Jump to content
Hondo's Bar

Nintendo Wii


The NZA

Recommended Posts

Not to be outdone by the X-Box 360 and PS3 expecting to drop at this year's E3, my favorite company's puttin out preempitve info over here (http://www.nintendo.com/newsarticle?articleid=9594f668-5342-4b38-8eb1-d6bf479c4139&page=other):

 

Nintendo Reveals Early Details About Revolution

May 13, 2005

Big things to come in small package

 

Nintendo, the world leader in video game innovation, stated loud and clear that they are not to be overlooked in the next generation home console race with the revelation of several unique features of the company's next console system, code name Revolution, to key media outlets. According to the early information, Revolution will combine powerful technology and gaming-focused features in Nintendo's smallest home game console yet.

 

In its final form, Revolution will be about the thickness of three standard DVD cases and only slightly longer. The versatile Revolution will play either horizontally or vertically, allowing the user total flexibility in setting up a gaming session wherever they have a television.

 

Thanks to Nintendo's hardware development partners IBM and ATI, the small system will be packed with power that will enable it to wow players with its graphics. Nintendo's legions of loyal fans will be happy to learn that Revolution will be backward compatible, playing both Nintendo GameCube 8cm disks along with its own 12cm optical disks in the same self-loading media drive.

 

In the next generation, the addition of the Internet will be important to all consoles and particularly important to Nintendo. Revolution will be wireless Internet ready out of the box.

 

There's much more to Revolution that will be revealed over the coming months, but the combination of its compact size, wireless Internet, backward compatibility, quick start-up time and quiet, low-power operation add up to the start of a great game system. Get ready for the Nintendo Revolution in 2006!

 

Consider me hyped. :D I guess theyre jumpin on the online bandwagon, we'll see what comes of that. I just wanna know more about the "12cm optical disks in the same self-loading media drive" part...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 460
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

It does. Thing is, how much does this feature get used on consoles...?

 

X-box pushed itself much more heavily for online games than any system since then Dreamcast, i think. You need a network of good, well-supported titles...PS2 came half-assed with Resident Evil: Outbreak and FF XI alone, i think.

 

I honestly get Nintendo systems largely for 1st party titles, like Zelda, Metroid, Mario etc. Now, Mario Party could work, but im not sure how many others...F-Zero? Starfox etc? Dont get me wrong, its a fun option, no dobut, its just not one i see many console users taking advantage/paying extra for, but these are next-gen systems, so i could be proven wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hah...only if im Link and youre all moblines or octoroks or somethin.

 

...that's right, i know the names of the villains, dont be jealous.

 

ps again i appreciate the option bein out there, i just hate to see it raise the system's price if nothing is ever done with it, but if Nintnedo's finally ready to make the move to online, im guessin something's in the works.

 

Personally...id just like to see the system come out right, with a proper Mario game showcasing it. I still remember finally being blown away by 3-D graphics and their potential by Mario 64.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No shit, I love nintendo, but they need to start of right. The 64 was fun, but not making the system play from cds killed what could have it made a killer system.

The gamecube I love, but the few killer games it has are few and far an between.

Do I have to wait almost a year between games worth buying. I mean Metroid prim 2 came out last novmeber, and zelda comes out in september. Nintendo needs to start out strong this time or they don't have much of a future. The specs

make the system sound great, but that could change by the time the system hits stores later this year. They also said that online gameing is not a big deal to them. I say we wait to hear more before start to hype it up.

Edited by newtype
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, to an extent (no dobut the catridge move was a bad one for 64)...

 

When talkin bout the first party games - Zelda, Metorid, Mario etc - its always been quality over quantity. Yes, we can go a year without seeing any major release, but ive yet to see any of them dissapoint (i wasnt as big on Mario Sunshine, but it seems like that was just me). Even a lesser Mario game still tops like 90% of most platformers i play. Id much prefer this to the Capcom/Aklaim etc idea of a new chapter each year, whether its good or not.

