I still think there is an incentive for developers to push the limits of the Wii's hardware.

If graphics and hardware weren't big factors in gaming we'd still be playing NES's.

Not being rude, but where were you when the Revolution(Wii) was proposed? You have probably seen from the last generation what the Wii the best the Wii can do. As long as the group the the Wii is aim at likes that then it's no problem.

I still play a ton of NES and SNES games and enjoy them more than most every game today.

Graphics are a factor in upgrading systems, but it is getting to a point of diminishing returns and many people want fresh games more than fancy HD graphics.

That is the group Nintendo is after.

People that want the Fancy graphics have the 360 and PS3 to chose from, and Nintendo is not courting that group of gamers at all. At best, the Wii will be a second system for them.

Personally I hope the graphic whores steer clear of the Wii so we don't continue to be hounded with posts of "___________ game is awesome but looks like shit, this would be so much better on the 360/PS3" like we have with Zelda.

No, I have to agree with Astro. I don't think every Wii game will try to push the system, but I have no doubt there will be many titles that do. Sure it is no big deal for the Wii Sports and Wario Ware games, but games like Metroid Prime III are going to look pretty amazing and push the hardware. The Wii may not be a system for people wanting the best graphics, but I definitely see developers at least trying to push the graphics to the limits for certain titles, especially FPS games.

Oh, I agree some will. I was mainly arguing against the importance of graphics.

But its definitely not a system for graphics whores as the best Wii games will never look as good as games on the other two. It will have games that look good to those of us who were fine with the past gen graphics and didn't care for an HD upgrade and what have you. But the people drooling over Gears of War on their HDTVs (or even SDTVs as it looks sweet in either resolution) will never be impressed with any Wii games.

Yeah, like everyone else says, the Wii's graphics are shit. They look like a chimp escaped from the zoo and smeared it's feces all over the screen. But to put it in context, I've barely touched my 360 since I got the Wii. There is simply no comparison between the consoles. The gameplay is so much more fun and rewarding. If you don't have one, buy it. Buy it now!

I total get your context, but I love the analogy.
I will say that after seeing many Xbox360 games played on a standard def TV, that the jump in graphics from the original Xbox is not that big of a deal. If you don't have an HDTV you will be pretty happy with the Wii and gameplay wise you will be happy either way.

After having played Red Steel and buying Excite Truck this weekend, I think that graphically pleasing games are quite possible on the Wii.

Say what you will about the gameplay mechanics of Red Steel, the graphics are pretty good for a first gen Wii-specific game. Reflective surfaces, nice particle effects and decent character models. While most people point to Zelda, the textures, characters models are severely lacking. But, it's art design is head and shoulders above all other launch games.

Excite Truck, with all the particle effects and morphing terrain stays locked at a silky smooth framerate. Far Cry sure would look better on this engine!!

So, while most games look like run of the mill GC games, I'm sure we'll see much better stuff from the developers as they start giving us more Wii-specific (from the ground up) games.

If the Wii's power really is slighty above that of the Xbox, they should be able to deliver some Doom 3/Black/Halo 2 level of graphics. That would be more than enough for me!

Have you seen Gears of War on a standard def TV? I had the same opinion until playing that at my friends last week on his big standard def TV.

None of the other gamed I'd played over there before impressed me a whole lot (CoD2, Marvel UA, Fight Night Round 3 etc.) but Gears was pretty jaw dropping even in standard def. But so far that has been the exception to the rule so your point stands for now.

Gears did give me some hope that I might actually end up wanting a 360 after a price drop and before getting an HDTV now though.

Agree with Josh about the diminishing returns on graphics. We've reached a self-defeating cycle with the same old games just SLIGHTLY prettier.

At any rate, the graphics really aren't the point anyway. It's all about the interface, and once you adjust to the Wii controller (it takes some time) it's really tough to go back to traditional controllers no matter how pretty the games are.

...at least that's been my experience.

I currently own a 360 & a Wii, and will probably be getting a PS3 in the next couple days (Mainly for BluRay), so if I sound like I'm bashing the Wii, at least I do have one to justify my post. Games can be fun without amazing graphics, but with this gen's consoles, shitty graphics shouldn't be an issue, as I feel that games should look incredible. The 360 has 'simple' graphic games through the dashboard, like PacMan, DigDug, etc..., but they can also stun you with games like Oblivion, Gears, Rainbow, etc... It just seems funny that people are making excuses for the poor graphics of the Wii by saying how original the games are. I myself would've rather paid $300-$400 for a Wii that could incorporate graphics with originality in games, but...

