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The iPhone is more powerful than the Wii?

by Kirk Hiner on Jul 30, 2009 at 08:47 AM
Tales from Monkey Island

So says a developer at Telltale Games, according to a report at IGN. Addressing the framerate issue of the WiiWare game “Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1” on the company’s online message boards, a developer under the alias of “Yare” stated, “...The Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even.” Uh oh.

Now, I know nothing about programming, but it seems to me the notion that the iPhone could be packing more power than a Wii is sort of ridiculous. Yes, the Wii is underpowered graphically compared to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but I own both systems. I’ve played games on both systems. I’ve enjoyed an hated games on both systems. There’s just no way you can achieve the look of, say, Super Mario Galaxy or The Conduit on the iPhone. Correct me if I’m wrong, iPhone devs.

More likely, this developer just shares the frustration of having to dumb down graphics to fit the Wii’s restrictions. Console games need to look good, and it has to be annoying to spend time eking as much power as possible out of the Wii’s processor in order to achieve the look you want. On the iPhone, gamers are used to somewhat shoddy looking games. Many of the developers don’t have the experience or knowledge to turn out high-end, 3D graphics. So, when a company with some financial backing comes along and is able to really show off the iPhone’s capabilities (especially compared to the graphics of other phones), that would be rewarding to both the gamer and the developer.

Wii owners need not fret, anyway. The system has never been about the graphics, it’s about the controls and the unique gameplay experience they provide. Personally, I wouldn’t care if the graphics processor in the iPhone outshined the PS3. The touchscreen and accelerometer aren’t conducive to much of anything outside of racing games, and although the iPhone is a fantastic machine, it simply can’t provide the satisfying gaming experience that the Wii does.

The DS, on the other hand, is another story…

Read [Telltale Games Blog] Via [IGN]

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