The Revolution is shaping up to be a phenomenal console, what with built-in emulation for every previous Nintendo console, downloadable retro games, online gaming, and a unique controller that has spawned huge debates about the future of gaming. Kotaku has gotten the early word on Nintendo\'s E3 Press Conference, which will be held May 9, 2006. The letter from Nintendo refers to \"our next home console, code-named Revolution,\" which has us wondering if we won\'t hear about the long-rumored console name-change. Reports filtered out of Tokyo Game Show 2005 that the Revolution logo imagery Nintendo had promoted surrounding E3 2005 was noticeably absent at TGS. The name-change would not be out of character. The Gamecube was famously known as the Dolphin in its early development.

Kotaku also points us to an article on Revolution Report about a patent application that defines an interface not unlike the Xbox Dashboard. The patent application (get the original here) defines a structure for downloading and playing games that is very much like the Xbox Dashboard, wherein the user can download, manage, and play games from a slick graphical interface. The system described in the patent application also suggests that Nintendo will fulfill its promises to deliver a convenient, unified network for users and developers to get online. The Nintendo DS has seen the release of Nintendo WiFi Connect. Can \"Nintendo Home Connect\" be far behind?

Finally, Kotaku brings word that Nintendo has confirmed on the floor of the Osaka Securities Exchange that Revolution will ship before Christmas 2006. The comments were carried in the Kyoto Shinbun, available here (please note: in Japanese).

Click on over and get the advanced word. We\'ll follow all of these assertions as details unfold.