GameTavern - Revolution

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March 10, 2005 - Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered his keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Thursday. The company head outlined the publisher's philosophies in regard to its next-generation console, which is codenamed Revolution. Iwata once more reiterated that while cutting edge graphics and audio are to be expected, Nintendo hopes to deliver a new gaming dynamic that will enhance the way players enjoy its software.

However, Iwata also announced Nintendo's two major hardware partners for Revolution, both previously rumored to be working on the console and both industry stand-outs. IBM is deep in development with the CPU that will provide the processing power of the machine. The chip is codenamed "Broadway," according to Nintendo. Meanwhile, ATI, which developed the GameCube's graphics chip, is underway with GPU for Revolution. The chip is codenamed "Hollywood," according to Nintendo.

"We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with Nintendo," explained Dave Orton, ATI Technologies' president and chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds. ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to gaming."

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata

Iwata also announced that Revolution would feature backward compatibility with GameCube, which means that consumers will be able to play GCN software on the next console.

In addition, the Nintendo president said that Revolution would be Wi-Fi compatible out of the box. The revelation goes hand-in-hand with the company's newly announced DS online network, which enables owners of the handheld to connect to the Internet wirelessly and play against each other.

Finally, Iwata introduced a brand new trailer for the anticipated GameCube title The Legend of Zelda. Naturally, onlookers were blown away.

"This is Nintendo's plan: make our existing game world better," Iwata said. "For us, this is a passion. This is a mission of adventure," Iwata explained.

The Nintendo head promised more details on Revolution and the DS wireless network at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005, which kicks off this May in Los Angeles.

IGN's DS sister site has full details on all the Nintendo DS related announcements made Thursday. For those, readers should click here.

Thats better... a little more info about the Revolution.

It's looking to be a good machine. And that backwards compatibility is a huge plus...

Confirming that the Revolution will have backwards compatibility with Game Cube means that the revolution will still be optical disked based media hooked to a T.V.

I am starting to believe that the technology and media for the Revolution will remain similar to Xbox 2 and PS3. Instead of some new type of hardware I think Nintendo plans to have some type of incredible online community that will revolutionize the way games are today. Maybe including a new controller with touch screen to make a new way of navigating through their online community.

Just a theory.

Awesome news so far being backwards compatible and WiFi out of the box. I wonder if they will include an ethernet port also just in case.

I think they will use a larger capacity disk because basically all current optical drives include that indented part on the tray for smaller disks. Would be nice to use a disk medium at least the same size as PS3/Xbox 2 will be.

backward compatibility is a big plus.

Sounds exciting, and I like the wireless DS connectivity.

no xbox will be using cartridges now............. LOL jk....

Nintendo's press release:

Quote:

NINTENDO PRESIDENT OUTLINES BOLD VISION TO ATTRACT NEW AUDIENCES TO VIDEO GAMES

Game Developers Conference Attendees Hear First Details about 'Revolution,' Upcoming Wi-Fi Service for Nintendo DS

SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2005 – Thousands of video game developers in a standing-room-only crowd today heard Nintendo President Satoru Iwata outline the company's bold vision for the future. Iwata, a veteran video game designer and player himself, made several major announcements during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech, "The Heart of the Gamer," including such highlights as:

* Nintendo's next game console, code-named "Revolution," is proceeding on schedule and will include both backward compatibility and Wi-Fi features.

* Nintendo soon will offer a free Wi-Fi connection service to Nintendo DS™ owners.

* Iwata demonstrated several new software titles using the innovative features of the Nintendo DS, including voice recognition, touch-screen control and wireless connectivity.

* Iwata unveiled new images from the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda® adventure coming this year for Nintendo GameCube™.

"This is Nintendo's plan: make our existing game world better," Iwata said. "For us, this is a passion. This is a mission of adventure."

Revolution: Iwata announced that Revolution will feature built-in Wi-Fi protocols, which will allow users around the world to connect with one another wirelessly. Revolution's technological heart, a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a graphics chip set from ATI code-named "Hollywood," are being designed to deliver game experiences not possible to date.

"We're excited to be developing the graphics chip set for Revolution, which continues our longstanding relationship with Nintendo," says Dave Orton, ATI Technologies Inc.'s president and chief executive officer. "As the leading graphics provider, ATI is committed to delivering exceptional visual performance that enables consumers to interact with new and visually compelling digital worlds. ATI is proud to support Nintendo's innovative contributions to gaming."

