First facts on Revolution!

[lazyfatbum]

News Article: First Revolution Details
News Date: 05/13/2005
Source: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/techno...oref=login

Perrin Kaplan drops some tiny details on Revolution the night of the Xbox 360 reveal.

By now, everyone knows just about everything there is to know about Xbox 360. Nintendo, on the other hand, has kept a fairly tight lid on the details of their next console, codenamed Revolution. All that has been known until now is that it will feature wireless connectivity, similar to the Nintendo DS.

Today, Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo's Vice President of Corporate Affairs) has divulged some info about Revolution to The New York Times. The article is mostly about Xbox 360, but Kaplan did give some interesting information on two facets of Revolution, including it's size, described as horizontal, and no taller than three stacked DVD cases. That's pretty small, but why use DVD cases as a frame of reference? The answer will make many Nintendo fans quite happy.

Kaplan: "Unlike GameCube, the new system will play DVD's", Ms. Kaplan said, "and will feature a wireless controller. It will play GameCube games as well as a new class of high-definition games, with new emphasis on online play".

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could give a shit about the ability to play DVD's, I have a DVD player, but alot of people will see that as a reason to buy! I'dont understand what an 'HD DVD' is other than that it holds more info than a standard DVD, so hell's bells bigger DVD's YESSSSSS! Confirmed wireless controllers too!!!!!!! I hope they're not suck like XBox360's! But the best part is, because Kaplan was describing what the system looks like, that means it's FINALIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there's no reason other than politics NOT to show it at E3! *everyone* is saying the XBox360 is a failure, even XBOX FANS! So Nintendo better effing go nuts at the show and show us amazing stuff like FUCKING METROID IN 3-D with GLASSES and THINGS FROM THE FUTURE THAT MAKE BUZZING SOUNDS And now..... RIDE ON GOD'S PENIS AND SING KENNY LOGGINS!

Revvin' up your engine!!!!
Listen to her howlin' roar!!!!!!

Metal under tension!!!!!
Beggin' you to touch and go!!!!!!!

Highway to the Danger Zone!!!!!!!!!!
Ride into the Danger Zone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Headin' into twilight!!!!!!!!!
Spreadin' out her wings tonight!!!!!!

She got you jumpin' off the track!!!!!!
And shovin' into overdrive!!!!!

Highway to the Danger Zone!!!!!!

I'll take you!!!!
Right into the Danger Zone (on God's penis)!!!!!

You'll never say hello to you!!!!! (?????)
Until you get it on the red line overload!!!!!
You'll never know what you can do!!!!!!!!!
Until you get it up as high as you can go!!!!!!!!
Out along the edges!!!!!!!
Always where I burn to be!!!!!!!!!!!
The further on the edge!!!!!!!!
The hotter the intensity (God's penis)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highway to the Danger Zone!!!!!!!!!!!
Gonna take you!!!!!!!
Right into the Danger Zone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highway to the Danger Zone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

E 3 IS GOING TO KICK SO MUCH ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY PENIS HURTS FROM ALL THE MASTURBATING!!!!!!!

[Great Rumbler]

Hmm... *stacks three DVD cases* woah, that's small!

[N_A]

Hmmm... the only thing I'm not too hot about is if the controller is ONLY wireless. Unless Nintendo packs in rumble features as well as a long usage rechargeable battery you can simply plug into the wall (rather than buying countless AA batteries for your controllers or something like that).

Also, unless the Revolution works like the Panasonic version of the GC, where it plays DVDs, but the games are still on the prioprietary disc format, then the Revolution risks some serious piracy issues like the PS2 and Xbox.

[EdenMaster]

Honestly, I don't understand all the dislike for wireless. It's so much easier and better on so many levels. Boo hoo, no rumble. Last I checked, we're supposed to be focused more on the buttons and joysticks on the controller, not whether or not it's vibrating.

[N_A]

Wireless is cool if its convenient, but not when it starts to become a power hassle, combined with loss of functionality.

[Great Rumbler]

Ha-ha, vibration. [/Phil Ken Sebbin]

[OB1]

Awesome! Too bad it's regular dvd though... but at least this time Nintendo won't be alone in having the drastically smaller disc size...

