Concrete Revolution specs?
By Evan Blass 
posted March 30th 2006 6:00AM
posted March 30th 2006 6:00AM
Just like the Windows Vista release date, the rumored specs for the Nintendo Revolution continue to both change and disappoint us. IGN has posted some new info from sources in the game development industry who supposedly possess official Nintendo documentation and claim to have run benchmarks on the IBM-supplied Broadway CPU and ATI's Hollywood GPU in dev kits that are similar in design to final production units. Originally we had heard that Revolution would sport a 1.8GHz processor, and possibly as high as 2.5GHz -- the new figure, according to IGN's sources, is a rather pokey 729MHz -- compared to 485MHz on the GameCube, 733MHz for the original Xbox, three 3.2GHz cores on the 360, and the deified Cell processor in the PS3 (although direct comparisons are unfair due to the different architectures). Meanwhile, the supposed 600MHz ATI chip is now speced at only 243MHz (with 3MB of texture memory), which is a decent bump over the 'Cube's 162MHz GPU, and in the same league as Xbox 1's 233MHz. Total RAM is also rather disappointing -- only 88MB -- but all of these numbers, even if true, are totally in line with what the company has been saying all along: rather than fighting a next-gen console war, they want to provide a unique gaming experience based around an innovative controller in a wallet-friendly package.[Thanks, James S.]
only read the early comments but agree entirely. i wasn't considering the rev at all until i read this article. as someone stated, it's all about the gameplay. if nintendo can drop this at the prices being mentioned (hoped for) then i'll get one no doubts at all. this could be a genius move by nintendo if they can't compete with msoft and sony in technology. drop it cheap and give us fun games. nice work nintendo
#40 ", and Nintendo's decision not to suppot HD is a big mistake IMO."
HD is over rated until I Can see a real difference i will not be upgrading my 32 tube that i paid $200 for for a smaller 20inch for $600, seems like a downward move to me. Also the majority of people that I know do not own Hd sets and are not likely to purchase them in the near future.
To Dave.. I agree that Nintendo's implementation with emulation will be easy.. this is what I meant by saying that their target audience will be those who buy music legally.. power users who are used to modding systems and such will already be able to get most of what Nintendo's service can offer for free.
It's true.. on older PC's, emulators can't produce the same game perfectly.. but most of my old NES and SNES games seem to work just fine. It's the N64 games I'm worried about, but I still don't know how I would play them with that controller.. I sure hope the gyroscopic feature also applies to these games. It's a DAMN shame that nothing from Rare's library will be included in the VC.
And in response to #51's comment:
"Well, the success of any console depends on games. And clearly with those specs nintendo wont be trying to wow you with insane graphics, but when have they?"
When have they? Actually, Nintendo ALWAYS used to push graphical innovation forward all the time. With the SNES, they pioneered the art of incorporating specialized chipsets into carts, such as the Super FX chip used for StarFox. They also helped foster companies like Rare, who helped bring rendered graphics into the 16-bit era through games like Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct. Don't forget that the SNES also had built-in features like Mode 7, which allowed background and foreground layers to be munipulated in the form of scrolling, rotation, and scaling. It could also be used to transform a 2D background into a 3D plane, creating a simple perspective effect.
With the N64 too, they always pushed the envelope with their games, which showed off higher polygon counts, far more realistic lighting and shading capabilities and anti-aliasing capabilities. All this from a company who used to understand, that there needs to be a PROPER BALANCE between graphics and gameplay.
Shoooooooooooooooooooowww meeeeeeeeeeeeeee the games Jerry!
By the time, and if, Sony and Microsoft copy Nintendo's idea (and they will if it's successful) Nintendo will be on to something else completely innovative. That's how it's always worked. The next iteration of the PSP will most likely have touchscreen, but the next DS will have something else completely crazy and fun (like motion sensing).
Just when you think you've got Nintendo beat, they come up with something that's totally incredible that makes the industry stand up and take notice.
Slippy,
I don't feel an entitlement to old SNES and NES games. Same goes for MP3s. I don't mind having to pay for content that I enjoy. One doesn't expect to go to the grocery store and take a gallon of milk because you want it, and I don't know why that doesn't carry over to video games.