 

What i think Nintendo needs - ironically, since it was the key to their domination back in the 8-16 bit days - is 3rd party support. Resident Evil, Eternal Darkness etc help escape a bit of the "kiddy" stereotype they get, but some say they miss out big when they dont get the new GTA games & such, series like that and sports ones are the big moneymakers here in the states, it seems.

 

Still, i really enjoy the spinoff titles like Smash Bros, Mario Party, Paper Mario etc. I just wish theyd get more names on board, and make sure to get copies of big releases from Konami & companies like that.

 

You know what else'd be nice? Built-in setup to play GBA/DS titles too, i hate buying adapters, but companies love that shit. Ayway, arc says PS3 is rumored to have PSP playback, and that's a cool feature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

haha...because the characters arent small enough, or the screen busy enough for you as it is...?

 

Id be down for any of that, but good call on Mario Kart. Itd be like F-Zero in that i cant hang with the fulltime players, but id have some fun cursing random strangers through my TV, and teamgames'd be awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

revo_screen001.jpg

revo_screen003.jpg

 

:D

 

Aside from the design, Nintendo also released a few new details about the Revolution. It's 2-3 times more powerful than the GameCube. Its controllers will be wireless right out of the box. Though no shots of the controllers have been released yet, rumors have been around of it being quite, well, revolutionary, and may include such things as touch-screensor some sort of "gyroscopic functions". Those are just rumors, but considering this does tend to revolutionize controller design with each new system (look at what controllers were like before the N64) I'd expect some surprises. It's backwards compatible and will play any current generation GameCube game. It's "online friendly" and getting online will give users a very cool feature - the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and N64 games directly onto the Revolution. Damn that's hot. Nintendo has announced "big plans" for the Metroid franchise on the Revolution and Mario and Zelda games are already being developed.

Edited by Silent Bob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's "online friendly" and getting online will give users a very cool feature - the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and N64 games directly onto the Revolution. Damn that's hot. Nintendo has announced "big plans" for the Metroid franchise on the Revolution and Mario and Zelda games are already being developed.

 

:D:D:D

1) wavebirds right out the box = cool shit.

 

2) backwards compatible makes me mad happy.

 

3) I gotta know more about this library download (as details present themselves, of course). Were prolly talkin only 1st party Nintnedo games, right? (not that that's a bad thing at all). Wonderin what the price tag'll be per title too...and here i am with an NES & SNES hooked up, and testing emulators....if they actually make this happen, ill know they got my letter. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True, tho theyve marked em up to $15 for me sometimes :D

 

I'm so hyped bout it, its not even funny; i knew they were holding off their retro stuff for a reason. Here's to hopin that one of the "optional colors" is an old-school grey, white & black with red lettering like they did that GBA; id be all over that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heres a little something from E3.

 

 

Nintendo Joins Battle of New Game System

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Let the battle for the digital den begin - again. Nintendo Co. on Tuesday was the last of the three major video game console makers to preview its next-generation system, called Revolution. The Japanese company had a tiny surprise, too.

 

Revolution will face stiff competition from Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 as the manufacturers vie to attract a more diverse audience with products that serve as digital entertainment hubs instead of just serving up video games.

 

After years of promoting their existing consoles with big-budget games, the three companies touted sleek new technology this week on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, an annual industry meeting that begins Wednesday.

 

The ability to play older games was addressed by all three makers, with backward compatibility meaning owners of the new systems will be able to play games created for the existing Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2.

 

Nintendo went a step further, announcing Tuesday to applause and cheers that Revolution's built-in wireless Internet will provide downloadable access to the thousands of games in company's 20-year-old library, going back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

 

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president, did not provide many details on the Revolution but he showed an enthusiastic audience a black prototype box with a blue, front-loading disc drive as well as a picture of several possible color schemes, ranging from silver to bright yellow.

 

He said the final box will be about the size of a stack of three DVD cases.

 

Details on Revolution's high-tech innards were less specific than what is being provided by Microsoft and Sony.

 

Aside from the included Wi-Fi networking, the Revolution will have wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and slots for DS memory cards. Nintendo did not say anything about the processor or graphics chips that will be used to power the machine, other than that they are being developed by IBM Corp. and ATI Technologies Inc.

