26th May 2005, 2:04 PM
You know the story. All guessing, nothing concrete; Everything is TBA and when you think you might have it solved, you just end up with more questions.
This is for the rumor mill, where we dream up what we believe will be Nintendo's next system. I've taken most of this stuff from IGN.
We heard "2 to 3 times more powerful than Gamecube." From USA today interviewing Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan. But this was false, Perrin never said anything of the sort and the news was bogus.
We heard the Revolution will have 512 MB of flash memory built in. This is also false. The Revolution's memory cards will be 512 MB SD cards. We pay 20 bucks for a memory card now... who knows what the price will be, but I can only guess that it will be at a price point that makes sense to consumers. After all, we will not only be saving our games on these, but also downloading our favorite games from all of Nintendo's past consoles. These super memory cards will be Revolution's hard drive.
We heard it plays movies, but we'll need to buy a seperate adapter. This 'adapter' is basically a dongle that will come with a remote. The cost will be around 15 to 20 bucks.
It's available in multiple colors, it downloads every game ever made by Nintendo for every console, Nintendo has all the major titles in the works including a new Super Smash Bros. Online, it will use wireless controllers as well connect to the internet and other Revolutionaries over a wireless wi-fi Nintendo-run network, it's about the size of 3 DVD cases stacked up on eachother, it supports HD (at least 720i, probably more) and HD-DVD, it has a side panel for Gamecube controllers and memory cards, and it has a trippy blue light in the DVD slot that makes it look evil.
Now... what the hell does it do?
Revolution Rumor 1
From Nintendo Power Forums
The poster claims his information came from an insider privy to Nintendo's plans. As is usually the case, the source goes unnamed and unverified. But he does spout some pretty interesting stuff. For starters, he claims the Revolution does in fact employ gyroscopic sensors in its controllers, even though they will be wireless. He also claims the Revolution will sport dual processors and feature built-in broadband, with some kind of online strategy in the works. Nintendo will supposedly go online with the Nintendo DS first with the Revolution following suite. A hard drive will also be included. As far as controller parts are concerned, the Revolution will feature four like the GameCube.
The poster also claims the Revolution will forego using Sony's Blu-Ray storage format in favor of HD-DVD. The system would launch with a currently unnamed Mario title. The source wouldn't say why the system would be revolutionary, stating the leaked information would land him in hot water. He also claimed it would give Sony and Microsoft an advantage at this point in the development cycle. The source did claim the technology itself was nothing revolutionary, only that the system would use it in ways never before seen. The source then added, "Touching is good, but feeling is better." What that means is open to debate, but it leads us into…
Revolution Rumor 2
Taken from a Nintendo document
Gotta love this one. This rumor includes a shopping list of system features and a hand-drawn picture! Supposedly, the artist drew the picture from memory after seeing a document headed toward a Nintendo shareholder's meeting. The (very) rough sketch depicts a number of things, including a controller, shell case disk and a game system from two different angles. Emblazoned across the middle of the page is "Nintendo 21," which seems to indicate a name change from Revolution. Below that lies the "Nintendo 21" logo, which closely resembles the GameCube logo. It also serves to note that both angles of the system drawn on the page also resemble the GameCube, down to the placement of the four controller ports, as well as the "power," "reset" and "open" buttons.
But wait, there's more. The sketch is also connected with information detailing key system information. First, the "Nintendo 21" would hit retail late 2005. It will use a two-sided, 8mm disk with a 5.4 GB capacity and feature a shell case. The Nintendo 21 will also act as a wireless hub and serve a "home game function," letting it communicate with other Nintendo 21 consoles in the vicinity by using the IEEEE protocol. Kyosera, known primarily for designing cell phones and printers, is jointly developing the "home game" function. And here's some more info: the "Nintendo 21" will feature pressure sensitive controllers, with the buttons and handles sensitive to "rubbing" and other such stimuli.
(Could this have been a pre-build of Revolution? We heard about this before, but now that we're all guessing the rev's controller... )
Revolution Rumor 3
From Japanese Publication Shukan Diamond
In late December of last year, Shuken Diamond published a rather interesting bit of information concerning the GameCube's successor. The article, found in the 2005 Preview Edition of the magazine, claimed the Nintendo Revolution Controller would not feature a traditional D-Pad or "A" and "B" buttons. While the information goes unverified by Nintendo, the information strengthens the company's claim that Revolution will alter the way people interact with games. It also ties in nicely with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's recent statement, in that Revolution presents a "paradigm shift" in gaming. All of this begs the question: what exactly stands in for the missing D-Pad and pair of buttons?
