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[neptunes]

You guys think a $150 pricepoint in it's first year is adequete enough to recouperate all the revenue spent on R&D and such?

why would you completely write off a chance of profiting off a $199 pricepoint when they can price @ $150 at any time during the REV's lifespan. Pluse, It'll be be cheaper than the competition anyways.

no to mention next year is when the ps2 will finally hit $99. (A value based console on it's own)

The REVOLUTION only being $50 more than a ps2 won't help it's image either.

 

[Joe]

well the more hands you get the system into the more game downloads people will buy. maybe they launch at 150 or 100 and go for a razor-and-blades model (sort of).

 

[Panajev2001a]

Dude, just let this go. Don't skew it into another wild speculation. Having a battery in there is pretty pointless unless it'd got an LCD as well. And if you think PSP battery life was bad, this thing would be much worse if you fed it with batteries, unless you shoved in huge 6 cell 4000+ mAh Li-Ion from a laptop.



It's not the RAM amount that's gonna prevent UE3 running on Rev. There's a XBLA game running on UE3 that's less than 50MB compressed (so less than 100MB uncompressed max) for the entire game.

It's gonna be the lack of CPU and GPU oomph that's gonna prevent Rev from running UE3.

Many assets might compress more than 1:2, but still you act like developers do not need to dynamically allocate RAM for data-structures and the like .

Also, judging the size of an XBLA game can be a bit worthless in this aspect because they do not just compress art assets, etc..., but also try to remove from the downloadable game the extra data pre-baked when exporting the game content into content that the game engine can handle with minimal pre-processing when loading up the game.

 

[soundwave05]

I think it's obvious the system was designed to enable a price point that will mitigate the "buyer hesistation" that non-gamers feel when they think about getting a game machine.

 

[quetz67]

I am still not convinced of Revolution only having 2-3x the raw power of the Gamecube. It might be correct when it comes to clock speeds but not what you can do with the hardware.

I still believe the ATI chip will do Shader 3.0 level effects, which means much more than high frequencies and fillrate. With Nintendo's decision not to go for 720p they save about factor 4 in fillrate and need lower frequencies for the same results (at lower resolution).

Dont know about the CPU - 2x the clock speed sounds wrong, but again it is not only about frequencies (see Centrino).

104MB of RAM sounds really bad first. But again, Nintendo is not going for the HD look. If you just reduce the resolution of all textures by factor 2 thats factor 4 less memory needed.

If the specs are close to the truth sure we wont see as highly defined games as the xbox360 or PS3 can deliver. But it might still be fully possible that most 3rd party games can easily be ported just by reducing the resolution (screen & textures) but keeping poly count/effects/gameplay unaffected.

First party games will IMO without any doubt look spectacular, I personally prefer a 3x as good looking Zelda, RE or MP over a highly defined PDZ.

I dont really care that much because I will get the PS3 for raw power this gen, but I am sure many are much too concenrned about these very early and very rumoured specs.

 

[Error]

I don't understand your logic soundwave05 you say the console could launch at $50? I think that's pushing it too far, and if the revolution launches at $50 what about the games 10 dollars? besides that price will make the Revolution look like a cheap ass toy it'll hurt it's image a lot.

 

[marc^o^]

Nintendo has balls :lol
They're onto something, but what?

Can't wait! Now if someone could just give me tickets to E3...

 

[siege]

I think it's obvious the system was designed to enable a price point that will mitigate the "buyer hesistation" that non-gamers feel when they think about getting a game machine.

.___.
{O,o} O'RLY?
/)__)

I'm pretty confident it will launch at $179.99 or something. No way it's going to be as cheap as some on here believe.

 

[Shogmaster]

Many assets might compress more than 1:2, but still you act like developers do not need to dynamically allocate RAM for data-structures and the like .

Also, judging the size of an XBLA game can be a bit worthless in this aspect because they do not just compress art assets, etc..., but also try to remove from the downloadable game the extra data pre-baked when exporting the game content into content that the game engine can handle with minimal pre-processing when loading up the game.

