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Forums - Nintendo - Will Nintendo's next handheld and console use Power PC like the Wii U?

amak11 on 02 August 2014
spemanig said:
amak11 said:

It's not necessarily easier to develop for, but it's easier for developers to make games on. 

ARMs advantages mainly are lower power consumption and efficiency. This is just saying though, it would take only 4 cores of the PS4 to match/beat the CPU power of the Wii U ( and PS3 and 360) which is largely due to efficency. ARM is PowerPC, just for clarification so you don't get confused. Both terms are being thrown around here (Wii U cpu is ARM9). They wouldn't be able to maintain BC with the Wii U next gen if they went with x86 so it would be the same as PS4/XBO so starting from scratch. They wouldn't be able to emulate the Wii U on x86 (nor will any PC for the next 6 - 8 years). Wii is slightly possible, as with Gamecube (then again Gamecube is possible now on the Wii U if they chose to make a Gamecube app). It wouldn't be as simple as plugging a hard drive in to a new system (Wii U uses flash, same with Wii)

My thought on the Wii U currently is that they are rushing out account features and console features to catch up with the joneses. Then again, Nintendo did something Sony and MS could have done but didnt and a launched a social gamer network which is popular with devs and people alike. My suggestion is wait and see what they do with the Wii U feature wise in the next year or two and we'll go from there. If I'm right Nintendo will seperate all purchases on Wii Us in to dedicated accounts and launch it with a 3Ds successor which will be future compatible with the next home console and compatible with the Wii U. All this is shaping up to be a different Nintendo in 5 years. 


Wait, GCN is possible on the Wii U? How? Like could they simply use digital GCN games and run it on the Wii U with little fuss? Why isn't this being done?

If ARM is so good and everything, why does the Wii U need an emulator to run Wii games? Why can't it just run them on the Wii U OS like the Wii did with GCN games? Why isn't the Wii VC just the Wii U VC with no fuss? Why must they start from scratch?

Do you mean that the 3DS successor will be able to run some, or all, Wii U games, even if scaled down like with iOS games? Might I be able to play my digital copy of WWHD on my next gen Nintendo handheld?

It's possible to emulate, not natively play. It just cost money to make that happen. The Wii U doesn't emulate Wii games it has an entire chip with a dedicated OS on it. It's the words only dual-booting home console. The Wii U, with the modified Wii OS plays wii games because they share an architecture. The Wii also had a software mode which disabled 99% of it's functions to play gamecube games. Wii VC and Wii U virtual console are two different things and it's primarily controlled by licensing. But software made for the Wii OS will never run on the Wii U OS and vice versa. 

The 3DS sucessor will never be able to play Wii U games because of power consumption. 



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amak11 on 02 August 2014
Vena said:
amak11 said:

ARM is PowerPC, just for clarification so you don't get confused. Both terms are being thrown around here (Wii U cpu is ARM9).


WiiU's main chip is Espresso PPC, the GPU is Latte which has a secondary ARM9 CPU for handling the system.

Note, I am not against your statements anyway. PPC and ARM are both RISC systems and can be tailored for gaming efficiency, and therein should not bar backwards compatability from one another. I am just going into the details.

Either way it's a MCM :) 



Frogger on 02 August 2014
JazzB1987 said:

Depends on how expensive a GC/Wii/WiiU cpu is compared to the architecture of the dual core "os/security CPU" which is used in the WiiU. if you have a WiiU CPU for all the OS/Security stuff you can drop the other CPU.

it can play Gamecube games without emulation since it has all the necessary hardware minus controller and memory card slots. Hackers made the WiiU play retail Gamecube disks after they made The WiiU's Pro controller work as a Gamecube controller replacement.




amak11 said:

That's wrong, it uses an ARM tri-core CPU. Most games now don't even use the third-core of the Wii U. It will likely be the next generation ARM processor, and likely will be triple or double what the Wii U currently has in power. Also, Wii mode supports the tri-core processor as it's a custom OS. 

This would ensure backwards compatibility to Wii U and Wii, possible 4K/2K support. Would likely have 8gb of RAM, a slightly better GPU than what's in the PS4 and One.  In 5 years all this stuff would help Nintendo again create a 300 dollar machine because the basic rule of technology... Everything get's cheaper over time.



WiiU has a tri-core  CPU (Games like Darksiders 2 didnt make us of the third core of the PowerPC CPU) and a dual-core ARM CPU only for operating system/menu/security etc which is NOT at all used for gaming. Check your facts before you tell me that i am wrong :)


Nintendo can drop the dualcore ARM cpu and replace it with the WiiU tri-core CPU (add a fourth or fifth one so even in "WiiU-mode" running on the next console there will be a core or two left for security/OS while games like Zelda2015 use the other 3 for gaming that existed in the WiiU)

And add the new x86 Octacore or whatever for easy game development and porting of PS4 XBO and PC etc. games.


btw the gamepad itself also has a processor but I have no idea what kind of CPU it is. But I am pretty sure its more powerful than a GB/NES/SNES/GBA cpu.  I wish Nintendo would make the Gamepad a Virtual Console device that can store the last VC game you played on WiiU without the need for the WiiU itself to be turned on.  Make me play VC games on the gamepad while someone else is playing MarioKart8 with a Pro Controller!


