The big N? finally revealed some useful information about it's next home console, the Nintendo Revolution, but also left out some key things that undoubtedly had most at the press conference disappointed and scratching their heads, but is nothing Nintendo fans haven't dealt with before.
The Revolution was shown, raised high in the air by one Satoru Iwata with a proud grin to a happy audience. The console, supposedly not to be bigger than three DVD cases thick, was shown in black, but a number of colors, including yellow, silver, and plain white are being showcased at E3. The console comes with a silver stand, allowing it to be mounted vertically as well as horizontally, giving the new machine a nice, artsy touch.
The first thing to be announced came as no shock at first when Iwata stated that the Revolution would be able to play all GameCube discs, but he shocked the crowd by announcing that players would be able to download every single Nintendo game in existence, from the eight bit era all the way through the N64. That's twenty years of gaming goodness. This ultimate form of backward compatibility will ensure satisfaction by not only gamers ready for the next generation, but also by those who can't let prior generations go.
Next up for the Iwata and the Revolution is a single, self-loading media bay that will play both twelve centimeter optical discs used for the new system, as well as for GameCube games. Gamers will also have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content.
Next on the list was some sparse detail on the meat of the system. The Revolution will use 512 MB's of internal flash memory, a number that's significantly lower than the PS3 and the Xbox 360. One trend that has finally caught on are wireless controllers, and the Revolution will also include them, along with two USB ports and built in Wi Fi access. The only other thing we know about the Revolution's guts is that the processor will be developed by IBM and is codenamed Broadway?, and that the graphics chip will be developed by ATI and is codenamed Hollywood.?
Also announced was Nintendo's new wireless gaming service called, unoriginally enough, Nintendo Wi Fi Connection". Apparently, there are several wi fi games being developed as we speak (or as you read).
Obviously, there are plenty of things that we don't know and that were not announced, like when Nintendo plans on releasing the Revolution in response to the Xbox 360 being released this fall, at what price point the new system will retail for, and the rest of the Revolution's specs, which were mysteriously absent. However, as we've seen with the DS, Nintendo really is about innovation, and if there is one company that has proved time and time again that they can not only succeed, but thrive in the video games sector, it's Nintendo. Stay tuned, as there will surely be more to come.