USAToday has a pic of the Nintendo Revolution

by Ben Zackheim { May 17th 2005 at 10:10AM }

USAToday, that cutting-edge tech publication, has the first pic we've seen of the Revolution. It kind of looks like the "probably fake" pic that made the rounds this last weekend. Hmmm.

First impression — a lot more conventional than expected. We're heading over to the Revolution announcement now. We'll be live blogging the show with the Engadget folk. Maybe it's more revolutionary in three dimensions. Then again, maybe it's the games that matter.

[Thanks bun!]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chris Maguire @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

better pics at ign: http://media.cube.ign.com/articles/615/615030/imgs_1.html

they're saying it's the real deal.

If so, I'd argue it's the nicest *looking* of the three... whatever that counts for :P

prophecy @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

thanks for the link if that is real...it's the best looking console by far.

jason Lynx @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

It does look nice... They are definitely moving towards a more mature audience though. Can't see my friend's 8 year old kid messing with this thing.

KD @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Looks great!
I can't wait to see the controller and some game footage.

Nathan @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

From a visual design point of view (obviously one can't comment fully on the industrial design without actually TRYING it), Nintendo seems to have nailed against Sony and MS. With the direction of gaming, my expectation was that the consoles, whilst having to look "cool" on their own, also would have to blend in well with peoples other AV equiptment and decor. Nintendo, surprisingly, seems to be the only one to have understood that this time around. It's small, sleek, devoid of any weird garishness, will attract it's own attention, but not diminish from everything else I have near it.

Now we await to see what the controller brings us...

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Great looking console...let's see the specs now...
I am loving this next gen

Chris Norman @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Looks great. Reminds me of a Lacie external hard drive. All the best features of the Gamecube (portability) but sleek - less toy-like.

I suspect that that rectangle on the bottom of the console is the place for Gamecube discs (small disks and slot-loading drives don't mix).

Cai from the megapost! @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Hmmmmm!
I honestly think everyone has been far to engrossed in the Sony Vs M$ battle that seems to be playing that they've forgotten old Nintendo or rather thought of them as a third rate player. This little glimpse of the Rev does indeed send a message that Ninty is rolling out something that will be a big departure for them and something a bit special.
Obviously as we all know and have posted, playing the games is the true reflection of such as system and if it performs half as good as it looks, we'll be in for a real treat I think.

And if this post seems actually quite mature and lucid from me, may I just say.....

SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBAAAAAAAAAADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Frexy @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

is the logo definitive?

Buck Q. Fitch @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

It looks nice, but the power is extremely disappointing. I'll still buy one to play Nintendo games, but I do feel Nintendo is finished.

Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

I'll take two please.

Jason
http://www.xboxsoftmods.com

Kakairo @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Strange...Nintendo has the most grown-up looking system. This makes the PS3 look like a toy.

jack @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

looks great to me

and concerning the power, leave it to nintendo to downplay specs, and leave it to sony/ms to over-hype them

it's still going to come down to games, nothing else..

christ @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

is it just me.. or did the big three all quickly decide to swap systems before E3? i mean. the revolution looks like it should be the PS3... the PS3 is pretty generic looking so it was the Xbox 360. and the Xbox 360 with its horribly designed cd tray, huge toy like power button and awkward shape, should have been the nintendo.

ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Looks good... I am a Nintendo fan, but I have a hard time grasping how comparable power to the new Xbox360 and PS3 is going to come from that tiny box. I hope it's at least on par.

With all three companies using the IBM chips, and given that Apple has a hard time keeping them cool, I wonder how Nintendo plans on keeping them at a decent temperature in this enclosure if they are running a box as powerful as the other two...

JT @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

It really does look the business, with its blue lit disc loader. Lets hope the controller and specs compliment what is the best next gen design so far.

Buck Q. Fitch @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

#14, it's not even close to being as powerful as the other two.

GamerHeaven @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

"Strange...Nintendo has the most grown-up looking system. This makes the PS3 look like a toy."

Agrees, it's certainly a complete reversal.

Well done Nintendo, that is one hell of a good design. Can't wait for more breaking news - and cheers to the link poster for the high res link.

ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

#7, I'm guessing that slight vertical line is a row of status lights or something... The discs are supposed to load in the same slot according to some news elsewhere, can't recall where. But small discs can load into slot-loaders, all of the Apple PowerBooks with slot-loading drives do it, I'm sure Nintendo can make it happen too.

Sergio @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Looks the best out of the three, with Sony in second. The specs sound a bit lacking, dominated by both Sony and Microsoft. Perhaps Nintendo is not spouting off theoretical numbers, but what the system can actually perform in a real game. Maybe they decided that all 3 consoles will have enough power for graphics and AI, that they decided to go with what would keep the system at a low price. If MS and Sony launch at $300-400 and Nintendo goes at $200 or less, and still provides great looking, quality titles, it'll sell. It'll still be profitable.

Myself, I'll probably end up getting all three. But I'll most likely get a PS3 and Rev before the 360, much like I did with this past generation. In the end, it's about the games and the experiences they offer.

TA @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

this is a pretty nice and simple design, much better than the tacky ps3 and 360 designs. funny how all three goes for design that can be vertical/horizontal.

nintendo has gotta be an idiot to downplay revolution specs. how are their games going to match up to ps3 and 360 if it is actually only 3 times more powerful than the cube.

Dman @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Just going off what I see (looks good) but if it is backwards compatible with GC, how do you load/insert mini-DVDs with slot-loading? Maybe the rectangle below? Just a thought...

darkripper @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

As for the Ps3 and Xbox 360, here's the Nintendo Revolution Presentation, for Italian Readers:
http://gamesblog.it/post/la-presentazione-di-nintendo-revolution

Digi Smalls @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

wow, so it's...... a Zip Drive.