Your big brain is getting too hung up on details and forgetting that I'm just trying to point out the fact that you can make a butt simple game out of UE3 that's small enough to fit into 88MB of usable RAM in the Rev.

.___.
{O,o} O'RLY?
/)__)

:lol It's been a while that I laughed at anything owl related.

 

[soundwave05]

I don't understand your logic soundwave05 you say the console could launch at $50? I think that's pushing it too far, and if the revolution launches at $50 what about the games 10 dollars? besides that price will make the Revolution look like a cheap ass toy it'll hurt it's image a lot.

I think the system will eventually be $49.99.

What "image" is there to hurt? STOP thinking that Nintendo made this game machine for hardcore. They don't care what you as a hardcore player think about its image, for better or worse.

Think about this -- Nintendo designed the controller to look like a TV remote control. Why? Because they researched that non-gamers will pick up a TV remote but not a game controller.

I think they've actually done their homework here.

To a hardcore player, hardware in and of itself is sometimes enough to warrant a purchase. Hardcore players love to try out new hardware, to get a "feel" for it. To a hardcore player having "value" to a console is important. That's why a hardcore player will prefer a $400 XBox over a $300 barebones XBox.

What you don't understand is for non-gamers, the scenario is likely the complete opposite. The hardware is a barrier and I think Nintendo realized this during their research. Non-gamers just want to be able to play the game itself, they don't want the hassle of having to buy a piece of hardware that takes up space in their living room and leaves their wallet's empty.

So what's the solution? I'm guessing you're looking at it with Revolution ... something so cheap that price is almost not an issue and something so small/discreet/sleek that a person who doesn't traditionally play games will have no problem putting it in their living room.

I understand people on this board are up in arms about it, but I don't think Nintendo just randomly designed this machine. Everything from the price conciousness of the chipset to the controller to the size of the unit I think is very intentionally tailored so that it would appeal to someone who would never buy a game machine.

 

[Gee]

It does seem very likely now that TP will be moved to revolution.

I for one wouldn't mind the TP coming out for the Rev, as a launch title.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Your big brain is getting too hung up on details and forgetting that I'm just trying to point out the fact that you can make a butt simple game out of UE3 that's small enough to fit into 88MB of usable RAM in the Rev.

I do not know what kind of game could that be though... after-all you do nto know how much RAM on the Xbox 360 that game does take... what if it does take more than 128 MB of RAM in total ?

 

[Oblivion]

Maybe the "surprise" Miyamoto was talking about has nothing to do with any secret abilities, but rather, just the price point.

Also, I agree now more than ever about porting Zelda to the Rev. Might as well make it look better than ever, if it won't take as much effort as previously thought.

 

[DrGAKMAN]

do you guys think this hardware will allow Nintendo pump more out than the competetion? allowing them to do a worldwide launch with ease? or all within a couple weeks like merrick said?

Oh absolutly. They're also using the same fabrication plants they used for GAMECUBE as well so that saves manufacturing money/time right there.

Dude, just let this go. Don't skew it into another wild speculation. Having a battery in there is pretty pointless unless it'd got an LCD as well. And if you think PSP battery life was bad, this thing would be much worse if you fed it with batteries, unless you shoved in huge 6 cell 4000+ mAh Li-Ion from a laptop.

You're right. If the system can be used in portable form it would require an LCD which would come with it's own battery to power the deck & screen...so putting a battery in the system itself would be pointless and add costs where they're not needed. Battery life wouldn't be that bad though...it'd be like a portable DVD player I bet. Games running from the flash memory (might explain what IGN meant by developers saying you could use the flash memory) and/or games running at GCN-level wouldn't require as much power either.

I'm not really skewing anything into wild speculation here. I think it would be totally doable, especially with Nintendo making oddball comments about displays, touting portable-esque features and now knowing that the system won't require high power consumption.

Getting away from the speculative though...how many watts do you think these modified Gekko + Flipper "turbo" will run at? And do you think such low specs will require the system to have a fan cooling system?

