Wii U includes AMD graphics, new 25GB disc format

Processor manufacturer AMD has confirmed it will be providing the graphics chip for Nintendo's newly-announced Wii U.

A custom Radeon HD GPU promises "high-definition graphics support; rich multimedia acceleration and playback; and multiple display support".

Said David Wang, AMD's corporate vice president of Silicon Engineering, "AMD shares Nintendo's excitement for the new HD entertainment experience planned for the Wii U console." Nintendo has claimed the U's graphical performance will be comparable to that of current Microsoft and Sony hardware.

The console's CPU has yet to be revealed, but reports are suggesting that the little-seen base unit will read a proprietary optical media as well as Wii discs.

Nintendo senior designer Katsuya Eguchi told Kotaku that the new disc format would have capacities of at least 25GB, comparable to that of Blu-Ray. It is unknown at present whether the Wii U can also read Blu-Ray, but the current rumour mill suggests otherwise.

Also rumoured is 8GB of internal storage, and support for USB drives. Meanwhile, Nintendo has confirmed to CVG that the tablet-like controller will not be sold as a standalone unit, and will only come bundled with the new console.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...gb-disc-format