c.a.p
07-22-2005, 20:41
I've decided to create a FAQ so we will be able to access information more quickly in the Revolution lobby. I will try to fit in as much as I can.
Q: What is the Nintendo Revolution?
A: The official codename for the successor to GameCube.
Q: Is 'Revolution' the final name of Nintendo's new console?
A: No. Nintendo confirmed at E3 2005 that the title 'Revolution' is a codename. A final name for the new console has not yet been selected. It should be noted, however, that the company said the same thing of Nintendo DS, which ultimately proved to be the handheld's official name.
Q: How long has the Revolution been in development?
A: Preliminary development on Revolution began shortly after the release of Nintendo GameCube.
Q: Will Revolution feature more powerful hardware than GameCube?
A: Yes.
Q: What are Revolution's technical specs?
A: Mostly unknown. Click the link below for a summary.
http://cube.ign.com/articles/618/618832p1.html
In March 2005, both IBM and ATI confirmed that they have been making the CPU and GPU for Revolution respectively.
In April 2005, MoSys, which supplied RAM for GameCube, announced that it would also be providing the memory solution for Revolution.
At E3 2005, Nintendo said that with Revolution it is aiming to make a "small, quiet and affordable console." It stressed this point and avoided direct questions about technical specifications. Nintendo executives also stated that the company is not interested in engaging in a technical battle with competitors Sony and Microsoft.
In an interview with IGNcube, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto offered further insight:
"You know, in regard to the power of the Nintendo Revolution versus, say, the Xbox 360, we're looking at making a small, quiet, affordable console," he said. "If you look at trying to incorporate all that, of course we might not have the horsepower that some other companies have, but if you look at the numbers that they're throwing out, are those numbers going to be used in-game? I mean, those are just numbers that somebody just crunched up on a calculator. We could throw out a bunch of numbers, too, but what we're going to do is wait until our chips are done and we're going to find out how everything in the game is running, what its peak performance is, and those are the numbers that we're going to release because those are the numbers that really count."
In an interview with the Seattle Post Intelligence, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata elaborated on the company's philosophy where next-generation technology is concerned:
"Sony and Microsoft are taking about the same approach for the future by making machines with powerful and sophisticated technology. Nintendo is taking a little bit different approach, and I think this is an interesting contrast," Iwata said. "Of course, we are applying advances in technology. But when you use those advances just to boost the processing power, the trade-off is that you increase power consumption, make the machine more expensive and make developing games more expensive. When I look at the balance of that trade-off -- what you gain and what you lose -- I don't think it's good. Nintendo is applying the benefits of advanced technology, but we're using it to make our machines more power-efficient, quieter and faster to start. And we're making a brand-new user interface. I think that way of thinking is the biggest difference."
Reports from development studios seem to second these statements. Software houses in the know have suggested that Revolution will not be as powerful as Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
Nintendo has revealed that Revolution will be backward compatible with GameCube, play both GCN discs and proprietary new 12cm discs, go online via Wi-Fi connections, be able to download software from the Internet, use 512MB flash memory to save data, and feature wireless controllers. In addition, the console will boast two USB 2.0 ports.
Also, Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors, announced a strategic partnership to provide wireless technology for Nintendo's next generation gaming systems on April 19, 2005. Read the full article at the link below.
http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=697530
Q: Is Revolution "two-to-three times more powerful than GameCube"?
A: USA Today reported this news based on a comment from Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan. The information was later determined to be false. We do not yet know how much more power Revolution wields over its predecessor.
Q: What is Revolution's media format?
A: Revolution will play proprietary 12cm discs, which is the same size as DVDs. It will also be able to play GameCube Optical Discs, as it is backward compatible with the unit. Details on the new 12cm discs are slim. Nintendo initially announced that the discs would be dual-layered, offering upward of 8 gigabytes of storage. However, shortly after the announcement, it removed all mention of dual-layered discs from its official Revolution press release.
Q: Will Revolution be able to play DVD movies?
