Absorbing Wii U architecture?

[zorg1000]

Hiku said:

zorg1000 said:

Hiku said:

zorg1000 said:

Ya but to my knowledge, backwards compatibility isn't what he's talking about. They will absorb the Wii U architecture into the their next handheld and console in order to increase software output by making it easier to share development and port games from one device to another.

Why would they need the Wii U architecture for that, if it only applies to their next home and handheld consoles? As long as their next home and handheld consoles share the same architecture, they can achieve that. No need for it to be the Wii U architecture specifically in that case.
Which is why it sounds like they are talking about backwards compatibility.

Also because one would assume that (backwards compatibility asside) they'd want to move on from the powerpc architecture, as it's not very cost efficient for them. Because it's less popular than for example x86, manufacturing costs don't drop particularly fast. 2 years down the line with struggling sales, and no price drop/deals yet is a sign of that.

As for the OP, it does sound a bit like it might be like the fat PS3 did with its backward compatibility. But makes me question how expensive Nintendo's next console will be and if its worth it.

They plan on integrating the Wii U architecture into the next devices basically so they don't have to start from scratch and will already have experience working with it. This way they can provide a strong software output from the start without having any post-launch droughts like 3DS/Wii U both suffered from.

Ah, that would be one possibility. Though I still would like tho think they won't focus too much on powerpc again for the reasons I stated, as well as third party developers currently not developing for powerpc, since hardly any third party devs make games for Wii U any more.
Not sure if mixed architecture is a great idea in that regard, if not for backwards compatibility. Nintendo always manage to make critically acclaimed games no matter what system they work on, after all.

It's not just a possibility, it's exactly what Iwata said the goal was. Here is a bit longer quote from him on the subject.

"For example, currently it requires a huge amount of effort to port Wii software to Nintendo 3DS because not only their resolutions but also the methods of software development are entirely different. The same thing happens when we try to port Nintendo 3DS software to Wii U. If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms. Also, as technological advances took place at such a dramatic rate, and we were forced to choose the best technologies for video games under cost restrictions, each time we developed a new platform, we always ended up developing a system that was completely different from its predecessor. The only exception was when we went from Nintendo GameCube to Wii. Though the controller changed completely, the actual computer and graphics chips were developed very smoothly as they were very similar to those of Nintendo GameCube, but all the other systems required ground-up effort. However, I think that we no longer need this kind of effort under the current circumstances. In this perspective, while we are only going to be able to start this with the next system, it will become important for us to accurately take advantage of what we have done with the Wii U architecture. It of course does not mean that we are going to use exactly the same architecture as Wii U, but we are going to create a system that can absorb the Wii U architecture adequately. When this happens, home consoles and handheld devices will no longer be completely different, and they will become like brothers in a family of systems."

So pretty much the next-gen devices won't be exactly like Wii U but very similar in order to maximize software output because they will already be familiar with the hardware and can now develop games simultaneously for both the handheld and console much more smoothly and it makes porting from one to the other much easier as well.