To make sure this is very clear, no-one's looking at this screeny and saying 'it's dithered, so Wii can only do dithered graphics.' The idea that Wii needs to use dithering comes from the patent, and this screenshot is validating that theory. It doesn't prove it, but it does show there's reason to think that 96 bit super sampled 5.6.5+alpha framebuffers are a technical design limit of Wii and it shares GC's 24 bit per pixel architecture rather than upping it to 32 bit per pixel.
I know a lot of people are fighting this conclusions, but between Matt's insider info and how all the games currently look it appears to be the most obvious conclusion. That said there may be special sauce in the Hollywood chip which can be exposed later as the API developers and devs get final hardware and can begin digging--but since Nintendo is so closed off on this that is a guess/conjecture/stretch that currently has no tangible evidence.
Shifty you mentioned being dissappointed. Count me in. I own a GCN, my only last gen console. While non-GCN owners may be tickled pink, my reaction is "Why not just give me the darned Wii-mote?"
Obviously that wasn't gonna happen for practical marketing purposes, but at $250 that is an absolutely fair question. At that price, $50 cheaper than the 360 Core at $299, I expect MUCH more. Just from the games shown I get the dejavu feeling--I got these games on my GCN in 480p via a component cable
Technically I look at a solid DX9 class GPU like the Radeon 9700Pro/9800Pro and shake my head. The R3xx series was developed by the ATI West Coast (ArtX) team. The 9700 was manufactured on the 150nm process and had 8 SM2.0 Pixel Shaders and 8 TMUs and was released in
Q3 2002.
Hollywood is on the 90nm process, and presumably on the fast track for 65nm in 2007. On the market we already have GPUs that passively cooled in a PC with much higher performance (with SM3.0/32bit percision pixel shader support) on the 110nm process and retail currently in the $100 range (i.e. PCB, GPU, Memory, Cooling Solution; e.g. the 6600GT).
I see no reason, at $250, that Nintendo could not have added the controller (even at $50) and could have taken 90nm Gekko/Broadway chips (overclocked) and added in a nice, modern GPU that performed EXCEEDINGLY well at 480p widescreen AND STILL MADE MONEY AT $250. The GCN has been selling at sub-$100 for years.
Now we can all hope this is the case, but is there absolutely ANY evidence of such?
Nope, not that I have seen. Although a DX9 class GPU would have been exceedingly affordable, the fact we have not seen any DX9 level software (e.g. HL2, Doom 3... 2004 games, which mind you newer DX9 level software on a 6600GT/9800Pro class GPU looks even better, and we are talking about 1280x1024 and 1024x768 resolutions, not 480p!!) is a pretty clear indication of what is in there IMO. I think we would see a lot of excited developers porting their DX9 PC engines over if Wii supported them.
Anyhow, the $250 price tag is a complete turn off. The Virtual Console may be a plus for some... but I already own a GCN, N64, SNES, GB, and NES. Why would I re-buy games I already own, especially on a budget console? So it all comes down to games: Do I want GCN+ level games (level = AI, Graphics, Sound, etc) and get a unique free hand controller, or do I spent $50 more and get a platform with 10x+ performance, significantly more game support, and a proven online network?
Graphics are not the end all be all for me, but 480p DX7 class graphics have grown old and stale. If I felt I was getting a deal on Wii at $150 (a steal, and $199 with a packin is justifyable imo, especially for non-GCN owners) I would be excited, but I feel like I am getting a GCN+ and a Wand. The Wand is great, but so are other features the PS3 and 360 offer.
Now if I was getting a 6600/7600 class GPU in there for $250 I would feel pretty good about the purchase. Not as nice as RSX or Xenos, but competitent, especially at 480p! "Good enough" graphics, some porting/asset downsizing, and my little Wii would hold its own plus offer an experience no one else had. But now I am pretty much being sold on: Same exact experience you already own, sans a new controller.
Anyhow, based on what is known, at $250 the Wii should have a MUCH better GPU. My guess: By Fll 2007 Wii is $149. $249 is a 2006 thing due to 1) demand and 2) limited supply (6M by the end of March). Might as well make money while you can!