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The Nintendo Revolution is Nintendo's fifth home video game console and the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Its main innovation will likely be its controller that responds to its own position and orientation in 3-D physical space in front of the television, a concept never before seen in mainstream consoles. Another innovation is that its slot-loading optical drive is the first that accepts both 3 and 5 inch discs, GameCube and dual-layered DVD based media. Its codename during early development was N5 (alluding to the fact it is Nintendo's fifth home console).

The system was unveiled at Nintendo's 2005 E³ press conference and the game controller at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show by Satoru Iwata during his keynote speech in September. On December 8, 2005 a site containing Revolution information accidentally leaked information about a PPU graphics card that will create much more vibrant effects than its competitors. Promotional material released at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show stated the console was scheduled for a 2006 release. In an interview with Nikkei Business Iwata stated the Revolution will be coming out after April of that year, and that they are considering attempting an international launch with no more than 14 weeks of difference between the first and last launching regions. Nintendo has announced that more details about the system will be made public on May 9, 2006. The latest sources point towards a Thanksgiving 2006 launch date.

Nintendo has had a tendency to be coy with release of information regarding the Revolution, leaving some media outlets with the idea that Nintendo was not prepared or did not have the intention to compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's PlayStation 3. Top executives at the company denied that and insisted that they were simply protecting their intellectual property from imitation by competitors before the system is released. Innovations (such as the inclusion of a D-Pad and later an analog stick as standard, wireless controller technology, shoulder buttons, vibrating feedback for controllers, and four controller ports) have been widely disseminated following their mainstream arrival on Nintendo's machines.

Confirmed hardware and technology

CPU/GPU

IBM will be developing the CPU, codenamed "Broadway." IBM previously developed the processor in Nintendo's current system, the GameCube. Nintendo has also announced that Canadian graphics card maker ATI Technologies is developing the GPU, which is codenamed "Hollywood". Before the GameCube's release, ATI had bought ArtX, the company responsible for the GameCube's GPU and whose members were former Silicon Graphics employees involved with the Nintendo 64 graphics chip.

Connectivity

Revolution will have built-in Wi-Fi, allowing certain games to be played online . Nintendo is providing an optional PC-compatible wireless router for use by consumers that do not already have access to a wireless connection. The accessory is also compatible with the Nintendo DS. While no ethernet port is planned, Nintendo has suggested ethernet may be possible for the system with USB via an adaptor.

Memory/Media

MoSys, whose 1T-SRAM memory technology was used in the GameCube, will again provide the RAM technology for Revolution.

Revolution will use standard DVD/CD size optical discs. It will have the ability to play DVD movies with an undisclosed add-on (most likely a hardware dongle). It will be able to hook up to a computer monitor as well as a TV, but at this point in time, Nintendo are not supporting HDTV output. The standard output will be 480p.

Design

Nintendo also has said the console will be "sleek", approximately the thickness of three DVD cases (pictures are of the prototype, which is three DVD cases large), considerably thinner than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It will stand both horizontally and vertically. This new industrial design will also address remarks regarding the GameCube's unique look which some have complained does not fit in amongst most home entertainment components. The console has also been stated to be a very quiet system in comparison to the fan noise output by most gaming consoles and will also be more affordable than its competitors. .

Controller

The Nintendo Revolution controller, unveiled at Tokyo Game Show 2005, has a shape reminiscent of a television remote control and operates like a mouse in three-dimensional real-space. The controller is also a reminiscent of the Nintendo 64, and NES in terms of the buttons.

The controller is a major departure from the last twenty years of console design. Two sensors near the television allow the controller to sense its position in three-dimensional space; other sensors in the controller itself allow it to sense its tilt and yaw. Players can thus mime actions (and receive "rumble pak" style vibration feedback) instead of simply pushing buttons. An early marketing video showed actors miming such actions as fishing, cooking, drumming, conducting an orchestra, shooting a gun, sword fighting, and performing dental surgery. The video can also be found here . To communicate with the sensors, the Revolution's controller uses Bluetooth technology.

A digital directional pad is positioned at the top of the controller face, with a large GameCube-styled A button directly below it and a trigger on the underside acting as the B-button. Below the A button is a row of three small buttons: Start, Home, and Select. Near the bottom end of the controller are two additional buttons labeled lowercase a and b (labeled X and Y in promotional videos), suggesting that users can turn the controller 90 degrees and use it like a classic NES controller. Beneath these buttons are four lights which indicate which "port" is being used--at present, up to four players are expected to be able to play on a single Revolution console.

