Rumor: Revolution to be renamed tomorrow

[Smoke]

REVOLUTION RENAMED THIS WEEK?

Revolution's real name to be revealed at GDC? Plus, those residual rumours of a June release re-examined

16:33 Over in the US of A (we hesitate to use 'good' or 'old'), the annual Game Developers Conference is starting to get into full swing and we've got a couple of juicy Nintendo rumours for you to chew over this afternoon, concerning the big N's next-generation machine.

First up is a strong whisper that the Revolution's real name will finally be confirmed this week at the show, probably as part of Nintendo president Saturo Iwata's keynote speech on Thursday. Long-standing Nintendo watchers will know that each console the company produces labours under a codename during its development period, and so it's assumed that Revolution won't be the final name.





According to our sources, this week will be the week when the Rev finally gets its new moniker, but what it might be is still anyone's guess. We'd welcome your suggestions in the forum below, so delight, dazzle and tantalise us with your insight - and since the announcement will probably come on Thursday, if you come up with a corker, there's still time for Nintendo to change its mind yet.

The other persistent rumour which has been doing the rounds is that Nintendo may launch the Rev as early as June. It's a fair old long shot this one, comparable to us suddenly being called up by Sven for the England World Cup squad on the strength of a good five-a-side game at the weekend. However, its shelf life has been slightly extended by Akiteru Itoh from Japan's Media Create.

Speaking to BusinessWeek, Itoh said, "There are rumors that the Revolution could be released as early as June. If that happens and Nintendo sells around one million units, Sony could have a harder time catching up."

We mention it not because it's true, but because it's an interesting quote. However, you can cover us in strawberry jam and call us Susan if Nintendo launches the Revolution (or whatever it's called by then) in June. Still, what a magnificent prospect to contemplate and what a massive coup it would be if it'd managed to keep that one under wraps to astonish a waiting world. Now that would be the biggest GDC surprise of all.

John Houlihan

CVG

[lazyfatbum]

I'm about 100% certain it's going to be called the Nintendo Revolution. But if they can actually launch in June.... damn, they would put Sony in ketchup mode, they could theorhetically have an installed base of millions by the time PS3 hits. But wtf? We'd get Revolution before Zelda TP? could this mean a surprise early release for Zelda in May? or launch Zelda TP alongside Revolution? If it's june, I bet that's what's going to happen...

but didn't developers like JUST get final dev kits recently? It seems plausible for June but highly unlikely... unless Nintendo is going to launch with just first and second party titles... which is fine by me :D

[Smoke]

If Revolution were to come out in June I think Mario Whatever would be the big launch game. Metroid Prime 3 could possibly be ready as well. Zelda would be their big holiday game. You don't want to blow your whole load at launch.

[Dark Jaguar]

The Nintendo Tomorrow? I prefer Revolution.

[A Black Falcon]

http://media.revolutionreport.com/hardwa...6_rev5.jpg

the new box...

[lazyfatbum]

very pretty, that controller looks like sex waiting to happen. i love the eerie blue light... NOW SHOW GAMES! DAMMIT! GAMES!

[A Black Falcon]

We'll see, but with Nintendo secrecy...

[Great Rumbler]

I kind of hope they keep it as the Revolution.

[EdenMaster]

Me too. Dolphin was a weird codename, but Revolution is a great name for a console, especially when it's self-descriptive.

[Dark Jaguar]

Didn't Nintendo state some time ago that the official name WAS in fact going to be Revolution? I recall an announcement like that... I mean, there's a reason we all stopped speculating on the system's "real name" up until the past few weeks. Did everyone forget about that, did Nintendo just change their minds, or did I simply make up a memory?

[Sacred Jellybean]

Didn't Nintendo state some time ago that the official name WAS in fact going to be Revolution? I recall an announcement like that... I mean, there's a reason we all stopped speculating on the system's "real name" up until the past few weeks. Did everyone forget about that, did Nintendo just change their minds, or did I simply make up a memory?

You're not crazy, I was under that impression too. Still, I wouldn't mind if the Revolution were renamed. The name sounds a little narcissistic.

[Dark Jaguar]

Well of course it does! We're talking about a major corporation here. Narcissism is pretty much standard operating procedure. I'm not expecting humility or honesty. Remember the Nintendo 64? My answer to anyone who says Nintendo is always honest or that they don't care about graphics or "bit counts" is that system name.

There's also Genesis, Dreamcast, XBox 360, and if we keep going, we get Windows XP (Experience!) and so on. It is a good bet that if Nintendo changed the name, it might end up being even more self centered. They might actually call it the Tomorrow, or "Nintendo Universal Center"

[Sacred Jellybean]

Yeah, maybe Nintendo hasn't been above it in the past, but damn it, that's no reason to strive forward to a brighter future of down-to-earth-ness. The Dreamcast isn't a very pretentious name, though, imo. It's a bit more obscure, seeing as how "Dreamcast" isn't an existing word. Maybe it's a couple of existing words, and maybe they have connotations of "virtual reality", but darnit, Dreamcast is still a 100x cooler name than Revolution.

I have to admit, though, I'm used to calling it Revolution by now. Oh well.

[Dark Jaguar]

Dreamcast seemed a tad egotistical because it sounds as though it is the system of your DREAAAMS cast out into the physical world.

They should just call it some old style business name, back when a company was named in a straightforward manner that just indicated who started it and what they do.

"Mr Miyamoto-san's Electronic Entertainment Device Model 5"

And the opening sequence just shows a white outline of Miyamoto wearing a top hat and a monocle against a black background while classical music plays in the background.

[A Black Falcon]

"Dreamcast: It's thinking" wasn't one of the great marketing lines of all time, though...

[Sacred Jellybean]

"Dreamcast: It's thinking" wasn't one of the great marketing lines of all time, though...

True. Not to mention that I downright HATED that commercial with Sonic the Hedgehog spinning those records and then getting yelled at by some black guy (and, in his own defense, raising up his palm and yelling "MAH BAAAD!!!").

But the name is good. "Revolution" would be good, if it lived up to the name, but I can't help but become cynical as the industry expands and Nintendo loses marketshare (even though they've definitely gained some with the DS).

[Paco]

I'd like it if they kept the Revolution name.

Developers haven't received final kits yet. They are expected in June.

Thanksgiving week is the rumored launch date.