Wouldn't that make for an expensive console though?



Frogger on 02 August 2014
amak11 said:

It's possible to emulate, not natively play. It just cost money to make that happen. The Wii U doesn't emulate Wii games it has an entire chip with a dedicated OS on it. It's the words only dual-booting home console. The Wii U, with the modified Wii OS plays wii games because they share an architecture. The Wii also had a software mode which disabled 99% of it's functions to play gamecube games. Wii VC and Wii U virtual console are two different things and it's primarily controlled by licensing. But software made for the Wii OS will never run on the Wii U OS and vice versa. 

The 3DS sucessor will never be able to play Wii U games because of power consumption. 


What's the issue with power cunsumption? The tech won't be there to make that not an issue by next gen? If the Vita was already close enough to the Wii U in power 3 years ago, why can't the 3DS successor do the same by Winter 2016?



amak11 on 02 August 2014
JazzB1987 said:



WiiU has a tri-core  CPU (Games like Darksiders 2 didnt make us of the third core of the PowerPC CPU) and a dual-core ARM CPU only for operating system/menu/security etc which is NOT at all used for gaming. Check your facts before you tell me that i am wrong :)


Nintendo can drop the dualcore ARM cpu and replace it with the WiiU tri-core CPU (add a fourth or fifth one so even in "WiiU-mode" running on the next console there will be a core or two left for security/OS while games like Zelda2015 use the other 3 for gaming that existed in the WiiU)

And add the new x86 Octacore or whatever for easy game development and porting of PS4 XBO and PC etc. games.


btw the gamepad itself also has a processor but I have no idea what kind of CPU it is. But I am pretty sure its more powerful than a GB/NES/SNES/GBA cpu.  I wish Nintendo would make the Gamepad a Virtual Console device that can store the last VC game you played on WiiU without the need for the WiiU itself to be turned on.  Make me play VC games on the gamepad while someone else is playing MarioKart8 with a Pro Controller!


Either way, if Nintendo went with x86 they lost backwards compatibility which is what people want with Nintendo consoles. The Wii did it, the Wii U does it, it's successor has to do it. Either way, I want to see the continued development of PowerPC with games. It's possible to match the PS4 and Xbox One on PPC. There is a reason Nintendo goes with PPC anyways. 

Also what you are suggesting means the next Nintendo console would be 7-800 upon release. yeah no. They are fine with their current philosophy. I'd rather them not be riding the dicks of developers anyways. Sony and MS put themselves in a very bad situation in 5 years when games on those consoles look comparible to 360 games now with endless landscapes that people "want" :) 



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amak11 on 02 August 2014
spemanig said:
amak11 said:

It's possible to emulate, not natively play. It just cost money to make that happen. The Wii U doesn't emulate Wii games it has an entire chip with a dedicated OS on it. It's the words only dual-booting home console. The Wii U, with the modified Wii OS plays wii games because they share an architecture. The Wii also had a software mode which disabled 99% of it's functions to play gamecube games. Wii VC and Wii U virtual console are two different things and it's primarily controlled by licensing. But software made for the Wii OS will never run on the Wii U OS and vice versa. 

The 3DS sucessor will never be able to play Wii U games because of power consumption. 


What's the issue with power cunsumption? The tech won't be there to make that not an issue by next gen? If the Vita was already close enough to the Wii U in power 3 years ago, why can't the 3DS successor do the same by Winter 2016?


The vita was close to the PS3 and the PS3 isn't even as good as the 360. Power consumption is a big thing. Even look at the XBO and PS4, they both took huge steps to reduce power consumption. The PS4 uses less power than the PS3 super slim. The problem is the tech needs to be powerful enough and not cost an arm and a leg to build. The 3Ds successor has to fit in to Nintendo's plans, and building something like the Vita only creates diminishing returns. Look at the Vita now, dwarfed by the 3DS which is less powerful because it's much cheaper to make a game for the 3DS. Hell Monster Hunter if I remember right has something like a 30k development budget and a 100k marketing budget.



Frogger on 02 August 2014
amak11 said:

The vita was close to the PS3 and the PS3 isn't even as good as the 360. Power consumption is a big thing. Even look at the XBO and PS4, they both took huge steps to reduce power consumption. The PS4 uses less power than the PS3 super slim. The problem is the tech needs to be powerful enough and not cost an arm and a leg to build. The 3Ds successor has to fit in to Nintendo's plans, and building something like the Vita only creates diminishing returns. Look at the Vita now, dwarfed by the 3DS which is less powerful because it's much cheaper to make a game for the 3DS. Hell Monster Hunter if I remember right has something like a 30k development budget and a 100k marketing budget.