 

[Drensch]

So, just to be clear, we got some speculative rumors from Matt about Ram and processor speed, based on developer info. Info which conflicts with itself, and at best is based on hardware that does not feature the graphics chip. To top it off we actually didn't get any specs, just estimates of ram and speed. :lol

 

[XMonkey]

Zelda:TP is a GC title. It has as much likelyhood of being launched on Revolution as Revolution has of launching at $99.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Maybe the revolution doubles for a handheld?

>.>

 

[Sunski]

On paper wasn't Gamecube a lot worse than PS2 and XBOX? Wasn't Gamecube a smaller and more compact console? Didn't Gamecube pretty much push the XBOX in terms of graphical kick?

At the end of the day, Nintendo seem to release underpowered but efficient consoles. MS seem to build up a pc like the rest of us would (chuck in all the latest good bits), put a console casing on it and say "This boy is a beast!". But at the end of the day, the console is running a trimmed down operating system that probably eats most of the resources and isn't very efficient. Time will tell if the Cell is efficient. I bet the Revolution contents is.

 

[Shogmaster]

I do not know what kind of game could that be though... after-all you do nto know how much RAM on the Xbox 360 that game does take... what if it does take more than 128 MB of RAM in total ?

Why you asking me for? You could email the dev! Or ask element since he knows the guys.

Getting away from the speculative though...how many watts do you think these modified Gekko + Flipper "turbo" will run at? And do you think such low specs will require the system to have a fan cooling system?

At 130nm, Gobi (750GX) supposedly would have drawn mere 8 watts @ 1GHz. It would be even less at 90nm or smaller, but I have no idea how Mojave (750VX) would have compared, which Broadway is suppose to be closer to then Gobi according to someone who's privy to the info at B3D forum.

Hollywood's power draw is even more a mystery to me at this point (much like rest of the specs) but I'd venture to guess that it can't be more than 25 watts or so.

I have to say though, even with these speculated figures, I think Rev chipsets couldn't do without some active cooling somewhere in the box.

 

[Juice]

Yadda yadda, BATTERIES, yadda yadda....

I'm not really skewing anything into wild speculation here. I think it would be totally doable, especially with Nintendo making oddball comments about displays, touting portable-esque features and now knowing that the system won't require high power consumption.

O RLY?

Sorry dude, but there's no way that the Rev is going to include a LIon battery. Nintendo's already admitted that they over-emphasized the importance of portability by designing a handle onto the GameCube that ended up never being used. They won't make the same mistake by actually spending MONEY (good LIons are NOT cheap) on the system when there are other parts of its design that would benefit greatly in performance from that space and money.

Not a fucking chance in hell it has a battery for anything more than its clock.

 

[D3VI0US]

I love how you selective reading fanboy jackasses can agree with the cheap pricing but doubt the low specs. It's not rumors, it's information given from Nintendo to devs to IGN but with no official sources cause of NDA's. I'm pretty sure revolution.ign.com wouldn't even exist if they didn't know this real substantial information on it, we'd still just be getting Nintendo PR fluff.

 

[Shogmaster]

My buddy actually measured the draw with his high faluntin' geeko equipment and 160W is more like when the machine is just running the dashboard. When games get going, it's at least 50% more.

I'm quoting myself because I just got an email from the buddy I was talking about and I was way off. He says and I quote: "I measured up to 240 watts drawn out of the wall for Dashboard, up to 290 watts drawn out of the wall when playing a full on game.".

BTW, he says WTF with his account not being activated yet. It's been almost a year since registering! I'm tired of being his message boy so let him into GAF mods! His account was registered as "Edwood" IIRC.

 

[Sunski]

I love how you selective reading fanboy jackasses can agree with the cheap pricing but doubt the low specs. It's not rumors, it's information given from Nintendo to devs to IGN but with no official sources cause of NDA's. I'm pretty sure revolution.ign.com wouldn't even exist if they didn't know this real substantial information on it, we'd still just be getting Nintendo PR fluff.

I think its a case of - The specs might be low, but show us what it can do. It could be a stupidly efficient console.

