The Revolution will not be televised!

...But there will be a story about it on the web:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/15/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/


The most interesting thing here is a confirmation of something I hoped was true:

"and try some fishing by 'feeling' fish nibble on the line (via a rumble effect)"


I was hoping they had included that! It had occured to me only a few weeks ago that they might have included rumble technology, and as soon as the though occured to me, I knew it would be a huge improvement. I thought "Gee, swinging it like a sword would be cool... too bad you won't feel when it strikes something." And that's when I thought about the rumble, and how much better it would make the experience.

Knowing now that it has runmble, that just makes it 10x better than I already thought it was. The games on this thing are gonna be great!

I have to agree, I can't wait for it.

Interesting how they haven't shown any moving footage of games yet (Well I haven't seen any).

The controller is fabtastic by the look of it - Nintendo - doing what they do best again! Innovation.

IPete2.

Hmm, so it's not going to be called the Revolution - wonder what they'll end up naming it.

woo gimme that Japanese technology right now!

big10:
What gives you the idea it will not be called the Revolution?

Revolution is a code name? That's the first I've heard of that. Well, they did have code names for all their other systems. The N64 was the Ultra 64, and the GameCube was the Dolphin.

Maybe it'll be called GameTorus due to its n-dimensional properties.

ChildKatana - that will be the name for sure
Hundreds of parents looking at the face of their children while they're swinging off the controller like if it was a sword - I just can't wait to see that!

Nintendo FreeStyle? Uh, maybe not... can't help thinkning the name will have 'free' in it, though. C'mon, let's speculate wildly about what it might end up being called! :P

The Revolution/GameTorus looks good - I agree. At first I thought the controller was kind of weird, but if you flip it sideways it turns into the old NES controller. And the whole sword/laser/lightsaber thing will definately make the games interesting.

But also, with the limited amount of buttons, it might limit the complexity of the games that can be made for it. On the Gamecube there were many buttons, and the games made for it will probably more complex. I have a feeling most of the Revolution games will be RPGs, or classic arcade games like Super Mario,Asteroids, Invaders, etc.

But I dunno - maybe the limit of buttons won't stop them from making complex games like on the XBox and PS2 and Gamecube.

The less buttons, the better, as far as I'm concerned. :)

Sounds good that FPS games are easier as I played Red Faction and Timesplitters on PS2 and said "Never again will I play a FS on a console" HORRID HORRID controls.

Just a thought - I think the Dolphin / Gamecube was so named after the VLSI chip inside called Flipper so the GameCube is still the 'Dolphin' really.

IPete2.

Maybe they should stick with the aquatic theme and call it 'Wanda', as in 'A fish called...'. :P

Kinda fits as the controller is like a magic wand, too. And the Rev sounds like a wanda-ful machine... or something. :)

[edit]
Am I the only one trying to come up with silly... I mean, great names for the Revolution? C'mon, let's hear some more. :P

Lol - With Nintendo games - you'll get Wandalust,

IPete2.

Here's my list of suitable names for the new Nintendo console:

Nintendo GimmiX
Nintendo Dreamcast
Endo Nintendo
Nintendo Sainara
Nintendo Dodo

Ooh! I love still-born consoles! Particularly from Nintendo - the only console developer that dares hide their innability to compete on technological terms by blinding people with cheesy gimmicks. An uncomfortable TV remote that rumbles? Superb!

Nintendo Samuarai

Well, it beats laying off 11000 staff, because you can't figure out how to use a calculator.

Oh, you've held one, then. Why's it uncomfortable? Do tell all us idiots.

<insert smilie with eyes rolling upwards>

Oh, you've held one, then. Why's it comfortable? Do tell all us idiots.

<insert smilie with eyes rolling upwards>

I didn't say it was comfortable. However you said it was uncomfortable. Do you see?

Go troll somewhere else, genius.

But, by replying to my post in such an aggressive and antagonistic way, you were implying that you disagreed with my assertion. Do you see? However, if you were using your finely honed sense of sarcasm to express friendly agreement then I apologise for misunderstanding your intentions.

*blushes* No, no, sir - you flatter me too much! I am no genius! But thank you for your kind words.

JustLuke, do you consider higher polygon-counts as more fun? Does having 4XAA make a game better to play?

Just wondering. ;)

As I see it, Nintendo is the only company making a fun console this generation.



That just ruffles my feathers! hehe. I guarantee you this
"cheesy gimmick" will eventually be found in Sony and M$'s
future machines.

I guarantee it.

I may be devils advocat here, but rumble packs really dont do it for me. Force feedback controllers are the be all and end all, if it aint force feedback it's a kids toy.

Patents aside I really dont see how the revolution would implement force feedback.

To use your example you would swing the sword, feel it hit with a rumble, then carry on through... that's a bit naff.

> Hmm, so it's not going to be called the Revolution
> - wonder what they'll end up naming it.

Well from past experience maybe

N128
Shark
Game Sphere

or how about

Nintendo-TV-Remote
Nintendo-WTF-Controller
Nintendo-out-the-console-market.

"Force feedback controllers are the be all and end all, if it aint force feedback it's a kids toy."

"You have to use your hands? That's a baby's toy!"

