Wii HD and the possibilities to see it happen.

[jlauro]

bdbdbd said:

Lingyis said:

bdbdbd said:

jlauro said:
USB doesn't have the bandwidth to drive HD. To run DVI / HDMI requires a pixcel clock of about 1485Mhz or about 1.485Gb/sec. USB typically only runs at 12Mbps, although high speed can run at 480mbps.

So, as you know, such a device would really have to do all the processing itself, have it's own memory, and only use the wii as an interface to the DVD and bluetooth and 802.11 controllers. It might save $50 from the cost of an entire new console, or maybe $100 as it wouldn't need a backward compatibility chips if existing video is also routed through it...

Far more likely for a new model with backward compatibility than an add on kludge.

 

As i said, it would have its own memory and processor. What it would basically do, is use the "chewed" data through component and get the additional data through USB.

 and the whole point is, USB doesn't have enough bandwidth, whether for HD content or RAM access.

 

It would be seen as increased loading times. The peripheral would have its own RAM. Look, even the GPU rarely has RAM access, usually they read from their own VRAM. @Stephen700: But that's exactly what the HD consoles seem to be doing these days. Besides, the upscalers in TV:s seem to be pretty bad. And this peripherals idea was to add hardware effects besides upscaling.

Actually, USB does have the bandwidth for HD content (faster than DVD access), and the wii could use it's RAM as a cache buffer and decrease load times for games running on the "periphial".  So, it could outpreform a 360, but wouldn't be cost effective, unless Nintendo waited to release it until after the market was saturated with the existing wii model.  Otherwise, it would make more sense to sell two models, in order to lower demand of the lower-cost SD version...