The Virtual Console is attractive the same way iTunes is. Yes, I can use emulators or bittorrent to collect ROMS and MP3s, but I don't like doing that -- it's stealing. If Nintendo can offer a streamlined, easily navigable marketplace for old content, sign me up. I certainly won't be alone.
DG: that's EXACTLY what I just said.. anyone who doesn't want to 'steal' or who isn't into emulation already will love the whole Virtual Console experience. To each their own. :)
Do these specs really surprise anyone?
The revolution is tiny!! It's almost a gameboy!! It will run cool and silent, fit in your pocket, and be very affordable.
Sure the PS3 and Xbox 360 are MUCH more powerful. They're also the size of a small briefcase (not counting that God awful Xbox power pack), as loud as a bathroom exhaust fan, run very hot, and cost as much as a cheap laptop.
#55 "HD is over rated until I Can see a real difference i will not be upgrading my 32 tube that i paid $200 for for a smaller 20inch for $600, seems like a downward move to me. Also the majority of people that I know do not own Hd sets and are not likely to purchase them in the near future."
Sorry, but I am not sure you have actually experience HD then. I have a 56" DLP (HD) and a 35" CRT (standard def), and there is no comparison when watching shows that are broadcast in HD. Have you ever watched a sporting event on a 50+ inch HD TV? You can actually see the indiviual blades of grass, you can see all the little details.. To me, it is the equivalant of comparing a CD to phonograph record.
As for games, I have hooked both an Xbox and a PS2 to my 56" DLP, and the same games for both are almost butt-ugly next to their Xbox 360 counterpart in HD.
Nowadays Most people are not going to go drop big money for a TV unless it supports HD. Almost any decent television show and sporting event are now broadcast in HD. Do you realize how many people go out and buy a big screen HD set right before the Super Bowl? There is a reason (HD is superior).
I still think that Nintendo made a mistake here. Maybe not today, but in just 2-3 years the number of HD TV's is going to grow substantially. Look around at all the electronic stores. They are really pushing them...
For the most part, I don't think people out there (the general public) know or care about the specs (except for us geeks). As I get older I care less and less about that kind of stuff. It's about the games. It's like the DS. The PSP is so much cooler but WHERE ARE THE FREAKIN GAMES!!! (come on sony ... @#$%). DS has some amazing games so people are buying DS. I will buy the console that has the coolest games (at least the games I'm interested in playing). I'm sorry... I'm sick of Halo (and FPS games) right now. I need something new.
On another note, I think it's really cool we have 3 big players in the console market. I hope each one has some level of success so they all stick around. Lets face it, the competition between them is good for us!
#52 How was the GameCube a flop? It's made Nintendo quite a bit of money. You look at the Xbox which lost Microsoft how much money? A system that makes money is not a flop, a system that loses billions is.
Speaking graphically the only way your going to notice a huge jump in graphics between it and the other systems is when your playing them in HD. It takes roughly twice to the processing power to run the games in HD. So on standard tvs that processing power is going to be wasted unless they forgo HD support. Most people won't be playing games in HD so I can see Nintendo's reason for go this direction.
Second I don't think Nintendo is aiming to take sales away from the 360 and PS3. It looks like their strategy is to be the second system to people who would buy the 360 or PS3. And then on top of that sell their system to the casual gamers who are only insterested in a cheap gaming solution. By doing both of those they will probably end up selling alot of systems.
"I still think that Nintendo made a mistake here. Maybe not today, but in just 2-3 years the number of HD TV's is going to grow substantially. Look around at all the electronic stores. They are really pushing them..."
Hahaha, you just totally stated Nintendo's point not even realizing you apparently agree with them. The life span of a console is typically 5 to 6 years. And as you just said yourself by that time HDTVs will be very common and Nintendo will most assuredly release an HD compatible console and by that time it will be affordable to everyone.
HDTVs, as lucky as you are to have one, are not very common yet and rather than cater to the minority and add $150 to their console in the process angering everyone who doesn't wanna pay for something that can't use, Nintendo is keeping their console affordable and accessable to everyone.
