Nintendo Revolution

[gear02]

From my favorite gadget site (no offense Apex!): http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000380028623/


There’s already been at least one dodgy “leak” before about the Revolution, but supposedly the same tipster who dished some reliable early dirt on the DS has also given up some details about Nintendo’s next-generation game console. Here’s what this guy is claiming:

* That Nintendo is building gyroscopes into the controllers, presumably to add some sort of motion-control aspect to games.
* The console will have dual processors and built-in broadband (we’re assuming Ethernet, but maybe also WiFi?).
* There are no plans to connect the DS to the Revolution, but there could be some integration with the Game Boy Evolution.
* The Revolution will have four controller ports, a hard drive, and support for high-resolution displays and Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound.
* The console will be backwards-compatibility with GameCube games, and in what would only be a swipe at Sony, its drive will use HD-DVD, rather than Blu-ray, discs.
* The console will launch with a new Mario game (of course), and there is a new Zelda game in the works.
* There’s some teaser stuff at the end about how the truly “revolutionary” part of the new console is going to be something that “is nothing new technically speaking. It’s just something that hasn’t really been applied to video games before.” The tipster also claims that his source would only tell him that “touching is good but feeling is better.”

We’re not even going to front that this stuff is all for real or not—we simply won’t know for sure until Nintendo unveils this thing at E3.


What do you guys think?

Here's my opinion on Nintendo as an avid gamer. The cube is a heavily underrated system. It's a powerful machine with the unfortunate stigma of being a kiddie system.

As for Nintendo's nextgen system, this is great news. I think the DS is a good step in getting rid of its kiddie reputation, but this "revolution" and "evolution" (the handheld) will be a huge step in regaining its market share IF they release before sony or microsoft and their launch titles are good.

[BigJon]

I'm with ya...GC all the way. It's cheap, small, and it has all the nintendo licensed games! I'm proud to own one.

Now...will I have the money to buy a Revolution if/when it comes out? Hell no...but I'll be there for Nintendo, a step behind them all the way. Now...of to go trade my Gameboy Advance for an SP. :heh:

[ski]

Resident Evil 4 just got a 9.6 on Gamespot... I'm thinking about picking a GC up because they're so cheap.

[kei2]

What do you guys think?Here's my opinion on Nintendo as an avid gamer. The GameCube is a joke, finishing third in a two-system race. It has the stigma of being a kiddie system because many of its games simply are.

For example, Mario Tennis was a game I loved for N64; but when the sequel was made for GC it was dumbed down a lot, with the super move or whatever making it possible to save any shot, no matter how far out of position you are. Why is that stupid feature in the game if not for kids and unskilled gamers? Where are the great third-party games? Where's the GTA series? Where's the Halo series? Where's the GT series? Where's the MSG series? Nintendo's first-party games have always been its mainstay, but teenage-and-up gamers--probably the ones with money to spend--would choose any of the aforementioned four over the Mario and Monkey Ball series.

Well what about multi-platform releases? GC consistently puts out a lower quality game than XBox. Unless GameSpot has sold out to MS... their reviews consistently say XBox gets the best versions of multi-platform games. Chalk it up to superior hardware, or better hardware utilization, but the GC can't keep up. Also, the hard drive may not be completely necessary but it's a great feature that essentially gets rid of the need for memory cards [other than transferring data to another system]. Nintendo's taking a page out of the XBox's book in planning to include one in their next system. That's beside the point though, the GC comes up flat there.

If you prefer quantity over quality, I go with the PS2 over the GC in a heartbeat. A monster software library that easily dwarfs the GC's and the XBox's. That also means more junky titles, but the PS2 gets more than its share of hits too. That's GTA, GT, MSG, FF... and more RPG's than you can shake a stick at.

The N64 boasted easily the best controller of the previous generation, but the GC controller is childish. Why would you need an A button that large? They had a good thing going with the six face buttons (N64 controller), and they went the other way with it. The C stick would have been better as a full second analog stick, as the PS2 and XBox controllers employ. I don't have any trouble finding the A button on my XBox controller or my N64 controller or my Genesis controller or my NES controller or my GameBoy, so why would I need an oversized A button on a GC controller?

The $99 price tag is about right, but that's only about $50 less than a PS or an X. Figure in a big memory card, and it's only $20 less than an XBox (with no memory card). It's got a few really good games, but I don't think it's even on the same level as the PS2 or the XBox.

[Bires]

Backwards compatability is definately a plus, but since Rare and Square ( :heh: ) defected, Nintendo doesn't have any good third parties making games for it's system. So once you play the obligatory Zelda and Metroid games, what have you got? If the cube is any indication: not much.

[ialsohaveadream]

I've got a PS2 and a Gamecube. I bought the gamecube because it was cheap, and I really wanted to play the Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games.

I think one of the big reasons that it fails is the god-awful controller. I don't know why they even bother making sports games for the system. There's no need to get creative and cute with a controller. PS2 gets it perfect. Just give me something simple and straightforward that has no learning curve.

[gear02]

Yeah I agree with all of the above. I got the cube just for its exclusive games (Wind Waker, Sunshine, Mario Kart, etc.) But if you wanted ANY multiplatform game, either the xbox or PS2 beat it hands down.