A: Yes. However, DVD-movie playback will not be available out of the box. Revolution owners must buy an additional dongle that inserts in front of the machine in order to watch Hollywood DVD movies on the platform.
Q: How will Revolution be unique?
A: That is the big question. The console is codenamed Revolution for a reason: Nintendo expects it to be revolutionary. The system will, according to Nintendo, fundamentally change how games are played. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said in recent interviews that the dual-screened Nintendo DS offers a hint of what to expect from Revolution. DS players can use a stylus pen to input control data into the portable device. It's always possible that Revolution may feature similar functionality.
Nintendo believes that technology alone cannot advance videogames, which is why it plans to take Revolution into a dramatic new direction.
Iwata in June 2004 described Revolution as a videogame machine "of a different nature that does not follow the conventional path of new game systems that increase speed and visual quality for making elaborate games." He added: "The rule of satisfying customers by increasing specifications worked once, but no longer applies now."
At E3 2005, Nintendo unveiled the Revolution console. It is the company's sleekest unit to date. The tiny-sized system is designed to be quiet and affordable. The revolutionary aspect of the machine -- it's input device -- remains a secret.
Q: Is the revolutionary aspect of the console its controller?
A: Yes. The console's revolutionary new mechanic will go hand-in-hand with its input device, which may no longer look or function like today's controllers. In a March 2005 interview with BusinessWeek, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted that Revolution's new input device was still incomplete, and that multiple ideas were still being tossed around.
"The new interface will allow some new forms of innovation," Iwata explained on the subject. "Already, you're seeing changes in Nintendo DS, which has a microphone, input pen, and touch screen. We have a number of candidates for a new [Revolution] interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone."
Q: Will the Revolutionary input device be a microphone?
A: Unlikely. Nintendo has stated on the record that while microphone-to-game mechanics are intriguing, competitors have already capitalized on them.
"But the fact of the matter is, to realize voice commands; all you have to do is install a microphone. We realize a few of our competitors are already thinking of following us on this, so it will not be a defining feature of the new console," Iwata explained in a March 2005 interview. "We may or may not use the microphone in the new [Nintendo Revolution] interface."
Q: Will Revolution feature screens on the console or the controller?
A: No. At a June 2004 analyst briefing in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "We have no intention of making a two-screen console akin to the [Nintendo] DS."
Q: What makes the controller so revolutionary then?
A: At E3 2005, Nintendo's executive of vice president of sales and marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, offered a hint.
"We announced the ability to download and play the best NES games, S-NES games, N64 games, in addition to Revolution games and GameCube games," he said in an IGN/G4 interview. "If you put those controllers all lined up together, they're all very different. So think about what kind of device is going to allow you to play all those different types of games. It's pretty interesting."
Revolution's controller may enable gamers to configure their own layouts in order to best suit their different gameplay experiences.
Q: Will Revolution hook up to a television?
A: Yes. It will also be able to interface with a computer monitor. In June 2004 Nintendo engineer Genyo Takeda said: "You'll be able to play [Revolution] not just by linking up to a television but to a computer monitor as well."
Q: Will Revolution go online?
A: Yes. The Revolution console will feature online play out of the box. Nintendo at the March 15, 2005 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco announced an aggressive new Wi-Fi strategy for both DS and Revolution. Wi-Fi enables wireless, high-speed connections to the Internet using such popular standards as 802.11b and 802.11g. Company executives made strong statements about Nintendo's belief that gamers should be able to wirelessly go online and play against each other.
"We intend to incorporate wireless technology in all we do," Iwata announced at the event. "Therefore, Nintendo Revolution will be Wi-Fi enabled, built into every system."
Q: Will Revolution owners be able to connect online and download classic Nintendo games?
A: Yes. Nintendo announced at E3 2005 that Revolution would be able to go online wirelessly and download classic Nintendo games. Nintendo has not yet announced what titles will be available for download. However, it has confirmed that Revolution owners could theoretically download every NES, Super-NES and Nintendo 64 game ever made. The publisher is reportedly already working with third party publisher to ensure that popular third party games are also available to download.
