Wii U may be 50 percent more powerful than PS3, says analyst

By Jeffrey Van Camp June 14, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Since E3, Nintendo executives have repeatedly said that the Wii U will be “HD,” but the company has not released any actual hardware specifications. As such, speculation has run rampant. Some believe the system will be too weak, while others believe it will be an equal match to the Xbox360 and PlayStation 3, two 6-7 year-old consoles. One analyst is more optimistic. Speaking with IndustryGamers, Arvind Bhatia believes that the console may be as much as 50 percent more powerful than the PS3.

“Some of the developers we spoke to indicated to us that the console will have 50% more processing power compared to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360,” said the Sterne Agee analyst. “This is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo.”

Nintendo showed several videos and demos of the Wii U outputting graphics at capabilities that appear close to the PS3 and 360, but nothing we’ve yet seen from the console seems to indicate it can output graphics 50 percent more refined. Then again, we haven’t seen much from the Wii U yet with the exception of a flying bird demo and the typical non-interactive demo of a Zelda battle. Hopefully we’ll hear more in the months to come.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Gaming

PS5 rumored to be more powerful than Xbox’s Project Scarlett

PS5 rumored more powerful than Xbox Project Scarlett Halo Infinite launch 2020

Microsoft formally introduced Project Scarlett, or at least the concept of it, during the E3 2019 Xbox briefing. Before the showcase, Game Informer’s Andrew Reiner let loose a series of tweets where he stated that developers told him that the unofficially named PlayStation 5 is stronger than the next Xbox -- aka Project Scarlett.

Reiner didn’t confirm or deny the prediction after the Scarlett was revealed but, to be fair, on a limited amount of information was shared during the briefing. We know Project Scarlett will be made of a custom AMD processor based on Ryzen 2, a GPU based on AMD’s Navi, and GDDR6 RAM. These components will allow the console to reach 120 frames per second and support 8K resolution, specifications we’re far from experiencing or requiring on a consistent basis. That said, is this better or worse than what we know about the PS5?

Gaming

How to unlock fast travel in Another Crab’s Treasure

Kril with a coconut shell

Another Crab's Treasure is a fantastical soulslike set deep under the ocean where danger lurks around every corner. And like other games in the genre, it's often brutally difficult to overcome the various challenges you'll encounter. As such, you may find yourself wanting to backtrack for level grinding, to uncover new secrets, or to buy additional items in the game's main hub. However, you may notice early in the game that you haven't yet unlocked the ability to fast travel between the multitude of Moon Snail Shells (aka "bonfires") you've found. Here's how and when you'll unlock fast travel.
How to unlock fast travel
In the opening hours of the game, you may notice that you can access your skill tree, which will show a skill called Shelleportation. But you may be discouraged to see that you aren't able to apply any points to it yet. That's because the game doesn't open up this feature until you've advanced a few hours into the story.

To unlock fast travel, you'll need to work your way through the first few main areas of the game until you reach a boss called the Polluted Platoon Pathfinder. After beating this baddie, you'll soon find yourself teleporting to the Moon Snail's Domain. Here, you'll learn about the power of Umami, as well as unlock access to your skill tree.

Gaming

Best gaming chair deals: Save on Corsair, Razer, and more

Razer - Iskur Gaming Chair.

Sitting down to play video games for hours and hours can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty bad for your health. Beyond just the lack of circulation, most modern chairs are not really made to have us sit in them for long periods, and so they don't offer things like lumbar support or breath to help keep us cool. Luckily, gaming chairs have come to the rescue, and if you're looking to at least help keep your body safe and healthy, going for a gaming chair can make a big difference. That said, gaming chairs can be quite expensive, which is why we've gone out and found some of our favorite gaming chair deals for you to pick from.
Homall Massage Gaming Chair -- $85, was $170

The Homall Massage Gaming Chair is affordable, but it will get the job done of keeping you comfortable while playing video games with its ergonomic design and high-quality PU leather materials. It's got head and waist pillows with a massage function that sets it apart from other cheap gaming chairs. The backrest can recline between 90 degrees and 180 degrees so you can find the perfect angle, and it also has a retractable footrest for an extra sitting position.