Nintendo is over-nintendoing itself. this thing is definitely the most beautifully understated of the three - inhaling or exhaling - but it's TOO small. while ditching the dreaded 'toy' stigma it had long suffered from, N has instead made itself the 'Gaming ACCESSORY'.

Even the size-centric Japanese (please, focus) will see the Nintendo's tiny size as a reflection of it's (lack of) power.

Much more so the power-centric American$, who IF they buy this thing, will only buy it because it fits nicely on top of their REAL machine - or in my case inbetween them.

vakerorokero @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Well, if you think about it, Nintendo is the one that has had relationships with IBM and ATI the longest so that means special treatment for the revolution. Microsoft and Playstation has always bragged about having the most powerful system but own the three consoles, I believe Nintendo came in close second after Xbox. And saying Nintendo is two times more powerful than Gamecube is real facts. Ps3 is 35 more powerful than a Ps2... probably! the ps2 SUCKED since the begining and resident Evil 4 has to be downgraded to crap just so it doesn't look choppy. remember viewtiful joe? 60 fps in gamecube and 25 on Ps2 (not including slow down. The Power Comparison just put the ps2 a little above the others, but tapping that extra is probably gonna be hard, that's why the only beautiful game in Ps2 is Sony's own Gran Turismo 4 in 5 years. I recently got a Xbox in a contest for free and apart from DoA and Forza Motorsport most games look like crap even hyped halos.

Chris Norman @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Digi - how, then, do you explain the sales of the slimline PS2?

GamerHeaven @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

IMPORTANT.

For some reason people seem to be of the opinion this console will be less powerful, wrong.

From CUBED3.

"Those who have seen the machine in action also say that it should be more powerful than Microsoft's XBox2 in terms of visual performance, and potentially on-par with Sony's Playstation 3 hardware specifications."

...........

Sony and Microsoft hype performance by quoting the best possible conditions, Nintendo are realisitic and post real time performaces.

Do you people not remember PS2/XBOX spin stating how powerful the consoles were, Nintendo posted figures that made the Cube look far weaker than either.

In the end the Cube walked over the PS2 and very nearly matched the XBOX.

The Revoltution is AS powerful, if not more so!

jack @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

too SMALL?! after years of jokes on how the first xbox is OMGXBOXHUGE!!!!111one, you'd think this is a GOOD thing!

Brian @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

Anyone notice the nice little design touch with the Revolution "logo" Containing a big "O" and a little "o". Neat way to show that the system accepts both standard DVDs and the Gamecube sized mini-dvd.

Digi Smalls @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

the slim PS2 is exactly what the PSONE was. a confirmation that the platform has been commidified (obsolete) and a harbinger of the coming generation. it wasn't introduced competing with bigger fresh hardware.

rog27 @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

I have a feeling Nintendo is really going to sweep us away... I mean it's going to come out of left field and we will all be amazed. Nintendo has a history of understating power and over-delivering (sandbagging) - if the specs mean anything:

4 2.5 GHz custom G5 cores
dual-core ATI-R520 (compared with the XBOX 360's ATI-R500)
at least half a gig of system ram and 16 MB of embedded DRAM built into the GPU

2 to 3 times more powerful than gamecube my ass. This thing wipes the floor with XBOX360 and it doesn't look like some mishapen nokia cellphone...simple clean and oh soooo metalically shiny! (minature aspect is awesome with trayless loading)

wait till you see the controller (if you see it)

wait till you realize the graphics actually pop off the screen and touch you (like IMAX 3D)

we will be amazed.

Insane Robot @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

I like the fact that N went with a minimalist design. I just hope we can see some sweet games.

Insane Robot

MosquitoControl @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

rog, where are you getting those tech specs. From what I've read they haven't released them, and I'm having trouble figuring out how Nintendo plans to fit all the components you mentioned into something that small.

nnnnn @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

i bet Nintendo is down playing the power of Revolution to put a bigger portion of what we are paying for into the innovative controller. Yes, the size of the machine does represent its graphical power, but the focus this time around is not the console design - it is the Controller design!

kramdar @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

im glad this thread isnt a fanboy war, like all the ps3 and 360 threads. wow. nintendo kicks arse!! I think the 360 is okay, but i love the xbox controller. the ps3 and its controller look retarded, but it kind of parallels the last gen, where xbox was ugly, but powerful as hell. but the revolution, hot damn!!! i think this simple design with just a lone nintendo logo on it looks really good. no disc tray!! yay!! my xbox and ps2 disc trays are all screwed up. and the revolution disc-loader lights up. now where's the controller? wavebird standard? let's hope

Digi Smalls @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

there's just not enough space for the transistors, or the heat they'll give off to compete. consider that Apple Powerbooks can't even handle G5s yet.

no, Nintendo's last chance to shine among the 'big boys' will rest on their controllers/interface.

bjbcool @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

the ps3 and xbox 360 are going to be blown off the market by the minimonster, REVOLUTION. this sucker is sleek and awesome- the gamecube looked like it belonged in a kindergarten classroom but this is sweet... i don't mind it being so small because i don't have very much room for gamesystems. finally, one that will fit in my bedroom without touching the walls lol ive heard that they are still working on making all the technology fit into that small of a space and that it uses less power than any other gamesystem...

Joey Geraci @ Dec 18th 2005 8:45PM

God I guess I am the only one to think that this thing looks like an external hard drive or optical drive, not a full fledged gaming machine. Being 2 to 3 times as powerful as the gamecube is a joke, this thing won't even be able to compete in the same universe as the xbox360 or the ps3.

Please ignore the child rog27. He enjoys going on these threads and pretending he has information that nobody else does and he is the expert when in reality he is pulling figures and opinion from where the sun don't shine. Go home rog.