At E3 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto said: "We have not set a price or determined a list of software for the Nintendo Revolution download service. But, we're looking at this as a consumer service and not so much from the business end. What we want to do is provide the product that is going to make the Revolution the console that people want in their homes. So it actually might be driven from the consumer end rather than from us. You know, the games that they most want might be the ones that we do. From a technological point, we can do any of them. It's just, we haven't determined which ones we'll do yet."
Q: How are discs inserted into Revolution?
A: The unit features a slot-loading drive that accepts both GameCube optical discs ands proprietary 12cm discs. Users simply insert the disc into the front of the unit and the drive does the rest.
Q: Does Revolution have a hard drive?
A: No.
Q: How will games be saved on Revolution?
A: It depends on the game. The machine plays Revolution and GameCube titles out of the box. A GameCube docking station located on one side of the unit features four GCN controller inputs as well as two Memory Pak slots. Data for GameCube titles will be saved to standard Memory Paks. Meanwhile, Revolution software data will be stored on 512MB flash memory, according to Nintendo.
Q: Who are Nintendo's hardware partners on Revolution?
A: During the course of the last two years, several major hardware companies have been linked to Revolution including IBM, ATI, MoSys and NEC.
In December 2002 Bloomberg reported that Nintendo had agreed to collaborate with NEC on a system LSI that would serve as the core for the new console.
Just a few months later GameCube graphics chip maker ATI announced a vague "technology development agreement" for use in future "Nintendo products." Unconfirmed reports from insiders alleged that ATI had been in development with the graphics chip for Revolution well before that announcement.
In March 2005, Nintendo confirmed that both IBM and ATI would supply the CPU and GPU respectively for the Revolution console.
"We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with Nintendo," explained Dave Orton, ATI Technologies' president and chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds. ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to gaming."
Q: What are Revolution's CPU and GPU called, and why?
A:: The IBM-created CPU is called Broadway. The ATI-developed GPU is called Hollywood. At the March 2005 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained the reasoning behind the titles.
"With IBM, we are creating Revolution's core processor, which we have codenamed Broadway because Broadway is the capital of live entertainment," he said. "With ATI, we are developing the graphics chipset, codenamed Hollywood because Hollywood is the capital of movie entertainment. With Revolution, we are determined to create the new capital of interactive entertainment."
Q: Has Nintendo sent out Revolution development kits to software houses yet?
A: We're not sure.
In March 2005, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was asked about Revolution development kits. "Development kits are already out there, depending on which stage you're talking about," he responded. "All I can say right now is 'in the near-future' for the base platform information they will need to get started on games."
When asked about whether kits had gone out at E3 2005, however, Shigeru Miyamoto said no. "We have not sent out development kits to developers yet," he confirmed. "However, development kits for the Nintendo Revolution are very similar to the ones for the GameCube. So we feel that the environments are so similar that they will be able to start development very quickly upon receiving the development kits for Revolution."
Q: When will Revolution be released?
A: "If you're asking for a specific date for our next system -- we don't have one. Nintendo is going to remain competitive and will launch around the same time as competitors -- not later than," said Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs in a May 2004 interview. This used to be the company line. But at E3 2005, Nintendo sang a different tune. No longer concerned about beating Sony to market, Nintendo executives said simply that Revolution would "launch in 2006."
During a conference call discussing its financial status, Revolution memory maker MoSys said that the console would launch in mid-2006.
Microsoft will debut Xbox 360 this November in America. Sony said at E3 2005 that it would like to launch PlayStation 3 by March 2006. Given these plans, Revolution will likely be the last system to hit the market.
Q: How much will Revolution cost?
A:: An exact price is unknown. But Nintendo is aggressively seeking to deliver a small, quiet and affordable console. It seems likely that the unit will debut at the sub-$200 mark and possibly cheaper if all goes as planned.
