IGN digs up some new info on the Nintendo Revolution
posted Dec 6th 2005 7:45AM
IGN, growing weary of Nintendo's continued declarations of a "2006" launch date, went all investigative journo on us and dug up some dirt from game manufacturers who are getting busy with Revolution titles, albeit some with merely souped up GameCube dev units for testing. The developers are dropping the decidedly more specific time frame of "during the week of Thanksgiving 2006," which would land it in America a straight five years after the GameCube. IGN was also able to get a better grasp on the forthcoming console's specs, including a rough figure of 128MB of RAM (a sad quarter of the Xbox 360) but with the possible use of some other mystery RAM — maybe the 512MB of flash storage, which would be mighty slow for most purposes. Also sadly, nobody's saying nothing about ATI's Hollywood graphics chip that's coming to the system, either out of ignorance or NDA-ance, but the general feel is that the system should thrown down about triple the graphics of the GameCube, but won't really be the same league as the energy loving 360 or the largish PS3. This will obviously affect ports if and or when the graphics become too disparate between the next generation systems, but for now the developers seem pretty psyched about Nintendo's main sell for the system: the controller. Time will tell if that shiny little number will get them through the coming war.
Really, in all seriousness, even if it is just "three times as powerful as a gamecube", that sounds pretty good to me. When I think about something three times as good looking as Metroid Prime or RE4, I'm fine with it.
Really, even if the Rev ends up being the least "powerful", I'm not sure how much that should really hurt. If nothing else, the GameCube being more powerful than the PS2 didn't help. I think we're at a the point where it will succeed or fail based more on other merits. The question will be how many people outside of the core Nintendo fans they will be able to convince to buy a Revolution.
I don't care what happens, if this comes out with access to the entire nintendo back catalog of games online without having to pay extra, I'll snap one up in a minute and the last Nintendo console I bought was a SNES.
I just wanna play all the old games again without downloading loads of emulators and roms.
The Revolution isn't being made to run ports.
It's being made to run exclusives, and nothing else.
As for the "sad quarter of the amount of memory". The only reason teh XBox has so much is to satisfy the lazy devs who want to port their games over from the PC without having to learn coding to the metal to do it. Then we end up with half-assed ports that shouldn't have been done to begin with.
It seems pretty clear to me that Nintendo does not want to get involved in a 'hardware' war. They are not going to boast about how powerful their system is... no one except the fanboys care about that.
Nintendo is going to sell this console based on what really matters: Is it fun to play.
As far as a release date, they are being pretty safe by saying "we'll release it when it is ready". If you want a rushed-to-market console, take a look at the 360.
Remember this console also isn't doing HDTV it doesn't need to go and get high frame rates at those resolutions.
Having seen the XBox360 demo systems I am utterly unimpressed with them. Can't believe I thought I would enjoy having one. I just have a feeling of seen it before on a pc or on the xbox. Surely as a new console it should out shine its pc counterparts.
The PS3 is probably going to be good, they need a good title to win me over, espically if it is going to be as over-priced as they suggest. I've never got round to buying a PS2 for the GTA series having played GTA3 on the PC and GTA:SA on a mates PS2 but I was very tempted.
As for the Revolution, I'm going to have to wait and see. The Nitendo titles have always been good and I know I'll want to snap up a few. The graphics has also always been wonderful, admitily not realistic like in the case of windwaker. But I'd rather the variation of graphics I've seen with the GC compared the average 3rd party title you see hiting the Xbox/PS2.
I'll wait for the Revolution just please give it a good set of launch titles with the new controller.
I'm certianly not going to buy any other console near launch they just arn't worth the price tag.
The PS2 was helped by it's backwards compatibility it was a good move by sony. I can only hope it draws people to the R.
Those guys really upset me. They are getting their"information" from developers who just have preliminary development kits that are no where near final. Nintendo has just got the final GPU, and the people with those development kits were only told how to upgrade their gamecube kits to some rought Revolution specifications. Wait untill they get the complete development package before you judge it.
If Nintendo wants to have a chance in hell, here's what I think they should do with the Revolution.
1) Make the console so inexpensive that it's an appealing alternative. They'll probably do this anyways due to the less advanced hardware and wanting to appeal to younger kids.
2) Make DEVELOPING for the console as straightforward and as inexpensive as possible. Reports indicate that developing for Xbox360 and PS3 is not a walk in the park... hence the $50-60 price tag for games. If Nintendo can do this and keep game prices around $40, it'd be mighty appealing.