I personally don't have an HDTV. I'm young, have a house payment, 2 car payments, student loans, and expecting twins in about 6 months and I don't have the funds to buy an HDTV at this point, but in 5 or 6 years (right when Nintendo puts out there next console) I will be ready. And I think a lot of people are in the same boat I am.
That all being said, yes I have seen an HDTV. My dad has a 52" DLP HDTV and the picture is incredible, but he doesn't play games.
Response to #46
Because it is wrong to steel and 95% of the general public has no idea or need to hack a console system. The legal "just works" solution will always be better than pirating.
to #14: You can play nes/snes on your xbox, but can you do it IN A LEGAL WAY? they are illegal, you moron.
Um, actually the original playstaion had the analog stick(s) and "rumble" feature before the big "N" did. The Playstation came out first. Even fanboys need to check the facts. I am so tired of hearin all the fanboys saying crap like "Teh Rev will be so much awsomes!!11 Cuz Nintendo has made everything first. They, like, made the first computer back in the steam powered days. Plus, the Rev will be cost like a dollar."
P.S. The Playstation also didn't need a BS add on device to have the "rumble" feature.
#68 You better check yourself before you wreck yourself. The Playstation wasn't released with a dual analog controller with the rumble feature until after the N64 came out. Check wikipedia and the rumble pack.
Will it be able to do displacement mapping? Is it powerful enough to do displacement mapping?!
That's all I want to know! Because if it can, then there is nothing to worry about!
It sounds like they probably will use displacement mapping. According to the article here:
http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/Nintendo_To_Displace_Revolution_9007_0_18.htm
#67: Maybe you should read the comments again before blasting me. I've said at least THREE times now that those people who want to do everything the legal way will appreciate the VC. Before you call me a moron, maybe you should bother to get off your ass and actually read the comments.. Jerk.
#34 (Matt) - What makes you think I was talking about Mac computers? Claiming that their design converts into market share in that category would be idiotic at best. Now the iPod on the other hand...
#68, speaking of fanboys checking their facts
i think you need to stop by wikipedia buddy
you have no idea what kind've crap you're spouting :P
Nintendo said that when we see the Garphics we'll say "wow". Believe it or not i'm backing them 100 percent, and why. Nintendo are always honest about their specs and don't just throw out a bunch of numbers. I know specs driven fanatics will be dissappointed but i'm not. i trust Nintendo. Think of how in this generation some of Ninty's titles have set the graphical bench mark eg Metroid Prime series, and Resident Evil 4. Both made from the ground up on the Gamecube. The same Gamecube that was was touted as being underpowered when compared to the PS2 and XBox. Let's also remeber that the architecture for the Gamecube is different to that of a standard pc. With Revolution we're going to gfet twice the power and a totally different experience when playing games. Specs are good but they are not everything
I'm kind of saddened by the markup of graphics over quality of gaming that a lot of people are showing within forums in general. While I don't champion any console over any other console, I do support the idea behind the Revoloution based off of innovation, and the fact that it has the ability to play mostly user friendly games. The console as it has been hyped by Nintendo has been to appeal to the masses,and the hardcore gamer, and the 'noobs' of the gaming industry. In otherwords, some of the high tech junk you people are talking about doesn't matter. When at the core of gaming, it really shouldn't be about 'how pretty a game looks' but 'how engrossing, and enveloping the game can be' It's sad that people in general seem to only care about what the hardware of a peice of equipment is before they even stop to think about the games that could be played on the system. Gaming is about playing games that are challanging to the user, and yet fun at the same time. If the direction of gaming due mostly to the youth, turns to graphics based gaming, well then, in my opinion that's just sad.
Nintendo was first with the modern iteration of the analogue control. I believe Sony had theirs first to market but they copied Nintendo. Nintendo's analogue control was built specifically to power Mario64. If Wikipedia shows Sony as first having a modern analogue controller to market they are not wrong but the modern analogue controller as it exhists was pioneered by Nintendo not Sony.
http://revolution.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=6355
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3143627
#44, iPods crap? Have you actually ever used one? I know most people who have used one, and these are average folks and not techies, love the control scheme of the iPod. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But the iPod contains the best interface out of any MP3 player that I have personally used. I own an iPod and a iRiver IFP-999 and have used DAP's from other companies as well. Having navigated songs on my iRiver and my iPod, I can say without question that while the iRiver is functional it's control scheme is inferior by far to the iPod.
