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