More Rev stuff

[A Black Falcon]

Quotes, DJ. The button is there for a reason.

You commented "hey you can do that with PDAs" which I took to mean, perhaps mistakingly, that you thought I meant you couldn't do it on a PDA. No, PDAs actually do a better job than my DS (they can actually convert written stuff into text). It's just that's the only thing I've got to compare to.

The DS doesn't have to do handwriting recognition... not unless they release handwriting-recognition-reliant software for it, that is. Which is possible, given that it does have a touchscreen... but as it is, the DS isn't a PDA... yet. :)

Oh yeah, the latest official rumor (from IGN)

March 28, 2005 - In a recent interview with Japanese publication Nikkei Business, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata commented on the GameCube's successor, currently codenamed the Nintendo Revolution. Iwata touched on the need for simplicity in future game design, arguing that games have grown overly complex in recent years. This trend, argues Iwata, has chased away potential gamers and limited the appeal of videogames.

"A goal of ours with Revolution is to expand the target market for games. The current consoles are constantly getting more complicated. The number of buttons on Joypads has been increasing steadily in recent years, for instance. Hardcore players can still manage, but for inexperienced people and beginners the degree of complexity is too big of a barrier."

The only logical conclusion, of course, is for Nintendo to make games less complex for non-gamers. How the company intends to do this is anyone's guess, and will be until the Electronic Entertainment Expo this May. Still, Iwata's recent comments hint at a system built on a foundation of supreme user-friendliness. The controller can't possibly resemble current models for the PS2, Xbox or even GameCube, since each one features a design that Nintendo now deems too complex.

Whatever input device the Revolution uses, it will appeal to everyone, according to Iwata. It will provide a new, user-friendly experience previously unseen in videogames. Furthermore, the Revolution will use the same API (Application Programming Interface) used for the GameCube, cutting down on development costs and making development on the console easier.