Recently, IGN got their hands on more data about the Wii 2, codenamed “Project Café”. However, as we all ought to know by now, Wii 2 isn’t the name Nintendo is going to use. They’re dabbling around with names for the mysterious platform, including the name “Stream”. It’s interesting, since the Stream will be able to put out HDV (1080p content). It won’t, however, be able to read equally HD content, such as blu-ray.
This enhancement in graphics is partly due to the custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset, which is going to act as the computer of the Stream. However, they’re having to push the clock in order to compete with the three 64-bit, 3.2-Ghz cores in Microsoft’s new console. I guess it’s just that time of year, eh?
As well, the Stream is not expected to switch up to AMD’s fusion platform. Though an AMD GPU will still power the graphics, it’s going to come from a beefed up version of the regular R700 architecture. They also may put in some R800 – but that’s just speculation, I think. The GPU will be able to tap in to 512mb of memory – not to be confused with the amount of physical RAM the console will have. I guess we’ll have to wait til E3 on that one.
The release of the Wii 2 is pegged for April 2012 in order for Nintendo to actually gather enough stock, and focus on games, but the earliest posible release date in in October or November 2011. A 2012 release of the Stream would give Nintendo about 2 years of being the only member of the next gen – a pretty sweet deal if you think about it. The price is going to be about $350-$400, but with all the features, that’s not too bad a deal!
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Source: PCMag.com (Who sourced IGN.com)