Developers Criticise Wii U Graphical Power

Sources working at high profile studios have supposedly criticised the Wii U's power, stating that it's less than the PS3/360.

Speaking to GamesIndustry earlier this week, anonymous folk at key studios who are familiar with Nintendo's latest home offering have confessed that the hardware just isn't up to Xbox 360 or PS3 standard.

No, it's not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360. The graphics are just not as powerful.

There aren't as many shaders, it's not as capable. Sure, some things are better, mostly as a result of it being a more modern design. But overall the Wii U just can't quite keep up.

These comments came from two developers working on upcoming Wii U titles.

Previously the Wii U was expected to be at least on par with the PS3 and Xbox 360 in terms of architecture and graphical output. However it's likely if these sources are to be believed, that the overall tech had to be limited to keep costs down with the new tablet controller in mind.

It wasn't just the machine that came under fire either. The controller, boasting a rich touch-screen, camera and the ability to stream high quality output from the Wii U, was also a concern for devs.

The whole thing about the tablet controller is that you only get one of them, and you can only use one and it's not completely independent. The base console has to be on, and you have to be in range. Other controllers are just Wiimotes, or other Wii controllers. They may change the form factor or looks a bit, but it's the same controller.

The main issue was multiplayer - with one or two Wii U controllers supposedly the maximum, just who would get to use them in a four player setting? Could it limit the experience considerably for others?

Whatever the weather, Nintendo is set to reveal all at this year's E3 Expo. Exciting times!