Wii U rumors: Limiting chipset for controller, developer issues, release date talk

01Net published an article yesterday regarding information they’ve received about the 3DS. Today, they’ve followed up with some Wii U rumors.

The first topic of discussion focuses on the controller’s main chipset. There is apparently some concern that it is limiting. 01Net’s source goes as far as to say that it might be “a tad too cheap”. The site also claims that wireless capabilities aren’t functioning just yet and a fourth prototype will be made available before month’s end.

“So far, the Wii U controller’s main chipset – that manages the device’s essential functions, including streaming and wireless – seems inadequate. This chip, described by our source as maybe a tad too cheap, has been the sources of many headaches in recent weeks. So far, the wireless functions simply do not work – at all. There have been so far three different prototypes, and a fourth iteration is expected by select developers at the end of the month.”

01Net goes on to discuss the controller, which “is fitted with a small black box”. The kits supposedly don’t work as they should and developers are allegedly having issues with Wii U.

01Net’s comments in full on the situation:

“So far, developers are working with a tethered controller: each one is fitted with a small black box with a tethered connection to the main unit. And even then, it still doesn’t work properly. Many developers are feeling lost, their progress impeded by a distinct lack of visibility, their working days paced by the quasi-daily software updates. In those conditions, many feel unable to properly exploit the system’s most innovative and promising features, those very features they haven’t been able to test properly so far.”

You have to wonder how much of this is true. So far, third-parties have been very positive about creating games for Wii U. Vigil, for instance, even said that “it’s definitely a lot easier [to develop for] than say the PS3 was.”

Lastly, 01Net talks about when Wii U may launch. Although “developers are still expecting a June 2012 release”, it could be delayed to September. That’s assuming any of this is even true, of course.

“Ten months before the tentative release date – developers are still expecting a June 2012 release – the fact that Nintendo engineers are still struggling to make this supposedly final architecture function properly is worrisome at best. Could Nintendo have to make radical last-minute changes, and if so, what would be the cost? This unexpected development runs contrary to Nintendo’s reputation for carefully weighing all tech options long before any announcement. Inside the company, there have been talks of a delayed release, with September as a new tentative date. Being three months off-schedule doesn’t seem such a big issue, when compared to a home console’s life cycle. But this is not 2006 anymore. The industry is undergoing a radical mutation, and there is a growing amount of rumors positioning Microsoft’s next system to be unveiled during the 2012 E3 conference, and a relase in short order. If that was to happen, the Wii U would only enjoy a few months of ‘optimal run’ alongside the Xbox 360, which would essentially moot the much-touted ease with which developers can port 360 code for the Wii U. To succeed in its incredibly audacious endeavour, Nintendo will have to walk a very tight rope.”

Like yesterday’s report, you should take 01Net’s article with a grain of salt…