Some specific details on the graphics chip powering the upcoming Wii U console have been reportedly obtained by Japanese site Game Impress Watch, who say that while it's running on "old" hardware, it still packs more of a punch than its current competition.
While the exact name and nature of the Wii U's GPU are under wraps, according to AMD insiders the site reports that the chip at the heart of it is similar to the R770 unit found on existing, "outdated" cards from around, say, 2009.
It'll also support Direct X 10.1, and interestingly considering the "two screens maybe" line being trotted out at E3, is capable of beaming up to four standard definition streams of the console's content.
While the GPU may be "old", and the Direct X not capable of going (literally) all the way to 11, remember that the Xbox 360's hardware is even older, and for the most part it can't go past Direct X 9.
西川善司の3DゲームファンのためのE3最新ハードウェア講座 Wii UのGPUはDirectX 10.1世代と判明。 PS Vitaを触れてみての考察 [Game Watch, via Engadget]