ATI on Wii E3 graphics: Tip of the iceberg

Even after Nintendo's continued insistence that the Wii won't even remotely churn out the kind of graphics seen in other next-gen systems, some still hold out a vague and poorly formulated hope that someone simply forgot to flip a switch somewhere. GameDaily Biz pursued the topic of visuals with ATI's John Swinimer, Senior Public Relations Manager of Consumer Products and came up with the following choice quote: "I think what you saw [on Wii] was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Hollywood chip can bring to the Nintendo Wii."

The thing with an iceberg is that you never know just how far down it goes -- it might not go down nearly as deep as your expectations do. Swinimer goes on to say, "I really don't think that it's about the [specs]; I think it's about the innovation that it brings to the table-the motion-sensing, the always-on capability, which is really cool too-the fact that the chip is powerful enough and responsive enough to be there at a moment's notice, and I think that's pretty cool for the average gamer."

That's not the kind of answer that would imply a forthcoming bloom in graphics. And that's okay. The funny thing is that ATI and to a lesser extent, Nintendo, feel compelled to constantly explain why the Wii's graphical abilities don't stack up to the competition, instead of letting the system speak for itself. You've made your decision, Nintendo, and you've justified it with a strong E3 showing. That's all the explanation you need.