| Cobretti said: didn't the original xbox have capabilities of doing 720p? SO in theory the wii should be able to do it. However the only way the wii IMHO will have HD is if it releases a new model later down the track with more grunt. (unlikely they will since they are cheap). |
This is precisely the reasons I think the current Wii can handle HD right out of the gate.
- The Xbox and PS2 have games that render in 720p/1080i
- Neither console was designed to render in such resolutions
- Given graphic chipset development in the past five-plus years, the hardware determines how much polys it can push, but the resolution is dependent on the drivers (and TV, of course)
- Even the lowly N64 supported variable resolutions
- The Wii is more powerful than the GCN, and the GCN *appears to be* at least comparable to the PS2 and Xbox in terms of raw horsepower
- Most third-party (Ubisoft excluded) developers jumped on the Wii bandwagon too late and games as a result their games are not optimized for the console yet (will they ever be, given how slack 3rd-party Wii developers are?)
If Nintendo really has plans for HD, I say the current Wii is already capable of handling it - certainly not to the level of the PS3 and Xbox 360, but hardware-wise there is absolutely no reason I can see of it being incapable of doing so; this would be accomplished either by a firmware update, or (more likely) Nintendo gives third-party developers (and themselves) the tools/permission to start working on HD games.
However, I don't see this happening anytime soon, given the Wii's strong sales. Perhaps when things start slowing down Nintendo will start offering/unlocking these "features" to boost sales again. Ditto that of the DVD player, although I personally couldn't care less if the Wii can play DVDs, as I have about nine of those suckers lying around at home.
