Hello VgChartz,
It is time to defend the Wii-U from the recent reports regarding the GPU. I will pretty much take my post replying to Mazty and elaborate further.
1) How much more powerful than the 360 and PS3 is it?
1ii) Is there any game that shows this power difference?
Until a report is conslusive, and irrefutable by any doubt, then it's safe to assume the WiiU is up to and no more than 2x more powerful compared to the PS3 and X360. It's important to acknowledge that 2x more power isn't much, however, the GPU and hardware does have capabilities that the PS3/X360 cannot do; such as DX11-like capabilities (or DX-10?) and more than 2x the available RAM for game development.
As far as any game showing this difference, we have to wait for the defining exclusives that are bound to drop in the next 2 years. Mario Kart U, Super Mario 3D U, and Bayonneta 2 are a few examples. Also, we could see the next Call of Duty or perhaps another IP that would launch PS3/X360/WiiU and perform better on the WiiU due to developers now having more time on the console.
2)If generation is to do with what time they are released then why is the PS3 super slim not next gen
Generations are defined by the launch of a next-gen platform. Of course they are aligned with other relevant manufacturer platforms.
i.e. PS2 to PS3 is a generational jump. PS2 to PS2 slim is not a generational jump because PS2 and PS2 slim are the same platform. Competing platforms in the given time frame are the competition (i.e. Gamecube and Xbox)
Therefore, WiiU comes after the Wii, and therefore a Generation 8 console.
3) How can a console be next-gen if it can't play next-gen games?
There is no real line to draw through whats a "next-gen game". If we are to accept the premise, then the PS4/Xbox720 are also not next gen because Epic says their Samaritan demo requires a 2.5TF GPU (Rumors: PS4-1.8 , 720-1.2) (Epic saying Samaritan is the new standard of next-gen)
Furthermore, what is a next-gen game to begin with? Is it what Epic says it is? Is it what Crytek says it is? If Nintendo says 3D Mario is next gen, then why would they not be taken seriously? The next gen domain has some exclusiveness relevant to its own manufacturer, but it also crosses domains with the other competing manufacturers as well.
Finally, it would further blur the lines over what is considered this-gen-type-game as most games are far behind PC and don't even render natively at 1280x720p (what would be considered HD and onwards)
4) How does this relate to sales?
The Wii-U has undoubtedly gotten off to a slow start. Software sales seem healthy relevant to the hardware sales. Lets keep in mind that the Wii-U is the only Generation 8 console out at the moment. So it's not losing to anything. Once PS4 and X720 come out, the WiiU will have it's headstart sales.
Recently many of us seem to assume that Sony will be storming back to 1st place with the PS4 due to the amount of hype for the Feb 20th event. Need I remind us all the hype that followed the Vita unveiling (then known as the NGP)? And it's no better than the WiiU at the moment. Until price is given, and some serious software is shown, we can't assume PS4 will take the market by storm. With that said, Nintendo and the WiiU don't need to worry about the PS4, yet.
The XBox 720 is rumored to be announced soon as well. Rumors say it will be similar to Sony's PS4, however it will be trading in for a weaker GPU and include some form of a Kinect 2.0. All in all, its safe to assume that the 720 should launch at the same price as the PS4 and perhaps even later. Same point remains, the Wii-U doesn't need to worry about Microsoft and the XBox 720, yet.
With all that said, the market has shown that power doesn't necessarily mean first place in the race. The PS3 has been third for the whole gen so far, however the PS2 and PS1 (weaker than the competition) have finished first. In addition, the Wii will finish first it seems (depends who you ask) and the Gamecube and N64 didn't do so well (stronger than the PS2 and PS1 respectively).
More Power = more expensive. The masses just want a console that can deliver an expected fun factor at an affordable price. Extended luxuries (such as Blu-ray) can be factored in too as incentives so as long as the console remains affordable. The WiiU seems like it will be the most affordable of the consoles, and if Wii-U sales do remain low, then a possible just-as-logical conclusion (like others) can be that the PS4 and XBox 720 are doomed and DOA.
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Thoughts?
e=mc^2
Gaming on: PS4 Pro, Switch, SNES Mini, Wii U, PC (i5-7400, GTX 1060)