 

[marc^o^]

Maybe the revolution doubles for a handheld?

>.>

This made me think of something big: with these Revolution specs, Nintendo secured next handheld generation domination!

GBA2 will be able to play Revolution ports. Basically, all Nintendo investments are made with Rev and GBA2 in mind. Developpers who invest in Rev technology will be able to use the same assets for Nintendo's next gen handheld, unlike Sony with its PS3.

Nintendo is taking a very clever business route.

 

[[Nintex]]

WTF...

This is no console this is Nintendo's Money printing Machine.

$99 thats Cheap for a brand new system...
Retro downloads :
$5,99 Nes game
$11,99 Snes game
$21,99 N64 game.
Revolution games :
$34,99

OMFG Nintendo's bank reserve's will sky rocket.

 

[Error]

This made me think of something big: with these Revolution specs, Nintendo secured next handheld generation domination!

GBA2 will be able to play Revolution ports. Basically, all Nintendo investments are made with Rev and GBA2 in mind. Developpers who invest in Rev technology will be able to use the same assets for Nintendo next gen handheld, unlike Sony with its PS3.

Nintendo is taking a very clever business route.

what....the....fuck....!?

 

[BlueTsunami]

This made me think of something big: with these Revolution specs, Nintendo secured next handheld generation domination!

GBA2 will be able to play Revolution ports. Basically, all Nintendo investments are made with Rev and GBA2 in mind. Developpers who invest in Rev technology will be able to use the same assets for Nintendo next gen handheld, unlike Sony with its PS3.

Nintendo is taking a very clever business route.

But how will GBA2 play these games? When the gameplay if focused on Revolutions magic stick?

what....the....fuck....!?

:lol

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Even with a low price so many are skeptical. Nintendo should make it compatible as an X360 wireless bridge, to give MS's $100 device some competition.

I've noted that the launch price (US) of the PSP Value Pack is the combined launch prices of the GBA and DS. Perhaps something similar will work out with GCN+REV=PS3?

So Matt has decided to make sure Nintendo will never again give IGN an exclusive story?

By talking about rumored Revolution specs? They had lots of similar stuff for Dolphin in early 1999, even.

I bet it'll be 250 dollars

That's balls nuts.

Talk about cheaping out on RAM. 88 MB is just not enough.

It's all about context. If we (as Nintendo seems to have) stop trying to think of ports from X360 or PS3, it seems the RAM has relatively increased a lot more than the CPU or GPU.

Different report of the rev's power from each developer...

I don't see the big differences you do. It's mostly things like "About double" versus "not quite double".

I doubt a 99 dollars pricepoint for revolution at launch is possible I mean DS is at 130 right now, say revolution launches at $99 then DS will be at what? $70 dollars?

$150 seems more like to me with the DS dropping to $99.

$99 would be silly just because there wouldn't be as much room for drops, and given a launch late in the year the first batches will sell easily.

Some of you are weird. Particularly certain people who couldn't accept that the Revolution was going to be weak when everything Nintendo has said indicated it and are now acting all pissed off like we didn't tell them hours ago.

There's a large spectrum between GCN and X360/PS3. Most of us thought it would be relatively weak, but not that it would be much closer to the GCN side.

IBM Broadway CPU: 970 MHz ~ 1GHz

ATI Hollywood: 324 MHz ~ 325 MHz

How can Nintendo justify the names of these chips with these low clockspeeds?

What clockspeeds do real Broadway plays usually run at?

Matt is only giving the technical specs of the alpha kits. End of the story.

Matt is only telling us what Nintendo has told developers to expect.

I think littlewig needs some shoulders to cry on. Im just loving how all the nbots way back when were saying itd definetly be more powerful than 360.

*Pets 360*

Well, once upon a time we were assuming a $300 2005 Microsoft system versus a $300 2006 Nintendo system.

Why would anyone be happy to pay $150 for this hunk of junk when the GC's been $99 for years?

Shit, the PS2 will be selling millions at $150 this month. Versus several times GameCube, with remote controller, wifi built in, and the download service in 11 months.

