Nintendo Revolution needs some rumors to compete
by Ben Zackheim 
{ Jan 24th 2005 at 10:14AM }
There's a lot of talk about Xbox 2 and Playstation 3 around here; but where's the Nintendo Revolution stuff? Well, it would be much easier to throw the goods your way if people like this guy would speak up. The tome you are about to read may be true, and it may be hogwash. But it has all the trimmings of a good rumor mill. The tip comes from striegs, who writes…
The link takes you to the Gaming-Age forums, where an anonymous tipster has apparently posted a list of features
that Nintendo will include in their upcoming home console. Some interesting things to note: gyros in the controllers,
built-in broadband, a hard drive, and backwards compatibility with the GCN. It also mentions that there are currently
no plans to link to the DS, but they are working on connectivity with the next Game Boy (Game Boy Evolution, Game Boy
Elite, take your pick). Most importantly, it then barely scrapes the surface of telling us what the "revolutionary"
part is, saying, "if you think too hard you'll never guess what it is. It's nothing 'new' technically speaking. It's
just something that hasn't really been applied to video games yet." And he later hints, "touching is good but feeling
is better." True or not, it's an engaging read at the very least.
[Thanks striegs!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
G. Freeman @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Personally, I don't care about the specs of these consoles. I learned my lesson.
Sony came around a few years ago and lied out their ass about how awesome the PS2 was going to be. Where are my Toy Story quality graphics? The PS2 was supposed to push 66 million polygons, how come it can only push a maximum of 7?
Nintendo only claimed to be able to push 9 million polygons so everyone crapped all over their console prior to launch. Yet somehow, a first-generation launch title pushed more than 14 million. Since then, some games have been able to push more than 18.
As you can see, there isn't much you can tell about the performance of a console by press releases. I don't ever remember a Sony press release claiming to have more jaggy edges to their 3D graphics than the competition, yet that is quite true.
I am much more interested in what these systems will allow me to do. The idea of a gyroscope controller sounds just right. For years Ive seen people tip their controller one way or another as they play, it is a natural instinct. It makes me wonder why nobody has done this before.
As for the number of giga-flops or 1024 bit dual processor mumbo-jumbo who cares! Does anyone really care how fast the front-side-bus is on your Xbox? Of course not. As long as it plays Burnout 3, what does it matter?
Luke @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I agree with G. Freeman. Essentially it all comes down to games and gameplay experiences. Console makers are going to make us all believe that their consoles are going to be able to do everything under the sun (Sony, I am looking in your direction). Take the PSP as an example, they just can't stop talking about what the thing is going to do. While I am not doubting some of their claims, I just can't believe that all of these additional features are going to work as well as they say.
And to be fair so this thread doesn't turn into a DS vs PSP thing, the DS has it's share of promises that aren't delivering. Currently, the main part of the DS that didn't quite live up to expectation was releasing this thing in November when their clearly weren't enough games for it. WHile it makes sense from a business standpoint (I can see why the DS didn't want to debut alongside the PSP), it is unfair to those DS owners who are sitting around waiting for *anything* to come out.
About the "Revolution". I personally think that Nintendo has something impressive they are sitting on. Yeah, the company likes to talk about how awesome they are, but look at their history. I think their history in this industry give them some right, and I am not doubting they have an awesome idea on their hands. The question is, will it work, and will people be into it.
Think about the virtual boy. In theory it was a great idea, but first of all it didn't "work" in the sense that it wasn't practical, it only had one color, etc... AND it didn't work in the sense that few people really seemed to care about it.
Anyway. Rumors like this one are kind of worthless in my opinion. Yeah, this may be true, but I am not shocked to learn that the Revolution will have 4 controller ports, will be backwards compatible, built in broadband, etc... Not until the thing really debuts will we know what's up.
Oh yeah, and the sentiment expressed in the last paragraph of this post is equally true of XBoxNext and PS3.
Kamalot @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
G. Freeman:
I think you hit the nail on the head with the comparison between Sonys claims about the PS2 vs. the real-life results, but people bought into it. They purchased a system thinking they would get games that looked like Toy Story.
What would happen if Nintendo hyped their products in a similar fashion?
You may get lots of people to initially buy your product, but based on what, a lie? Is that the way to keep your customers happy?
Perhaps, this would be a way to run a business if you thought your customers dumb enough to forget your initial promises.
I would rather buy into a product and having it exceed my expectations. Likewise, I would rather a company not lie to me.
Hype is like junk food; tasty but unsatisfying.
illdefined @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
tilt controllers is cool, and will help along non-gamers, but it will limit long playing times. unless tuned just right, you'd get tired pretty quick
maneatingcow @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
touching is good but feeling is better.
Looks like the Power Glove is making a comeback. Power Glove 2.0 here we come.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
I've said since the release of the GameCube that Nintendo needs to hand out some "pissing contest" specs for its system. They wouldn't have to lie. They could say that the theoretical limit is X polygons, but the system would push Y polygons in real life. Then they could put pressure on Sony and Microsoft to give real life data by alluding to the fact that they haven't yet.
Baron Vas Deferens @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
Even if the Revolution is computationally inferior to its peers, what's the difference? The Nintendo audience, as I understand it, is less concerned with graphic ultra-realism than it is with simple pick-up-and-play fun.
While some equate graphics power with quality (and lets' face it, it never hurts), it ain't the end-all-be-all. Of course, I'm a hopeless Ms. Pac Man addict; so long as it's FUN, I'll give it a shot. And for me, Nintendo consistantly delivers.
Pornboy @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
If any of this is worth the electrons it's printed on, then I wouldn't put any money on another Power Glove. What I keep seeing when I think of the 'feeling is better' line is a technology designed to aid or replace sight in the blind - a sheet of very small cilia-like objects, designed to push gently against the skin to produce a tactile representation of a visual image.
While imaging with this system could be useful in games (ie, feeling around in a bag or chest for a specific item), I think it would be put to better use in the way vibrating controllers are used. If a zombie in Res Evil 5 slashes you, you feel four thin lines slash across wherever you have the pad(s?) attached. Your character wades into waste-deep water, a pad on your back could make little waves and swirls and decently simulate being partially submerged. You get down on all fours to crawl under something, and the cilia on the controllers feel like the woodgrain floor every time your char's hands touch the ground.
This is just me, though. And if this guy's lying out his ass, then I can keep hoping Nintendo's got some manner of simple 3D in the works, as that would seperate them from MS and Sony more than special controllers or hard drivers ever could.
Laurens Holst @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
"touching is good but feeling is better"?
Oh man... this makes me think of that GameGirl Advance REZ review... Surely they wouldn't! ;p
~Grauw
R. Blocher @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM
This is really old now, but graphics really dont matter as much as everyone who seems to get brainwashed right before the next-generation consoles think, look at the PS2, it was the most underpowered of any console system this generation, and yet after the more powerful systems came it had the "best" library of games and continued to outsell it's competetors on the market.