The controller can also slip inside or be attached to peripherals through a proprietary port on its bottom end. A tethered peripheral with an analog stick and two shoulder buttons (labeled Z1 and Z2) will, according to Satoru Iwata, be bundled with the free-hand controller (letting the user play games "nunchaku-style").

A "shell" peripheral is also slated to release for the Revolution that will be "very similar in style and form to the Wavebird" . The official name for this is the "Classic-Style Expansion Controller". According to Iwata, it is meant for playing "the existing games, virtual console games, and multi-platform games" (TGS 2005 keynote, 40:43). The freehand controller will slide into a hole in the top of the classic controller, and thus it will retain the freehand controller's position sensing capabilities. IGN has an article called "Understanding the Revolution Controller", which discusses the shell as well as includes a mock-up of what the shell might look like.

Nintendo promises a wide variety of peripherals ranging from dance mats to analog game controllers. It is possible that they may be inexpensive enough to be bundled with games much like the rumble pack, expansion pack, and microphone for Star Fox 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Mario Party 6 respectively.

Mr. Iwata has confirmed that the sensors will be compatible with any television, including projectors.

Also, Miyamoto added before exiting the stage , "there are still secrets to this controller, and these will be revealed next year."

What secrets could the controller yet still hold? There is much speculation that Nintendo may opt to place a microphone into the controller, or some kind of port where you could plug in a headset on the controller. Nintendo has continuously shown interest in voice-controlled/influenced games, as shown in the Nintendo DS title Nintendogs and the GameCube titles Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7, which both use the GameCube's microphone peripheral. Nintendo has also stated that the odd real-time Japanese war/pinball simulator, Odama, will also use the GameCube's microphone peripheral for directing troops. Also, it should be noted that a microphone/headset could be useful for communication during online play, as that in the Nintendo WiFi Connection.

Technical Specifications

Nintendo have released very little detailed information at present concerning the technical specifications of the Revolution console. According to a recent interview with Nintendo of America's Jim Merrick, Nintendo may never release a complete system specification, citing that the exact technology is irrelevant, and has little bearing on how "satisfying" the gameplay is . Although detailed specifications have yet to be officially released, it is expected that the Revolution will not match the rival PlayStation 3 or XBOX 360 consoles in terms of processing power and memory. As a result the Revolution is likely to be cheaper than Sony and Microsoft's next generation consoles.

Some details have however been released by Nintendo and other third parties involved with the console:

• Processors:
  • IBM PowerPC "Broadway" CPU
  • ATI "Hollywood" GPU
• Memory:
  • 1T-SRAM
  • 512 MB built-in expandable flash memory
• Ports and Peripherals:
  • Two USB 2.0 ports.
  • Wireless controllers.
  • Possibly a single proprietary output for video and audio.
  • 4 Nintendo GameCube controller ports and 2 Nintendo GameCube memory card ports (for compatibility).
  • Optional USB PC-compatible 802.11b wireless router.
• Media:
  • Slot loading optical disc drive compatible with both 12 cm and 8 cm proprietary optical discs (again, for GameCube compatibility) as well as standard DVD discs. The proprietary optical discs will hold 4.7 GB (single layered) and 8.5 GB (double layered).
  • 2 front loading SD memory card slots.
  • Nintendo has announced that the Revolution will have a content ratings system in its console, having age restrictions as follows: PEGI 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+,18+, and ESRB EC, E, E10+, T, M, and AO.
• Networking:
  • Wi-Fi by the Broadcom Corporation:
    • Built-in 802.11b & 802.11g support.
  • No Ethernet port built-in, though Iwata has mentioned that a USB-attachment Ethernet port peripheral will be released, though no further information is known.
• The final version will be smaller than the prototype presented E³, which was described as being "about the size of three stacked standard DVD cases".

Features

Online arguments commenced when Nintendo of America's Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Perrin Kaplan, announced there would be no HD support for their upcoming system. Kaplan stated beautiful graphics and innovative gameplay could be achieved without HD and that abstaining from the technology would help keep the cost of games down. In reaction, major Internet based magazines like IGN.com organized letter writing campaigns to protest against Nintendo regarding the decision and urging consumers to take action . A website called 1080up.org was also formed specifically for lobbying Nintendo to include the feature but so far nothing clear has come from it.