Nintendo DS: Iwata announced that the Wi-Fi protocol for Nintendo DS will provide users with a link to other players across the country or around the world. Once the service begins later this year, Nintendo DS users will be able to connect to the service wirelessly at Wi-Fi hot spots, whether they're at home, in a hotel or at a coffee shop. As one of several Wi-Fi games, Nintendo's in-house development team is creating a new Animal Crossing™ game for global Wi-Fi play.

On the keynote stage, Iwata also took part in a spontaneous eight-player wireless contest of Mario Kart® DS to demonstrate the local area network capabilities of Nintendo DS. He added that shipments of the DS game system have now surpassed 4 million units to North America and Japan in the 16 weeks since launch. With the system set to debut in thousands of stores across Europe within hours of his address, that number will approach 6 million units shipped by the end of March.

DS software: The speech featured a live demonstration of two Nintendo DS software titles that Iwata said represented types of entertainment that go beyond the traditionally accepted definitions of "video games." One, Nintendogs, asks owners to nurture and interact with a variety of breeds of digital puppies. Puppy owners can issue voice commands, play games and train their puppies while developing real emotional bonds with them. Nintendogs is set to launch later this year in North America. The second title, Electroplankton, offers an otherworldly array of sights and sounds aimed to soothe or stimulate players with the innovative use of both the touch screen and voice interaction. "This is designed to produce harmony, not adrenaline," Iwata said.

Zelda: Iwata wowed the crowd by showing previously unreleased footage of the stunning Legend of Zelda adventure for Nintendo GameCube. The game will launch later this year, and is expected to be the most sought-after game of 2005 on any console.

Nintendo will announce more information about both Revolution and the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi service at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May. To hear the full audio podcast of Iwata's speech, visit www.nintendo.com.

i was gunna say its silly to add wi fi support and not a broadband port, but i think its more about connecting to DS then it is for online games, expecially at the start.

the free wi fi service is a bit misleading, since you still need an internet connection to get online, i think its meaning like the PS2 online is free right now. kinda a quick login thats free, not like xbox where you have a payment ontop of the internet cost.

but everythings sounding good so far.

Liking the Wifi. Already have a wireless router set up and where my TV is located things will be much easier for me.

Turned off by the chips being named "Hollywood" and "Broadway" but the names won't affect my gameplay experience right? Right?

Once PDA software is released I may purchase a DS.

I like what I'm hearing... E3 seems so far away now.

Wow, I just want to leave work so bad...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Samurai

Wow, I just want to leave work so bad...

Why? Revolution isn't at home waiting, is it? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackmane

Why? Revolution isn't at home waiting, is it? :D

...yea...so?... :sneaky:

those 2 posts I cannot begin to explain how pointless they were LOL....

The only thing waiting for Dark Samurai at home is Paper Mario and a cup noodles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackmane

Why? Revolution isn't at home waiting, is it? :D

Well it is, just in a different time dimension.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo

Well it is, just in a different time dimension.

I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo

Well it is, just in a different time dimension.

Neo, once again you have befuddled me. You and your higher learning about the 4th dimension and...and, your spiffy little cap of knowledge.

I'm glad it's backwards compatible, now all my Gamecube games feel like a worthwhile investment.

I care not for the backwards compatibility! I wasn't gonna sell my Cube anyway.

We Nintendo fans have always stated that backwards compatibility (for PS2) was useless, and now suddenly we like it? :(

Good news about the online stuff. :D

Edit: wow Dyne, you posted mere seconds after me.

The new Zelda trailer is AWESOME.

Revolution sounds nifty.

Gamemaster is right; my 40 Gamecube games don't feel so antique anymore. ^__^

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canyarion

I never trashed the Backwards compatibility... I didn't know too many people that did.

I like backwards compatibility because I can buy Revolution and already have a nice sized library, and I only need to bring one console to University with me.

Quote:

and already have a nice sized library

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO???? Suddenly play all your old GameCube games, just because it's on a new console????? :(

Sorry hehe no offence, but I really don't understand that.... When you get the Revolution, you'll play Mario 128 so much that you can't bother to even look at your old GameCube games. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canyarion

Exactly.

Backward compatibility is stupid. I don't like that move from Nintendo.

Sure did like backward compatibility with GBA.

I was never against Backwards compatibility. It helps alot because what happens if your 'Cube or original Gameboy breaks? Stash it away and use Revolution/GBA.