Q: When will Nintendo reveal more about Revolution?
A: Before the end of the year, according to company president Satoru Iwata. Nintendo may opt to hold a Space World show in Japan to debut more details about the console. Traditionally, Space World events have taken place in the August or September time frames.
Q: What Games are in development for Revolution?
A: Believe it or not, there are already a number of top-tier titles in development for Nintendo's next-generation console. At E3 2005, the company revealed that a Revolution sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee is being readied for the launch of the new system. Even better, the game will be Wi-Fi compatible, enabling players to fight it out against each other online. In addition, brand new Zelda and Mario titles are underway for the upcoming machine.
When questioned on the subject at E3 2005, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto did not yet know if the Revolution Mario update would be the much-talked-about Mario 128. "In regards to Mario 128, we're currently doing a lot of Mario experiments back in Kyoto. We are definitely going to have a new Mario for Revolution. Whether or not that's 128 or not, I can't really say. It might be a new Sunshine. We're not sure. We're doing a lot of Mario tests right now for the Revolution," Miyamoto said.
At E3 2005, Nintendo also revealed that Metroid Prime 3 is in development for Revolution. The title is once more being handled by Retro Studios. It will launch in 2006, say sources.
In addition, Nintendo confirmed that an Animal Crossing sequel is being readied for Revolution. Little is known about the title, except that it will interact wirelessly with Nintendo DS.
Nintendo also revealed that it has teamed with Square Enix to bring an original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title to Revolution.
Next, Nintendo's vice president of corporate affairs confirmed to IGNcube at E3 2005 that Nintendo is working on a new IP that will premiere with the launch of Revolution. "Wait for Revolution," she said. "At least one new franchise. Brand new."
Finally, Bandai has pledged support for Revolution.
Well, this is it for now. I will try to update it as more information comes.
You can find the original FAQ at IGN.com (http://www.ign.com)
Click Here for a direct link to the original FAQ (http://cube.ign.com/articles/522/522559p1.html)
Use quote tags please. ~ PBM ~
Q: What is the Nintendo Revolution?
A: The official codename for the successor to GameCube.
Q: Is 'Revolution' the final name of Nintendo's new console?
A: No. Nintendo confirmed at E3 2005 that the title 'Revolution' is a codename. A final name for the new console has not yet been selected. It should be noted, however, that the company said the same thing of Nintendo DS, which ultimately proved to be the handheld's official name.
Q: How long has the Revolution been in development?
A: Preliminary development on Revolution began shortly after the release of Nintendo GameCube.
Q: Will Revolution feature more powerful hardware than GameCube?
A: Yes.
Q: What are Revolution's technical specs?
A: Mostly unknown. Click the link below for a summary.
http://cube.ign.com/articles/618/618832p1.html
In March 2005, both IBM and ATI confirmed that they have been making the CPU and GPU for Revolution respectively.
In April 2005, MoSys, which supplied RAM for GameCube, announced that it would also be providing the memory solution for Revolution.
At E3 2005, Nintendo said that with Revolution it is aiming to make a "small, quiet and affordable console." It stressed this point and avoided direct questions about technical specifications. Nintendo executives also stated that the company is not interested in engaging in a technical battle with competitors Sony and Microsoft.
In an interview with IGNcube, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto offered further insight:
"You know, in regard to the power of the Nintendo Revolution versus, say, the Xbox 360, we're looking at making a small, quiet, affordable console," he said. "If you look at trying to incorporate all that, of course we might not have the horsepower that some other companies have, but if you look at the numbers that they're throwing out, are those numbers going to be used in-game? I mean, those are just numbers that somebody just crunched up on a calculator. We could throw out a bunch of numbers, too, but what we're going to do is wait until our chips are done and we're going to find out how everything in the game is running, what its peak performance is, and those are the numbers that we're going to release because those are the numbers that really count."
