Nintendo: Difference Between Wii U Graphics Compared to PS4, Xbox 720 Won’t Be So Drastic

We reported yesterday that Microsoft has gone on the record to state that they think Nintendo's upcoming Wii U wll be "on par" with the Xbox 360 graphically, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata thinks the difference won't be as drastic as most people make it out to be.

During Nintendo's shareholders meeting, Iwata addressed concerns that the Wii U might be left behind by third-party companies once Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles are released. While he doesn't deny that there will be a difference graphically, he thinks there will be "fewer differentiators in graphics" to make this leap as significant as the Wii was compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

We cannot promise that the Wii U will never be excluded from multiplatform software for eternity, but we can at least assure you that the Wii U will not have such a big difference as the Wii had in comparison to how, on other platforms, developers could expect very different graphic capabilities of generating HD-applicable high-resolution graphics.

Other companies might launch a next-generation console with more power, but we don’t necessarily think that the difference between the Wii U and such console will be as drastic as what you felt it was between the Wii and the other consoles because there will be fewer and fewer differentiators in graphics.

Could Iwata be correct? Based on what we've heard so far, the Wii U's graphical horsepower is not weak by any means, but once Microsoft and Sony unveils their next-gen offerings, it could very well be just that.

How big of a graphical difference do you think the Wii U will have compared to the PS4 and Xbox 720? Or won't it matter as long as Nintendo stays competitive enough?