Nintendo engineers break down the Wii U's hardware piece by piece
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The engineers behind Nintendo's Wii U recently sat down to discuss how the new console's hardware compares to the original Wii in significant detail
To really delve into the inner components of the Wii U, Iwata assembled four of the main engineers from Nintendo's R&D division who helped develop the new console
Much of the Wii U's design was driven by the addition of a multi-chip module, which houses the GPU and a new multi-core CPU on one chip
Many of the designers behind the Wii U had previously helped construct the original Wii, so they were able to apply many of the lessons they learned with the original
Much of the Wii U's design was driven by the addition of a multi-chip module, which houses the GPU and a new multi-core CPU on one chip
The processor maintains a good temperature thanks to a larger heat sink and fan, more fan revolutions, and strategically placed vents that maximize air flow
The processor maintains a good temperature thanks to a larger heat sink and fan, more fan revolutions, and strategically placed vents that maximize air flow
Even though the Wii U only has one main heat source, the Wii U still produces three times as much heat as the original Wii, which had two
Aside from being the most significant change to the console's main circuitry, the new chip module reduces the amount of power needed for the machine to function while increasing its speed and reducing its latency
As the group explained, the company was prompted to create the Wii U once Japanese television broadcasts transitioned to HD, and it became clear that the markets overseas had shifted that direction as well
Even though the Wii U only has one main heat source, the Wii U still produces three times as much heat as the original Wii, which had two
In the end, having only one heat source actually made the Wii U much easier to cool and allowed it to have much more processing power than the Wii
The designers added two USB connectors and a sync button to the front of the console for more convenience
The designers added two USB connectors and a sync button to the front of the console for more convenience
To really delve into the inner components of the Wii U, Iwata assembled four of the main engineers from Nintendo's R&D division who helped develop the new console
Article Summary
Ever since it was first revealed, the Wii U has distinguished itself from its predecessor with its touchscreen controller and HD graphics. But that's really just scratching the surface. If you want to know exactly what makes Nintendo's latest console different from its forebear, why not ask the engineers that built it? Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently did just that when he sat down with a handful of the console's designers to discuss almost all of the main hardware changes in the Wii U from the chip structure to the cooling fans and more besides.
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