[Great Rumbler]

There's some speculation that she only meant they won't be using mini-DVDs like with the GC and instead these will be full-sized discs. Although, it wouldn't be that bad if they did just use regular DVDs.

[OB1]

Yeah, at least since MS is also using regular dvds third-parties will be forced to be more even with multiconsole titles. Still, it would be nice if Nintendo wasn't a generation behind in terms of the storage medium each time. :D

[Smoke]

Well it only says it'll be as tall as three stacked DVDs. I imagine it'll still be bigger area wise.

As for the wireless controllers... YES! YES! YES! With both Nintendo and MS going for wireless out of the box this should also force Sony to do the same. It looks like it's wireless controllers from here on out. The cord has been cut. And wireless does not mean you can't have rumble. If Nintendo is smart they'll make the batteries rechargable like N_A said.

[OB1]

Three dvds wide and just a little bit longer than a dvd. It'll be very, very tiny.

[The Former DMiller]

Hmmm... the only thing I'm not too hot about is if the controller is ONLY wireless. Unless Nintendo packs in rumble features as well as a long usage rechargeable battery you can simply plug into the wall (rather than buying countless AA batteries for your controllers or something like that).

I received a 3rd party power charger for the Wavebirds back when I worked at N-Philes, and they are awesome. I still have a wireless controller, but I just plug it in when I'm done playing and I never have to worry about replacing batteries. As for a rumble feature, I couldn't care less about whether or not it is included. It is certainly possible to do it, but Nintendo would have to have a rechargeable controller in order for people to accept it.

[OB1]

If the controller is going to have a friggin gyro or two in there I'm sure it'll be able to rumble.

[Great Rumbler]

IF it has gyros.

[OB1]

I'm like 97% sure that it will.


Oh and this is awesome. Hilarious, but awesome.
http://www.vandal.net/foro/cache/238896_1.htm

[Great Rumbler]

Woah, that is awesome!! And quite funny. :D

So who made that?

[OB1]

The same guy that made that cool Mario Universe video a few years back. Remember that 2.5D handheld Mario platformer that looked so cool? Well before the DS was announced. It was to be a GBA game.

[Great Rumbler]

Yes, I remember that. I think I still have it on my computer somewhere.

[A Black Falcon]

Hmm... DVDs? They won't be behind MS, but if that is indeed the storage medium, they'll be behind Sony if they do indeed use the Blu-ray for those games... but "it plays DVDs" does not imply that it uses the DVD storage medium, so we'll see. A little bit too bad, as I like the small GC disks, but oh well...

Wireless... bah. :) Only if it's rechargable... and what about connection problems or response lag (how sometimes I've heard wireless controllers can be a bit slower to respond)?

[OB1]

Kaplan said that they're going to use dvds.

[A Black Falcon]

I know it has caused space problems with some games, but I like the look of the minidisks... :( It makes Gamecube games unique.

[OB1]

...

[Sacred Jellybean]

I know it has caused space problems with some games, but I like the look of the minidisks... :( It makes Gamecube games unique.

Yeah, I agree. It's a love-hate relationship, having a storage medium that's compact and unique, but inferior in terms of space.

It would have been even cooler, though, if the GC's DVD cases were also tiny.

[A Black Falcon]

It would have been even cooler, though, if the GC's DVD cases were also tiny.

But how small? You need room for a manual... so you can't get smaller than a CD jewel case, and I don't think they wanted to use those. But yeah, in some ways that'd have been even cooler.

[Sacred Jellybean]

Hmm... I suppose smaller than a CD jewel case would have been cool. The thing is, when you're using regular-sized DVD-cases, it takes away the whole point of the discs being compact to begin with. Not that that's a big deal to me, since I don't tend to travel around often with my GameCube, but still, I'm playing devil's advocate. :)

Yes, indeed, manuals WOULD be a problem. I'm not sure how game designers would jump that hurder... maybe simply making the manuals thicker? The added thickness wouldn't take up all that much space, I don't think.