In an interview with the Seattle Post Intelligence, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata elaborated on the company's philosophy where next-generation technology is concerned:
"Sony and Microsoft are taking about the same approach for the future by making machines with powerful and sophisticated technology. Nintendo is taking a little bit different approach, and I think this is an interesting contrast," Iwata said. "Of course, we are applying advances in technology. But when you use those advances just to boost the processing power, the trade-off is that you increase power consumption, make the machine more expensive and make developing games more expensive. When I look at the balance of that trade-off -- what you gain and what you lose -- I don't think it's good. Nintendo is applying the benefits of advanced technology, but we're using it to make our machines more power-efficient, quieter and faster to start. And we're making a brand-new user interface. I think that way of thinking is the biggest difference."
Reports from development studios seem to second these statements. Software houses in the know have suggested that Revolution will not be as powerful as Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
Nintendo has revealed that Revolution will be backward compatible with GameCube, play both GCN discs and proprietary new 12cm discs, go online via Wi-Fi connections, be able to download software from the Internet, use 512MB flash memory to save data, and feature wireless controllers. In addition, the console will boast two USB 2.0 ports.
Also, Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors, announced a strategic partnership to provide wireless technology for Nintendo's next generation gaming systems on April 19, 2005. Read the full article at the link below.
http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=697530
Q: Is Revolution "two-to-three times more powerful than GameCube"?
A: USA Today reported this news based on a comment from Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan. The information was later determined to be false. We do not yet know how much more power Revolution wields over its predecessor.
Q: What is Revolution's media format?
A: Revolution will play proprietary 12cm discs, which is the same size as DVDs. It will also be able to play GameCube Optical Discs, as it is backward compatible with the unit. Details on the new 12cm discs are slim. Nintendo initially announced that the discs would be dual-layered, offering upward of 8 gigabytes of storage. However, shortly after the announcement, it removed all mention of dual-layered discs from its official Revolution press release.
Q: Will Revolution be able to play DVD movies?
A: Yes. However, DVD-movie playback will not be available out of the box. Revolution owners must buy an additional dongle that inserts in front of the machine in order to watch Hollywood DVD movies on the platform.
Q: How will Revolution be unique?
A: That is the big question. The console is codenamed Revolution for a reason: Nintendo expects it to be revolutionary. The system will, according to Nintendo, fundamentally change how games are played. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said in recent interviews that the dual-screened Nintendo DS offers a hint of what to expect from Revolution. DS players can use a stylus pen to input control data into the portable device. It's always possible that Revolution may feature similar functionality.
Nintendo believes that technology alone cannot advance videogames, which is why it plans to take Revolution into a dramatic new direction.
Iwata in June 2004 described Revolution as a videogame machine "of a different nature that does not follow the conventional path of new game systems that increase speed and visual quality for making elaborate games." He added: "The rule of satisfying customers by increasing specifications worked once, but no longer applies now."
At E3 2005, Nintendo unveiled the Revolution console. It is the company's sleekest unit to date. The tiny-sized system is designed to be quiet and affordable. The revolutionary aspect of the machine -- it's input device -- remains a secret.
Q: Is the revolutionary aspect of the console its controller?
A: Yes. The console's revolutionary new mechanic will go hand-in-hand with its input device, which may no longer look or function like today's controllers. In a March 2005 interview with BusinessWeek, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted that Revolution's new input device was still incomplete, and that multiple ideas were still being tossed around.
"The new interface will allow some new forms of innovation," Iwata explained on the subject. "Already, you're seeing changes in Nintendo DS, which has a microphone, input pen, and touch screen. We have a number of candidates for a new [Revolution] interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone."
Q: Will the Revolutionary input device be a microphone?
A: Unlikely. Nintendo has stated on the record that while microphone-to-game mechanics are intriguing, competitors have already capitalized on them.
"But the fact of the matter is, to realize voice commands; all you have to do is install a microphone. We realize a few of our competitors are already thinking of following us on this, so it will not be a defining feature of the new console," Iwata explained in a March 2005 interview. "We may or may not use the microphone in the new [Nintendo Revolution] interface."