There is something that definately needs to be cleared up here. It was quoted somewhere that Nintendo spent around the same price on the cpu/gpu as microsoft but took a different approach. How the hell would the tech of slightly upgraded gamecube (gc turbo?), be that expensive(development wise)?!! Something is not adding up here. Either we are missing a huge piece of this puzzle, the quote was waaaaaay off, or Nintendo got screwed. heh.

Agreed.

So maybe in 2 years or so they shrink this hardware into a handheld?

It's weird. On the one hand the emphasis on low power and small size seems to point to a portable... but the fact that they're going with full size discs rather than sticking only with the smaller GameCube ones would seem to go in the other direction.

Isn't the xbox 2 x more powerful than the cube?

No.

Pricing this at $99 would be a mistake imo. It would almost be like you're admitting that it's underpowered plus the $99 price point for the gamecube didn't help it much.

The $99 price drop helped make 2003 the only year where GameCube outsold the Xbox in the US. The fact that it reached that price point in 22 months, but in the following 27 months hasn't dropped other than off-and-on bundle deals, has not helped much.

To me this is more like those retro Atari "game in controller" sets that people are picking up.

Interesting comparison. I've thought before that it would be interesting to see Nintendo do something like $50 GameCube bundles that come packed in with retro game compilations to keep it relevant in a PSOne-like way in later years, but maybe Revolution is driving that direction straight away.

Right. Reggie always says Nintendo is an and company. Well give me the new controller and next gen visuals. It is annoying Nintendo can't do both. Or chooses not too.

The thing is, they want to get a crowd that won't pay $150 and $150.

No. It is called delayed dominance. Portables are for the kiddies while adults buy consoles for themselves. PSP will start pwn0ringz when it drops in price.

Maybe that is so. However, it seems that by way of DS price drop, PSP has only become relatively more expensive since launch. It would bring the original launch ratio back if when DS goes to $99 PSP goes to $149, but the former seems likely to happen much sooner.

Say, where'd this talk of $150 pricepoint come from?

DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS

This is all that Nintendo could muster after nearly five years? They should just release the controller and compatible games on GC -- as it is, they are giving gamers very little reason to buy completely new hardware.

Sure, maybe they could release a pack with the controller, flash memory, and wifi... but combine that with the cost of the GameCube and it's as much as what is being discussed for Revolution here, without the benefits of doubling+ the specs, increased disc space, or access to features like the emulation without using a disc.

So the strategy facing the PS3 launch next year in North America around the same time is going to be what?

"Buy a PS3. Or a Revolution for yourself and friend or two fo the same price."

Remember when everyone here was saying the Gameboy Micro would be super cheap $49-$79? Nintendo squeezes their rabid fanbase for every bit of expendable income they've got.

Squeezing late cash out of an already massively successful system, and launching a strange new product in the sector one is less successful at... very different things.

You guys think a $150 pricepoint in it's first year is adequete enough to recouperate all the revenue spent on R&D and such?

Hell, N64 and GCN were at $150 6 months after release in the US.

 

[Chrono]

what....the....fuck....!?

Yep. :lol

 

[mrkgoo]

What if...

the official name is...














GameBoy.





?

 

[marc^o^]

But how will GBA2 play these games? When the gameplay if focused on Revolutions magic stick?

Concessions would need to be made, and Nintendo would rely on the touchscreen to emulate some of the gameplay elements. Or surprise us again with a tiny stick device attached to the console. Who knows.

What we know now is that Rev investments could be reused in a handheld with GC performance.

 

[marc^o^]

Yep. :lol

I'm still a bit tired, what's wrong with what I said?

 

[Naked Snake]

I think people expecting a $99 launch are setting themselves up for a disappointment... Sure the CPU/GPU/RAM might be cheap to manufacture, but what about the new "3D Space" controller and all the technology that comes with it? Surely it's more expensive to produce than traditional controllers, right? Not to mention Wi-Fi and other bells and whistles.

 

[Error]

I'm still a bit tired, what's wrong with what I said?