Backwards compatibility

The Nintendo Revolution has reportedly been designed to be compatible with Nintendo GameCube software and most peripherals. Standing vertically, the top of Revolution has four GameCube controller ports that will allow the system to be compatible with ordinary GameCube controllers, Nintendo's wireless Wavebird controller, the DK Bongos, the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable, and the Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix dance pads. It also features two memory card slots that should be fully compatible with all generations of GameCube memory cards ("Memory Card 59", "Memory Card 251", and "Memory Card 1019") and the Nintendo GameCube Microphone. The Nintendo Revolution is designed to accept the tiny Nintendo GameCube discs through the same slot-loading disc drive that will accept standard-sized Revolution game discs and DVD movies; this is a first for slot-loading disc drives, which typically only accept discs of one standard size. Nintendo is no stranger to backwards compatibility, as the Game Boy Advance can play older Game Boy Color and original Game Boy games, and the DS can play Game Boy Advance games. Many have criticized the Xbox 360 for including only partial backwards compatibility with Xbox games, which does not include many recent releases, though it seems Nintendo is making compatibility a high priority. However, it is unclear if it will have the high-speed port required for use with the Game Boy Player accessory, but it is unlikely because of the difference in the Revolution's and the GameCube's size (a rectangle against an almost quadratic footprint with different measures).

Virtual console

Nintendo has announced that Revolution will have the ability to play all the Nintendo-produced Nintendo 64, SNES/Super Famicom, and Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom games; the software may be recompiled or emulated but will be offered via the Nintendo online download service. Satoru Iwata refers to this feature as the "Virtual Console". According to a Japanese press release, "all downloaded games will be stored on the 512 flash memory built into the system." To prevent illegal copying, downloaded games will feature a proprietary DRM system.

Nintendo announced that the downloadable games may be redesigned. It was also said that although the gameplay would stay the same, it would be possible "that with Revolution, we may be able to see the old games with new looks." (this may be compared to the 1993 SNES release Super Mario All-Stars, a single cartridge containing several classic Super Mario Bros games with updated graphics). Some 3D games may "look sharper when played on Revolution." If the technical aspects of Revolution also go well, " discussing the possibility of having older games like Mario Party playable online."

Although no specifics have yet been released, there will be fees associated with the "virtual console" feature. Nintendo has suggested that they may give some of the downloadable games away with Nintendo products or through other special offers. It is also unknown what specific titles will be available or whether third-party developers will release their older games for the Revolution, although it has been said that Nintendo is in talks with these developers for this purpose. Yuji Naka, the designer of Sonic the Hedgehog at Sega, said in an interview with Famitsu, "It's also great that we'll be able to play Famicom and other games via download. I hope Sega games will be playable as well." He also said similar in a recent interview with Nintendo Power. Currently, Nintendo could release more than 200 potential titles (and if, like it has been rumoured, the Revolution is indeed compatible with the Game Boy Player accessory, then over 98 percent of Nintendo's back catalogue could be playable on the system, but does not include Virtual Boy software).

Some see Nintendo trying to pattern the most successful strategy used by the music industry against illegal music downloads. Since computers have been powerful enough to emulate past-generation home consoles and the Internet provided an easy, fast, and widely accessible distribution path for ROM images (a file which contains the data for a game which can then be played via an emulator), illegal ROM downloading has been common among a segment of fans of old games. The music industry's most successful method of reducing illegal music downloading has apparently been to offer consumers a way to download music legally for a small cost. If Nintendo is successful at utilizing this model, they may be able to reduce illegal ROM downloading and open up a new revenue stream. This backward-compatibility feature also stands as a new unique selling point against the Revolution's competitors.

The unveiling of the new controller has also shed some light on the functionality of the backwards compatibility; specifically, when held sideways, the controller resembles the NES controller.

Nintendo recently filed a patent on the interface of the virtual console (), suggesting that it will be a full emulator, as opposed to using re-written games, and that it may be possible to have extra features such as new characters added to the game.

According to Jim Merrick, there's a possibility for users to download games from others regions, a feature important to European gamers who could download (for example) Super Mario RPG from an American server.

Also according to Jim Merrick, N64 games played on Revolution will have a better frame rate but that there would not generally be any other significant graphical improvements.

Parental controls

The Revolution will feature parental controls, prohibiting young viewers from viewing inappropriate content. This allows parents to set the age level of the system, and when a disc is inserted, it will read the content rating encoded on the game discs; if this rating is greater than the system's age level setting, the game will not load unless the user correctly enters a password to override the setting. For instance, a game carrying an ESRB rating of M for Mature, which is intended for those over the age of 17, will not play on a system that is set to only allow games rated E for Everyone (ages six and older).