Q: Will Revolution feature screens on the console or the controller?
A: No. At a June 2004 analyst briefing in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "We have no intention of making a two-screen console akin to the [Nintendo] DS."
Q: What makes the controller so revolutionary then?
A: At E3 2005, Nintendo's executive of vice president of sales and marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, offered a hint.
"We announced the ability to download and play the best NES games, S-NES games, N64 games, in addition to Revolution games and GameCube games," he said in an IGN/G4 interview. "If you put those controllers all lined up together, they're all very different. So think about what kind of device is going to allow you to play all those different types of games. It's pretty interesting."
Revolution's controller may enable gamers to configure their own layouts in order to best suit their different gameplay experiences.
Q: Will Revolution hook up to a television?
A: Yes. It will also be able to interface with a computer monitor. In June 2004 Nintendo engineer Genyo Takeda said: "You'll be able to play [Revolution] not just by linking up to a television but to a computer monitor as well."
Q: Will Revolution go online?
A: Yes. The Revolution console will feature online play out of the box. Nintendo at the March 15, 2005 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco announced an aggressive new Wi-Fi strategy for both DS and Revolution. Wi-Fi enables wireless, high-speed connections to the Internet using such popular standards as 802.11b and 802.11g. Company executives made strong statements about Nintendo's belief that gamers should be able to wirelessly go online and play against each other.
"We intend to incorporate wireless technology in all we do," Iwata announced at the event. "Therefore, Nintendo Revolution will be Wi-Fi enabled, built into every system."
Q: Will Revolution owners be able to connect online and download classic Nintendo games?
A: Yes. Nintendo announced at E3 2005 that Revolution would be able to go online wirelessly and download classic Nintendo games. Nintendo has not yet announced what titles will be available for download. However, it has confirmed that Revolution owners could theoretically download every NES, Super-NES and Nintendo 64 game ever made. The publisher is reportedly already working with third party publisher to ensure that popular third party games are also available to download.
At E3 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto said: "We have not set a price or determined a list of software for the Nintendo Revolution download service. But, we're looking at this as a consumer service and not so much from the business end. What we want to do is provide the product that is going to make the Revolution the console that people want in their homes. So it actually might be driven from the consumer end rather than from us. You know, the games that they most want might be the ones that we do. From a technological point, we can do any of them. It's just, we haven't determined which ones we'll do yet."
Q: How are discs inserted into Revolution?
A: The unit features a slot-loading drive that accepts both GameCube optical discs ands proprietary 12cm discs. Users simply insert the disc into the front of the unit and the drive does the rest.
Q: Does Revolution have a hard drive?
A: No.
Q: How will games be saved on Revolution?
A: It depends on the game. The machine plays Revolution and GameCube titles out of the box. A GameCube docking station located on one side of the unit features four GCN controller inputs as well as two Memory Pak slots. Data for GameCube titles will be saved to standard Memory Paks. Meanwhile, Revolution software data will be stored on 512MB flash memory, according to Nintendo.
Q: Who are Nintendo's hardware partners on Revolution?
A: During the course of the last two years, several major hardware companies have been linked to Revolution including IBM, ATI, MoSys and NEC.
In December 2002 Bloomberg reported that Nintendo had agreed to collaborate with NEC on a system LSI that would serve as the core for the new console.
Just a few months later GameCube graphics chip maker ATI announced a vague "technology development agreement" for use in future "Nintendo products." Unconfirmed reports from insiders alleged that ATI had been in development with the graphics chip for Revolution well before that announcement.
In March 2005, Nintendo confirmed that both IBM and ATI would supply the CPU and GPU respectively for the Revolution console.
"We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with Nintendo," explained Dave Orton, ATI Technologies' president and chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds. ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to gaming."
Q: What are Revolution's CPU and GPU called, and why?
