# Wii 2- Nintendo's HD console



## Imperial Impact (Apr 16, 2011)

More WiiToo rumours from a French site (via Neogaf) 


the console is codenamed "Project CafÃ©" 
will be introduced at E3 2011 
architecture is very similar to the Xbox 360; the CafÃ© is a bit more powerful than the 360 
porting current xbox 360 titles to the CafÃ© should be very easy 
should be retro-compatible with GameCube and Wii games, and support all Wii peripherals 
Specs : CPU is custom IBM PowerPC with three cores, GPU should be an ATI  from the R700 family, with a shader unit at version 4.1. Ram should be  at least 512 Mb. 
the controller is a touch tablet, with moderate graphic output (appears  to be sub-HD, so nothing comparable to an Ipad, for example.) 
controller specs : 6-inch screen, single touch (so no multitouch, it  seems), front camera, acts as a wii sensor bar, has a d-pad, two  bumpers, two triggers, possibly more. 
should be released in June of 2012 (for Japan ?), and holiday season (in the West ?) 
there is another big surprise they can't talk about just yet 

Full article in French: http://www.01net.com/editorial/531660/project-cafe-toutes-les-infos-sur-la-wii-2-de-nintendo/

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/298241/news/wii-2-has-all-new-hd-controller-out-2012-sources/

http://wii.ign.com/articles/116/1161875p1.html

Well it's about time that Nintendo got their shit in gear.


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## CannonFodder (Apr 16, 2011)

I already know about it, but what is up with the controller?
It doesn't make sense.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 16, 2011)

Isn't Nintendo known for their stupid controller(N64 and GameCube)?


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## Runefox (Apr 16, 2011)

CannonFodder said:


> I already know about it, but what is up with the controller?
> It doesn't make sense.


 The Wii-mote didn't (and still doesn't) make any sense, either.

Anyway, it's about time this generation of consoles got pushed aside for a new one. Seriously, this generation started six years ago, and the hardware was obsolete compared to PC hardware three or four years ago. Time for a refresher. Give the devs something to tinker with. Give HD displays some actual 1080p content with textures, filtering, AA and models to match.


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## Larry (Apr 16, 2011)

The reason why I lost interest in the Wii was because of the games they released. Most of the games were either too kiddie or too casual, and the graphics didn't help either.

I just hope Nintendo will make games fit for hardcore gamers for the next console...


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## Xenke (Apr 16, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> Isn't Nintendo known for their stupid controller(N64 and GameCube)?


 
There is nothing wrong with the N64 controller.



larry669 said:


> I just hope Nintendo will make games fit for hardcore gamers for the next console...


 
Hardcore gaming has never been a concern to them, and they do perfectly fine without.

Don't fix what isn't broke.


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## Runefox (Apr 16, 2011)

Xenke said:


> There is nothing wrong with the N64 controller.p


... Well, OK then. I mean, it's not terrible, but it's also not perfect, either.



> Hardcore gaming has never been a concern to them, and they do perfectly fine without.


Hardcore gaming kind of was during the days of the SNES. I honestly think they tried their best to compete all-round back then, but since then...



> Don't fix what isn't broke.


 The Wii library has maybe a dozen good games, and a shitton of shovelware. I literally have two games for my Wii - Brawl and No More Heroes. And I never play either of them. My Wii gets insanely more use as a homebrew machine than as a game console.

I think something is broke.


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## Xenke (Apr 16, 2011)

Runefox said:


> The Wii library has maybe a dozen good games, and a shitton of shovelware. I literally have two games for my Wii - Brawl and No More Heroes. And I never play either of them. My Wii gets insanely more use as a homebrew machine than as a game console.
> 
> I think something is broke.


 
Their gaming library isn't geared towards adults, really. I can see where you're coming from, but given how successful the Wii as a console is, I'd have to say that they got something going for them. I personally don't want them to rebrand themselves, seeing as we _already_ have 2 consoles geared towards hardcore gamers. We really don't need a third.


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## K.A.I.S.E.R- X (Apr 16, 2011)

For the person who thinks the gamecube controller was a bad design never used one >_> that controller is more comfortable than the wii classic or the N64 controller. As for this new system I can already guess that it will be hot shit for a few then it will fade to black just like its predecessor. Who can honestly say that they play their wii more than their PS3 or Xbox 360? I sure as hell cannot. Hell if they released mature games for that system I would get rid of the wii that I have owned since the release of the system for it in a heartbeat.


