Quantum3 engine to boost Nintendo Wii’s sub-standard graphics

In terms of unit sales and cross demographic appeal the Nintendo Wii continues to mop the floor with its industry competitors, namely the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Yet, while Nintendo’s innovative home console dazzles on the motion-sensing gameplay front, there are still those (shallow fanboys) who avoid the console due to its lack of graphical oomph.

Indeed, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy notwithstanding, the vastly underpowered Wii has perhaps failed to offer much by way of graphical worth during this hardware generation, while the likes of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Mass Effect (amongst many, many others) have wowed their respective PS3 and Xbox 360 audiences.

However, a tech demo issued by Illinois development studio High Voltage Games (HVG) would seem to indicate that visual enhancement is just around the corner for fans of the Wii beset by next-gen detractors.

The demo in question is for HVG’s new Quantum3 game engine, which the company has reportedly created after some 15 years of ongoing technological development.

According to HVG, the embracement of its proprietary Quantum3 engine will herald a marked improvement in Nintendo Wii games, gifting the little console with the ability to lift its software offerings somewhat closer to the hulking great titles currently playing out on the powerhouse PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Some of the graphical features open to developers via Quantum3 include bump mapping, real-time shadow casting, interactive dynamic water simulations, rich textures and surface details and many other graphics-based feature set and tool enhancements.

"The Wii platform is capable of a lot more than what consumers have seen so far," commented High Voltage Games CEO Kerry Ganofsky regarding the emergence of Quantum3. "We’re hoping to raise a new bar."

"Most of the games on the Wii look like crap. We want to change that, so we've invested heavily in our Wii tech over the past year. We have real-time normal mapping, reflection and refraction, post process full screen effects, real-time shadows, projected lights and textures, specularity and fresnel effects, emissive and iridescent materials, interactive water, morphing, and much more all running with a rock solid frame rate on the Wii," added Ganofsky. "Our goal is to be the most technically innovative Wii developer on the planet."

In order to better convey the potential for defined visual evolution on the Nintendo Wii, HVG is currently hard at work on showcasing Quantum3 technology via its upcoming Wii-exclusive first-person shooter The Conduit.

It’s worth noting however that, while HVG is certainly talking a good fight, the studio’s current portfolio of software releases is not exactly bursting with critically acclaimed big hitters that help support the aforementioned quality bar lift alluded to by the HVG boss.

Thus far, during its time as a computer and videogame development studio, HVG has helmed the likes of Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Family Guy, Blitz: Overtime, and 50 Cent: Bulletproof G Unit Edition.