My BIGGEST complaint is audio. How in the Hell can every person (100's at least) in Oblivion carry on multiple conversations with you, but Zelda does nothing but grunt at you & try to improve your reading skill? We bought a Wii for our two boys at Xmas, 4 & 6, and honestly I get tired of hearing "Dad, what does this say?" from my 4 year old every two minutes. You can't, and shouldn't have to sit next to your child every minute he plays in case he needs to know what a game is saying, not in this generation of consoles. I don't neglect my kids, but when the shower curtain opens and a 4 year old says Dad, come tell me what the game is saying, it's a little frustrating.

I have my Wii connected via component to a 32" 16:9 LCD. With the Wii set to 480p, the jaggies are really bad on Zelda, and not too hot on Wii sports either.

This hasn't kept me from enjoying the games-I'm still addicted to bowling and golf. But I still think something is seriously wrong with the Wii's 480p 16:9 mode. Rayman didn't look quite so jagged, so that's something I guess.

I understand where you're coming from, but Zelda is rated T for Teen. It's not meant for 4 & 6 year olds. yeah, it'd be nice to hear zelda and link talk, but I don't think it's going to happen, EVER. At least in our lifetimes.

very good point...

As much as the Wii graphics haven't been very impressive thus far, I want to see what can happen after a few months to a year of development. Look at what Gears of War looks like and it has been a year since the 360 came out. I'm not saying the Wii graphics will come close to the 360, but I bet games by next Christmas will look better than the original Xbox.

Hell, look at what the videos and screenies from Sonic and the Secret Rings are like for the Wii over at IGN.

Then you need to trade in Zelda for... say, Disney's Cars. They talk.

we need a thread saying


"Yes, I paid 250 for a babysitter"

I strongly disagree, as the graphical jump is far more then just a slight one between the PS2/Xbox to the 360/PS3.

I second that. I'm a PC FPS fan, but I still enjoy shooters from the late '90s to the early 2ks (Outlaws, original Half-Life, Jedi Outcast, Quake 1 and 2, etc.). I can run some of the newer titles well enough, like Doom 3 or Quake 4, with graphics/sound downgraded, but I still have just as much fun with the older games. The recent titles may have a few new gameplay elements in the mix, but I actually prefer the play of the older games just as much.

Getting to the topic of discussion, I think Nintendo's decision regarding the visuals had just as much to do with creativity than expense (well, almost). As others have mentioned, games like Wii Sports (the Mii look in general), Monkey Ball and WarioWare may be simple in appearance, but I think that look is just as slick and appealing as anything with heavy textures and brilliant lighting effects. And these cartoony games (with lower polygons, textures) can have greater draw distances and run at a much faster frame rate.

I actually remember reading an interview with Miyamoto where he mentioned that he didn't see the point of having a machine more powerful than the GC; everything he wanted to do could be done with the guts of the 'cube. That's a pretty signficant endorsement.

Concerning the graphics:

I just bought a Wii last night and I haven't had a chance to hook it up yet.

Is there a big difference between using the Wii composite cables that came with the Wii versus using Wii component cables? I have a 50-inch HD Sony television.

If so, which component cables would be recommended?

Thanks!

There is a big difference between composite & component on the Wii. I have the official, but reports are that some of the third party ones are decent. I just can't bring myself to try them.

Ive had the nintendo made component, as well as a 3rd party, and chose to keep the 3rd party brand because they used better connections. The picture quality is the same, mind you

Its not slight, but its no where near the jump between previous generous (especially for those without HDTVs).

Gears of War certainly looks a great deal better than anything on the X-box, but not to the degree of say moving from a PS1 game to a PS2/X-box game was.

But it really just comes down to how much you care about graphics. The diminishing returns point will probably never apply to the graphics whores as they'll be stoked and willing to shell out for any graphical improvements (think the PC gamers who are upgrading their PCs all the time to play the latest game with all the features maxed out). It also matters what type of graphic style you like.

For me, I really could care less if games ever looked better than PS2/GC/X-box games as I prefer more cartoony games to realistic graphics anyway and those machines did those types of games more than adequately. For example, look how great Okami looked on the PS2 which was the weakest of the 3.

So for me it is diminishing returns as more power isn't going to help much with the types of graphic designs I prefer as only so much power is needed for cartoony graphics. But for those that want ultrarealism, these types of graphics leaps will seem more fruitful.

Hell, in all honestly I still prefer 2D games. If companies would start making SNES games again I'd be all over it and not touch any of the current systems.

Which third-party component cables do you have?