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## CannonFodder (Apr 16, 2011)

Runefox said:


> The Wii-mote didn't (and still doesn't) make any sense, either.


 Aperture Science designs Nintendo's controllers.


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## Shark_the_raptor (Apr 16, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> Isn't Nintendo known for their stupid controller(N64 and GameCube)?


 
Gamecube controller is fine, but I agree with the N64 controller.

Also I am imagining a flat touchpad with "handles" sticking out of the sides or something.  xD

Edit: Come to think of it... controller sounds more like a dumbed down DS or such.


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## Folgrimeo (Apr 16, 2011)

I think I recall that Wii was to bring non-gamers back into the fold, to increase the audience... then the console afterwards would be to slowly reintroduce these new gamers to the more hardcore games. For the life of me I can't get used to Metroid Prime 3's controls, which might be easier to do if I had a normal controller (that and I don't care for the swing-remote-to-look mechanic).

I don't think Nintendo's trying to compete with the other two in raw power (seems they've never had that edge in the 3D era), so they focus on innovation out of necessity so they have SOMETHING to one-up the competition with. That or just being better at making games, but given the number of multi-platform titles out there, I think that doesn't fly.

And of course a game console would have weaker specs than a PC. You WANT consoles to cost less than a gaming PC or else people can't easily afford them or think it's worth that kind of money. They also don't have to worry about having an OS that can do the billions of things a computer can, so the RAM and graphics power they have is used to greater effect.


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## strayjim (Apr 16, 2011)

I think it's a little late in all honesty, it won't be long now until we are seeing 3D games - as standard, and who knows, some time in the next few eyars, holograms or advanced virtual reality. I liked the Wii, but after about 20 hours, it just becomes rather cheesy. I think it's just too little too late, I'm mostly focussing on what PC gaming can fofer us


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## SirRob (Apr 16, 2011)

Whoa, already? Gee, the Wii's still pretty new to me. I'm still trying to get over the fact that the 3DS is already out. Does... Does this mean I'm turning into an old man?!


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## Captain Howdy (Apr 17, 2011)

I'd like to see the real test results of all the specs offered - The initial hardware being more powerful (which isn't...that hard really, the 360 and PS3 are old consoles at this rate - Technology has far, far been advanced since 2006/2007) doesn't mean it's going to be running at that necessarily :v


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## TwilightV (Apr 17, 2011)

People will believe anything these days. :V

At least the 64's controller was easier to use than that fucking MASSIVE one for XBox.

And every console has a ton of shitty shovelware on it. Just saying. :V


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## Captain Howdy (Apr 17, 2011)

The original xbox controller wasn't that bad, unless your hands are the size of a 5 year old.


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## JoshGoesRawr (Apr 17, 2011)

I don't know if I'll like having 2 screens. Also, something that big will be horrible to use.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Wii, I prefer motion controls to using a freaking joystick. But I don't think I would to just have my body as the controller.


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## Garfang (Apr 17, 2011)

larry669 said:


> The reason why I lost interest in the Wii was because of the games they released. Most of the games were either too kiddie or too casual, and the graphics didn't help either.
> 
> I just hope Nintendo will make games fit for hardcore gamers for the next console...


 
Yeah thats what i hated in my Wii.... i didn't play to much on in because the game are boring... also

Wtf with the controller  Game cube and N64 controller was awesome! Wii was a bit ok... but Wii 2 controller seems stupid  anyway .. we have to wait till E3 to find out


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## CaptainCool (Apr 17, 2011)

its funny, a couple of months ago people laughed at me when i said that the new nintendo console will be revealed before 2013 and now people are talking about nothing else^^

anyway, what ever it is, im curious to see what nintendo comes up with this time. the current rumors dont really sound all that plausible to me though... especially the rumor about the upgradeable console :I


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## Ibuuyk (Apr 17, 2011)

I'm confused.  Which is the new console, the controller or the console itself?  Also, the N64 controller was the 2nd worst Ninvention after the Virtual Boy, it was a wonder of awkwardness.


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## Dr. Durr (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> My Wii gets insanely more use as a homebrew machine than as a game console.