If you think it's crap, please tell me what about the iPod is crap? List specific points. I think the only thing that people consistently site as a negative is the lack of am/fm support and voice recording. Though these can be added on with a somewhat pricey add-on. And millions of people don't seem to mind not having those features so they really must not be as important as some think.
As for power users, talk to the PC folks as they scoff at your Xbox360 and PS3. And the only ones who really care about power are those trying to extend the size of their e-schlong. Anyone who calls themselves a true gamer care more about gameplay. Heck, most "pro" gamers who compete for prizes run their pc's at resolutions and settings that can be powered by a video card two generations back.
Anyone who has played the NES game Metal Gear (awesome game) get a sense of deja vu when playing Metal Gear Solid? I mean seriously, the extra graphics did allow for some extra gameplay features but nothing that wouldn't have been possible in 2D. I kept having the feeling when I played MGS that it was a prettied up NES game. I kept thinking 2/3's of the gameplay elements in MGS were exactly like the NES MG. It's the gameplay on MGS that made it what it is and not the graphics, though graphics absolutely doesn't hurt.
As others have stated, power is nothing without gameplay. Yes, it's good to have the pretty graphics but if the PSP vs DS is any indication, people do value gameplay. The other thing is, the people with HDTV sets are way way way in the minority. This is reality. So you can cater to the 5% with HDTV sets all you want but for most people, it is wasted power.
I've heard others state that they can just copy the control scheme from the Revolution. I don't think that the Rev's control scheme will be as easy to copy as the analogue stick was. Nintendo has been working on this controller for years (reports are they were fiddling with this for the GC). Not everyone will buy this controller if it's for Xbox360 and PS3 if it doesn't come packed in. Most "radical" controllers like light guns and, dance mats, etc are usually niche market products.
Love the fact that the Sony and MS fanboys are already saying the Revolution sucks when no one outside of Nintendo and some developers have seen it. Most industry people who've seen it have nothing but positive comments about it. But of course, they must be wrong and you fanboys are right.
Well once again Nintendo has sucked at what they do best. My windup toy cars have more processing power then this thing. If I wanted another piece of crap gamecube i would have gotten another one. The gamecube is the last nintendo crap i ever buy. Nintendo how about you give us what we we want and not tell us what we want. I want shooters and relistic graphics and good gameplay. Those two do not have to be differnt things and they certainly do not have to use a remote.
Omg im dissapointed with nintendo. I already have a gamecube, i got an xbox which can play all those old snes,nes,n64,sega,etc games and much more. I dont think ill be needing a Nplay(yes thats the new name of the revolution) cause i can do everything the Nplay does well not really everything except play the games with the wand. But o well we gotta see if teh games are nicer looking than the xbox1 atleast.
gridlock you penis xbox aint crap it can last longer than your gay ass ps1,ps2(burn out the lasers)hahahahaha. Did you know the xbox1 and the gamecube where stronger than the ps2 in speed processor and in durability. You know the gamecube might be cheap but its stronger than teh xbox and ps2 in hardware, that shit aint gonna break. They did a test on xplay on g4tv to see which system lasted longer. they threw xboxs
ps2s and gamecubes down buildings and guess what gamecueb won xbox got second and your cheap ass ps2 broke easily. Now man do you know what a modified xbox can do? It can play ps1 games,nes,snes,n64,gbc,gba,and teh list goes on. It can run homebrew the best program is xbmc (xbox media center) its tottaly free and better than the xbox media center extender by microsoft. You dont need a mce pc to stream movies into it. Theres also the piracy thing you can download your games burn em to cd but you all know thats illegal. Even run linux just make some mods into teh usb thing of the xbox and plug a usb keyboard and mouse run linux and you got yourself a pc, that can still run games and a bunch of shit.
So whos the cheap one now?
Naw... Nintendo wouldn't do anything that stupid... right? RIGHT? PLEASE TELL ME THEY WOULDN'T!