3) Provide a standard controller that appeals to every day gamers. I'm concerned that the new controller may be TOO revolutionary and put off a lot of gamers because it's so different.
4) This is the big one. Provide an OPEN, FREE development environment for hobbyists. If they can do this, a la the PSone Yaroze, this could be a HUGE deal. You could see all sorts of open source ports and hobbyist style games pop up overnight.
If Nintendo was smart, they'd have a distribution system for these games similar to the Xbox Live Marketplace. People would buy tons of puzzle games (i.e. stuff from Popcap Games) for $5-10 each. This is entirely possible since Nintendo has mentioned selling their classics from past systems and allowing you to run them on the Revolution via emulation.
Bottom line is that if Nintendo wants to appeal to casual gamers, they need to give them access to lots of casual, inexpensive titles.
Clearly, Nintendo has thrown up the white flag in the console wars, but a clever strategy across the board would mean that they could still prove strong enough to survive in this crowded, hyper competitive market.
On the other hand, I still wonder WHY Nintendo bothers with their own hardware at all. They could be better off going the Sega route and focusing on what they do best: making great games.
"Having seen the XBox360 demo systems I am utterly unimpressed with them. Can't believe I thought I would enjoy having one. I just have a feeling of seen it before on a pc or on the xbox. Surely as a new console it should out shine its pc counterparts."
You have seen it before. On a $2000+ machine. Nuff said.
On another note,
Nintendo has been pretty up front right from the beginning that they have absolutely no intention of competing in the raw horsepower game. They are content to let MS and Sony duke it out. They have chosen instead to focus on innovative gameplay.
I see the revolution as being the second console of an avvid gamer behind their 360/PS3 or the first and only console of a casual gamer.
I don't know that this is going to improve nintendos market position though... unless they bring it in at a dirt cheap pricepoint and do some amazine marketing to convince people that the PS3/360 are way too much money for a video game console.
It's all about the content, and based on what I've seen, Nintendo understands this better than any other console developer. I'll buy an PS3 to go with my PSPs, but I'll also have a Revolution.
Well, I've seen it in action, and the Xbox 360 hardly has graphics 360 times better than the original Xbox. I'd say twice to three times as good is about right.
Whatever, Xbox and PS3 fans will enjoy their umpteenth FPS and racing games. It's all about the games.
What makes people think that the PS3 isn't going to launch in the US around thankgiving (otherwise known as the christmas shopping season). I suppose that's as good a bet as any.
I think that Sony has a significant incentive for launching later in the year. With just a few months they may be able to reduce the cost of their expensive Blu Ray drive significantly. I think thats big enough for them to seriously consider taking it.
maybe it'll keep price down to something reasonable!
Hmm I demoed the 360 playing call of duty2 it played and looked far better than my pc using an ati 9800xt. This card chokes at even 800x600. OK buy 360 or new vid card either way it is over $300. Anyway, some friends at Madcatz told me they have liscened the same controller technology Nintendo is using and will be availible for PS and Xbox. And I thought it was all revolutionary nintendo tech.
Ming, even if they did get the same technology - which is doubtable, since Nintendo apparently went through hell at the patent office to make sure the idea wasn't copied like their other things - How the hell would it be useful for X360/PS3 games not built for it? And don't tell me they'll start building games specifically for Madcatz, of all companies. And also, we can't trust that your friend is telling the truth. Hell, we can't even tell if you're telling the truth. And it sounds like a very bad rumor, to me.
Aaaaanyway... Let me put this into perspective for everybody. First of all, they're only extreme-prototype devkits, nothing more. But even then, 128MB RAM is enough for most things. Metroid Prime 2 looks great and it's running on 24MB RAM. Oh, and lastly, X360 doesn't have 512MB RAM. It shares the RAM with the graphics card. So it's closer to 256MB RAM, divided between the two. We still don't know the specs on ATi/Nintendo's Hollywood.
in response to number 12, even if madcatz produces the same type of controller that nintendo does for other consoles, it wouldn't matter. The sony and microsoft games will not be developed for that kind of controller.
The thing is though, developers take time to utelise new technology. Just because 360 games aren't that impressive now, doesn't mean they won't be later...
my question is if they are going to wait that long to launch they might as well beef up the specs. Its common sense that technology drops in price as time passes
Why dont they just repackage the Game cube with the new controller, It would keep the R&D cost down. From the looks of it, its not going to be much more powerful than the cube anyways.
Im guessing that nintendo is just doing this to make a huge profit. They dont really care what people think. They just want to sell you some piece of overpriced crap like everything else they have.