 
I only have Sonic Colors, and Brawl. The rest is Virtual Console, Homebrew, and Mega Man 9.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

strayjim said:


> I think it's a little late in all honesty, it won't be long now until we are seeing 3D games - as standard, and who knows, some time in the next few eyars, holograms or advanced virtual reality. I liked the Wii, but after about 20 hours, it just becomes rather cheesy. I think it's just too little too late, I'm mostly focussing on what PC gaming can fofer us


 I seriously hope "3D" doesn't become a "standard". It's not real 3D, and it reduces the fidelity of the visuals for the sake of a cheap effect. Not only that, but it doesn't even work for about 12% of the population. It's been a fad every ten years since the dawn of the motion picture, and it's a fad now, too. Holograms would be awesome, but stereoscopic 3D is terrible and needs to die. If any console makes it "standard"... I'll hate it forever. Like the 3DS. It could have been so much more, but instead, it's not much more than a DS with slightly more horsepower. Screen resolution is basically the same, and battery life is terrible.



TwilightV said:


> And every console has a ton of shitty shovelware on it. Just saying. :V


  Mhm, but every other console has a lot more decent games to round it out.  The Wii has _maybe_ a dozen.



CaptainCool said:


> its funny, a couple of months ago people  laughed at me when i said that the new nintendo console will be revealed  before 2013 and now people are talking about nothing else^^


Really? I've kind of been expecting the consoles to refresh imminently  for a while now. I mean, PS3 slim? The PS2 slim was basically the sign  that the next generation of consoles was on the way. The PS3 came out  two years later. Sony's overdue, Microsoft is long overdue, and  Nintendo's been overdue since before the Wii was released.


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## WolfoxOkamichan (Apr 17, 2011)

ITT Wii doesn't have games because I somehow manage to ignore a chunk of them especially when the "best" games are so far in the Wii, and that somehow I 100% believe the specs despite the fact that they are confirmed to be guesses.

Furry gamers, always the lowlife eh?


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

Didn't we got a shit load of Wii games last year? :U


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

WolfoxOkamichan said:


> ITT Wii doesn't have games because I somehow manage to ignore a chunk of them especially when the "best" games are so far in the Wii


 Uhh... Okay. "Best" games so far? Nice try. How 'bout listing off a few of those "best" games?


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> Uhh... Okay. "Best" games so far? Nice try. How 'bout listing off a few of those "best" games?


 Monster Hunter Tri
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
The Last Story
Xenoblade


That's for starters....


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## CaptainCool (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> Really? I've kind of been expecting the consoles to refresh imminently  for a while now. I mean, PS3 slim? The PS2 slim was basically the sign  that the next generation of consoles was on the way. The PS3 came out  two years later. Sony's overdue, Microsoft is long overdue, and  Nintendo's been overdue since before the Wii was released.


 
thats what ive been saying on a german video game portal and no one believed me. they are all overdue and the devs demand new hardware to work with. a new nintendo console before the end of 2012 is inevitable and shortly after that sony and MS will follow, even though they claimed that move and kinect will boost their consoles lifecycles (which will piss off many people)


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

Ibuuyk said:


> Also, the N64 controller was the 2nd worst Ninvention after the Virtual Boy, it was a wonder of awkwardness.


 
I wish someone would actually say what was wrong with the N64 controller.

I have a feeling I know what the problem is, and I know that it's retarded.


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## CaptainCool (Apr 17, 2011)

Xenke said:


> I wish someone would actually say what was wrong with the N64 controller.
> 
> I have a feeling I know what the problem is, and I know that it's retarded.


 
personaly i was fine with the N64 pad. you never really needed the d-pad so even while it was awkward to get there i really didnt care because i never used it.
the only problem i had with it was that the joystick was wearing out over the years. on my sisters N64 its so bad that link in OoT wont even run anymore at times because the stick is dying


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

CaptainCool said:


> personaly i was fine with the N64 pad. you never really needed the d-pad so even while it was awkward to get there i really didnt care because i never used it.
> the only problem i had with it was that the joystick was wearing out over the years. on my sisters N64 its so bad that link in OoT wont even run anymore at times because the stick is dying


 
I remember those sticks! They do get loose with continued use. COMPLAINT ACCEPTED.

But yea, most of the time I hear people complain about the fact that there's three prongs and you only have two hands. To my knowledge, there is no N64 game that requires both the stick and the D-pad, at least not simultaneously.


