Project CARS For Wii U Features Particle Shadows, Multi-Threaded Shadowing

If you thought the Wii U version of Project CARS was going to be a softcore port from its PC brethren, think again. Slightly Mad Studios released changelogs for the upcoming high-end racer for PC, current-gen consoles and the Wii U, and it appears Nintendo's console-that-could is actually getting on quite well. 

Virtualr.net picked up the build logs from SMS, where gamers get to find out some of the things the team has been working on with various builds across the home consoles, in this case, the Wii U. 

We find out some neat details, such as the system making use of multi-threaded shadow renders, which means that the shadows will render quickly and in a high quality on Nintendo's system. There's also a mention of increased thread priorities, the HUD being optimized, along with being able to rotate HUD objects (which seems to hint at using the GamePad to potentially change their orientation). 

Also worth noting is that just about all the high dynamic physics from the PC version seems to be making the jump onto the Wii, including car damage, tire buckling and ride height adjustments. 

Nintendo Enthusiast makes an observant note about the threading techniques Slightly Mad Studios is using (or where they are at the current build logs) and estimates that the Wii U hasn't even been maximized with its CPU potential, with the writer stating... 

Other information about the Wii U version that isn’t widely known is that the game appears to only be using 1 out of the 3 cores available for use on the Wii U, something Shin’en Multimedia has admitted to only be using for it’s Wii U eShop game, Nano Assault Neo.

That is awesome if it is true. 

I can't properly tell from the changelogs if they are only using one core or not based on the way the changes are worded, but it's safe to say that Nintendo's Wii U definitely seems a lot more powerful than what some developers (and publishers) have claimed. 

Couple this with the fact that Project CARS is already guaranteed to run on the Wii U at 720p at 30 frames per second, and it's at least looking good for Wii U owners being able to play one of the most graphically high-end games coming to the market in 2014. It's also a very telling thing when you have a game like Project CARS running DirectX 11 equivalent graphics on the Wii U all while other developers are claiming that the system just can't hang. 

There are good times ahead for Wii U owners, mostly courtesy of the independent gaming circuit, where the developers are willing to take risks on a number of fronts, including the addition of high-end graphics with original, unique gameplay facilities, such as the upcoming game Candle, which uses multi-directional light maps and DirectX 11 equivalent shaders for their engaging, hand-painted platforming title. 

If Project CARS seems like the kind of game you might want on your Wii U, be sure to keep track of it by visiting the official website in order to find out what other updates are arriving for the realistic racing simulator.