[kei2]

I think one of the big reasons that it fails is the god-awful controller. I don't know why they even bother making sports games for the system. There's no need to get creative and cute with a controller.I think their whole marketing plan was to get cute with everything. Why go with a smaller-than-normal disc? If you can fit more on that type of disc, surely you can do even more with the same type of disc with a larger diameter. And I wouldn't say the controller is as awful as you make it sound, but it definitely is found to be lacking. Form over function's never good. The original XBox controllers were terrible too; not because of their bulkiness, but because of the different-for-the-sake-of-being-different features. I'm talking about the buttons being elliptical instead of circular and the right thumbstick being different from the left. Thankfully, MS got it right by putting out an S controller that improves on all these shortcomings. And sports games aren't the only ones for which the GC controller is ill-suited... I can't imagine playing CVS2 (or any Street Fighter type game) on it. Four oddly shaped face buttons are hardly an acceptable substitute for six normal ones.

[welfareloser]

if i had a bunch of disposable cash, i'd own a gamecube... in every console generation, they win, hands down, for fluidity of graphics, ease of controls (i dunno... i've always liked their controllers better, but you really can get used to anything...) and just plain smooth gameplay. (i've never been into sports games, either... so your complaints on that count could be very valid.) the thing that drives me nuts is the limited selection of games at launch... they don't have a good selection of games until the system (whichever one it is) is two years old. if you take out the sports games and the mortal-kombat clones, they usually have about 3 games i want to play at launch (the freakin DS being no exception.)

but, yeah, the cutesy thing... mario. god do i hate mario. i want my video game characters to be either really really cartoony and funny (like spongebob... earthworm jim... munch...) or really really cool... and they come up with a fat italian plumber who looks like a pixellated version of danny freakin devito, and beat it into the ground for going on twenty years *sigh* but really, think back to mario 64 - that so blew anything playstation was doing out of the water. and i've been playing snes and nes games on my dreamcast lately... soooo much better than contemporary games for playstation, sega, etc. and honestly, my xbox "adventure" games like munch's oddysee... really only a slight improvement over the graphics and gameplay in nintendo64 adventure games (banjo-kazooie, mario64, etc.) so, i'm a huge nintendo fan... in principle. but an xbox owner, not a gamecube owner. the next generation, i may go for the nintendo product... especially if they're doing all the stuff in that supposed leak up there :D

[kei2]

Wow interesting. I really think the Xbox has improved over the N64 by leaps and bounds... that's what happens when you have twice the processing power. But yeah to each his/her own. I'm surprised you're considering the next-generation Nintendo system though... if the present is any indication of the future, the PS3 will again get all the third-party support. It does sound like Nintendo will boast some great hardware, but I don't know that that will be enough. And I'm sure the Nintendo will still be geared toward the younger audience (how many Pokemon titles exist now? Red Blue Yellow FireRed LeafGreen Silver Gold Stadium Stadium2 Colosseum Pinball CardGame...)

[gear02]

Wow interesting. I really think the Xbox has improved over the N64 by leaps and bounds... that's what happens when you have twice the processing power. But yeah to each his/her own. I'm surprised you're considering the next-generation Nintendo system though... if the present is any indication of the future, the PS3 will again get all the third-party support. It does sound like Nintendo will boast some great hardware, but I don't know that that will be enough. And I'm sure the Nintendo will still be geared toward the younger audience (how many Pokemon titles exist now? Red Blue Yellow FireRed LeafGreen Silver Gold Stadium Stadium2 Colosseum Pinball CardGame...)

Yeah, except for the cube there's only 2 pokemon games. All the pokemon games are on GBA.

I guess that's the Nintendo/Gamecube stereotype that Nintendo really need to get rid of.

And you're right, unless Nintendo can get 3rd party support they'll die.

[JLemonjello]

Nintendo has got to get their act together in several ways. There first big mistake was not getting on board the DVD bandwagon. Sure, we can't pirate Gamecube discs but is this leading to more sales? NO! Nintendo is by far last and some companies (Take Two Sports) don't even bother to publish for Gamecube. Gamecube discs hold less and some games suffer from this. Also, they didn't get on board for wireless either- that hurt. Not to mention the fact that they don't allow lots of violent games (yet we still got Resident Evil)... they just do some things that don't make sense. The only reason they are still around is because of Mario, Link, and Samus.. that's all there is to it. They need to address these issues and get with the program or they are done.

An example about violent games I forgot- look what happens when you don't get GTA, the greatest selling games in forever.. Nintendo needs to make some smarter decisions, parents aren't keeping kids from buying PS2s and Xboxs (obviously, look at their sales numbers)

[kei2]

You must mean they don't have online play (not wireless). No system ships wireless-enabled, though there are accessories that can make online play wireless. I assume you didn't mean wireless controllers, because Nintendo is the only first-party company to make a wireless controller, and I hear it is quite excellent.

The thing about having few violent video games... I chalk that up to them trying to make the system kid-friendly and family-friendly... but with the ESRB rating system, I don't know that it's necessary. Just publish it and expect the M or T tag instead of not publishing it. Another aspect of this is that some of the violent games the GC leaves its owners wanting are from third-party publishers with exclusive PS2 deals. Rockstar, for example, only debuts their GTA games on the PS2. Bungie does exclusively XBox initially for the Halos. Nintendo can't help that unless they shell out and get some third-party developers on their side.

Mario, Link, and Samus are still successful... that's their one strength. The most recognizable video game icon ever, and two other classic franchises that consistently put out quality games.

Parents may prefer their kids to have a GC over an XB or PS2... but the thing is, gamers are an older crowd than that. A 15-year-old may not be independent enough to buy a system against his/her parents' wishes... but an 18-year-old has more than enough money to buy whatever system (s)he wants... and a 21-year-old has a ton of money to spend on games and isn't affected by his/her parents' preferences. Nintendo needs to realize that the gamers bringing in the big bucks are the high-school-and-up crowd, specifically the college-and-up crowd.