Wii emulator boosts visuals to 720p HD
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Mar 29th 2009 at 9:30PM } 
We're not advocating the shameless emularceny of Wii titles, though it is interesting to see how these games look with a bit extra graphical endowment. To use a standard rate of exchange, it's about the visual equivalent of three GameCubes duct-taped together -- maybe even three-and-a-half. We're not quite certain.
[Via IGN]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ben @ Mar 29th 2009 9:34PM
want
Dave @ Mar 30th 2009 1:10AM
Whoever's playing as Link sucks.
oodlesofnoodles @ Mar 30th 2009 10:50AM
It was your mom, and boy does she suck. ;)
sony boy @ Mar 29th 2009 9:36PM
cool
Ahmedz @ Mar 29th 2009 9:41PM
I can has?
jaredgood1 @ Mar 29th 2009 9:42PM
A DVD upconverted to 720 or 1080 does not make it HD. Basically, the same thing here. These are the same models and textures, that were created with SD in mind, being unconverted to display at a HD resolution. You can get the same effect with quite a few AV receivers on the market.
From an emulation standpoint though, it's pretty impressive (not quite UltraHLE Zelda impressive, but pretty close).
Crusty Magic @ Mar 29th 2009 9:47PM
Bear in mind that he's also enabling AA to clean up the visuals, and it makes a completely noticeable difference.
Quite different than just merely scaling the visuals in a DVD sense.
deanb @ Mar 29th 2009 10:00PM
When it comes to games though upscaling get's a bit weird.
Noby Noby boy is HD, but I could count it's poly's on my hand.
I'd say these are officially HD, you can do it with PS2 emulators. Sure it's SD textures but you can see a notacable difference between SD n HD.
Some games look like a pile of crap when upscaled though.
MF Doom @ Mar 29th 2009 10:01PM
Uh, you're wrong, dude. 2D assets that are being displayed statically on screen may have to be upscaled but everything else is being rendered at a higher resolution. No upscale trickery.
PeterF @ Mar 29th 2009 10:05PM
This guy is all wrong. Yes the textures are made for 480p but 3D models aren't resolution dependent. They can be rendered at any resolution. Download an N64 emulator and run it at 640x480 and then at 1080P, there is a HUGE difference.
deanb @ Mar 29th 2009 10:11PM
Oh n anything Procedurally generated(say text, particle effects, a fair few textures depending on the engine etc) it don't matter what resolution the games ran at, they just scale to size.
You know how like PC games play at various resolutions....
bm @ Mar 29th 2009 10:14PM
"You can get the same effect with quite a few AV receivers on the market."
Haha, I think you need to learn the difference between 3D rendering and bitmap resizing. I can see why you -think- you have a point with what you're saying, but you just come off looking silly. Just because a higher rendering resolution doesn't increase polycount or texture detail, doesn't mean it's even remotely the same thing as upscaling an image, either visually or technically.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 29th 2009 10:36PM
I guess we would need to see comparison screen shots/grabs side by side to really see the difference. For some reason the motion looked off to me in the videos which is maybe an issue with the emulator itself.
I went to the dolphin-emu site and found a few more videos and both looked better to me than the actual games.
SSBB Intro/game
http://www.dolphin-emu.com/youtube.php?youtubecode=mDLpkG8YHuw
AC:CF
http://www.dolphin-emu.com/youtube.php?youtubecode=IfJa6sSpBsg
They both look better to me but it could be my eyes playing tricks.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 29th 2009 10:36PM
When I said "better" I meant they look "sharper" and more "crisp" if that makes sense.
Josh @ Mar 29th 2009 10:41PM
That's because they are.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 29th 2009 10:47PM
Josh
It's just so strange that it looks like 100x better. It's kind of making my head explode right now. I'm really confused why Nintendo didn't build this capability into the console. Again, I'm no tech spec wizard but the difference is OMGWTFBBQ1111 good.
Reader @ Mar 29th 2009 11:00PM
Jared: I'm glad to see you got flamed aplenty for that post. I almost face-palmed myself after reading it.
jaredgood1 @ Mar 29th 2009 11:52PM
Ok, admittedly, a poor comparison.
