Wii copies 360 with NEC eDRAM

Written by Wil Harris

June 20, 2006 | 14:43

Tags: #360 #edram #hollywood #wii #xenos

Companies: #ati #microsoft #nec #nintendo

The Nintendo Wii will use the same NEC eDRAM for its graphics processing as the Xbox 360, NEC has revealed today.

10MB of fast RAM, embedded in the graphics chip, allows enough buffer space for anti-aliasing to be added to graphics 'for free'.

The same technology is in Xenos, the graphics chip for the Xbox 360. That chip was developed by ATI - so is the 'Hollywood' chip that powers the graphics inside the Wii.

Whilst some have been speculating that the Wii will lack the visual quality of the Xbox 360 and the PS3, this latest announcement seems to suggest that Nintendo is serious about graphics.

What's slightly odd is that the Wii is rumoured to lack high-definition outputs, which is really where anti-aliasing is needed - AA on standard definition isn't really a good use of hardware. Could this mean the eDRAM is being used for something else?

Games journalists at E3 were generally underwhelmed with the Wii's graphics, but this is because Nintendo had the games running on Revolution-ised Gamecubes with the Wiimote attachment.

We, along with lots of our forum posters, are pretty excited about the Wii. Why not let us know your thoughts?
Discuss this in the forums
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