The Wii U Console

On September 13, Nintendo released information about the Wii U specs (hardware specifications). In their press release, Nintendo states that the new system will have 2 GB of RAM. 1 GB of RAM will be used for games and 1 GB of RAM will be used for the console's operating system. To put that in perspective, both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 have just 512 MB of RAM.

There will be two versions of the Wii U game console, one with 8 GB of internal storage and a deluxe version with 32 GB of internal storage. The Wii U also offers capability for expanding storage using SD cards or external USB drives.

The CPU and GPU

The CPU of the new Wii is designed by IBM who has given the processor a codename of "Expresso." The CPU is described as a power architecture based, multi-core processor. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is an AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU. When it comes to disk storage, the games for the Wii U console will come on proprietary optical discs, capable of storing up to 25 GB of data. This is similar to what you would find on Blu-ray discs and the game console is able to easily support high-definition graphics in full 1080p HD.

Video and Audio Output

The Wii U console supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i video and is compatible with HDMI, S-Video, Stereo AV, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, and Wii AV cables. When it comes to audio, the console uses Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.

Networking and Compatibility

The Wii U game console can connect to the Internet wirelessly and this unit also features four USB 2.0 connectors, there are two in the front and two in the rear. The new console is also compatible with nearly all of the games and accessories of the original Wii console so you will be able to play all of your older Wii games with the new Wii U game system.

Controllers

The new Wii U GamePad controller has analog sticks and button controls. The game console supports two GamePads, four remote controllers, and accessories like Nunchuks and Wii balance board. These accessories could be in the original Wii.

Features

There are some new features that the Wii U will introduce including Nintendo TVii, Miiverse, video chat and internet browsing.