Still a pretty damn impressive feat for the emulation team.
jaredgood1 @ Mar 30th 2009 12:24AM
Oh, and just thought I'd add this:
Sorry for being dumb and talking.
/ahhh, the honesty of booze...
knighty (GT: ZeraKnight) @ Mar 30th 2009 12:38AM
I cannot believe how many people who call themselves gamers don't understand the concept of resolution....it's quite shocking.
ill trooper @ Mar 30th 2009 12:57AM
It's OK Jared, I think you may have just missed the point that this actually _is_ rendering at a higher res, rather than simply upscaling a 480 image to 720. It's like what happened with several Xbox games when they were emulated on the 360 (Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Ghost Recon2) - higher res (720p) 3d geometry looking better even with the original 480p-optimized textures.
To which I must say: Nintendo, could this have been so difficult for you? Look how good that looks. HD Wii would garner a lot of "Upgrayedds."
Travis @ Mar 30th 2009 1:06AM
i like games
BlaqueBeird @ Mar 30th 2009 10:57AM
@knighty
There actually is a difference between gamers and geeks these days. Gamers used to be synonymous with geek, but not anymore. Gaming is mainstream, now.
@illtrooper
Was that an Idocracy reference?
BreakingPoint0 @ Mar 31st 2009 3:05PM
ill tropper
SHHH! Don't say that out loud. You'll reveal Nintendo's master plan to the masses!
All kidding aside my guess we won't see a new console from Nintendo, but an upgraded Wii. And then a re-release of all the Wii hits with better visuals that look crisper and everyone will purchase it all again. Maybe it will have DVD-playback this time around!
I'm not a Nintendo hater, I really do think they know what they are doing. I just think it's funny that the same games are the ones that sell on Nintendo systems year after year. I mean how much more could they milk the flagship franchises? Where could Mario go next?
Codex @ Mar 29th 2009 9:48PM
The games playing at 720p, quite awesome actually, if only ps1 titles could go 720p without looking like abortions :P
Sure the textures are only sd but the text & other vector elements look great, but smooth cartoonish type games like the final fantasy example look quite good
Shadsy @ Mar 29th 2009 10:06PM
Actually FF7 looks like crap in HD because the backgrounds are static images. :(
Now Goldeneye: there's a great-looking SD/HD game.
Codex @ Mar 29th 2009 10:10PM
Well yeah ff7 would, it's just 3d on top of 3d rendered images, squaresoft cheated :P lol
Pokemon stadium hd tbh.
time @ Mar 29th 2009 9:54PM
I really wish Nintendo had put HD on this generation. I don't mind the jaggies, but it's /sooooo/ much nicer without them.
Slaziman @ Mar 29th 2009 11:29PM
lmao samfish are you kidding me? you need to go watch planet earth on blu-ray on a 40"+ screen, then come back and tell me how many bricks you shat'
either that or any pixar movie
ill trooper @ Mar 30th 2009 1:05AM
I wish I could just keep clicking "+" on this comment.
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HAVE AN HD WII vs SD WII PITCHING CONTEST, SET THAT SHIT UP
bm @ Apr 4th 2009 1:25AM
"...mind you it got better as the stages went forward, I wonder why that is... O_o"
I can tell you exactly why that is, it's because HD is a fucking gimmick, the novelty of which wears off after about ten minutes. After that you just see the bare art (be it shitty or awesome). It's just like getting used to really bright light. It's the same shit you're looking at in the end.
Curt @ Mar 29th 2009 9:58PM
this is my problem with this generation, I see no significant difference between HD and not HD, certainly not enough to warrant a "do want" type of reaction or the higher price tag
Osman @ Mar 29th 2009 9:59PM
i think you forgot to click the HD button on youtube...
Curt @ Mar 29th 2009 10:02PM
yeah, still not impressed
PeterF @ Mar 29th 2009 10:06PM
That is because the textures are not made for HD. Run a good 360 or PS3 game on a nice TV in 1080P and then in SD, you will notice a significant difference.
