the people who don't want to buy a new TV. Diversity is good. That Nintendo is doing something different and catering to the audience that doesn't want to spend a fortune on gaming as a great thing. We don't need 3 HD consoles, that are nearly identical. Someone needs to break out of the mold and I'm glad it's Nintendo. I hate it when people complain that the Wii wasn't designed exactly like the other consoles. The more choices we have the better. No two people are alike, and there should be a diverse range of product choices to accomodate everyone. That is something that has been missing from gaming for several generations.
michael @ Jun 3rd 2006 1:03AM
am i the only one who remembers the graphics for RE4? it had graphics on par with an xbox title to me. and now the wii is going to be twice that? im not worried at all...
Peter-Paul @ Jun 3rd 2006 6:37AM
What I think he's referring to is this: though the graphics may be cutting-edge, they will be pretty (presumably even better than seen on E3) and, more importantly: they'll run at a high fps and the games will have short loading times ("the fact that the chip is powerful enough and responsive enough to be there at a moment's notice") or at least be very easily accessable (i.e. the possibility to use natural physics calculation at any point, not just after loading the engine (like in menu's and such)).
And hey; just look at SmaBura and Mario. They look awesome to me, but grapihcs-whores should realize these are 1st generation games. We WILL see even better graphics on the Wii.
Gadge @ Jun 3rd 2006 9:54AM
I won't buy Wii in first days of sells. I'll wait till independent reviews appears. I think Wii won't be revolution as it seems before
Hirsbrunner @ Jun 3rd 2006 5:13PM
"You've made your decision, Nintendo, and you've justified it with a strong E3 showing. That's all the explanation you need."
I agree.
2-3 times more powerful than GCN, i.e. RE4, LOZ:WW, etc? Yeah, I'm good.
Moogle @ Jun 4th 2006 6:59PM
Ice is .92 g/mL, water is 1 g/mL. So every mL of ice underwater supports .08 g (.086 mL) of ice above water. So generally speaking, there's more than 10 times as much iceberg below water than there is above. I know you were comparing the metaphor to 'expectations', but being pointlessly pedantic makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :)
Anyway, I actually found what I think is a good illustration of the futility of a massive jump in graphics hardware at this point:
http://image.lik-sang.com/content/mario-collectibles/mario_evolution.jpg
You can see, roughly, the advancement in the hardware's ability by generation (accepting that that last picture or two are promo-art, but the mario-kart one has parity with the GC's abilities). The next generation doesn't really have anywhere to go. Nicer shadows, skin texture, hdr lighting - the wii will have. ATI's had a lot of experience with shaders. I can live with a more modest pixel count.
BPMΩ @ Jun 4th 2006 11:04PM
I'm gonna simply repost what I did on Joystiq's entry for Wii taking Best of Show for E:
Yeah, it won't have the same raw power that 360 and PS3 has, but is that such a bad thing? Look at the current generation of gaming. GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 all have visually impressive games. Or do you think that all of them "suck"?
GCN's CPU (Gekko) is clocked at 485MHz, whereas Xbox's CPU (Pentium III, I think?) is 733MHz.
GCN's GPU (Flipper) is 162MHz, and Xbox's GPU (by nVIDIA) is 233MHz.
Even though clock speeds were different, they still offered similar visuals.
Wii's CPU (Broadway) is supposedly 750MHz (hasn't been confirmed), and the GPU (Hollywood) is 243 MHz (also, not confirmed).
If those numbers are true, then Wii will definitely have more raw power than Xbox. GCN and Wii run off of a different architechture than Xbox, so there's a difference in performance.
How will Wii games compare to 360 and PS3 games in terms of graphics? Perhaps they won't look as nice, but that doesn't mean they'll look awful.
fraxyl @ Jun 5th 2006 1:14AM
I think, that like most generations of games, you will have some that you hate the look of and some you will adore. It's not really much to do with hardware by itself at all, but how the artists and programmers use it.
Guillermo @ Jun 5th 2006 9:19AM
I like Nintendo's strategy. They are promising very little and I know they are going to surprise everybody with the end result. From the latest shots I have seen, I will not call Wii graphics as "sub-par".
Shiro @ Jun 5th 2006 3:11PM
I just have to agree with everyone her for posterity's sake. I'd be perfectly fine if there were NO improvement in graphics. Hell, I still go back and play NES, SNES, and N64 games, simply because they're fun. I don't care about graphics, unless they're seriously detractive to the experience, which is the case for a few, unfortunately. And let's face it, judging games for their visuals has always been looked down upon, at least for a number of gamers. You should always treat graphical ability like a bonus. If it's impressive, then it adds some value, but if it's bad, then focus on the gameplay experience.
Shiro @ Jun 5th 2006 3:24PM
"14. I think, that like most generations of games, you will have some that you hate the look of and some you will adore. It's not really much to do with hardware by itself at all, but how the artists and programmers use it."
That's right. It's not the size or power of the Wii. It's how you use it.
I'm sorry! I couldn't resist!