I seen some stupid shit in this thread but let me tell you, what you just posted is the most retarded thing, post (whatever the fuck is called what you just said) I seen yet. go read I think even you would think what you said is retarded.

Spoiler

no offense dude

 

[Ferrio]

 

[marc^o^]

I seen some stupid shit in this thread but let me tell you, what you just posted is the most retarded thing, post (whatever the fuck is called what you just said) I seen yet. go read I think even you would think what you said is retarded.

Spoiler

no offense dude

Except the domination part, which is just speculation based on the fact that Rev technology would be much easier to port to a handheld than PS3 one, I still don't understand what's wrong with my post. Please elaborate

 

[Xellotah]

As a gamer, there really is no good news in the specs. leaked today.

I'm still getting it at launch though.

 

[Kato]

As a gamer, there really is no good news in the specs. leaked today.

I'm still getting it at launch though.

Well the thing is. I consider myself a gamer. But I don't give a rats ass about specs. So I must be a different kind of gamer. And I have a feeling I am not alone..

 

[Xellotah]

Well the thing is. I consider myself a gamer. But I don't give a rats ass about specs. So I must be a different kind of gamer. And I have a feeling I am not alone..

Well I don't give a rats ass about the specs either, but that doesn't mean having specs. this far off from the competition is good news.

 

[Lardbutt]

do you think certain developers, let's just say Treasure for example, will ever find themselves sitting there thinking... "hmm... should we make a PS3 game? or should we make 3 Revolution games for the same price?"

Why would making a PS3 game cost 3 times more than a Revolution game?...

- will big publishers actually end up taking risks with what they throw on the system? do you think they'll just do more of the same, but try it with new controls? or do you think that since there's less money involved, some will finally start messing around with genres that they've never even considered before?

Like what other genres?

I think this whole idea of putting your hopes on developers coming up with "new ideas" to save your system is just wishful thinking. Nintendo has always driven their success with their own creative games, not relying on those from 3rd parties. I don't see where this sudden burst of creativity from 3rd parties is going to come from.

- with a lower price, lower dev cost, and an entirely different interface, how do you think this will affect the way developers / publishers do business with Nintendo, and in the console industry in general?

I guess I'm just a pessimist, but my guess you'll end up with a bunch of shallow and gimmicky games that are interesting for a few days and quickly lose interest in afterwards.

 

[Hyoushi]

Just read through the thread. I said "wow", several times.

 

[Lardbutt]

I mean, history is not very kind to "new" or "different" gaming hardware that were supposed to "inspire creativity" in developers. Just look at the Virtual Boy, a perfect example.

Usually it works the other way around. New ideas for games inspire the development of new hardware. The light gun, Dance Dance Revolution pads, etc.

 

[imastalker co.]

Why would making a PS3 game cost 3 times more than a Revolution game?...

granted, that was a guess on my behalf. but im sure the info is out there. what's the average price of current gen development, and what's the price expected for nextgen stuff? roughly ten mil right?

also, keep in mind i used Treasure as my example, who i'd imagine can make great looking games for dirt cheap. how much did Ikaruga cost considering it had that massive team of 3 people.

Like what other genres?

im not quite sure you understand where i was coming from with that. what i was saying was, do you think there's a chance that the lower dev cost (comparitively speaking) will make developers take chances and risks with the genres they work on. for example, will molynuex finally make that soccer games he's been wanting to make? will Square dabble in the fighting game genre again? would blizzard be more open to the idea of making a 2.5D platformer? these are just examples though. not things i'd wanna see go down.

what im saying is, will this system give developers more motivation to try things that they wouldn't normally do due to lower dev cost?

I don't see where this sudden burst of creativity from 3rd parties is going to come from.

it's not about creativity. like i said, im reffering to developers being more motivated to try things they've never done before, just because there's less risk involved.

 

[imastalker co.]

I mean, history is not very kind to "new" or "different" gaming hardware that were supposed to "inspire creativity" in developers. Just look at the Virtual Boy, a perfect example.

ok, im just gonna throw DS out there just because.