I get that, the 3DS successor being comperable to the Wii U in specs should be easy. If Nintendo are so good at making inexpensive low consumption hardware, why would making a handheld with low enough power consumption be an issue in 2016?



JazzB1987 on 02 August 2014
amak11 said:
JazzB1987 said:



WiiU has a tri-core  CPU (Games like Darksiders 2 didnt make us of the third core of the PowerPC CPU) and a dual-core ARM CPU only for operating system/menu/security etc which is NOT at all used for gaming. Check your facts before you tell me that i am wrong :)


Nintendo can drop the dualcore ARM cpu and replace it with the WiiU tri-core CPU (add a fourth or fifth one so even in "WiiU-mode" running on the next console there will be a core or two left for security/OS while games like Zelda2015 use the other 3 for gaming that existed in the WiiU)

And add the new x86 Octacore or whatever for easy game development and porting of PS4 XBO and PC etc. games.


btw the gamepad itself also has a processor but I have no idea what kind of CPU it is. But I am pretty sure its more powerful than a GB/NES/SNES/GBA cpu.  I wish Nintendo would make the Gamepad a Virtual Console device that can store the last VC game you played on WiiU without the need for the WiiU itself to be turned on.  Make me play VC games on the gamepad while someone else is playing MarioKart8 with a Pro Controller!


Either way, if Nintendo went with x86 they lost backwards compatibility which is what people want with Nintendo consoles. The Wii did it, the Wii U does it, it's successor has to do it. Either way, I want to see the continued development of PowerPC with games. It's possible to match the PS4 and Xbox One on PPC. There is a reason Nintendo goes with PPC anyways. 

Also what you are suggesting means the next Nintendo console would be 7-800 upon release. yeah no. They are fine with their current philosophy. I'd rather them not be riding the dicks of developers anyways. Sony and MS put themselves in a very bad situation in 5 years when games on those consoles look comparible to 360 games now with endless landscapes that people "want" :) 


The Wiiu CPU was 40 bucks in 2012. How would replacing the dualcore ARM cpu that probably costs no less than $10 with the $40 cpu that will be alot cheaper in 2019 make the console cost 800 bucks? If anything it will be 30  (lets say 60 if nintendo wants 30 profit on the CPU alone) more expensive but ONLY if prices stay the same which they wont.

It ensures BC without the need for the arm co-processor because the WiiU main processor is used as a co-processor in WiiU2 (or whatever its name is)



spemanig said:


Wouldn't that make for an expensive console though?


well again depends on whether or not a WiiU CPU is cheap to produce in lets say 5 years.

WiiU's CPU was around $40 when WiiU launched. It is cheaper now and in 5 years it will be even cheaper.

And the WiiU will have a new CPU anyways. (octacore was just a guess might also be a hexacore)

If they remove the co-processor which is an ARM Dual-Core and replace it with the WiiU's tri-core (add 1 or 2 cores) the price should not increase alot.

The ARM co-processor also probably costs at least $10 bucks. vs the $40 of the main CPU. Let 7 years pass and then main CPU should be quite cheap.






Scoobes on 02 August 2014
spemanig said:
amak11 said:

Usually not, A lot of companies use engines that are very diverse and have support for both consoles. let say you build a game in Unity. It has both Wii U and PS4 support, It's just a matter of optimization from there 

MS and Sony are using them because it's easy for developers to make games for, not for efficency. Efficency in technology is just a faster way to do things. powerPC will always have the advantage over x86 in this category. It's the difference of sending 3 large men carrying a ton of barrels each (x86) and  a ton of men carrying a single barrel each (ARM/PowerPC). Both groups will finish their task, but the people carrying single barrels will be done first. The RAM you put in to it is the steroids. 

X86 just don't fit in to Nintendo's philosophy. Hell the Wii U uses less power than the Wii. There is always more to consider than raw unadulterated power. Look at Sony last gen. The cell had huge potential, and it wasn't used by anyone except internal devs. 


That's what I mean though. I get that PowerPC is more efficient, but what does that matter if no one but Nintendo uses it? If it's easier to develop for, wouldn't it be better for Nintendo to use x86? And what are the advantaged of ARM over both? Why would Nintendo use that instead of Power PC next gen, and would the be able to maintain BC with ARM or would they be starting from scratch like with the PS4 and XBO? Would they have to emulate the Wii U like they do with the Wii, or would it be as simple as plugging in one hardrive into the new system and running it from the new consoles OS natively?

That's really not true anymore. Far more research has been done into X86 compared to PowerPC. Intel has chips that have TDP as low 2.5W and are being increasingly used in tablets. Even AMD who don't have the advantage of the die shrink that Intel do have APUs (so that's including the GPU) that are equal to or lower than the TDP of the WiiU with approx. the same performance, as well as their own tablet equivalents.




Get your Portable ID!

Gammalad on 02 August 2014

Well Nintendo did promise from here on out all Nintendo systems will be backwards compatible. So on the next console you can play Wii and Wii U games on it.



"I think it will be the HDS"-Me in regards to Nintendo's next handheld.