All it takes to make a great piece of hardware is money. Nintendo really doesn't give a flying pig's tail about spending all their billions on making the fanciest hardware possible. All they've ever cared about is making fun games. They've never created the most graphically intense game systems ... but they're usually right there ... and for a hell of a lot cheaper than the other guys. Oh ... and for those of us who 'get it' ... their games are A LOT more fun. Sorry you don't understand ...

The Super Duper Nintendo Entertainment System
or the sdnes for short.

Go waste $400+ on a XBox 360 and pay for internet access again, no one is stopping you.

The naysayers said the same thing about the DS, "it's just a gimmick". Well the gimmick has proved once again that innovation wins out over expensive technology, the DS outsold the PSP this month and will continue to do so. Heck, even the GBA outsold the PSP, so apparently porting GTA isn't the panacea for Sony that it used to be.

How anyone can shun technology that lets you get into games the way this controller does, let alone a programmer, is beyond me.

Unsuprising as one of them has been out for a few years.

I think he was talking about this past month alone.

I much prefer my Gamecube to my PS2. Apart from the fact it loads quicker and has faster memory card access and they brought out an own brand wireless controller (vital if you have little kids that poull wires!), the games are great! Metroid, Zelda, Resi Evil, monkey ball, viewtiful joe etc. The graphics seem to have a lovely render.

I'm sure the controller will rockeven if it looks a bit boring.

Also on FPS games, I may have a P4 3.2GHz, 1Gb Ram, Radeon 7800XT (once looney) but I still run it 800x600 no AA even though 1024x768 4xAA looks better, IT IS SLOWER and when you are getting invaded by Germans you need all the speed you can get!

No, I replied in an "aggressive" and "antagonistic" way because your post was nothing but a troll i.e. you were being antagonistic.

Anyway, you may get your wish one day and see Nintendo cast out of the console hardware market. Won't that be great!? You'll be able to play Mario games on your console of choice, then. Just imagine: Mario rendered in photo-realistic glory, complete with bump-mapped shaving rash and overly-specular skin. Superb!

Sorry, I don't remember mentioning photo-realism. Have you confused me with someone else?

I don't remember saying you did mention photo-realism.

Are we going to go on like this forever?

Let's just say you 'won', or whatever it takes.

the controllers don't convince me at all, at this time, but I applaud Nintendo for doing some real innovation here.

The problem that I have is that it's easy innovation in areas that Sony and Microsoft choose not compete in. And this completely sums up Nintendo for me; they choose to "innovate" to hide the fact that they can't compete.

It seems to me that people fail to question Nintendo because "conventional wisdom" dictates that they are original and innovative. What's innovative about a technologically poor console with a gimmicky controller? What's original about the latest in a long line of identical Zelda or Mario games? What's so impressive about offering innovation in areas that hardly anyone cares about and neglecting areas that are proven to sell consoles and interest the buying public?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=innovation
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=original

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=gimmick

It seems to me that innovative control methods do interest the buying public: dance mats, bongos, maracas, eye toys, quiz buzzers etc. It's not just Nintendo who want to innovate in the area of game control - they're just better at it that anyone else.

The console first of all is not 'technologically poor'. It will feature a PPU and the graphics I'm positive will be every bit as good as those on the Xbox 360 ... graphics these days have reached a point of diminishing returns anyway.

Nintendo has taken the competition in an entirely different direction. Instead of making the games look more realistic they are making the games feel more realistic. Now instead of interfacing with the game using buttons (how unnatural really) you actually use real time 3D motions ... the ones everyone is already accustomed to ... by you know living in the actual world.

Innovation ... is what they did ... they changed the parameters of the 'battle' ... they've done it a few times before too and they haven't failed yet. Nintendo has only had 1 quarter in their entire existance where they didn't turn a profit so I think you should wise up and see that they do what they do very well even if it doesn't appeal to you.

In the evolutionary 'battle' it came down to two groups of cavemen ... one group was stronger ... and one group couldn't compete head on with them. So they 'innovated' and learned how to deceive the phsycally stronger group. They simply changed the game and won the 'battle'. That's innovation.

last I heard the PPU and specs previously published weren't real but some speculation by fans.

Nintendo's only response to hardware is that its aproximately 2.5x the speed of gamecube. Whatever that means.

As fgar as innovation goes, I'm not sure I'm interested in their controler if it turns out to be used in gimmiky games like the DS has. And for the most part they rely on first party games that arent that innovative most of the time anyway.

Last I heard, it was a "souped up xbox".

Sorry Evak I take exception to that comment. Many of Nintendo's Games are ground breakers, being fun and innovative, as is their approach to providing fun entertainment to us punters.

I don't think I need to name the games, most people know what they are.

IPete2.

People will buy the Ninendo thing if it appeals to them, I really dont see the point of slating a company for producing something you dont want to buy: Aftershave companies have been doing that to me for years, but I don't moan about them for failing to appeal to me...

I'm more interested in the games I'll be able to play on Revolution than those on Xbox360 (except PGR3, I want that game very much).

The reason I'll buy an Xbox360 first is that it will be used for many different things, with games as a bit of an added bonus.

The reason I may not buy a Revolution is that I don't really have the attention-span for games that I used to have as a teenager. However, if Miyamoto san comes up with a really good game, I might be persuaded to buy the console to play it :)