Wii-U thoughts so far

[FerretGamer]

Graphics peaked on the Saturn anyway.

Agreed

[CavZee]

Graphics peaked on the Saturn anyway.

Agreed

N64 fog says otherwise.

[Hazerd]

Graphics peaked on the Saturn anyway.

Agreed

N64 fog says otherwise.

Turok 2 totally had a option for HI-REZ!

[MrPopo]

Everything graphics-wise has been on a downward slope since it was perfected on the SNES.

[Stark]

You mean Atari 2600 ... loved my realistic fun playing as a giant duck in Adventure.

[RCBH928]

Any one else think that computer power should no longer be in the 3D models themselves, but should be in stuff like faster load times, realistic physics, more interactive environment/items, utilisation of other appliances (Kinect to call your friend in game, pop-in tv channel, secret maps or codes sent to your phone..etc) ?

it will suffer the same fate the Wii did. Because it is a weaker console already, no devs can be bothered trying to get the very most out of it because it is not going to impress anyone. Why do all that work when other consoles do it effortlessly.

The Wii U has a lot of titles that run at 60FPS/1080P (/720P), they look and play amazingly.

I get it now,
but isn't it worth while to push maximum limits of the console, just for the console owners (Wii/Wii U) to get the best out of their system?

This raises a new question, did we ever see the Wii's best performance? Although by now its really outdated, it was only slightly better than NGC IIRC.

If you want true realistic graphics, the PC is always the clear winner.

I never saw a screenshot of a game on PS3/PS4 then saw the PC screenshot and thought "Wow! The PC is so much better, I should get a PC" . I know high end PC's put higher resolutions but as everyone else is saying, its diminishing returns.

then when I boot up a game like Natural Selection 2 or many of the various PC exclusives and ask "what am I on about?"

Even though I read/write/watch/play videogames for at least 2 hours daily, it still surprises me what games out there that I still never heard of.

[alienjesus]

This raises a new question, did we ever see the Wii's best performance? Although by now its really outdated, it was only slightly better than NGC IIRC.

Games like Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles showed off what the Wii could do. I wouldn't image there was much more they could get out of the Wii to show us.

[CavZee]

Everything graphics-wise has been on a downward slope since it was perfected on the SNES.

TBH, I continue to be impressed by 16bit (and 2D Saturn/PS1) all the time. That artistry of pixels and how they're animated does more for me than great textures, anti-aliasing techniques, and lightning effects.

[fastbilly1]

This raises a new question, did we ever see the Wii's best performance? Although by now its really outdated, it was only slightly better than NGC IIRC.

Games like Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles showed off what the Wii could do. I wouldn't image there was much more they could get out of the Wii to show us.

I would wager that Skyward Sword is about all that the console can pump out, but Dolphin has shown us that all games can get another boost via AA and AF.

[isiolia]

Any one else think that computer power should no longer be in the 3D models themselves, but should be in stuff like faster load times, realistic physics, more interactive environment/items, utilisation of other appliances (Kinect to call your friend in game, pop-in tv channel, secret maps or codes sent to your phone..etc) ?

Quite a lot of it is. Graphics are more the thing that takes no explaining or existing familiarity with the medium to demonstrate. A picture is worth a thousand words and all that. Compare something like Half-Life to DOOM, which were actually only released five years apart. Half-Life is much better graphically, but basically every other element of the game is more advanced too.

I get it now,
but isn't it worth while to push maximum limits of the console, just for the console owners (Wii/Wii U) to get the best out of their system?

Practically speaking, this only tends to happen with exclusives, especially these days.

Multiplatform games are typically made with/for engines with versions on the different consoles. Unity, Unreal, CryEngine, and so on. They're made to take a common set of features and make them work well on a variety of hardware, not build around one machine.

With that in mind, you can have games generally targeting a tier of hardware. The Wii U can handle cross-platform stuff from the 360 and PS3. Stuff built for the PS4/XB1 and PC will be too much, and it'll get left out.
Without a larger install base, there'd be little financial reason to spend much time creating a special Wii U spec level and assets.

I never saw a screenshot of a game on PS3/PS4 then saw the PC screenshot and thought "Wow! The PC is so much better, I should get a PC" . I know high end PC's put higher resolutions but as everyone else is saying, its diminishing returns.

To a point, you may not be looking very hard

You do need to consider the source though. PC versions tend to be obviously better if you see them full screen and in motion. If your basis is a resized picture on a website, 30fps Youtube footage, and so on, then that won't really convey the difference.

On the flip side, it also depends on setup. PC gamers are going to notice higher resolutions and graphics quality a lot more readily due to their typical proximity to the screen.