Since launch, the Wii U has been extensively tested and so far it’s been reveled that it’s not much more powerful than current generation hardware, at least when it comes to the processor. The latest findings at Digital Foundry reveal that the Wii U uses just half of the power compared to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. So when it comes to performance per watt, the Wii U is a clear winner.
For example, playing FIFA 13 on Wii U requires just 32W of power, while a PS3 requires 66W and an Xbox 360 requires 67W. Part of this great power efficiency is that the Wii U CPU runs at just 1.23 GHz, which is less than half of the clock speed compared to the competition. Despite that, the Wii U still matches the other consoles when it comes to CPU performance.
Digital Foundry did power draw tests with several games and discovered that the Wii U never went past 33W, which is quite an achievement. This means the console uses less power than the average laptop. Just like its predecessor, the Wii U was never meant to compete on performance, but on innovation. The console hardware is perfectly adequate to deliver HD graphics in the modern era while staying extremely power efficient.
For a better look at the hardware, check out the recent Wii U teardown which reveals the insides of the console.
