It's never easy to confirm rumored or leaked hardware specifications, but word of the Nintendo Wii U specs have been leaked out(via VGleaks) from recipients of the Wii U devkit.
Assuming they are real, the specifications may be subject to change with the retail version, albeit not by much. Retail systems are often more powerful than the devkits to give the games more leeway in terms of performance.
Should these specifications prove true, we're looking at some relatively decent hardware specs—slightly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and certainly a lot more powerful than the Xbox 360 thanks to its 1.5GB of ram.
With support for high-resolution texture maps, you can be sure the games won't look blurry as they often do on current-gen consoles.
Main Application Processor
- PowerPC architecture.
- Three cores (fully coherent).
- 3MB aggregate L2 Cache size.
- core 0: 512 KB
- core 1: 2048 KB
- core 2: 512 KB
- Write gatherer per core.
- Locked (L1d) cache DMA per core.
Main Memory
- Up to 3GB of main memory (CAT-DEVs only). Note: retail machine will have half devkit memory
- Please note that the quantity of memory available from the Cafe SDK and Operating System may vary.
Graphics and Video
- Modern unified shader architecture.
- 32MB high-bandwidth eDRAM, supports 720p 4x MSAA or 1080p rendering in a single pass.
- HDMI and component video outputs.
Features
- Unified shader architecture executes vertex, geometry, and pixel shaders
- Multi-sample anti-aliasing (2, 4, or 8 samples per pixel)
- Read from multi-sample surfaces in the shader
- 128-bit floating point HDR texture filtering
- High resolution texture support (up to 8192 x 8192)
- Indexed cube map arrays
- 8 render targets
- Independent blend modes per render target
- Pixel coverage sample masking
- Hierarchical Z/stencil buffer
- Early Z test and Fast Z Clear
- Lossless Z & stencil compression
- 2x/4x/8x/16x high quality adaptive anisotropic filtering modes
- sRGB filtering (gamma/degamma)
- Tessellation unit
- Stream out support
- Compute shader support
GX2 is a 3D graphics API for the Nintendo Wii U system (also known as Cafe). The API is designed to be as efficient as GX(1) from the Nintendo GameCube and Wii systems. Current features are modeled after OpenGL and the AMD r7xx series of graphics processors. Wii U’s graphics processor is referred to as GPU7.
Sound and Audio
- Dedicated 120MHz audio DSP.
- Support for 6 channel discrete uncompressed audio (via HDMI).
- 2 channel audio for the Cafe DRC controller.
- Monaural audio for the Cafe Remote controller.
Networking
- 802.11 b/g/n Wifi.
Peripherals
- 2 x USB 2.0 host controllers x 2 ports each.
- SDCard Slot.
Built-in Storage
- 512MB SLC NAND for System.
- 8GB MLC NAND for Applications.
Host PC Bridge
- Dedicated Cafe-to-host PC bridge hardware.
- Allows File System emulation by host PC.
- Provides interface for debugger and logging to host PC.
Update: Official Specs
Appearance
- The new console features a compact design that will make it a natural addition to any home entertainment setup.
CPU
- IBM PowerⓇ-based multi-core processor.
GPU
- AMD Radeon™-based High Definition GPU.
Storage
- Wii U uses an internal flash memory. It also supports SD memory cards and external USB storage.
Media
- Wii U and Wii optical discs.
Networking
- Wii U can access the Internet via wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection. The console features four USB 2.0 connectors – two in the front and two in the rear – that support Wii LAN Adapters.
Wii Compatibility
- Nearly all Wii software and accessories can be used with Wii U.
Audio Output
- Uses six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI® connector, or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.
Size
- Approximately 1.8 inches high, 10.5 inches deep and 6.8 inches long.
Weight
- Approximately 3.41 pounds (1.5 kg).
Video Output
- Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
Wii U™ GamePad
The Wii U GamePad™ controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world. It incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touch screen, as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks. Inputs include a +Control Pad, L/R sticks, L/R stick buttons, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, Power button, HOME button, -/SELECT button, +/START button, and TV CONTROL button. The GamePad also includes motion control (powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensor), a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, an included stylus and support for Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality. It is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and weighs approximately 1.1 pounds (500 g).
Other Controllers
The Wii U console is capable of supporting two Wii U GamePad controllers, up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers or Wii U Pro Controllers, and Wii accessories such as the Nunchuk, Classic Controller and Wii Balance Board.
