An inside source has revealed some secret information to IGN regarding the processing power of the Xbox 720’s and Wii U’s graphics hardware.

[The] Xbox 720’s raw graphics processing power is expected to be six times that of the Xbox 360 and will yield 20-percent greater performance than Nintendo’s forthcoming console, the Wii U.

Now, I can already smell the trolls descending onto this (rumoured!) number to declare the Wii U inadequate; but look at it more optimistically. If the Xbox 720 is 20% more powerful than the Wii U, do the math and you’ll see that this makes the Wii U just over 83% as powerful.

This may mean that Xbox 720 versions of multiplatform games get slightly better textures or a few more particles on the screen. But realistically, it’s unlikely this difference will stop developers trying to port a game from the Xbox 720 to the Wii U or vice versa. The two consoles are roughly on the same level, likely to a similar extent as the PlayStation 3 compared to the Xbox 360.

What’s more exciting is that the Xbox 720 is apparently six times more powerful than its predecessor (which brings the Wii U to just about 5x more powerful, on the same benchmark). Considering what developers have been able to do with the Xbox 360’s rather old GPU this generation, a leap this large will no doubt make many developers happy (and it’s a much more attractive figure than the “50% more powerful” we heard many months ago). To hear that the Wii U and Xbox 720 are both such a significant leap over the current generation is exciting indeed.

Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono has gotten his hands on a Wii U dev kit and seems to be quite happy with everything it has to offer. In a recent interview, he specifically reassured us that there is lots more to see than what Nintendo showed us last E3 and at CES.

What we saw last E3 is not a reflection of everything this console is able to offer. We have been trying development kits and some of its new characteristics will improve its possibilities.  It isn’t something like Kinect or other similar accessories, it’s something different.

Wii U will be a console with so many and unique possibilities that it will be different to show them in the box they are going to sell… or by magazines or other mediums.

And Ono is definitely right – we’ve yet to hear any concrete details on the Wii U’s online capabilities, for one, and we also haven’t seen any demos making use of the controller’s camera. But alas, Ono can’t reveal any specifics yet, as he humorously remarked “I can’t tell you more about it because, if I do, Nintendo will send assassins to finish me.”

Previously, Ono has commented on the possibility of Street Fighter X Tekken coming to the Wii U. Could that be what he’s working on with his dev kit?

Industry veteran Paul Gale, who is generally regarded as a trusted source, has heard word that Rocksteady Studios might be working on a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Crisis, as a follow-up to the well-received Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City games. The game is allegedly in development for the Wii U, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

The ramblings include a whole slew of interesting details, which you can find right after the break.

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Nintendo have registered a new domain, NintendoNetwork.net, which redirects to their main website at Nintendo.com. One of the rumours surrounding the 3DS’s (and possibly Wii U’s) new online service is that a website will be available from which one will be able to manage their Nintendo Network account. Nintendo might be planning to use this domain for that purpose.

Following yesterday’s reveal of Nintendo Network, some alleged details about the service have surfaced. Now, I say “alleged” because they come from an anonymous, unverifiable source.

The rumour claims that Nintendo Network will be right on par with Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, if not rival it. Apparently, it “will include many new features that haven’t been used before by Nintendo. ” Nintendo Network will also be a unified service shared by the Wii U and 3DS (as I had speculated), and there will apparently be a website from which you can configure and manage your account.

How much of this you choose to believe is up to you. But don’t forget that developers as large as EA and Ubisoft have expressed delight with the Wii U’s online features. Nintendo also received a patent some time ago for a “massively single-player online game” – perhaps that will be one of these new features we’ve never seen before.

What do you think it would take for Nintendo Network to rival PlayStation Network and Xbox Live?

During an interview about Renegade Kid’s latest game, Mutant Mudds, the Wii U came up; and Jools Watsham, the studio’s founder, shared his thoughts on it:

I was able to check it out at E3 last year, but we have not signed up as a developer yet. We’ve been too busy with the 3DS! I am really looking forward to see what Nintendo have to offer at this year’s E3. It could be the star of the show if Nintendo play their cards right.

Renegade Kid don’t have a Wii U dev kit yet, but I’m right with Jools here – it’s a console chock-full of potential, and E3 2012 is Nintendo’s chance to make or break the system (figuratively speaking, of course).

A trailer has been released for Project CARS, a racing simulator coming to the Wii U. Project CARS is noted for its focus on community-driven development – the developers release test builds of the game regularly, which players then provide feedback on.

Watch the trailer after the break!

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Rumours of a sequel to Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing began today, which is allegedly in development for the Wii U, among other platforms. The tip comes from an anonymous developer claiming to work for Sumo Digital, the studio that developed the first title. The tipster said:

Now working on another title for Sega on 3DS, VITA and WiiU. [The] title we are working on is top secret but the last game we did for them was Sonic And Sega All-Star Racing, so the logical conclusion would be…

As with any other rumour, keep a dose of salt handy. But seeing how well Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing was received by critics, a sequel definitely wouldn’t be out of the question.

While the Wii U console itself has been finalized, there’s a chance that the Wii U controller isn’t. Industry Gamers, who spent some time with the console at CES, had this to say:

Though Nintendo didn’t confirm that the controller design is final, we definitely feel they are close to a finished product.

“Not confirmed” does not necessarily mean that it will be changed, though – the general impressions journalists had with the controller at E3 and CES were overwhelmingly positive, and many have cited its comfortable form and weight. At this point, I’d expect changes, if any, to be quite minor.

Last time I reported on Retro Studios, they had just picked up some amazing talent from a few rival studios. This time, they’ve posted up a job opening for the position of a technical animator.

Description of Duties

Purpose/Summary: An individual contributor who ensures that art and animation production is enhanced by the use of advanced technical processes, systems and software.

*Essential Duties: Works directly with artists, animators and engineers to develop software tools and scripts that enhance and streamline the creation of art and animation. Prepares and implements technically challenging art and animation as required. Participates in determining technical and artistic approaches and in developing new or enhanced technical tools. Mentors less experienced members of the team to develop fluency with tools and techniques.

While there is no direct mention of the Wii U here, Retro Studios are pretty much confirmed to be working on a Wii U project at this point, so the above position will likely fill a key role in the project’s development.

At any rate, all this hiring is beginning to sound like something incredibly ambitious is in the works.