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BaldrSkies on 05 February 2013
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chris_wing said:

  Today while skydiving something struck me, why did Nintendo make low power consumption such a high priority for the Wii U?  The Wii U runs at or under 33 watts even while in game & while reading off of a high capacity optical drive?  Why make low power consumption so important?

  Another question, why did Nintendo recently merge their home console and portable divisions?

  I did a quick bit of research & learned that most laptops consume 2-3 times the wattage of a Wii U, so even if the Wii U also needed to power two screens with a battery the power draw would still be lower then your average laptop.  If they removed the disk drive & made the equivalent of a PSPgo with no optical drive the power consumption could go even lower.  HDMI out as well as bluetouth for Wiimotes & an AC adaptor for home use could make it a true home and portable system.

  Could this be Nintendo's secret strategy to keep the Wii U relevant when the next generation really gears up?

Thoughts?

Best opener ever.

Anyway low power consumption is actually an appeal to the Japanese market and plays a role in purchases, surprisingly enough. Especially following the power grid issues after the Fukushima meltdown, the whole 省エネ concept has especially been taking off.

The merge between the home console and portable divisions was a cost cutting measure and a matter of efficiency. If you haven't been keeping up, Nintendo's projected hiring for this year has been reduced by around 50%, especially in the technology and engineering department.