How can something revolutionary be crushed by even 5 year old pc's?
But then, i dont get you people very well. You want something new? Then still just get a pc,xbox360, or PS3. they all have usb ports and a REAL OS of thier own to support different unique controllers and such, by third party dev's.
For some reason it appears that the rev has an IR wireless device for the controller. If anyone didnt know, IR is not nearly fast enough for gaming. But i doubt thats the case, if it is then what the hell are they thinking?
But still, the GPU may be crap but what about the cpu? I wonder if that can even handle the 128MB gpu. I also want to ask if thats GDDR3, DDR3, or just DDR ram, bacuse when it comes to a good gaming experience GDDR3 gives the smoothest video and framerate. both the X-box360 and PS3 use GDDR3 type video ram.
IGN also states that it has the capabilities of "a suped-up Xbox" which sounds fine to me. Better visuals than the current (VCR-like) Xbox in such a small, efficient size at a low price. Like Nintendo has stated before - the main selling point is the controller. Lets hope more developers start working on the Rev because it seems like it shouldn't be too difficult to create something unique.
I think nintendo is doing the best so far because if you really think about it they are the ones profiting from every sale (except gamecube which is near is death) of the ds and it's games. Nintendo is the best seller second to EA so they are doing what is supposed to be done, CARING ABOUT TRUE GAMERS. Sony AND Microsoft are loosing money off of their systems. I will still get the Revolution and the Ps3 (I just returned the 360 cause of that error in it)
Well, the only console I have ever really been interested in buying was the Dreamcast, and that was solely for Soul Calibur. I've never really thought that the price of an xbox or PS was worth it for the amount of games I would play on it. (I'm more of a PC gamer) However, I would like to go on record that I am planning on buying a Revolution, mainly because it seems to me that Nintendo is doing what MS and Sony aren't doing: looking to make games that are strange and new, in content and in gameplay. I'll keep the PC handy for 1st person shooters and what-not, but the Revolution looks to have something that other consoles don't have. So as a non-console buyer, I will probably end up getting one. (Hopefully in Red... Then I could have a Red Revolution... =) )
~B.
Ummm, last time I checked at Walmart. The Xbox360 games looked about 2-3 times better than Xbox. So if the Revo is 2-3 times more powerful than the Gamecube, I'm fine with that. Just bring it on already. Fall '06 is just too far away.
I like Nintendo for trying to be different. They obviously don't even care much about what sony and microsoft is doing. I don't mind if Nintendo doesn't officialy release the specs, they don't want to contribute to the cloud of meaningless information that surrounds the 360 and PS3 anyway.
If the Rev is going to have the graphics of a souped-up Xbox, then that's good enough for me. The Xbox's graphics are good enough as they are, and graphics only get better with newer systems.
I might own both a Revolution and a PS3, but owning just an x360 and a PS3 is a little redundant because they are both very similar. I believe that the Rev will have some exclusive games that we can't even imagine, or at least never thought of, that use the cool new controller.
I totally agree with nintendo that graphics don't make the games. But you cant be so far out that you aren't competitive at all if you want market share. That's the sad truth, and why i think revolution will likely do as bad as gamecube if not worse. Thats not to say gamecube was a failure, just that it didn't really succeed at gaining market share they lost with N64 and their stubbornness to accept optical media format over expensive carts. now they are rejecting hdtv...which i think is a mistake.
I can't see why sound takes such a back seat this generation, why aren't we hearing about the immersive surround sound systems? they're cheaper than HD TVs, and provide an intensive immersive experience than HD cannot. On budget.. and energy consumption targets.
Will (#2): "I have never had any problems with any Nintendo console though"
At least, none that couldn't be solved by blowing into the cartridge and/or system? ;-)
"(Hopefully in Red... Then I could have a Red Revolution... =))"
Hopefully you and I won't be the only people buying Red Revs for that very reason..
It ain't large you idiot take a look at the pics on this site:
spaces.msn.com/members/rathesungod
Forgot to mention that most people don't have HDTVs or even HD-Ready. The biggest boom in sales are the first couple years of launch. Since HD will not be standard by then, it will not matter to most consumers. Even in 2009 when everything has to go HD, many will still not have an HDTV and others will only be forced to utilize it and not see it as a must have, and that is 3 years later if the HD deadline is not postponed again. Can you imagine what will happen if everyone wiht an HDTV went for 360 or ps3 and everyone else bought a Rev, nintendo would kill.
*holds head in hands*
I didn't dream of it having less memory than my 2.5 year old discount computer. Guess I better start saving for a PS3.
