Nintendo Revolution
From LoveToKnow VideoGames
Nintendo has historically been a major player in the video game console wars, dominating the market with the original Game Boy and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Their place in the market, however, has since diminished significantly, first with the introduction of the Sega Genesis, and later with the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. With the Xbox 360 already on the market, and the PlayStation 3 coming soon, Nintendo hopes to re-capture some lost ground with its next generation offering: the Revolution.
Nintendo Revolution Hardware
The actual machine itself, like its GameCube cousin, is tiny. In fact, the Revolution is said to be the same size as 3 DVD cases, stacked one on top of another. Nintendo does not hesitate to say that their next-generation offering will not be the most powerful, but hopes to win gamers over with innovative gameplay, and engaging software.
Nintendo Revolution - Technical Specs
Technical specs include 88MBs of 1T-SRAM and 16MBs of D-RAM provided by MoSys, as well as 512MBs of Flash RAM. The GPU provided by ATI is codenamed “Hollywood”. The “Broadway” CPU from IBM PowerPC is said to be an extension of the Gekko CPU found in the GameCube. Exact clock speeds have not been confirmed, but expect the big-N to double the processing power over its current system.
Other Stuff
Other innovations include built-in parental controls, integrated 802.11g connectivity (by Broadcomm), backwards compatibility with the GameCube, and the potential for opening up a huge library of old NES, SNES, and N64 games via the ‘’Virtual Console’’.
Controller
Innovation
The controller, wireless of course, is by and large the thing that is going to separate the Revolution from its competition. The input device may look like a TV remote at first, but delve a little further and you will find gyroscopic technology within.
What this means is that the controller is motion-sensitive, reading movements in 3D space. For example, you can swing the controller to nail a drive in Mario Golf, or give it a swipe to control Link’s sword in The Legend of Zelda. Another possible application is to use the controller as a lightgun-like device in Metroid Prime. The button input is kept simple--there is a traditional D-pad and very few buttons.
The main controller also comes with a port on the bottom for other peripherals, like the included tethered analog stick attachment. Nintendo hopes this combination will provide the most intuitive interface to date.
Gimmicky? Maybe. Innovative? Definitely.
What else?
There are also four GameCube controller ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and two GameCube memory card slots.
Software and Media
In an effort to fight piracy, it seems that Nintendo is going the way of propriety media once more. The 12cm single layer versions will hold 4.7GBs of data, with 8.5GBs on the dual-layer games. This is a significant jump from the 1.5GB GameCube discs, and should be sufficient considering that the Revolution will not support HDTV.
The machine will also accept 8cm GameCube discs, and standard-sized DVDs. There are also two front-loading SD slots on the machine.
Games
Rumoured games in development include updates to a number of franchises:
- Animal Crossing Revolution
- Donkey Kong
- Final Fantasy
- Legend of Zelda
- Mario Kart Revolution
- Mario Paint Revolution
- Metroid Prime 3
- Soul Calibur
- Splinter Cell Double Agent
- Super Mario 128
- Super Smash Brothers Revolution
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Launch
Not too many details have been confirmed by Nintendo just yet, and most of what you find on the internet is likely conjecture at worst, and educated guesses at best. That said, the most recent information is indicating the following:
When?
Information seems to be pointing toward a Q2 or Q3 2006 launch. Officials have indicated that it will definitely be after April, and they are promising that it will be before Thanksgiving. Vague, yes. Most experts are predicting a June launch, if not later. Nothing set in stone yet, but if this holds true, Nintendo is once again last to the party (The PS3 is rumoured to launch in March).
How much?
Nintendo has traditionally priced itself with affordability in mind, and there is no reason to believe that anything will change when the Revolution hits the market. Both the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube launched at $199, but there are rumors floating about pointing toward a sub-$149 price point, perhaps even $99. This is well below the current price of the Xbox 360 and the apparent launch price of the PS3. Perhaps, this is the leg-up that Nintendo needs to grab a huge market share.
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