Wii U processor clock speed lacking compared to Xbox 360 and PS3

While we've come to accept that the Wii U's graphics are at least on par with the current Xbox 360 and PS3, if not slightly better, a new statement from Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has provided new ammo for Wii U haters to add to their arsenal.

Speaking to Digital Spy, Harada admitted that the Wii U's processor clock speed is lower than that of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Harada acknowledged the Wii U's graphical capabilities, but as a result of the slower CPU, the developer is looking for "creative solutions" while working on the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

"I think maybe the game is coming along smoother than most people would think, as far as the look of the game," he told Digital Spy. "As far as graphical processing and such, it's not much of an issue. But as far as the CPU goes, the clock is kinda low."

"I guess they're trying to keep power consumption down so we have to come up with creative ways to get around that and that's taking a little bit of time."

Harada added that it was "maybe a little" lower than that of the current Xbox 360 and PS3. He likened the situation to when first developing for the PS3, but admitted it was a "different issue".

"For example on PS3 it was kind of difficult at first, but if you made good use of the different cores, you could split up the processing tasks and you could achieve very good effects," he explained. "But this is kind of a different issue than that."

The Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is "coming along quite rapidly" and isn't "far behind" the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions, but a release date can not be confirmed until a Wii U date is announced, which Nintendo hasn't done yet. Nintendo expects a holiday 2012 release for the Wii U, while Harada prefers a release date "as close as possible" to the other versions.

It doesn't sound like Harada is a fan of the Wii U to begin with. Just recently, he told told Eurogamer that the Wii U GamePad's tablet controller and secondary screen could be "distracting" while playing Tekken Tag Tournament 2 or other fighting games. As a result, they are thinking of making it useful in a more simplistic manner, like a way of "having shortcuts or, by making progressing through the game more convenient".

I wouldn't get too caught up in the specs right now until Nintendo announces something official. Over the past few months we've heard several different developers and industry persons' opinions and they all tell us different things about the Wii U. First we hear that it'll be better than current gen, but will suffer when compared to next-gen consoles even though those haven't even been acknowledged by Sony or Microsoft. Other times we hear it won't lag behind those mysterious next-gen consoles. The point is, over the next few months, take everything you hear about the Wii U with a grain of salt.