*begins to weep*
Ha ha, the ps3 does look like crap....well, actually it looks like people in the 70's idea of a house or somethin. I used to love sony, but now i think theyre getting too retarded (what the freak is with the memory stick??)
but anywho, i guess im a true nintendo fan, so i cannot wait for this. Im mostly looking forward to playing Mario Party[x] with my cousins at family reunions and other social-type circumstances. just think of all the mini-games nintendo will come up with using these controllers. maybe a little fencing action, of if the controller does sense rotation along its vertical axis, they could make like some sort of foosball-type game. ha that'd be sweet. oooh...or donkey konga 2 for the rev would be sweet, if all you drummers know what im talkin bout. Yes, im also one of those pc gamers. When i want power, i turn to my trusty 'ol (ha yeah - pc - trusty) pc, and when i want fun, ill turn to the revolution. thats my two cents
wait wait wait...actually the ps3 looks like this "PCLINK" think i got with my old school MD player:
http://show.imagehosting.us/show/981390/0/nouser_981/T0_-1_981390.gif
I don't get why people are whining a year or so before the release about specs. When you know the OFFICIAL specs then you can bitch and moan all you want because they will not change, these specs now are nowhere near final. I think this time around people will get a 360 or PS3 (mostly because of this new fierce brand loyalty thing) probably not both because they are basically doing the same thing (seeing who can crank out prettier games but with no change in gameplay) and then people will buy a Rev just because people would be like "Hey, something different." Also most gamers are casual gamers, so Nintendo is smart in taking that route, most people couldn't care less about specs anyway, except people on Engadget and other tech websites because they know the stuff average people don't.
Why is it doubtable that Madcatz could produce a similar controller for the other game systems? The exact look of the nr controller may be patented but certainly not the functionality. It's just redesigned "game glove." Remember Virtual Reality? Anyway, it's not hard to believe that MS and Sony may want to encourage developers and third party controller makers to create games and thus the technology to compete or draw sales from nr.
HD resolution gaming is becoming a problem for the 360 with its dual layer discs. Games will grow in size however the high res textures aren't exactly small in size. Sony is fixing this problem by using blueray and Nintendo is bypassing it altogether by keeping 480p and 16x9 (not HD but it works).
For those moaning about the ram, for gods sake the GameCube has 64mb and is 5 years old... By PC specs of 5 years ago 64mb was vastly underspec but the GameCube still does some gorgeous stuff.
http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=10603&filter=interview
- Here's the quote saying blu-ray will run at 108mb!
To all the people complaining about how the Revolution may only have 128 MB of RAM:
The XBOX 360 has 512 MB. It is shared between the GPU and CPU.
The PS3 will have 256 MB system memory and 256 GPU memory.
Neither of them are anywhere near where a PC is now, and if you think otherwise you have major attachment issues. So what if it's GDDRLOLWTFBBQ3 RAM? These are CONSOLES, they're designed for people who, for some reason or another, don't want a PC for gaming. It could be the cost or the controllers or any number of factors.
But the fact is, these are game systems, and applying PC knowledge to this is like learning how to fish by playing baseball.
You can't really compare a console's specs with a PC's specs. The ps2 has a 300 mhz engine. Now obviously the ps2 can't keep up with a current pc. But they have 10 times as powerful an engine. Try and make a 300 mhz pc do things that the ps2 can do or a 700 mhz pc do the same an xbox can do.
So just because the Revolution has the same amount of RAM that your 5 year old PC has doesn't really matter. It is only running games, not an OS and not any applications. Furthermore, I haven't seen an xbox360 yet but everybody who I've talked to that has says it's really dissapointing on a non-HDTV but very impressive on an HDTV.
1 last point: God I hope they change the ps3 controllers.
A PC needs 512mb of Ram and a 300mb swap file on the Hard Drive just to keep windows going in the background!
I'm sure the Rev will be a nice machine but it will fail to impact the mainstream in the US and Europe and thereby will fail overall because third party developers will not be able to port thier crappy games over to it beacuse a) the controller and b) the limiations on the hardware.
Also like last time the market isn't big enougth for 3 machines.
