RUMOR - Details on Wii U OS

[robometal cowboy]

RUMOR - Details on Wii U OS
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- Wii U OS has an element that is 'huge, surely never seen before on a normal home system'
- Nintendo reserved a certain amount of memory (at least 512MB to be clear) for the Wii U OS
- looks to be the biggest software layer seen on this kind of platform
- OS may to see some tweaks/cuts to free up more memory for devs

Link

[Mirr0rR3flection]

free up more memory for devs

Looks like they'll be more happy.

[LegendofSantiago]

Sounds cool to me. I can see the OS being really awesome thanks to the controller
@Mirr0rR3flection I think that means that the OS will get tweaking so it won't use so much of the system's power.

[ryan82]

Ugh I can't wait until I am able to post on neogaf!

Also, I want more friends to exchange 3DS friend codes with! Anyone that wants to add me lemme know! Send me a message!

[enigmaxtreme]

Its so funny that the size of the OS for the Wii U is the same size as the Wii's entire NAND

[gtt]

lets just hope it isn't bloat that takes away half the system memory for no good reason.

[Agent_Rad]

sounds more like the OS is a completely separate module from the resources that the games use, with the possibility of shutting the OS off entirely later on to allow the game to use that module's power.

[axkil]

lets just hope it isn't bloat that takes away half the system memory for no good reason.

Nintendon't waste nothing man

[ddddd]

One of the things Im most curious about the OS is what are the possibilities of the multitasking.
Considering that (according to most sources) WiiU only has 3 cores with two threads each and at least 1.5gb ram, how many applications can run at once? Can it do an app and a game at once? (VC game and wiiu game? Netflix/youtube and wiiu game? Wii game and wiiu game?)

[gwalms]

One of the things Im most curious about the OS is what are the possibilities of the multitasking.
Considering that (according to most sources) WiiU only has 3 cores with two threads each and at least 1.5gb ram, how many applications can run at once? Can it do an app and a game at once? (VC game and wiiu game? Netflix/youtube and wiiu game? Wii game and wiiu game?)

I don't expect anything more than being able to use the browser while doing something else.

[xxbrothawizxx]

Nintendo enthusiast eluded to a very large feature of the Wii U that was superior to other platforms in the online space a couple months ago. Seems like they had something (it was in the same article that they broke NiN network news saying it wasn't a re-branding, but much more).

[player value]

I just can't wait to see how laughable will be PSN and XBL after the WiiU show... In fact no, PSN is laughable since a long time now. This E3 is going to be memorable for any N people!

[tellis429]

I just can't wait to see how laughable will be PSN and XBL after the WiiU show... In fact no, PSN is laughable since a long time now. This E3 is going to be memorable for any N people!

You are comparing current gen online features to a system that has seen what the opposition offers and expanded upon it. What happends when Sony and MS see what Wii U offeres and trumps that? While I'm eager to see what Nintendo throws down, the comparison can't even be made not to mention it makes Nintendo look worse since this comparison involves last generation features

[Zaakro]

@ddddd

I don't know where you heard that. IBM has pretty much said it is based on the Power7 CPU and the Power7 comes with a minimum of quad core and 4 threads of code per core.

[Shaanyboi]

I just can't wait to see how laughable will be PSN and XBL after the WiiU show... In fact no, PSN is laughable since a long time now. This E3 is going to be memorable for any N people!

You are comparing current gen online features to a system that has seen what the opposition offers and expanded upon it. What happends when Sony and MS see what Wii U offeres and trumps that? While I'm eager to see what Nintendo throws down, the comparison can't even be made not to mention it makes Nintendo look worse since this comparison involves last generation features

pretty much this...

[player value]

@tellis429
yep, you're right, i was wrong (i don't know why i mistaken the two!) but right at the end... i guess... and hope!

@tellis429
Are you award people, aka hard core gamers, still call ps360 next gen?
An other way to say it: Mickael Patcher, please, you should go out of their bodies and leave these souls alone, next gen is not ps360!

[gbwyoshi]

I will die laughing if the "never seen in normal home use" OS is command line based browsing. That or a lawsuit from apple for being revolutionary.


Kidding aside I doubt we can see anything "new" after seeing metro, sony's OS style, and the 3DS without it looking like a computer.

[Darth Vader]

"Wii U OS has an element that is 'huge, surely never seen before on a normal home system'"

Wii U, as in the console knows you. If they didn't change the name then I guarantee you that's gonna be their hook

my bet is that it's face/voice recognition using the controller wound tightly into the user experience, as in the console sees you or hears you and signs you in online, loads saves associated with your profile, etc.

or video controller chat as a standard for messaging friends and online communication

[ddddd]

@Zaakro
Keyword here is "based on". Which means is not an ordinary power pc chip, it just has same architecture. Every source (including the one of this article) claims the U has three cores 2 threads each.

[Cubical]

THe wii U OS has ton of social web features integrated into the OS like instant video chat and always on Video chats. WHen you play games you will have the video chat stream running on the contoler screen this is going to replace standard voice chat. people in your friend list that have the video stream on will appear in a small icon on the controler or OS. you can also watch streams of the game people are playing. there is also real time drawing and painting and text chat like pictochat IRC chat rooms but with the internet with your frends list at all times even in games and swapnote like functions and note writing.

there are also bigger better versions of most thing the 3ds has but with more internet use the and they all use nintendos new nintendo network service.

there are other social fucntions on the controler too it is always on and always going that is why nintendo was looking into using a linux android based OS because of the way it handles system resources in ram all the video feeds need a massive amount of ram in the OS so it is saved for it.

No dev will know the exact amount of ram they have until the console ships.

[Agent_Rad]

I just can't wait to see how laughable will be PSN and XBL after the WiiU show... In fact no, PSN is laughable since a long time now. This E3 is going to be memorable for any N people!

You are comparing current gen online features to a system that has seen what the opposition offers and expanded upon it. What happends when Sony and MS see what Wii U offeres and trumps that?

"Trumps that?"
You mean when sony and ms "crap all over themselves trying to copy it."
Yeah, you enjoy your identity theft and in-dashboard advertisements, Wii U gamers will be playing the games and keeping the third parties alive, kind of like the Wii gamers are now.

[ddddd]

THe wii U OS has ton of social web features integrated into the OS like instant video chat and always on Video chats. WHen you play games you will have the video chat stream running on the contoler screen this is going to replace standard voice chat. people in your friend list that have the video stream on will appear in a small icon on the controler or OS. you can also watch streams of the game people are playing. there is also real time drawing and painting and text chat like pictochat IRC chat rooms but with the internet with your frends list at all times even in games and swapnote like functions and note writing.

there are also bigger better versions of most thing the 3ds has but with more internet use the and they all use nintendos new nintendo network service.

there are other social fucntions on the controler too it is always on and always going that is why nintendo was looking into using a linux android based OS because of the way it handles system resources in ram all the video feeds need a massive amount of ram in the OS so it is saved for it.

No dev will know the exact amount of ram they have until the console ships.

Im bookmarking this message in case E3 proves this to be real

[gtt]

lets just hope it isn't bloat that takes away half the system memory for no good reason.

Nintendon't waste nothing man

the 3ds would disagree with you.

[CaptainFlower]

Get here already, E3... Get here!

[Star Luigi]

@Cubical

Here's hoping you aren't full of hot air.