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## CaptainCool (Apr 17, 2011)

Xenke said:


> I remember those sticks! They do get loose with continued use. COMPLAINT ACCEPTED.
> 
> But yea, most of the time I hear people complain about the fact that there's three prongs and you only have two hands. To my knowledge, there is no N64 game that requires both the stick and the D-pad, at least not simultaneously.


 
right, i dont remember any games that used both either. sometimes the d-pad was used for minor things but other than that i never used it. the design of the pad was just unusual but it didnt suck!


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

CaptainCool said:


> right, i dont remember any games that used both either. sometimes the d-pad was used for minor things but other than that i never used it. the design of the pad was just unusual but it didnt suck!



True that.

Besides, the Sega Activator was the worst controller ever.


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## Captain Howdy (Apr 17, 2011)

I'm hoping the big companies would wait for the next generation to actually arrive - Nintendo doesn't have to wait, because it doesn't follow the generation trend that much, but Sony/Microsoft will want to produce a new console that's going to be a lil more powerful than 1080i graphics, or 1260, or 1440 or whatever - THe stuff that's coming sooner or later. 

I'm still calling bs :v


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Xenke said:


> I wish someone would actually say what was wrong with the N64 controller.


 If I had to guess, it'd be that 1/3 of the controller was never in use or accessible at any given point in time. To access the D-pad/L button, you had to let go of the thumbstick/Z-button, and vice-versa. Really, not much used the D-pad or L button, so holding it by the middle/right handles worked fine for me. It's insane when you look at it, but it's not that bad. I think one game that DID use the D-pad in addition to everything else was Rainbow Six, for inventory/map management. Since the game was a tactical shooter, you had plenty of time to adjust that before going into a hairy situation. That said, it almost seemed unnecessary to even have that part of the controller.

Though I remember my cousin's father (somehow NOT my uncle, since his mom was also my cousin, somehow) was left-handed, and had to hold it in an incredibly awkward manner... I still don't get why, but meh.



> Monster Hunter Tri
> Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
> Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
> The Last Story
> Xenoblade


Those are a little niche, but that aside, The Last Story and Xenoblade both have no North American or European releases. Tatsunoko vs Capcom is one of those games I'd consider to be good, and gets good reviews, but I have to wonder how many people bought it over here. My problem with the Wii is that when I look at the shelves in a game shop, I see vast seas of games that are for all intents and purposes shovelware, with very little in the way of killer games that are must-haves... And a lot of people I talk to are saying the same thing. I mean, taste is one thing, but the majority of stuff I see on the shelves are Cooking Mama rip-offs, edutainment, minigame collections, etc.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

I'am Wii user. I like Wii.

And Lastdirewolf is a moron, But that's nothing new.



Runefox said:


> Those are a little niche, but that aside


I only understand that SnP and TvC being niche cause they came out last year.



Runefox said:


> The Last Story and Xenoblade both have no North American or European releases.


Xenoblade has a european release, but whatever.



Runefox said:


> Tatsunoko vs Capcom is one of those games I'd  consider to be good, and gets good reviews, but I have to wonder how  many people bought it over here.


Tatsunoko vs Capcom did surprisingly well in NA/EU.



Runefox said:


> My problem with the Wii is that when I look at  the shelves in a game shop, I see vast seas of games that are for all  intents and purposes shovelware, with very little in the way of killer  games that are must-haves... And a lot of people I talk to are saying  the same thing. I mean, taste is one thing, but the majority of stuff I  see on the shelves are Cooking Mama rip-offs, edutainment, minigame  collections, etc.


 That's a problem with every console/handheld not just the Wii itself.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

And ITT: Wii haters are talking out of their asses.


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

Also, now that I think about it, the GameBoy Color was more unwieldy than the N64 controller.

Ok I'm done now.


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## Captain Howdy (Apr 17, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> I'am Wii user. I like Wii.
> 
> And Lastdirewolf is a moron, But that's nothing new.



I'm a 360 user. I like the 360.

Impact doesn't know what I'm talking about.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> That's a problem with every console/handheld not just the Wii itself.





			
				GameFAQs said:
			
		

> *Upcoming Wii Game Releases*
> *North America*
> 04/18My Little Baby
> Remington Super Slam Hunting: A...
> ...


Mm.



> And ITT: Wii haters are talking out of their asses.


  I OWN a Wii.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

Lastdirewolf said:


> I'm a 360 user. I like the 360.
> 
> Impact doesn't know what I'm talking about.