Shadsy @ Mar 29th 2009 10:08PM
Play a game on an SDTV, then play it on an HDTV. Separately, you don't see too much of a difference, but it's shocking when you realize how huge of a leap it is.
Doesn't make much of a case for HDTVs alone, but it's still pretty cool.
j.howlett @ Mar 29th 2009 10:08PM
i understand that for not having a preference for HD over SD, but i can tell the difference between the two. are you sure you've seen true HD
time @ Mar 29th 2009 10:13PM
Uhh... I dunno, it looks a lot better...
deanb @ Mar 29th 2009 10:16PM
"Should have gone to Specsavers"
If your perception of HD is the stuff Youtube offers up (which their HQ stuff is barely SD) then your doing it wrong.
Get yourself a decent 1080p TV, strap it up to a PS3 or what not n play a game or watch a movie on it.
Of course those used to playing PC games are allowed to not get the whole HD buzz cos we've had it for years ( just not the movies on in our lounges)
bm @ Mar 29th 2009 10:21PM
While the OP might be wrong about there barely being a difference, it's not as godly and all-important as some people would like to make it out to be. I don't know about you guys, but I've been playing games in 1024x768 and higher ever since Quake 2 came out, yet the best looking console games still managed to look awesome and "next-gen" for the time, even running in something as low as 320x240. HD is a factor, but good ingame art assets are almost everything.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 29th 2009 10:24PM
bm
But if you combine the two (good art + HD) it's super impressive. Resolution isn't everything but it is an important component to high graphical fidelity.
samfish @ Mar 29th 2009 11:03PM
"While the OP might be wrong about there barely being a difference, it's not as godly and all-important as some people would like to make it out to be."
This is pretty much the absolute truth.
Is here a difference? Yes. But it's not THAT amazing. The leap in quality for VHS to DVD was more stark that the leap from 480 res to 720 or even 1080 res.
That said, one does appreciate HD stuff more with video games, if only because they're being built from the ground up to take advantage of those higher resolutions, generally...whereas TV and movies are less likely to.
Reader @ Mar 29th 2009 11:05PM
You can't tell the difference between SD and HD? I almost shat myself the first time I saw 1080P. I actually sat down to watch golf because it was in HD. Well really I was watching a tree, but damn I was amazed.
Slaziman @ Mar 29th 2009 11:31PM
lmao samfish are you kidding me? you need to go watch planet earth on blu-ray on a 40"+ screen, then come back and tell me how many bricks you shat'
either that or any pixar movie
SoshiKitai @ Mar 30th 2009 5:45PM
... just play the first stages of Battalion Wars 2 for the Wii on a large screen TV...
.............................. TELL ME YOU DON'T NEED THOSE GRAPHICS UPDATED!!!
>_< AGGHHH!!! MY EYES!!!
...mind you it got better as the stages went forward, I wonder why that is... O_o
SJSchmidt93 @ Mar 29th 2009 10:14PM
That's 1UP... not IGN.
time @ Mar 29th 2009 10:31PM
haha nice catch
DBuck_Eye @ Mar 29th 2009 10:13PM
There is a decidedly noticeable difference in the graphics there. I mean, with 720p and AA, Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 could probably pass as "next-gen" titles. Really makes you think...
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 29th 2009 10:22PM
I agree with you completely. To be honest I didn't think HD would make much of a difference on Wii games because of the cartoony style of a lot of them but I was completely incorrect. These two videos really made my jaw drop because of how much better they look.
I'll bet Nintendo releases some sort of an HD Wii or Wii 2 with HD. I'm not talking an entire new console but something that gives a similar effect to these videos. Now, I'm not much for technical specs and knowledge so it might not be that simple. If it's not that simple please excuse my ignorance.
time @ Mar 29th 2009 10:28PM
I wonder if it's possible to release a plugin for the wii that allows it to render in HD without changing any of the system specs... somehow I doubt it though considering how locked up everything seems to be on the Wii.