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Offline Jorge D. Fuentes

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So I found out that the "Wii Mode" of the Wii-U can be softmodded, just like the original could (with some changes).

Because of this, I was really able to notice the difference between the Wii and Wii-U when it comes to picture quality, etc.  For example:

-The Wii-U's "Wii Mode" displays at 1080i, even though the resolution being showcase is the games' native resolution.  I checked my TV's "Display Information" for the Wii-U's Wii Mode and it does not say "480p", it says "1080i".  The Wii-U's native mode is 1080p, btw (in case you guys did not know).

To put it in simple terms, the Wii-U is 'upscaling' the Wii's resolution.
It is NOT UpConverting (sadly), just basically resizing the screen to the new resolution in the hardware/software, and displaying it to the TV on its HDMI Digital Connection.

-The Wii-U's "Wii Mode" is, as a result, 'crisper' than the Wii mode, even if it's the same pixels being displayed.

I noticed that there's no more color bleeding happening in Wii titles.  This is (obviously) because the new connection to the TV is a digital one using HDMI, but it's made VERY apparent when playing homebrew.  Holy crap homebrew is pretty.  I am playing Mega Man III on HBC on Wii on Wii-U, and the blacks are blacker and the brights are brighter.  An interesting side-effect of the digital connection being upscaled is that there is no true flickering when playing games on FCEU-GX.  If you were to pause a game when a flicker effect is supposed to happen, you will spot the interlacing (and micro-scanlines) of the 1080i connection, which creates a pseudo-transparency.  Ha ha!

-The Wii-U's "Wii Mode" homebrew's graphics end up using even cleaner pixels now (again obviously).

-Polygon games (Wii titles), though are virtually the same in terms of resolution, have better colors (though at times look slightly washed out, can't be sure why that's happening though), especially dark tones.  Anything that looked like a black splotchy mark on Component 480p looks Jet Black on Upscaled 480p-to-1080i.

This pretty much means that my Wii-U is now equally as capable to play homebrew (and USB-HDD Wii games) as my Wii is.

I just hope at one point they either crack the Wii-U's native mode, or give us a method of using wireless controllers on some sort of odd Gamecube emulation on Wii on Wii-U, as (again, obviously), the Wii-U cannot play Gamecube games for a number of reasons (no controller ports, no memory card slots, no mini-CD reader on the slot).

So yeah, I just thought I'd share.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2012, 11:02:17 AM by Jorge D. Fuentes »
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Offline TheCruelAngel

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Thanks for the share! I'm glad to hear about the upscaling with the Wii titles (I suspected it did something like this).

I think I'll hold off on softmodding my system, but it's nice to know that it's still available.

Offline Jorge D. Fuentes

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Yeah some people are hesitant to mod their Wii-U's "Wii Mode" (now known on the softmodding circles as "vWii", which is the way I'll refer it now) because, in theory, Nintendo 'could' see those files what with the Wii-U having online capabilities and the like... but I took the plunge anyway.

Something else I noticed:
-Something is happening when the Wii titles are played on the Wii-U.  There's something about the resolution changes that's creating very subtle, very nuanced vertical scanlines.  I think it may be because of the scaling (this might also be the reason why the colors look slightly different - sort of like how when the 3DS plays DS titles it upscales them but because the new resolution isn't perfectly set up to match the old resolution, it creates a slightly blended look).

I believe it's taking the 853x480 (480p) output of the original Wii, and upscaling it to a Wii-U Resolution based somewhat on the resolution the user has chosen, then sending the converted signal through HDMI to the TV.  Because I set my Wii-U to 1080p, the Wii-U seems to have chosen 1080i as the default resolution once it's done upscaling the Wii's default.

Unfortunately, the vWii's "Settings" no longer allow you to mess with the resolution.  Understandably so, since it just assumes that you have a 16:9 TV (a safe assumption since you used HDMI to connect the Wii-U to the TV, so it'll never be a Standard Definition TV).

This means that what I'm looking at here is 853x480 (480p @16:9) upscaled to 1920x540x2 (1080i).  These resolutions are not perfectly ratio'd, so my 1080i resolution has those nuanced vertical scanlines and interlaced flickering.  It's being multiplied by 2.25 vertically, and then being multiplied by 2.2508 horizontally.

I will post up some pics later.

I'm not sure why the vWii's output is 1080i instead of 1080p.  Perhaps Nintendo chose 1080i in order to mask any upscaling problems it might have had?  Not sure.
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Offline Inccubus

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Not being able to install disc games into memory is a failure as far as I'm concerned.
I hope Nintendo realize this and corrects it in the near future. Also, I think they really need to either figure out a way to let vWii use the gamepad or integrate wiiware & vc games into the main mode. It's a waste not being able to play wiiware & VC games pon the gamepad directly. The thing is so perfect for those types of games.

Other than that I have few complaints. I like the new set up.
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Offline Abnormal Freak

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Homebrew on the Wii U sounds pretty cool but I think I'll stick to just having my Wii modded; whenever I do get a U, I'll keep it a virgin system. :> I have a creeping suspicion that Virtual Console games won't look as good on the U due to upscaling, so I'd be wary of transferring my data since I can't keep my downloaded games on both systems, so my Wii will remain hooked up anyway ('specially since it's my GameCube also).
« Last Edit: December 29, 2012, 10:59:59 PM by Abnormal Freak »
Oh yeah, and also:
meat

Soda as well.

Offline Inccubus

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Why can't you keep your wiiware on both systems? The 'transfer' is done through the SD card, so I'd imagine it doesn't actually remove anything from the old system as long as you have a copy of your SD card.
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Offline Jorge D. Fuentes

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-I love Miiverse and NintendoTVii.
I get on Miiverse and doodle things about games,.
-I probably will have mine modded to get a few features I don't think Nintendo will not implement or will not find cost-effective (such as virtual console titles being playable on the gamepad screen).

HOWEVER, if getting the system modded will kick me off in anyway, then I may refrain from doing so.

I have confirmed that, because the HDMI cable sends a digital signal to my TV, all softmod homebrew apps (FCEUltraGX, ZSNES, etc.) display sharper pictures, at 1080i (at least in my vWii).  However, that 1080i is displaying an upscaled NES/SNES resolution.  Because the signal is so clean since it's digital, everything looks nice and sharp.  There are no blurs.

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Offline Abnormal Freak

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Why can't you keep your wiiware on both systems? The 'transfer' is done through the SD card, so I'd imagine it doesn't actually remove anything from the old system as long as you have a copy of your SD card.

Nintendo are bass-ackwards, remember? You have to download a specific transfer tool that essentially transfers the data and licenses from one system to the other; once transferred, those games are unplayable on the Wii. If you try playing them from an SD card, the original Wii will prevent you.

I suppose with hacking you can transfer games without fudging everything up, though.

Nintendo aren't like Microsoft and Sony where your downloadable purchases are linked to an account. You can link to Club Nintendo, but it has no practical application; the games you download are attached to your console and nothing else. It's why I had to take my 3DS XL home and transfer all the data from the regular 3DS before trading it in.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2012, 12:14:46 PM by Abnormal Freak »
Oh yeah, and also:
meat

Soda as well.

Offline Jorge D. Fuentes

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You don't have to download it, it comes with your vWii as an app.

You can prevent it:
-Use BootMii and make a NAND backup of your Wii.
-Use the Wii Transfer app, send your stuff to your vWii.
-Use BootMii and make a NAND restore of your Wii.
-????
-Profit!
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anything