 Lastdirewolf doesn't know that I was making a reference to a YT video.


Runefox said:


> Mm.


Baby/niche games VS. Shitty/niche games

Nice.


Runefox said:


> I OWN a Wii.


That was directed to Lastdirewolf, Not you.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> Baby/niche games VS. Shitty/niche games


 Actually, Portal 2, L.A. Noire, Brink and Mortal Kombat are all shaping up to be amazing games. SOCOM might not be, but it's a big-ticket release, something that Sony and MSFT's consoles have regularly, but something Nintendo fans get about once a year.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> Mortal Kombat.





Runefox said:


> amazing game.


 Well now I don't need to know your credibility.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> Well now I don't need to know your credibility.


 Whatever. It seems like a decent fighter, a throwback to the old school style, which is something I appreciate a lot. It's not my kind of game, but fuck, it looks pretty good anyway. LA Noire, Brink and Portal 2 all more than slaughter the upcoming Wii releases, and this isn't exactly a busy month.

Meanwhile, New Super Mario Bros Wii, one of the decent Wii titles, still sells for $64.99.


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## Imperial Impact (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> a throwback to the old school style


Which is a bad thing.


Runefox said:


> Meanwhile, New Super Mario Bros Wii, one of the decent Wii titles, still sells for $64.99.


 Wat.

I see new copies of NSMB Wii for_ half _that price.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Perverted Impact said:


> I see new copies of NSMB Wii for_ half _that price.


 Not around here, they aren't. $64.99 new, $59.99 used at EB Games. The DS NSMB still goes for $39.99.


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## Ibuuyk (Apr 17, 2011)

Xenke said:


> Also, now that I think about it, the GameBoy Color was more unwieldy than the N64 controller.
> 
> Ok I'm done now.


 
...What the Hell?  The GBC was possibly the easiest console to hold and use.


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

Ibuuyk said:


> ...What the Hell?  The GBC was possibly the easiest console to hold and use.


 
Uh,

Fuck no.

Even as a kid, that thing was too narrow to hold comfortably, and I have fucking small hands.


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## Zydala (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> Sony's overdue, Microsoft is long overdue, and  Nintendo's been overdue since before the Wii was released.


 
To be fair Sony has stated that they wanted the ps3 to be a 'ten-year' console. Microsoft I'm not sure what they're planning


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## Ibuuyk (Apr 17, 2011)

Xenke said:


> Uh,
> 
> Fuck no.
> 
> Even as a kid, that thing was too narrow to hold comfortably, and I have fucking small hands.


 
Lol, go away.


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## Xenke (Apr 17, 2011)

Ibuuyk said:


> Lol, go away.


 
No seriously, I would gladly use any other controller Nintendo has made over it. It was a good handheld, but it was designed for midget hands.


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## Garfang (Apr 17, 2011)

xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 can go on more but the wii cannot ... they still can make good graphics in the consoles.. A game with Great Graphics doesn't mean a good game. So i don't really care if i see godlike graphics. 360 and ps3 graphics are great! and the look amazing , not all games though. Wii graphics are lol and they should make a upgrade ... but not microsoft and sony they are ok for the next 2-3 years.


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

Well, the major problem with the Wii is that it can only output in SD/ED (480p), and that's not optimal for newer TV's. At the dawn of the current generation, HDTV's weren't exactly common, and the fact that both the 360 and PS3 mainly run at 720p underlines that. Nintendo made the decision to go "good enough" by taking the relatively powerful last-gen Gamecube hardware, and that worked graphically in the SD arena (especially seeing as there wasn't immediately a huge difference between last-gen and current-gen hardware on launch on an SD screen). Now, HD has far better penetration, and a much higher percentage of gamers have either an HDTV or a computer monitor capable of running these higher resolutions. It's now that Nintendo's console is having issues with being generally blurry, with only analogue connection options. HD ouput would allow for much sharper text and UI elements, which in terms of the Nintendo's sleek, clear style is quite a boon, to say nothing of graphics in general (which hasn't really been Nintendo's major focus since the N64).

There's also something to be said about increased processing power; With more CPU cycles available, more calculations can be performed to, for example, interpret and smooth motion input information, providing a smoother user experience. In addition, newer hardware is cheaper to produce. Older chips, RAM and so on become more and more difficult to come by as time goes on, and we've gone through a lot of changes in that arena since the Wii's release (and for that matter, every other console's release, too).