 

"This is the console where the big idea can prevail over big budgets," Iwata said.

 

With Xbox 360 and PS3, meanwhile, snazzy technology able to deliver cinema-quality graphics and sound has been the center attraction.

 

Xbox 360 will have three speedy processors and custom graphics chip from ATI, a removable 20-gigabyte hard drive and wireless capability for cable-free access to the company's Xbox Live online multiplayer service.

 

And while Xbox 360 can play movies, music and television, it won't replace the desktop computer as an ideal nerve center for such content, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said. The company on Tuesday announced an extender for its Media Center operating system that allows users to stream media from the desktop onto their Xbox 360.

 

"We think the PC is the best hub for that," he said. He later added, "It's the most general purpose of the devices."

 

PS3 is to boast Cell processors, jointly developed by Sony with IBM and Toshiba Corp., that are purportedly 10 times faster than current generation computer processors.

 

But beyond all the techno-lingo, important details for consumers - including price and game costs - still haven't been announced. The Xbox 360 will be the first to market, due around Thanksgiving, followed by the PS3 next spring and the Revolution sometime next year.

 

"They are all pursing strategies that really play to their own strengths," said P.J. McNealy, a senior analyst at American Technology Research. "At this point it is primarily marketing and position, that's the main goal here."

 

In 2004, the PlayStation 2 led the U.S. console wars with 43 percent of the market, according to Jupiter Research. The original Xbox was a distant No. 2 with 19 percent, followed by Nintendo's GameCube at 14 percent. The remainder included handheld game systems.

 

Jonathan Epstein, a video game agent for United Talent Agency, said the rise of broadband Internet and more processing power has fueled these new consoles' ability to move beyond games alone. And that could help grow the market for games beyond the traditional young male audience.

 

Nintendo's surprise announcement was a tiny redesigned Game Boy Advance called Micro, available this fall for an undisclosed price. The silver device, about the size of an iPod Mini, is a redesign and doesn't offer any new technology, officials said.

 

"This is just another kind of edgy element that we're adding to the mix," Nintendo of America spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan said.

 

New types of interactivity were the main thrust of Nintendo's hopes to broaden the $10 billion U.S. game market.

 

"Electroplankton" for Nintendo's DS handheld lets gamers manipulate fish and other sea creatures to create rhythmic sound effects and music. "Nintendogs," already available in Japan, employs the DS' microphone as you shout orders to get your digital pup to do tricks like sit and roll over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Revolution online service to be totally free and like, wicked cool!

In an article that appears in Tuesday's issue of USA Today, several exciting tidbits were uncovered about the online service for Nintendo's next home console. The service will offer broadband access to a player-matching service, all for the low low cost of FREE. That's right, for a monthy fee of NOTHING, you too can engage your fellow Nintendorks in a friendly bout of asskickery. In addition to the player-matching, the service will also offer downloadable versions of games from Nintendo's back catalog, running the gamut from old school arcade classics like Donkey Kong right up to your favorite Gamecube games. According to the article, Nintendo has yet to decide on whether or not to charge a fee for downloads, which means they will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wait, is that confirmed? im tryin to remember how the Wavebird's batteries work...

 

That's awesome that Nintendo's gonna step it up with free online service. Remember, tho, MMORPG's and such are the ones that like to charge a few bucks a month & such to play on their servers, but still, i havent had free console interent since Sega.net.

 

I'm half expecting a free download or two a month, and the rest charging a certain amount. Such a service is gonna bleed me dry, watch.

 

ps that article's right, about the 3 consoles playing up their strengths. Shame on X-box is gonna be ready by the holiday season, but i wonder if ps3 pre-sales will hurt that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn, NT, you really do have some sorta weird vendetta against the XBox, don't you?

 

Wait, is that confirmed? im tryin to remember how the Wavebird's batteries work...

 

Yeah, it's confirmed. I have to dig up my sources again to find out the details, I don't remember where I found it. And it could change somewhat between now and the release next year, but at the moment it's confirmed...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...