|
The Revolution: Nintendo’s latest home console and attempt to regain the gaming throne. Definitely the most mysterious of the big three, there are many questions about this new and innovative console. In this article, I hope to clear up some of the doubt and give a comprehensive report of the revolutionary capabilities. I will answer some of the bigger questions and discuss the new capabilities.
The Controller
The Revolution Controller is the biggest and most controversial feature. Deviating from the norm, the controller has little resemblance to the current standard. For more information about this current setup and how it came about, read " Origin of the Modern Controller. The new controller takes on a totally new form. The controller is connected to the system wirelessly. The main part is commonly said to resemble a remote control and is held with only one hand. At the very top a power button, followed by Nintendo’s trademark (literally, they hold a patent) cross-shaped D-pad. Below this is a very large, circular A button.
Underneath it is a rectangular B button, similar in placement and usage to the Nintendo 64’s Z button. Below the A button are three smaller circular buttons in a line labeled start, home, and select. Even closer to the bottom of the controller are two smaller buttons, labeled a and b. However, Nintendo has said that they will be labeled X and Y in the final version. But all of these facts pale in comparison to the real secret. The controller can detect motion. Imagine a mouse that you can use in three dimensions and you have the general concept. The possibilities are endless. Swing a sword in Legend of Zelda, or aim your cannon in Metroid Prime 3. Play hundreds of bizarre mimigames in Wario Ware.
There is one other interesting option. At the very bottom is a plug that allows various new extensions to be used. Nintendo announced two in the works: the “nunchaku" extension and the shell. The nunchaku attachment is held in the other hand, and has some useful things: An analog stick and two Z buttons underneath, Z1 and Z2. The shell is what Nintendo will use to keep their controller from alienating developers. Though no official design has been unveiled, Nintendo says that it will fit around the standard controller and have a button layout similar to the Wavebird, the wireless Gamecube controller. Images as well as an additional explanation can be found at http://cube.ign.com/articles/651/651301p1.html.
The Games
Very little information has been disclosed about the games. The titles we know are in the works are the following: a new Super Smash Bros., a new Legend of Zelda, Metroid Prime 3, and a new Super Mario game (not to be confused with the DS title, New Super Mario Bros.). Interestingly enough, Square Enix has announced a Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles game. The known details are very sparse, but we do know a few things. Metriod Prime 3 will be the third and final Metroid Prime game, and Super Smash Bros. will have online Gameplay.
Online Capability
So long refusing online gaming on the Gamecube, it comes as a surprise that Nintendo has so willingly embraced online. Those familiar with the DS’s online service will know how it works, but those of you who don’t know have come to the right place. Playing is free for Nintendo’s games, unless otherwise stated by the developer. Most likely, MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games will have a small fee. To connect to the Internet, the Revolution uses a form of Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity, a common wireless signal format) known as 802.11b. To play online, one will need an 802.11b or 802.11g router. To find out which models work best with Nintendo products, check out: http://nintendowifi.com/customersupport/supportedRouters.do
For those of you who don’t get along well with computers, you can buy Nintendo’s Wi-Fi USB adapter. Find out more at http://nintendowifi.com/consumerservice/gettingStarted.do?entryId=usbSetup
Backwards Compatibility
The Nintendo Revolution has amazing abilities when it comes to playing old games. On the top of the system are four Gamecube controller ports and two Gamecube memory card ports. With these, you can enjoy your favorite ‘cube games on the Revolution. However, this isn’t what will be the real bonus. A feature named the “virtual console" will allow the Revolution to emulate an NES, SNES, and N64. Through the online service, you can download old classics and play them on your Revolution. Nintendo has promised all of the games they have published, and third parties are welcome to put their games up for download. Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, has expressed his wished that Master System and Genesis games stand beside Nintendo classics as downloadable games. These games have been confirmed to cost money per download, but various Nintendo employees have stated that they want these games to have a cost that is convenient for the customer. If your mind begins to wander to the many full price ports of old games that have made appearance on the Gameboy Advance, think again. There are no instruction booklets or cartridges to manufacture. Because this transaction will be entirely digital, the prices should be much lower.
Graphics
Though no actual screenshots or videos of games have surfaced, we can make an accurate assumption of the Revolution’s graphical capabilities. IBM is developing the CPU, codenamed “Broadway". There is no word on whether or not Broadway will be a multi-core processor or not. ATI is making the GPU, codenamed “Hollywood". Nintendo has claimed that the Revolution will be cheaper than the competition, starting rampant speculation that it will be underpowered. Nintendo has even said that “on paper" the Xbox 360’s Xenon and the PS3’s Cell will beat out the Revolution in pure processing power. However, Nintendo promises that, by taking necessary steps, the Revolution will look similar when compared in real time. For example, the Revolution will no support High Definition, so a significant chunk of power is unneeded. Also, they claim that it will be easier to develop for, allowing developers to push out higher polygon counts with less money.
Media Capabilities
Unlike competitors Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo is not aiming to make their console king of home entertainment. The only announced media feature is the ability to play DVDs. Though it is able to play DVDs out of the box, you must buy a special adaptor that allows them to be played. This is because royalties must be paid to the owners of the DVD patent on everything that can play DVDs, so Nintendo circumvents this by making you not have to pay for this option when you buy the system.
Storage Medium
The Revolution will use 12 cm DVDs and also 8 cm Gamecube optical discs. They will not be supporting next-generation storage mediums, such as Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Prices
The Nintendo Revolution will launch at a lower price than the competition. This is due to lower graphics “on paper" and the lack of media capabilities. Every Nintendo home console has launched at $199 so this is the likely price. Speculation that is will cost $99 is very far-fetched because the Gamecube is currently priced at that. Games will probably stay at the $50 price mark because Nintendo is supposedly lowering licensing fees for developing on their system and is sticking with a cheaper storage medium, DVDs. No word on a controller price estimate.
Launch
The Revolution will launch some time during 2006, though that leaves us with a 365-day launch window. Estimates put us at March to November, still not exactly small. Nintendo says that an online-enabled Super Smash Bros and Metroid Prime 3 will be their launch titles. Third parties have said nothing about what they have to offer. Of course, over 10 years of Nintendo classics are there for download." |
tweet this!