After reports of the Wii U being on par with today’s Nintendo competitors, at least one developer is taking a different stand.
GamesIndustry.biz posted a quotation from an anonymous developer saying the Wii U is “not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360. The graphics are just not as powerful.”
The site quoted another developer as saying, “Yeah, that’s true. It doesn’t produce graphics as well as the PS3 or the 360. There aren’t as many shaders, it’s not as capable. Sure, some things are better, mostly as a result of it being a more modern design. But overall the Wii U just can’t quite keep up.”
These quotes, which no one is willing to put his or her name to, are in contrast with comments from companies like Vigil, which said the Wii U might even be a superior platform.
Either way, though, it will be a moot point as the PS4 and Xbox 720 will likely blow the Wii U out of the water when it comes to technical specs.
Today, if a game is deemed as graphically intensive, and it’s published by a console-agnostic publisher, they’ll release it for the PS3 and Xbox 360. If it’s a casual game, the Wii will get it on the action.
If the Wii U can truly stand alongside its two competitors on an equal level, it will hopefully get more third party support. At least for now.
Nintendo has always struggled with gaining a lot of support from external publishers. On the flip side of that, all it takes is a good Mario game, a good Pokemon game, and a good Zelda game to many any system profitable. Nintendo franchises have that power on their own.
It has admittedly caused Nintendo to be short-sighted in multiple occasions, and many fear the Wii U will fall into that same trap. But perhaps the company is starting to realize what it takes to be competitive in this advanced market these days. We’ll see how this story unfolds.