Zydala said:


> To be fair Sony has stated that they wanted the  ps3 to be a 'ten-year' console. Microsoft I'm not sure what they're  planning


 I have trouble thinking of how they'll keep it profitable. They've only just become profitable, but in the coming years, first of all, most of the people who are going to buy the console have bought it, and second of all, nobody will be making the RAM used on the system, nobody will be making the Cell processors anymore, Sony will have to fab all this themselves, and that's super costly. It doesn't really make much sense to try to keep the PS3 running that long, and for that matter, while it's a powerful console, the PC market has leapfrogged it considerably, and is enjoying post-1080p graphics while the PS3 and 360 are only running 720p or less (and scaling). Very few titles on the PS3 actually run at 1080p, and doing so comes at a great cost to the overall graphics capability elsewhere (textures, shaders, etc). There's a reason why devs are calling for a new generation of consoles, and quite frankly, they're right to do so.


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## CaptainCool (Apr 17, 2011)

Runefox said:


> I have trouble thinking of how they'll keep it profitable. They've only just become profitable, but in the coming years, first of all, most of the people who are going to buy the console have bought it, and second of all, nobody will be making the RAM used on the system, nobody will be making the Cell processors anymore, Sony will have to fab all this themselves, and that's super costly. It doesn't really make much sense to try to keep the PS3 running that long, and for that matter, while it's a powerful console, the PC market has leapfrogged it considerably, and is enjoying post-1080p graphics while the PS3 and 360 are only running 720p or less (and scaling). Very few titles on the PS3 actually run at 1080p, and doing so comes at a great cost to the overall graphics capability elsewhere (textures, shaders, etc). There's a reason why devs are calling for a new generation of consoles, and quite frankly, they're right to do so.


 
i was thinking like that, too. having a console living that long just  isnt very cost effective! they even announced that they wont be putting any more research into new generations of the cell CPU, so that thing is as good as dead, anyway.

but in my opinion the PS3s main problem is the simple fact, that its way too difficult to code for it. its a mighty powerhouse, get 6 of them and you have a supercomputer but it cant render games properly? many games look better on the 360 than on the PS3 simply because its a mess to port games onto it! only a few devs got really nice results out of it like naughty dog with uncharted 2.

like you said, most PS3 games dont run at 1080p and those that do have to reduce quality in certain aspects. the console itself would probably be powerful enough to render a 1080p game but because its so hard to get cells components to do what you want them to do the console is chocking on it. sony needs to work on that problem for their next gen console!


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## Runefox (Apr 17, 2011)

CaptainCool said:


> like you said, most PS3 games dont run at 1080p and those that do have to reduce quality in certain aspects. the console itself would probably be powerful enough to render a 1080p game but because its so hard to get cells components to do what you want them to do the console is chocking on it. sony needs to work on that problem for their next gen console!


 Well, you have to take into consideration that the PS3 only has 256MB of main RAM and 256MB of RAM dedicated to the graphics processor. Even at the time of release, that was very little, though because there wasn't much overhead from the underlying OS, it wasn't as much a problem as it is on a PC. That said, doing 1080p graphics on 256MB of graphics RAM is difficult in itself. If the console had more RAM, it could definitely keep going for another little while, and wouldn't see so much of an impact from extra textures / higher resolution graphics. I imagine studios like Naughty Dog have to perform trickery swapping in and out of each pool of RAM to try to make the most of what they have available. The 360 also has a total of 512MB of RAM, but this is dynamically allocated between the system and video, which means it's much easier to make use of it for either graphics or other work compared to the PS3. It does make for interesting scenarios that developers have to account for, like running out of system RAM due to more graphics usage, or vice-versa. However, 360 games can easily be ported back and forth to Windows due to Microsoft's SDK's and the fact that the 360 basically runs DirectX, meaning lots of commonality. Not so for the PS3.

As for the Cell, they dropped that because nobody bought into it as a computing platform. More than likely, unless they're going to try to do another CPU design, they'll be going with a PowerPC architecture like the Wii (and likely its successor) and 360. That should make it easier to work with, though knowing Sony, they'll have some tricks up their sleeve. That said, who knows when Sony's going to come up with a successor to the PS3, seeing as they seem to want to milk it for as long as possible...


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