Your guess is as good as ours is. Moments after the news hit the Web, gamers stuffed message boards full of theories and wild speculation. Most of which centered on gyroscopic technology. To be fair, Nintendo does in fact hold patents for such technology, so it's possible that Revolution will mark Nintendo's first foray into tilt-sensitive controllers. Then there's the pressure sensitive controller, which respond to a player's "rubbing" of the handles. Others speculate on the possibility that Nintendo will use an evolved form of trackball. Still others think Nintendo will take the DS approach and include a touchpad. We've even heard rumors of a fancy new rumble device. Supposedly, it would allow a new level of immersion by accurately interpreting digital output into physical sensations.
Revolution Rumor 4
From U.S. Patent filed on July 21, 2004
This rumor centers on new technologies that would change the way a gamer actually watches a game. To start, here's a brief intro: a fixation point is whatever a gamer stares at most of the time when playing a game. Thing is, most games feature several of these fixation points, so developers have needed to devise methods of including every object on screen at all times. When this wasn't possible, the display needed to shift and prioritize objects according to the action. Developers accomplished this by zooming the image up or down, to help gamers re-focus their attention. Just look at any number of sports games. The camera invariably follows the soccer ball, baseball or football. The document argues that the constant change in perspective makes playing games tougher than it should.
The patent describes a technology that would prevent a fixation point from moving and prevent the display area from changing in size. Regardless of where a player sits, he (or she) would command a deep view of the happenings on screen. This would also carry over into multiplayer gaming, where multiple players would normally require multiple fixation points. The new set of technologies would eliminate the strain associated with split-screen gaming. In summary, this would all make for excellent game sessions thanks to unparalleled view of the display. Changing the way a gamer watches the action unfold on-screen would be somewhat revolutionary, but again, it's too early to tell exactly how Nintendo plans on using the tech described in the patent. Unless, of course, they already have to some degree...
But that didn't stop anyone from speculating. Once again, rumors seeped into websites and forums. The conjecture pointed at everything from holographic imaging to new methods of image processing where a developer could create hyper realistic vistas at a fraction of the current processing cost. The latter of which alleviates concerns over the rumors that the Revolution will lack the raw processing power of both the PS3 and Xbox 2. If Nintendo has found a way to render realistic imaging at a relatively low processing cost, then it really doesn't matter that the Revolution will lack some of the punch of competing consoles. What matters is that it will stand on equal footing from a graphics stand point. Furthermore, the technologies developed to nix the forever-changing "fixation points" problem will only reinforce the new rendering methods...or so go the rumors.
What we know:
1.) It will not use touch screens on the controller
2.) Some kind of gyroscopic feedback
3.) Completely wireless
4.) Has 4 Gamecube controller ports, but it's said that the Revolution controller will be able to play every Nintendo game ever made. Current theory is that it has some kind transformation to make the controller how you want it laid out
This is for the rumor mill, where we dream up what we believe will be Nintendo's next system. I've taken most of this stuff from IGN.
We heard "2 to 3 times more powerful than Gamecube." From USA today interviewing Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan. But this was false, Perrin never said anything of the sort and the news was bogus.
We heard the Revolution will have 512 MB of flash memory built in. This is also false. The Revolution's memory cards will be 512 MB SD cards. We pay 20 bucks for a memory card now... who knows what the price will be, but I can only guess that it will be at a price point that makes sense to consumers. After all, we will not only be saving our games on these, but also downloading our favorite games from all of Nintendo's past consoles. These super memory cards will be Revolution's hard drive.
We heard it plays movies, but we'll need to buy a seperate adapter. This 'adapter' is basically a dongle that will come with a remote. The cost will be around 15 to 20 bucks.
It's available in multiple colors, it downloads every game ever made by Nintendo for every console, Nintendo has all the major titles in the works including a new Super Smash Bros. Online, it will use wireless controllers as well connect to the internet and other Revolutionaries over a wireless wi-fi Nintendo-run network, it's about the size of 3 DVD cases stacked up on eachother, it supports HD (at least 720i, probably more) and HD-DVD, it has a side panel for Gamecube controllers and memory cards, and it has a trippy blue light in the DVD slot that makes it look evil.
Now... what the hell does it do?
Revolution Rumor 1
From Nintendo Power Forums
The poster claims his information came from an insider privy to Nintendo's plans. As is usually the case, the source goes unnamed and unverified. But he does spout some pretty interesting stuff. For starters, he claims the Revolution does in fact employ gyroscopic sensors in its controllers, even though they will be wireless. He also claims the Revolution will sport dual processors and feature built-in broadband, with some kind of online strategy in the works. Nintendo will supposedly go online with the Nintendo DS first with the Revolution following suite. A hard drive will also be included. As far as controller parts are concerned, the Revolution will feature four like the GameCube.
