Wii HD?

[Logan Westbrook]

Wii HD?

Everyone knows that the Wii can't do HD, but is that all about to change?

No it isn't unfortunately, but that doesn't mean that there aren't ways to drag your Wii games kicking and screaming into the 21st century graphically. The Dolphin [http://dolphin-emu.com/news.php] PC Wii Emulator lets players run their Wii games in 720p, rather than than the 480p the device itself is limited to. One dolphin user, Renebarahona [http://www.youtube.com/user/renebarahona] has uploaded some videos to show off what the emulator can do, just make sure you click the HD button while you're watching.


It's not all good news though, as emulating current-gen consoles needs a fairly powerful PC and Dolphin can only run disc images of Wii games, as a PCs DVD drive will not read the Wii discs properly.

The graphics have long been a bone of contention for gamers considering the Wii, and while this isn't exactly the ideal situation, it's definitely a start.

Source: 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173489]



Permalink

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Graphics Shmaphics. I'm completely content with my Wii. Even though the graphics aren't top of the class, it's not like they're attrocious. They're not so far down the scale that the games are deemed "un-playable".

 

[Doug]

I'm not to fussed about graphics, to be brutually honest. So long as they aren't so bad I can't see what's going on, they really need gameplay to work for me.

I'm always saddened when a graphics whore tries to boil down game quality to graphical quality. Its nice that the Wii is gonna get some HD looks though.

 

[edgeofblade]

A game can't be boiled down to just graphics, I agree. But you can't deny that graphics matters more to some people than others. Tell me that Super Mario Galaxy wouldn't be positively gorgeous on a 1080p set. That's not to say it's not gorgeous already.

But either way, it's too late for Wii to switch gears. It would be wasted money on nintendo's part.

 

[aaron552]

As many have said, graphics should come second to gameplay (and maybe story/plot/characterisation for applicable game genres). That does not mean great-looking graphics are bad, just not as important. For example, the high-def texture mods for Ocarina of Time that are possible with emulators don't make the game any worse, rather they improve something that already awesome for its great gampley

 

[Ago Iterum]

I think the graphics are fine already..

 

[Johnn Johnston]

While it's an improvement, it would be better if you didn't need to rely on buying additional equipment for the graphics.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Wii graphics are fine, they just need ambitious titles that exploit what Wii does well. Er, MORE of them, I mean. Zelda, MadWorld, and some others are already awesome. But the awesomest videogames (like Arkham Asylum, mmmm) are skipping the Wii over. MadWorld is a great start! Exactly what a Wii game should be!

MAKE!MOAR!

 

[SaintWaldo]

It's not all good news though, as emulating current-gen consoles needs a fairly powerful PC and Dolphin can only run disc images of Wii games, as a PCs DVD drive will not read the Wii discs properly.

So, uh, how the hell do you get a legal disc image, if you can't read it with a standard DVD drive?

 

[TsunamiWombat]

It's not all good news though, as emulating current-gen consoles needs a fairly powerful PC and Dolphin can only run disc images of Wii games, as a PCs DVD drive will not read the Wii discs properly.

So, uh, how the hell do you get a legal disc image, if you can't read it with a standard DVD drive?

You don't

*puts on eyepatch* ARRRRR!

 

[Doug]

A game can't be boiled down to just graphics, I agree. But you can't deny that graphics matters more to some people than others. Tell me that Super Mario Galaxy wouldn't be positively gorgeous on a 1080p set. That's not to say it's not gorgeous already.

But either way, it's too late for Wii to switch gears. It would be wasted money on nintendo's part.

Agreed, but alot of the current upcoming generation of gamers seem to think "Super duper graphics == Excellent game". Graphics help, certainly, and I'd imagine, say, Super Mario Galaxy's high quality stylist look helps an already good game.

What I more meant was, graphics don't improve a game by themselves. They can add to an already good game, but the fact that graphics seem to be all that matters to the current generation saddens me. They'd never enjoy Anachronox, for example, because even when it was released, its graphics where poor and dated. Add to that, the pressure to produce shiny graphics over working on gameplay and/or plot could cripple the quality of future games.

 

[Narcunknown]

Any wii owner didn't buy it for the graphics. If you did, good for you. They aren't bad, and If you look closely enough, they are the same as most of their PS3 and Xbox 360 counter-parts

 

[Gamer137]

It just needs more quality titles, better online services, and less shovelware.

 

[zoozilla]

I don't really think it's worth all the effort to get a Wii game working in an HD resolution. I mean, it's not as though the higher resolution will suddenly make Wii games look spectacular or anything.

Carnival Games will still look like Carnival Games.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

It's not all good news though, as emulating current-gen consoles needs a fairly powerful PC and Dolphin can only run disc images of Wii games, as a PCs DVD drive will not read the Wii discs properly.

So, uh, how the hell do you get a legal disc image, if you can't read it with a standard DVD drive?

I would imagine that you can get disc images in the normal fashion, but you can't play the game from the disc.

EDIT: I'm not sure if even that much is true. Apparently there is a 'Homebrew' Channel for the Wii that lets you do it, but I can't find the link for it anywhere.

 

[Baneat]

no. The graphics of CoD5 on the wii actually look like vomit on the TV screen. This is an illegal solution though, not like I'm not going to try it.

 

[Krakyn]

Wow, I played Twilight Princess on a 68", and I wish had Dolphin. Those graphics are gorgeous!

 

[sheic99]

It's not all good news though, as emulating current-gen consoles needs a fairly powerful PC and Dolphin can only run disc images of Wii games, as a PCs DVD drive will not read the Wii discs properly.

So, uh, how the hell do you get a legal disc image, if you can't read it with a standard DVD drive?

You don't

*puts on eyepatch* ARRRRR!

You rip the image and mount it with Deamontools.

no. The graphics of CoD5 on the wii actually look like vomit on the TV screen. This is an illegal solution though, not like I'm not going to try it.

Not necessarily, if you dump your own bios from the wii, and rip the images from your games, then there is nothing illegal about an emulator.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

But you can't deny that graphics matters more to some people than others.

My faith in the gamer community dies a little every time someone says they avoid games because the graphical quality is not equal to the Big Name Devs.