Armed with some super high-resolution photos of E3 2011's Wii U prototype controller -- what we've dubbed "The WiiPad" -- the pixel counters at Golgotron estimate the screen to be a WVGA display, with video presented in 854 by 480 pixels. We're not exactly what you'd call "techies" (we leave that to our friends at Engadget), but last we checked, 480px high resolutions aren't high definition.
Perhaps you'd like to peep those fine pixels for yourself and get counting? Golgotron's got you covered. Just, ya know, clear your schedule if you're gonna. Counting to 480 takes awhile! ... Or about 480 seconds.
Reader Comments (139)
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:44PM shabby329 said
come on guys, you got away with skimping on HD last gen because of the motion controls and the lack of full HD adoption but this is ridiculous. apple is a serious competitor and yes, while i realize the wiipad will likely cost much less than an ipad, HD visuals are a must in 2011 to remain relevant. especially on a dedicated piece of tech that doesn't require an HD TV!
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:46PM A Sandwich said
@shabby329
On a six-inch screen? I think this will be just fine.
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On a six-inch screen? I think this will be just fine.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:50PM ddrussianinja said
@shabby329
The Wii U itself will be able to do HD, it's just that the WiiPad won't.
Also, Apple isn't really a competitor in this case. The Wii U is not a mobile gaming device. That's what the DS is for. And even then, I find it hard to consider Apple to be a competitor. Sure there are a ton of games for the iOS and they all sell well, but 99.9% of those games are just time sinks and don't really fill the same gaming experiences you get with a dedicated console yet. Maybe it will soon, but it hasn't yet.
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The Wii U itself will be able to do HD, it's just that the WiiPad won't.
Also, Apple isn't really a competitor in this case. The Wii U is not a mobile gaming device. That's what the DS is for. And even then, I find it hard to consider Apple to be a competitor. Sure there are a ton of games for the iOS and they all sell well, but 99.9% of those games are just time sinks and don't really fill the same gaming experiences you get with a dedicated console yet. Maybe it will soon, but it hasn't yet.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:53PM shabby329 said
@A Sandwich The iphone and ipod touch have the super clear retina display and they're even smaller, try going back to the old apple stuff after experiencing the super sharp screens... it sucks
and this is coming from a guy who owns every nintendo console ever made (and the only apple products i own are an ipod touch 4 and a 5th gen ipod)
im just really sick of getting muddy graphics when there are so many good options out there, i dont want to have make more excuses to myself if nintendo can't get with the program
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and this is coming from a guy who owns every nintendo console ever made (and the only apple products i own are an ipod touch 4 and a 5th gen ipod)
im just really sick of getting muddy graphics when there are so many good options out there, i dont want to have make more excuses to myself if nintendo can't get with the program
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:00PM shabby329 said
@McWilly i am aware its not the console but even if it's just streaming the visuals i want it to look just as good as on my tv or as on an ipad
and if you think the average consumer isn't going to directly compare the wiipad and ipad you are sadly mistaken, especially when nintendo chose to just publicize the controller this e3 and not the console itself
calling them idiots for making the comparison is not going to help sell wii u's
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and if you think the average consumer isn't going to directly compare the wiipad and ipad you are sadly mistaken, especially when nintendo chose to just publicize the controller this e3 and not the console itself
calling them idiots for making the comparison is not going to help sell wii u's
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:05PM shabby329 said
@alzeer i dunno, if it launches at $300-350 and comes with the system and wiipad, i think they could do it and keep the wiipad visuals looking great. as has already been pointed out it's not a computer or anything, just a screen. and if it can only support 1 wiipad as has been rumored then its not like we're going to be buying extras unless as a replacement
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Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:32PM Mmmmz said
@shabby329
Idiotic. This has a higher pixel density than the iPad.
This is also a great compromise for cost vs function. They don't want it to be your next media portal. They don't want it to shit all over their portable line. They want it to be an "advanced" controller.
I have an Archos 5 (5" screen) with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. And it gets the job done quite well. You can notice a 720p video on it vs DVD and it's quite usable.
So try and put on your thinking cap before you start spewing filth because on paper it isn't pretty.
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Idiotic. This has a higher pixel density than the iPad.
This is also a great compromise for cost vs function. They don't want it to be your next media portal. They don't want it to shit all over their portable line. They want it to be an "advanced" controller.
I have an Archos 5 (5" screen) with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. And it gets the job done quite well. You can notice a 720p video on it vs DVD and it's quite usable.
So try and put on your thinking cap before you start spewing filth because on paper it isn't pretty.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:33PM houser said
@shabby329 So you're just handwaving that a HD 6 inch screen can be made cheap enough for a mass market pack in?
Well yes if we are living in some hypothetical world where you can just wish for something to make it real, then yeah Nintendo totally dropped the ball on not giving everyone an HD tablet along with their console for 150 bucks.
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Well yes if we are living in some hypothetical world where you can just wish for something to make it real, then yeah Nintendo totally dropped the ball on not giving everyone an HD tablet along with their console for 150 bucks.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 2:17PM Duke said
@shabby329
If the controller costs as much as an ipad - or even in the range of it, then I would agree it should do as much.
This is just a controller to the console and you can't say you expect it to display as well as a tablet costing $600. It's not made to compete in that arena - it is not, no matter how you color it, in competition with the iPad.
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If the controller costs as much as an ipad - or even in the range of it, then I would agree it should do as much.