[A Black Falcon]

I keep my GC games in a CD-holder thing (portable flip box thing that holds 40 cds), the gc disks go in it too... I decided that because of how much I carry them around, carrying all those huge DVD cases just didn't make sense. And anyway, I don't carry around my N64 games in their boxes... :) PC CD games I do keep in jewel cases, though. I like those that way, and have far too many to make a CD holder or something be feasible.

[Private Hudson]

They should have just sold the discs in cling-wrap! With a barcode on the back and marker pen on the front telling us what the game is.

[Great Rumbler]

That's EXACTLY what they should have done.

[Private Hudson]

*awkward silence*

[Great Rumbler]

[Dark Jaguar]

Actually, why do we even HAVE manuals any more? We don't need them really, not if you actually have a good tutorial in game. I say just stick the instructions in the game. The most that's needed, if this, is a small piece of paper that tells you how to insert a game, plug in a controller, and turn on the system.

[Great Rumbler]

With technology being what it is today, they could easily add a high-quality instruction manual into the game itself rather than killing billions of trees to make useless case inserts.

[The Former DMiller]

If anyone has played NBA 2K5 or NCAA College Hoops 2K5 you might have noticed that they have extremely thorough manuals included in-game that put the small paper manual they include to shame. More games should have in-game manuals like that.

[N_A]

Depends on what kind of a game too. Often time, sim games usually require some kind of manual, even though you don't see those games too often these days.

[Dark Jaguar]

DO they? Why can't they just put it in the game? More than that, tutorials kick the ARSE out of reading a manual.

[A Black Falcon]

I love paper manuals, though... probably goes with me liking books. :) Sure, you can put lots of stuff ingame, but it's not the same as paper, and it's not as accessible... I definitely feel that a good manual is part of a good game presentation. This has historically been more true for PC games than consoles, but gradually over the past decade the PC has given up more and more of it... until now where it's barely better. :(

[Great Rumbler]

I hardly ever even look at game manuals anymore.

[Weltall]

Manuals are a waste now. None of them ever give any sort of valuable information. Once upon a time there was actual content (LTTP had the best manual ever), but now they are little more than a listing of control functions.

I think they should just do away with them altogether.

[N_A]

Whenever I play a sim, I often find myself having to flip through the manual to read about some mechanism or how to execute something or another until I get used to the game. With only an online or electronic manual, its more inconvienent to have to alt-tab in and out to read it.

What you say maybe true for most other games, but I think hardcore sims are still a good exception. A good tutorial, like the one in Falcon 4.0, doesn't help you memorize the game mechanics on the first run.

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, keyboard reference sheets, spell lists, etc... manuals can have lots of very helpful information. They also can greatly add to the story and the world the game is set in -- see the Starcraft manual, for instance. Brilliant. As I said, especially on the PC manuals have been an important part of the presentation and the product, and it's sad to see these lame little boxes with their pitiful mini-manuals... will we never see a real manual like Starcraft's again? :(

[Great Rumbler]

In Starcraft they could have just made the manual an option on the title screen.

[A Black Falcon]

But that'd be so dumb... reading pages and pages of text on a computer is nowhere near as good as reading it in a book is. And it's so much easier to use, too... have you ever used a PDF? They're a massive pain! It takes about ten times longer to use if you're using it as a reference document. And that's not even starting on all of the other things I've mentioned before about this... no, paper manuals are good. And not those lame little pamphlets like most console games have. I mean, sometimes they are good... but the size thing doesn't give you as much room to do it in. For a PC comparison, just compare Starcraft to Warcraft III... yeah, the SC manual is several times better.

[lazyfatbum]

I always read the manuals on big games, though most of the time I just pop it in since 90% of games out there have a training area or mission to get you started. With F-Zero X, 1080 Avalanche and some others, the game came with a folded card (about twice the size of the DVD case) that showed the controls and mechanics of the game. On the back it would list some specifics such as tricks you could perform and a small FAQ and how to tackle certain obsticles. I thought it was pretty genius and I can totally see manuals of the future going that route.

if you could fit a synopsis of the story, the main characters and any collectibles, power-ups etc in the game it would be perfect.