I know this is in the Nintendo Discussion, but that's because they still use PowerPC chips in their console.

Nearly everytime a topic handles the internals of the Wii U, some comments talk about the "dated PowerPC architecture". This is complete bollocks. The Wii U chipset is derived from a dated PowerPC chip (Espresso, derived from Broadwell, derived from Gecko, derived from PowerPC 750), that is correct, but the PowerPC Architecture itself is NOT dated.

The PowerPC architecture saw the light of day in 1992 with the current form Power ISA v2.07 released in 2013. For comparison, x86 started in 1978 with the most recent implementation x86-64 or AMD64 being 2003.

There, needed to get that of my chest.

Good post.

Every time this topic comes around, there's always some moron who spouts a bunch of nonsense and puts out the myth that the WiiU's internals are exactly the same as the GameCube's.

Interesting way of putting that.
But I still think it should be the same as PS/XB so its easier to develop for by 3rd parties.

Of course games would be easier to port. And PowerPC does need more code. But it's not particulary hard to develop for. But it seems like all the people with decades of experiance coding for PowerPC evaporated last year. Is it really that hard to code in Universal Binary?

The way I've always heard it described is:

Wii processor is an overclocked GameCube processor, Wii U processor is a reconfigured Wii processor, therefore the Wii U processor is an overclocked, reconfigured GameCube.

Well, doesn't change that modern x86 cores perform better than powerpc cores. X86 has had a massive amount of development effort compared to powerpc.

And the paticular cpu in the wiiU is still very old. But that keeps backwards compatibility though.

powerpc is outdated in many ways because ibm isnt investing enough money.   intel invests way more in x86 and thats why they are more modern.

but that doesnt mean x86 is better for every use. the wii u is showing how a small ppc can do the work of a bad 8 core x86(amd is just bad)

there stubborness to be different and lack of vision will result in their demise!!

Depends, the POWER8 chips stomp all over the intel Xeons.

I really think people are talking about its application in gaming. If Ninetndo didn't make their system from an ivory tower, I think they would have caught onto the fact everyone but them was moving forward x86.