Is the Wii U using 7th gen Tech?

[Mr Khan]

think-man said:
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/18/review-nintendo-wii-u/

Here's a some stuff from this review that concerns me:

The Wii U doesn't feel exactly like the "next generation." The menu interface feels like the Wii, and the graphics output by games are nothing that can't be done on the current generation of HD consoles. Furthermore, the troubles already apparent in the Wii U's online services point to Nintendo as usual, behind not just on networking in a conceptual way, but literally behind on its implementation of its own network.

There is significant load time involved with loading apps from the Wii U menu. I counted 15 seconds between exiting the system settings menu and the reappearance of the Wii U menu.

The battery life for the GamePad clocks in at almost exactly 3 and a half hours.

They're correct on the second point.

On the first point, patience is a virtue. It's clear that it's not immediately capable of leaps and bounds over prior generation, but the raw numbers are there.

And Squilliam, it's long been clear that the Wii U CPU is lower-capacity, but it's not meant to be a stronger CPU, it's meant to be a smarter CPU. It off-loads a lot of crap that used to be handled by the CPU (audio, and from what we know, a good chunk of physics)