It'll do well in Japan where it will fit in well with the current flavor of the month, Fast food employee games..... Flip them burgers!
i think nintendo is doing their own thing... xbox and playstation are like pepsi and coke.. let them spend money beating each other up... let them send the cost to the consumers.. they are in thier own game... nintendo is all by themselves in that they are creating new gaming experiances.. and creative games to go along with it... if they do happen to make a port from the other systems they have that "shell" adapter that they can connect to their new controlers... what nintendo is doing is creating an inexpensive game console for anybody to pick up.. wether your a hardcore gamer or just getting into gaming.. some of the games for the nintendo DS are incredible and fun.. and nowhere graphicly near what an xbox or ps2 can put out... and as far as i know the new revolution will have online... imagine that.. online with them new controllers... its insane... and they also have the voice recognition stuff that they are working on, that they use with the ds... take all that and put that into the revolution... thats a real gaming experiance... im not knocking the xbox 360 or the playstation 3, they are in a league of thier own... but thats just it.. they are in a league of thier own.. and nintendo is in thier own... besides i dont see a problem putting out the revolution with all of thier new ideas out at say 150.00 and then maybe 2yrs later come out with something more powerful or some kind of memory adapter like they did with the N64.. wich was used with turok.. wich did make a difference graphicly.. if thats what your all worried about is graphics..
In reply to Post #19 by Unknown:
Alas, another small-minded dunce. Judging by the use of all of his memory abbreviations and lack of the true concept of the power of hardware I'd say his soul's beyond saving. First of all you can hardly call nintendo hardware 'overpriced' their hardware is the cheapest out of the three major console makers. It maybe overpriced if you are thinking in terms of computer hardware, but thats not really justifiable. Games console hardware is specialised to fit the smaller size of these systems and to properly co-exist with other components within and externally attached to the system, therefore, because they are specialised they cost more to conceive and produce. You must also consider the software's requirements, Nintendo are not stupid, you may think they need more than 128mb ram but they have put thousands of pounds into researching what they do and dont need, you are but a simple fanboy who does not understand these complex procedures. Besides we are not even sure if it really is 128mb after all those were only dev kits.
After talking about the RAM you seemed to dive head first into a sea of abbreviations which are beyond your simple and one-track thought process. If the Rev. Controller really does use IR (which i dont thnk it does) then it obviously means that it works. Nintendo wouldnt blindly put a product onto the market without first testing it. Also IR's speed is irrelevant, it wont be sending parts of the game it will simply be sending instructions e.g. 'move up' which the game and revolution console will interpret adn perform the necessary action. The only 'hitch' which could possibly occur would be that if the remote is not pointing directly at the IR device it may not work, which is why i think the revolution might not be using IR.
I'm not even going to bother with all of the abbreviations, whether or not GDDR3 is the type of ram nintendo intend to use is not the point, nintendo know what they are doing have a little faith. I think your main problem may be that you like to compare everything to a PC, and since the specifications of the Xbox360 and PS3 are closer to what you would expect of a pc the fact is that they are not PCs and they offer benefits to those who do not have or do not want to use PCs for gaming (i.e. they do not like mice/keyboards or find installing games tedious or complicated) sure you can buy a GeForce 7800GTX for as much as a XB360 but some people dont like pc gaming and thats a fact.
Sorry about the length of that.
Out of all the new consoles revealed at E3 2005, the revolution has so far been my favorite. It comes to a point where ultra-realistic/violent games don't do it for me and I just want to play something FUN. I think nintendo is heading up the right path by differentiating themselves from the competition. The controller was a little odd at first sight but now I think it's going to revolutionize (no pun intended) console gaming. My hat goes off to Nintendo.
Well, Nintendo has always been interested in bringing revolutionary and quality games. They surely have some of the most recognized franchises in Videogames, but now, it's like they have this challenge: make their Revolution a truly revolutionary and quality console, regardless of power, specs and all tech numbers.
They had the power back in the mid 90's with the N64. It was superior in almost everyway in the spec department to PS and Saturn, but they kinda faded since. I think they are trying the inverse now.
They lost their no.1 spot in videogames partly because the marketing of Sony and MS to the young and to the serious gamer, not the kids. Maybe Nintendo could come with marketing and some ideas that position the Revolution as a Cool Thing to Have in your living room, a serious thing, and to appeal to the teen and 20-somethings market. Maybe this way they could regain the no.2 spot, behind the indestructible Sony, which never should have lost really, the Xbox never had quality titles, just a bunch of ports and the hype of Halo, that's it.
I am a Playstation user, I've got a PSP and I'm still playing my PSone, but I think I could be returning to Nintendo if they score with the older audience, and have appealing games to us.
Frankly, I think the industry needs Nintendo in hardware, not just in games. Nintendo has had the great ideas that pushed forward the hardware to let the devs explore: the rumble, the analog stick, the SNES controlers. I hope they r succesful this time and Microsoft said good bye, as they dont belong here.