This is just a controller to the console and you can't say you expect it to display as well as a tablet costing $600. It's not made to compete in that arena - it is not, no matter how you color it, in competition with the iPad.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 2:18PM manyquestions said
@Vidikron
I think those games are still running on the box hardware, just using the controller as the main screen.
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I think those games are still running on the box hardware, just using the controller as the main screen.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 2:35PM dooms33ker said
@Duke
Nintendo charging in the range of $500 for a controller? You sir have lost your wits.
The controller will be around $80-100. That is less than a fifth of the price of an iPad.
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Nintendo charging in the range of $500 for a controller? You sir have lost your wits.
The controller will be around $80-100. That is less than a fifth of the price of an iPad.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 3:01PM Misfit Toy said
@theBrayn
Well technically 720p is HD. Its just that 1080p is considered FULL HD. So 768 is a sufficient resolution for HD content - especially at that screen size.
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Well technically 720p is HD. Its just that 1080p is considered FULL HD. So 768 is a sufficient resolution for HD content - especially at that screen size.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:44PM Fuzunga said
Eh, seems fine to me.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:44PM xiLeShadow said
It is high definition for a what, 4-inch display?
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:59PM RageOverdose said
@Mike DPad
Making sure the controller doesn't cost $199 probably, to go along with the cost of the console itself.
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Making sure the controller doesn't cost $199 probably, to go along with the cost of the console itself.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:00PM PSN StaticShock said
@xiLeShadow
What was the DS's screens' resolutions?
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What was the DS's screens' resolutions?
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:52PM theBrayn said
@Mike DPad
The iPhone4 doesn't cost $199, that is the deal you get when signing a 2 year contract. The full retail price of the iPhone4 is around $400 for the 16GB I think. I thought everyone knew that cell phone companies subsidize part of the cost of the equipment to sell more contracts...
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The iPhone4 doesn't cost $199, that is the deal you get when signing a 2 year contract. The full retail price of the iPhone4 is around $400 for the 16GB I think. I thought everyone knew that cell phone companies subsidize part of the cost of the equipment to sell more contracts...
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:54PM jtrjuwrue5iiejie5ijeie3i5 said
@Mike DPad
Last I checked, the iPhone only costs $199 because the phone companies eat the other $400 out of pocket to make sure people buy their phones.
I don't think Nintendo wants a $600 controller
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Last I checked, the iPhone only costs $199 because the phone companies eat the other $400 out of pocket to make sure people buy their phones.
I don't think Nintendo wants a $600 controller
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 2:29PM tendoboy1984 said
@Mike DPad
Stop comparing it to the iPhone. A better comparison would be the iPod touch, which is only $220, or the iPad, which is $500.
You can't compare this WiiU controller to a subsidized cell phone.
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Stop comparing it to the iPhone. A better comparison would be the iPod touch, which is only $220, or the iPad, which is $500.
You can't compare this WiiU controller to a subsidized cell phone.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 5:48PM xxxsam said
@gangcar
Hopefully this controller will be an awful lot cheaper than $250.
It seems likely to be worryingly expensive already (even if you don't need a second one, it's got to add a lot to the system price). Seems to me that it would probably cost ~$150 even with the resistive touchscreen and presumably slow CPU.
Frankly I'm glad they didn't make it HD; as others have pointed out, that's not really necessary (it might be useful for the web browser feature, but come on, who's really going to use this as a web browser, we all know it will be crap for that). HD on the tablet is totally unnecessary for games. This thing is going to be displaying map screens, inventory, move selection, that kind of stuff. You do not need an HD map screen.
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Hopefully this controller will be an awful lot cheaper than $250.
It seems likely to be worryingly expensive already (even if you don't need a second one, it's got to add a lot to the system price). Seems to me that it would probably cost ~$150 even with the resistive touchscreen and presumably slow CPU.
Frankly I'm glad they didn't make it HD; as others have pointed out, that's not really necessary (it might be useful for the web browser feature, but come on, who's really going to use this as a web browser, we all know it will be crap for that). HD on the tablet is totally unnecessary for games. This thing is going to be displaying map screens, inventory, move selection, that kind of stuff. You do not need an HD map screen.
Posted: Jun 10th 2011 12:05PM SkuddStevens said
@Mike DPad You're hilariously misinformed, sir. The iPhone 4 is only $199 after a contractual discount, the price off-contract is $599. Even the iPod Touch 4G, which uses the same tech, is $249 at its cheapest.
@Everybody Else, the WiiPad won't hit a resolution any higher than 854x480. It's sufficient and cost-effective considering it's not the console's main display.
Technically speaking, the PSP has a lower RPI than the WiiPad is boasting, and it still looks fantastic, so I can't see why anybody should complain.
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@Everybody Else, the WiiPad won't hit a resolution any higher than 854x480. It's sufficient and cost-effective considering it's not the console's main display.
Technically speaking, the PSP has a lower RPI than the WiiPad is boasting, and it still looks fantastic, so I can't see why anybody should complain.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:45PM ddrussianinja said
That's about what I expected. Otherwise, the cost of this thing would be ridiculous.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:46PM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said
Isn't "uPad" a more fitting name?
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:13PM Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En said
@Soiden
That's a good one as well.
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That's a good one as well.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 1:31PM Uncle Jesse said
@Zoot Suit Jedi Grammar Hammer En
UPad.
Ooooooh. Yep. I like it.
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UPad.
Ooooooh. Yep. I like it.
Posted: Jun 9th 2011 12:46PM ZombieSpongebob said
But nintendo says these are prototypes soo this isn't finishes yet we have to wait and see