This will be found in all systems released around the world; it is confirmed that the European units will use the PEGI rating system , North American units will use the ESRB rating system , and units for the Japanese market will presumably use the CERO rating system. It is unknown what effect this will have on importing and playing games from one region on another region's machine; since Nintendo's consoles are also region locked, it is likely that whatever method importers use to circumvent the regional lock-out would have to override the parental lock-out as well.

Some politicians have expressed that they are pleased with this concept. For instance, an article listed on Nintendo's website claims that the governor of Washington state, Chris Gregoire, feels that it "gives parents more information and more control over what video games their kids play and at what age."

However, this may prove unreliable as most parental control systems have a very easy way to reset the password, in case one forgets the password. This method is usually, in fact, in the instruction manual, and therefore, most anybody could bypass a parental lock. Details are currently unknown. The Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 video game consoles will feature this as well.

Games in development

See List of Nintendo Revolution games.

Many games featuring Nintendo's classic franchises, such as Mario (most likely the long awaited Mario 128), The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Super Smash Brothers, have been announced. It has also been hinted that older games such as Kid Icarus will be on the Revolution as well, though as of most of the Revolution's details this has only been based on speculation. Nintendo has also announced that it is in the process of developing an entirely new and original franchise to be added into the Nintendo universe, although all other details about this project are unknown at this time. It has been speculated that the new franchise might be more mature than most previous Nintendo games. Square Enix is working on a sequel Crystal Chronicles title, Ubisoft is releasing Splinter Cell 4 on all major consoles including Revolution, and has announced an exclusive FPS and another non-exclusive game. The exclusive title is being coined off as a 'Doom' clone. Blitz has announced that Possession will come to all three next-gen consoles. Koei and Namco/Bandai (merging) have made announcements that they will make games for Revolution but not what games yet. Also, Camelot has announced that they are currently working on a Revolution RPG. This game could possibly be a sequel to Golden Sun The Lost Age. Killer 7 producer Goichi Suda, aka Suda 51, has confirmed that Grasshopper Manufacture is planning to make a Revolution game. According to Game Informer, Hideo Kojima is developing a Revolution game with the team from Kojima Productions that developed Metal Gear Acid. A new video game company called NIBRIS is said to make an exclusive game called "Raid Over The River." It will be a futuristic overhead shooter.

Rumors and speculation

• A recent patent filed at the US Patent Office, number 6,971,957, describes how Nintendo aims to utilise Displacement Mapping techniques to cut down on the processing power required to generated high quality models. Displacement Mapping is a technique where a high-quality mesh physically transforms (displaces) a lower-quality object. Using the technique, a displacement map can be placed over a mesh of only a few hundred polygons and still look as comparable to a model consisting over thousands, even millions, of polygons. What this means in effect is that by using displacement mapping, Revolution games could look as good as Xbox 360/PlayStation3 titles without the need for high-powered processors such as CELL.
• Based on the specs available, developers predict that the system will cost $150, but might come in at $100.
• Nintendo will probably have multiple colors for the Revolution. Five colors were shown at E³: White, Silver, Black, Red, and Lime.
• The Revolution may have connectivity with the Nintendo DS or Nintendo's next handheld system (seeing as Nintendo says that the Nintendo DS is not the next Game Boy system). Nintendo Power magazine has said this is likely in its July 2005 issue. A reported interview with Mr. Miyamoto seems to confirm this; however, the legitimacy of the source is unknown.
• Classic Sega titles may also be made available for download, in addition to classic Nintendo titles. This potentially includes titles released for the Sega Master System, Sega Genesis/Megadrive, Sega CD, Sega 32x and Sega Saturn. Some of the CD-based games would need to be either stored on external SD cards that the Revolution supports or delivered on optical discs, given the system's expected 512MiB of internal storage. These rumors were sparked by comments made by Sega on the Nintendo Revolution.
• A new Kid Icarus game was hinted to be in development by Shigeru Miyamoto in an interview with IGN.
• Mario Revolution is likely to be the long developed Super Mario 128, considering comments by Mr. Miyamoto.
• Pilotwings 3 may be slated for a Nintendo Revolution release, after being cancelled for the GameCube.
• Konami may be in the process of developing two projects for Revolution.
• According to developers interviewed by IGN, the Revolution will launch in November, 2006.
• It has been rumored that the Nintendo Revolution will have the ability to download Nintendo DS video game demos that you will be able to receive on your Nintendo DS.
• Nintendo has been strongly hinting that not every major feature with regards to the Nintendo Revolution, and specifically its controller, has been revealed, likening it to the way that they first only revealed the fact that the Nintendo DS would have two screens, and only later revealing that it had a touchscreen, microphone, and wireless capabilities. According to Nintendo of Europe's Jim Merrick, they "have not shared everything that there is to know about Revolution or its controller. (...) C'mon, we're Nintendo - we like to hold things until the very end!".
• Third-party developers such as Activision, Atari, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Konami, Midway, Sega, and THQ have made positive comments about the Revolution and it may be possible they are supporting the system, but have not announced any specific games themselves.
• It has been suggested that the reason that Nintendo released the information about the real-space controller was because they caught wind of a "pitch" and "yaw" handheld extension of the EyeToy was being considered for the PlayStation3 and so released the information to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
• The GPU is believed to be being developed by the same team formerly known as the Californian firm ArtX which developed the graphics chip of both the GameCube and its predecessor, the Nintendo 64, before being purchased by ATI
• Current information on Revolution specs gathered by IGN from developers has caused a stir among gamers as many are simply referring to it as a "beefed up xbox" due to the fact its capability is merely (or even less than) twice that of the gamecube, compared to other next gen consoles which are several times more powerful than their predecessors. According to developers the Revolution will have 16MBs of D-RAM and 88MBs of 1T-SRAM. The CPU is said to be an upgraded version of the Gamecubes Gekko CPU, with around twice the performance of the Gamecube version. However, Nintendo officials have continually stated that the Revolution is not about power, and instead about presenting an affordable, innovative way of gaming, although it does cast doubt on weather all games ported to the Revolution from other 7th generation consoles may have to be 'watered down' to cope with the Revolution's hardware. However, developers are still without final specifications for it's ATI-developed graphics chip, codenamed Hollywood. So, right now, there is still a chance the specs might be changed.

