More Wii GPU Rumors: Super Mario @ 1500FPS?

We’ve seen all those rumors about what lies underneath the Wii’s casing, especially about the “Hollywood” GPU (that handles the graphics). There were IGN’s “unnamed, reliable” sources that put the Hollywood at 243MHz. Another source, this time an anonymous Wii developer, gives the same number.

So it was nothing new when we saw the same claim from Random Stuff. The same 243MHz. But this source decided to throw in a new number: “13MTexels.” And Another: “Super Mario will run at an unseen 1500FPS, while retaining an over-the-top performance.”

For those who ask, “texel,” or “texture pixel,”  is the fundamental unit of texture space, much as a pixel is the fundamental unit of picture resolution. Textures are represented by an array of texels, as pictures are represented by an array of pixels. It is the texel that gives a 3D object its detail through a process called texture mapping.

When a 3D object is rendered, the GPU maps each texel to the appropriate pixel in the picture or graphic being generated (See the graphic to the right for an example of simple texture mapping of the Earth’s surface onto a 3D sphere).

So, if Hollywood can generate 13MTexels… and Super Mario can (or will?) run at 1500 frames per second…

Be still our beating hearts. This is only a rumor from one guy and one not even officially acknowledged as “reliable” by any of the game sites or news outlets. Until Nintendo releases any official word on this, or until someone gets their hands on an actual Wii (or a devkit, demo unit, or evaluation platform), we won’t place any bets yet.

We’ve seen all those rumors about what lies underneath the Wii’s casing, especially about the “Hollywood” GPU (that handles the graphics). There were IGN’s “unnamed, reliable” sources that put the Hollywood at 243MHz. Another source, this time an anonymous Wii developer, gives the same number.

So it was nothing new when we saw the same claim from Random Stuff. The same 243MHz. But this source decided to throw in a new number: “13MTexels.” And Another: “Super Mario will run at an unseen 1500FPS, while retaining an over-the-top performance.”

For those who ask, “texel,” or “texture pixel,”  is the fundamental unit of texture space, much as a pixel is the fundamental unit of picture resolution. Textures are represented by an array of texels, as pictures are represented by an array of pixels. It is the texel that gives a 3D object its detail through a process called texture mapping.

When a 3D object is rendered, the GPU maps each texel to the appropriate pixel in the picture or graphic being generated (See the graphic to the right for an example of simple texture mapping of the Earth’s surface onto a 3D sphere).

So, if Hollywood can generate 13MTexels… and Super Mario can (or will?) run at 1500 frames per second…

Be still our beating hearts. This is only a rumor from one guy and one not even officially acknowledged as “reliable” by any of the game sites or news outlets. Until Nintendo releases any official word on this, or until someone gets their hands on an actual Wii (or a devkit, demo unit, or evaluation platform), we won’t place any bets yet.