Will We See the Wii in Weeks? Wii Chip Production Started in July
Before we get to the hype and the details, let’s get to the point: the point of this article is that the Wii could be released in just a few weeks. Why? Because according to IBM, the Broadway chip has been in Nintendo’s hands since July. They’ve been manufacturing it for the console since that time! IBM has been shipping the chips to Nintendo “well within this quarter” (that’s July) and they have shipped “a significant volume” so far. Nintendo admits it, too.
This is remarkable. Nintendo has the power to launch the system very soon. It’s been over a month since these chips started production. An October launch wouldn’t be totally unheard of in this circumstance. “The first chips are in our possession. Today’s milestone marks the final stage of our drive to reach both core and nontraditional gamers with an inviting, inclusive and remarkable gaming experience,” said Genyo Takeda, senior managing director for Nintendo’s Integrated Research and Development Division.
The chip is 20% more power efficient than the GameCube‘s “Gekko” CPU and is “significantly more powerful” according to Ron Martino, the director of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. It’s Power-Architecture-based and is optimized for Nintendo.
Expect full details at the September 14th event next week. Also, does anyone find it a bit strange this news comes just two days after Sony announced their production problems? Interesting timing by Nintendo don’t you think?
Via Statesman
Before we get to the hype and the details, let’s get to the point: the point of this article is that the Wii could be released in just a few weeks. Why? Because according to IBM, the Broadway chip has been in Nintendo’s hands since July. They’ve been manufacturing it for the console since that time! IBM has been shipping the chips to Nintendo “well within this quarter” (that’s July) and they have shipped “a significant volume” so far. Nintendo admits it, too.
This is remarkable. Nintendo has the power to launch the system very soon. It’s been over a month since these chips started production. An October launch wouldn’t be totally unheard of in this circumstance. “The first chips are in our possession. Today’s milestone marks the final stage of our drive to reach both core and nontraditional gamers with an inviting, inclusive and remarkable gaming experience,” said Genyo Takeda, senior managing director for Nintendo’s Integrated Research and Development Division.
The chip is 20% more power efficient than the GameCube‘s “Gekko” CPU and is “significantly more powerful” according to Ron Martino, the director of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. It’s Power-Architecture-based and is optimized for Nintendo.
Expect full details at the September 14th event next week. Also, does anyone find it a bit strange this news comes just two days after Sony announced their production problems? Interesting timing by Nintendo don’t you think?
Via Statesman