Gallery

See also

v t e Dedicated consoles
Home	Original APF TV Fun series Coleco Telstar series Arcade Marksman Color TV-Game Plug It In & Play TV Games N-Joypad Video Pinball Retro Atari Flashback series Atari Joystick Controller TV Video Game System C64 Direct-to-TV NES Classic Edition PlayStation Classic Sega Genesis Mini Super NES Classic Edition TurboGrafx-16 Mini
Handheld	Bemani Pocket Coleco Sonic Game & Watch VG Pocket Max Pokémon Pikachu Tomytronic 3D
Arcade	Stunt Cycle Super Famicom Box
List

• List of Nintendo Revolution games
• Nintendo GameCube
• Nintendo DS
• List of video games published by Nintendo
• Comparison of next-generation game consoles

References

• Information on Nintendo's Wireless Router
• Information about system titles in development
• Nintendojo news update Press release with post-E³ information about Revolution.
• Template:Nintendo.com news - Official Nintendo pre-E³ Presentation of "Revolution" prototype
• N-Sider, October 2004 in-depth FAQ
• Gyration, September 24, 2001 Press release involving Nintendo investment
• IGN GameCube FAQ
• Game Informer interview with Reggie Fils-Aime
• IGN: Revolution Technical Specs - May 25, 2005
• IGN - E³ 2005: Revolution Not Final Name
• "IGNcube's Nintendo 'Revolution' FAQ"
• EGM interview transcript provided by Nintendojo
• Interview giving high hopes for controller in the crowded gaming industry August 20, 2005
• Template:Nintendo.com news
• IGN Revolution
• Revolution Report

External links

• Nintendo.com/Revolution Official revolution page
• IGN: Revolution
• RevolutionReport.com The first site dedicated to Nintendo's next console, codenamed the Nintendo Revolution
• Definitive Nintendo Revolution speculation
• Highly controversial revolution blog - most likely fake
• RevoGaming.net
• RevolutionReport.com: A Dedicated Site For The Nintendo Revolution
• GameSpot: The Revolution Revealed
• IGN: Revolution Controller - The Possibilities
• Video of controller usage
• Nintendo Genre Innovation Strategy
• Slides from the TGS Keynote announcing the Revolution controller
• Responses from developers
• 1up: The Revolution Begins Now
• Namco/Bandai
• Koei
• Cubed3.com: Nintendo Information/Community
• DSRevolution.com: Nintendo - Revolution - DS
• Gamespun Revolution and other game news.

• Nintendo
• Nintendo consoles
• Seventh-generation video game consoles
• Wi-Fi