The poster also claims the Revolution will forego using Sony's Blu-Ray storage format in favor of HD-DVD. The system would launch with a currently unnamed Mario title. The source wouldn't say why the system would be revolutionary, stating the leaked information would land him in hot water. He also claimed it would give Sony and Microsoft an advantage at this point in the development cycle. The source did claim the technology itself was nothing revolutionary, only that the system would use it in ways never before seen. The source then added, "Touching is good, but feeling is better." What that means is open to debate, but it leads us into…
Revolution Rumor 2
Taken from a Nintendo document
Gotta love this one. This rumor includes a shopping list of system features and a hand-drawn picture! Supposedly, the artist drew the picture from memory after seeing a document headed toward a Nintendo shareholder's meeting. The (very) rough sketch depicts a number of things, including a controller, shell case disk and a game system from two different angles. Emblazoned across the middle of the page is "Nintendo 21," which seems to indicate a name change from Revolution. Below that lies the "Nintendo 21" logo, which closely resembles the GameCube logo. It also serves to note that both angles of the system drawn on the page also resemble the GameCube, down to the placement of the four controller ports, as well as the "power," "reset" and "open" buttons.
But wait, there's more. The sketch is also connected with information detailing key system information. First, the "Nintendo 21" would hit retail late 2005. It will use a two-sided, 8mm disk with a 5.4 GB capacity and feature a shell case. The Nintendo 21 will also act as a wireless hub and serve a "home game function," letting it communicate with other Nintendo 21 consoles in the vicinity by using the IEEEE protocol. Kyosera, known primarily for designing cell phones and printers, is jointly developing the "home game" function. And here's some more info: the "Nintendo 21" will feature pressure sensitive controllers, with the buttons and handles sensitive to "rubbing" and other such stimuli.
(Could this have been a pre-build of Revolution? We heard about this before, but now that we're all guessing the rev's controller... )
Revolution Rumor 3
From Japanese Publication Shukan Diamond
In late December of last year, Shuken Diamond published a rather interesting bit of information concerning the GameCube's successor. The article, found in the 2005 Preview Edition of the magazine, claimed the Nintendo Revolution Controller would not feature a traditional D-Pad or "A" and "B" buttons. While the information goes unverified by Nintendo, the information strengthens the company's claim that Revolution will alter the way people interact with games. It also ties in nicely with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's recent statement, in that Revolution presents a "paradigm shift" in gaming. All of this begs the question: what exactly stands in for the missing D-Pad and pair of buttons?
Your guess is as good as ours is. Moments after the news hit the Web, gamers stuffed message boards full of theories and wild speculation. Most of which centered on gyroscopic technology. To be fair, Nintendo does in fact hold patents for such technology, so it's possible that Revolution will mark Nintendo's first foray into tilt-sensitive controllers. Then there's the pressure sensitive controller, which respond to a player's "rubbing" of the handles. Others speculate on the possibility that Nintendo will use an evolved form of trackball. Still others think Nintendo will take the DS approach and include a touchpad. We've even heard rumors of a fancy new rumble device. Supposedly, it would allow a new level of immersion by accurately interpreting digital output into physical sensations.
Revolution Rumor 4
From U.S. Patent filed on July 21, 2004
This rumor centers on new technologies that would change the way a gamer actually watches a game. To start, here's a brief intro: a fixation point is whatever a gamer stares at most of the time when playing a game. Thing is, most games feature several of these fixation points, so developers have needed to devise methods of including every object on screen at all times. When this wasn't possible, the display needed to shift and prioritize objects according to the action. Developers accomplished this by zooming the image up or down, to help gamers re-focus their attention. Just look at any number of sports games. The camera invariably follows the soccer ball, baseball or football. The document argues that the constant change in perspective makes playing games tougher than it should.
The patent describes a technology that would prevent a fixation point from moving and prevent the display area from changing in size. Regardless of where a player sits, he (or she) would command a deep view of the happenings on screen. This would also carry over into multiplayer gaming, where multiple players would normally require multiple fixation points. The new set of technologies would eliminate the strain associated with split-screen gaming. In summary, this would all make for excellent game sessions thanks to unparalleled view of the display. Changing the way a gamer watches the action unfold on-screen would be somewhat revolutionary, but again, it's too early to tell exactly how Nintendo plans on using the tech described in the patent. Unless, of course, they already have to some degree...
But that didn't stop anyone from speculating. Once again, rumors seeped into websites and forums. The conjecture pointed at everything from holographic imaging to new methods of image processing where a developer could create hyper realistic vistas at a fraction of the current processing cost. The latter of which alleviates concerns over the rumors that the Revolution will lack the raw processing power of both the PS3 and Xbox 2. If Nintendo has found a way to render realistic imaging at a relatively low processing cost, then it really doesn't matter that the Revolution will lack some of the punch of competing consoles. What matters is that it will stand on equal footing from a graphics stand point. Furthermore, the technologies developed to nix the forever-changing "fixation points" problem will only reinforce the new rendering methods...or so go the rumors.
What we know:
1.) It will not use touch screens on the controller
2.) Some kind of gyroscopic feedback
3.) Completely wireless
4.) Has 4 Gamecube controller ports, but it's said that the Revolution controller will be able to play every Nintendo game ever made. Current theory is that it has some kind transformation to make the controller how you want it laid out