The average game won't user 90% of the console's resources. Despite this... power is still substantial. Yes... I want to buy Revo for the Virtual Console and the AWE INSPIRING CONTROLLER and it's sleek design... but I still would like quality framerates and graphics. Graphics aren't all that important- Nintendo would be just fine making the Revo weaker than the 360 and PS3. But- Nintendo CAN'T make the Revo that weak.
Please.. 88 MB of ram? NOT EVEN EIGHT HUNDRED MEGS!? I want a unique affordable console... I know that clock speed and ram are not necessarily good indicators of speed... but COME ON! EIGHTY EIGHT! THAT IS DISMAL. I want a system that is inexpensive, sleek and unique- not one that a Pentium III can beat!
So much undo and unjust comments have been made over the internet and elsewhere about Nintendo and their GameCube and games that it must stop. It is refreshing to find most of the posts here to be finally stating somes facts. Now Nintendo and its GameCube with it's library of games does not need me to defend them one bit so what I have to say is more of an appeal than anything else. I see some people blindly listening to what 'some' have to say, based on only their opinions, without checking the facts from people who truly know about hardware and software. No one should concede to talk about Nintendo not having or worried about producing great graphics or a diverse library of games. Because facts are, if anyone would do a just search or remember, Nintendo has always delivered on every front. The Gamecube, while just behind the Xbox in terms of power, has achieved Xbox like graphics as seen in games like Metroid Prime, Geist, Beyond Good & Evil, and Star Wars Rogue Squadron III, just to name a few. Nintendo did it with less memory, less power from the cpu and graphics chip because of how the software and hardware worked in conjuction together. One needs to look at the whole of how everything is working together not just individual numbers of the separate pieces of hardware. The whole architecture of the machine and how the software utilizes it needs to be looked at. Just look at the Playstation 2 (By the way I have all four systmes, yes four, Dreamcast is not dead) It is behind the GameCube in terms of power yet developers through smart engineering have managed to make some games like Beyond Good & Evil look pretty much the same as on the GameCube and Xbox. So, if the leaked specs of the Revolution are true and it has less power it doesn't mean the graphics will be that far behind with smart developers getting the most out of the system and how the system works itself overall. So the graphics will be there. As far as games go, Nintendo has stated that they produce games for everyone and one will just need to look at their library of games to see that they have backed it up. I see to many people saying that Nintendo is only a kid friendly and other people conceding to it. It's not true. Do you remember the games that have come out for the Nintendo systems, haven't you played them. The Lord of the Rings games, James Bond series, Rogues Ops (with it's excessive cussing), Conker's on the N64 with it's cussing, Geist (Gamecube exclusive), Eternal Darkness (Gamecube exclusive), the Resident Evil series (even thought not exclusive anymore for some of the series), Need for Speed, Soul Calibur, Phantasy Star Online, Star Wars games, Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 for the original NES, Castlevania, and countless others over time have come out for Nintendo systems. Just do a simple search of the official list of games that have come out on Nintendo systems. True for some of the games the graphics are not up to par with current systems but the gameplay and story content are still there. People will find more than enough Teen rated and Mature rated games to satisfy every gamer. Nintendo is not a kiddy console, nor is their hardware lacking in producing amazing results. So I urge people everywhere to do a thorough search from others who TRUELY know about hardware and software to give accurate reviews. As far as games go, again to a basic search from Nintendo or a reputable game reviewer to see an officail list of games for Nintendo. You will see more than enough Teen and Mature rated games showing as a fact that Nintendo is for everyone as they have stated they are and that they do back it up. Nintendo is now giving us the Revolution that will go beyond graphics, though the graphics will be there, into a new era of gameplay and not just the old tried and true. I do recommend getting all three systems because each will have it's exclusives and I can say this because i am not a fanboy. Even though it sounded that way above, I appealed to everyone because of all the undo talk about Nintendo from others elsewhere based on their opinions, lack of memory, and facts to back up their total arguements. Each system will bring something new but to be fair Revolution does look to bring better gameplay and just a fresh outlook and opportunities over all.
memory is everything
if the Gamecube had 64Mb of MoSys memory instead of 24Mb, it would have stomped the Xbox-1 in the ground, nevermind the PS2