A:: The IBM-created CPU is called Broadway. The ATI-developed GPU is called Hollywood. At the March 2005 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained the reasoning behind the titles.
"With IBM, we are creating Revolution's core processor, which we have codenamed Broadway because Broadway is the capital of live entertainment," he said. "With ATI, we are developing the graphics chipset, codenamed Hollywood because Hollywood is the capital of movie entertainment. With Revolution, we are determined to create the new capital of interactive entertainment."
Q: Has Nintendo sent out Revolution development kits to software houses yet?
A: We're not sure.
In March 2005, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was asked about Revolution development kits. "Development kits are already out there, depending on which stage you're talking about," he responded. "All I can say right now is 'in the near-future' for the base platform information they will need to get started on games."
When asked about whether kits had gone out at E3 2005, however, Shigeru Miyamoto said no. "We have not sent out development kits to developers yet," he confirmed. "However, development kits for the Nintendo Revolution are very similar to the ones for the GameCube. So we feel that the environments are so similar that they will be able to start development very quickly upon receiving the development kits for Revolution."
Q: When will Revolution be released?
A: "If you're asking for a specific date for our next system -- we don't have one. Nintendo is going to remain competitive and will launch around the same time as competitors -- not later than," said Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs in a May 2004 interview. This used to be the company line. But at E3 2005, Nintendo sang a different tune. No longer concerned about beating Sony to market, Nintendo executives said simply that Revolution would "launch in 2006."
During a conference call discussing its financial status, Revolution memory maker MoSys said that the console would launch in mid-2006.
Microsoft will debut Xbox 360 this November in America. Sony said at E3 2005 that it would like to launch PlayStation 3 by March 2006. Given these plans, Revolution will likely be the last system to hit the market.
Q: How much will Revolution cost?
A:: An exact price is unknown. But Nintendo is aggressively seeking to deliver a small, quiet and affordable console. It seems likely that the unit will debut at the sub-$200 mark and possibly cheaper if all goes as planned.
Q: When will Nintendo reveal more about Revolution?
A: Before the end of the year, according to company president Satoru Iwata. Nintendo may opt to hold a Space World show in Japan to debut more details about the console. Traditionally, Space World events have taken place in the August or September time frames.
Q: What Games are in development for Revolution?
A: Believe it or not, there are already a number of top-tier titles in development for Nintendo's next-generation console. At E3 2005, the company revealed that a Revolution sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee is being readied for the launch of the new system. Even better, the game will be Wi-Fi compatible, enabling players to fight it out against each other online. In addition, brand new Zelda and Mario titles are underway for the upcoming machine.
When questioned on the subject at E3 2005, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto did not yet know if the Revolution Mario update would be the much-talked-about Mario 128. "In regards to Mario 128, we're currently doing a lot of Mario experiments back in Kyoto. We are definitely going to have a new Mario for Revolution. Whether or not that's 128 or not, I can't really say. It might be a new Sunshine. We're not sure. We're doing a lot of Mario tests right now for the Revolution," Miyamoto said.
At E3 2005, Nintendo also revealed that Metroid Prime 3 is in development for Revolution. The title is once more being handled by Retro Studios. It will launch in 2006, say sources.
In addition, Nintendo confirmed that an Animal Crossing sequel is being readied for Revolution. Little is known about the title, except that it will interact wirelessly with Nintendo DS.
Nintendo also revealed that it has teamed with Square Enix to bring an original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title to Revolution.
Next, Nintendo's vice president of corporate affairs confirmed to IGNcube at E3 2005 that Nintendo is working on a new IP that will premiere with the launch of Revolution. "Wait for Revolution," she said. "At least one new franchise. Brand new."
Finally, Bandai has pledged support for Revolution.
Well, this is it for now. I will try to update it as more information comes.
You can find the original FAQ at IGN.com (http://www.ign.com)
Click Here for a direct link to the original FAQ (http://cube.ign.com/articles/522/522559p1.html)
Use quote tags please. ~ PBM ~