If Ninty ever released an N64 Player for the 'Cube, I would buy it in a heartbeat because then I could almost permanently store it without worry and use my spiffy 'Cube to play N64 games on

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danchastu

Sure did like backward compatibility with GBA.

I would find it interesting if the new systems gave enhancements to the old games.

Backwards compatibility is totally cool. That increases the shelf life of GC titles. And if the next game boy is a portable GameCube, we'll have three ways to play GC games!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfect Stu

I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter

Actually, you may be able to feel closer to the Revolution if you pick a spot next to your TV that the console will one day occupy. Then meditate on the fact that the Revolution is already sitting there, albeit in a different time. You of course have to take space relative to the earth, but it's all good. If you put enough energy into it you may be able to tip the light cone causing the future Revolution to align with your current instance of time.

Keep in mind, however, that by accomplishing this you risk punching a hole in our spacetime continuum. This hole would expand outward at the speed of light and annihilate the known universe. I accept no responsibility should this occur.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canyarion

"Suddenly" play my old Gamecube games? No.

I'll continue to play my GameCube games, even though they are outdated. I can't see me not wanting some nights of Mario Tennis, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, etc before their respective sequels arrive.

And I don't think the graphics are going to be so good on Revolution that we'll look at gamecube games and not be able to play them due to poor graphics. I think I'll still go back and play Wind Waker, Prime, Sunshine, and all the other great games in the library.

Great, just great. My cat just got sucked into a mini worm hole. Thanks a lot Neo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danchastu

Great, just great. My cat just got sucked into a mini worm hole. Thanks a lot Neo.

Don't worry, Zelda has cats!

I get it! One of the cats in the Zelda trailer is yours, sucked into the future Revolution! Oh wait, the Zelda game is for the Cube...

Backwards compatibility for handhelds is very useful because you don't have to bring multiple consoles with you.
With the home consoles, it's just a matter of switching the cables (or changing the channel) and you can play your old games again. :)

At first I didn't think gyroscopic controllers would be a good idea because your wrists would get tired trying to move a mario-like character. But someone at ign pointed out that it could be used for aiming a reticule on a FPS. That I think might actually work as it requires minimal effort on the part of the lazy game.

Its just a matter of switching CD's with Backward compatibilities.... or how the wonders of backwards compatibility can be shot down so easily.... yet it can also have an uprising the size of a typhoon.

Backwards compatibility is there for convenience, and not for innovation or any other reason. If you don't like backwards compatibility then don't use it. Do your old switching cables, and channel thing Cany, but those who would have backwards compatibility for convenience sake aren't at fault for liking the idea.

You shoot it down like it's not needed or people are getting way too excited over it.

One thing is for sure, it's not needed but it's nice to have it there. I still have my PSX but I never use it, only because it's just easier to put in old psx games into the pstwo.

Once again, it's there for convenience.... theres no need to dislike the idea of to like it too much. The arguement is getting tedious ... let's argue about which console will be better or what not.... not over backwards compatibility.

Its there to get money off the new console without selling the old games :D

i bought the PS2, i sold my PS1 for $25 but kept the games that i could still play using the PS2. :) i'll do the same with my PS2 if PS3 plays PS2 and PS1. Why take up space with old equiptment when the new stuff does everything the old could do. and as Darren pointed out, it becomes less of an issue each generation because theres not a huge difference in graphics.

Kyuzo, I wasn't shooting it down, I just wanted to point out that it wasn't such a big deal as people pretended it to be...

And I remember when all the Nintendo fans made fun of the PS2 backwards compatibility so I wanted to defend Sony for a change. :D

I love the fact that we're getting B/C. Unlike last generation's graphics which did not age well at all, I imagine our GC library will still be put to use in the future. And the less consoles and wires I have laying about the better.

It is strange about last gen though.... I still enjoy playing 8 bit and 16 bit games but last gen's graphics are so grainy and blocky as to be an eyesore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canyarion

And I remember when all the Nintendo fans made fun of the PS2 backwards compatibility so I wanted to defend Sony for a change. :D

I think I remember that now too.

"OMG SONY'S SYSTEM SUCKS SO MUCH THEY NEED THE OLD GAMES TOO HAHAHAH ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!1111"

Well IMO NES and N64 are comparable... new concept, bad graphics. They have some very cool games, but you'd just rather play their sequels with better graphics... It's a shame, really. :(