Usually it works the other way around. New ideas for games inspire the development of new hardware. The light gun, Dance Dance Revolution pads, etc.

hey, maybe it's just me, but you seem to be going against your own point, while trying to make it.

oh, and that's what the new interface is for.

 

[Azure Dream]

I love how you selective reading fanboy jackasses can agree with the cheap pricing but doubt the low specs. It's not rumors, it's information given from Nintendo to devs to IGN but with no official sources cause of NDA's. I'm pretty sure revolution.ign.com wouldn't even exist if they didn't know this real substantial information on it, we'd still just be getting Nintendo PR fluff.

Wait, wait, now I'm not necessarily doubting this info (although I find it interesting that Matt's word is suddenly good as gold, when so many people here seriously ripped on him in the weeks before, attacking anyone who made Matt info-based threads and all that), but what makes you think the sole ambition of Revolution.ign.com is getting the purest of Nintendo info out there, straight from the goodness of their hearts?

Do the math. Major gaming sites get hit up like crazy for the holiday season. Hits are ad revenue. The Revolution was the only next-gen console that was yet to have a section, and they've probably been hearing a LOT about that from both the die-hards and the people having trouble locating all the recent info mixed about in the Cube section.

Launching a new section with controversial (possibly substantial) rumors means quick establishment and major hits from all sorts of places linking to it. (Ahem. He even made a mention about correcting GAF before the article went up.) Just as Nintendo is a business, so is IGN, and as Editor-in-Chief of the channel, it's his job to make sure it's successful.

I'm not at all saying it's my opinion that Matt's lying. It's quite possible Matt's right and he saved the big news for the channel reveal, and sadly, this does strike me as the type of thing Nintendo would really do. (I just really hate that Reggie was out there at E3 '04 saying how they were going to be right there at launch with the other consoles, no longer outclassed, and now it's like there's a completely different gameplan that makes everything said worthless.)

If t this is indeed true, I think things will be fine at first, but REALLY start to feel dated and limited by '08. I don't know, I just hate having all my favorite licenses and series so limited when series on other platforms will be able to range outward and do all sorts of things with their new capabilities. Imagine the next Mario... then imagine what the next Sly Cooper could do. Or Ratchet & Clank, or Jak, or Ninja Gaiden, I'd like the developers to have that capacity, _and_ the controller.

Even if it was close to the 360, I'd be OK with it, a $199 box with a fair amount of SD power and a brand new control interface along with the classic shells... but this doesn't sound even close. It sounds like developers will be able to experiment more on a console with dev breathing room and still have at least a decent looking game, but on the Rev, doing something that expends a lot of power will push the games back down into GCN level, which isn't going to sell well, no matter how you try and spin it. Not when consumers are trained to think 360 and PS3 games are the "standard."

I just hope Matt's wrong, maybe that he's trying to force Nintendo's hand into making an action or clarification by sending a bunch of confused fanboys their way. But what bothers me is that after the OMGWTF that was the Rev controller reveal, this could really go along with their plans, and Nintendo's decisions just always seem to catch me off-guard anymore, in exactly the same way this rumor did.

 

[D3VI0US]

I think this whole idea of putting your hopes on developers coming up with "new ideas" to save your system is just wishful thinking. Nintendo has always driven their success with their own creative games, not relying on those from 3rd parties. I don't see where this sudden burst of creativity from 3rd parties is going to come from.

3rd parties were creative and innovative plenty this generation across every console, handheld, and PC. We saw plenty of great new ideas that bombed while very few did well. Still as far as creativity goes it was virtually non existant on GC with it's traditional games and rehash compared to other consoles.

EDIT: I dunno much about IGN's credibility as I don't follow them that closely and there are very few articles posted worth scrutiny in any of the gaming press. Still given what was said it seems plausible enough and while sources weren't named and quotes weren't given he did specifically say that he spoke directly to a dev and possibly more over the phone. I don't see the motivation for misleading anyone for hits when people would get wise to that when the truth does come out and there's bound to be backlash. I believe it cause it's believable, Nintendo did set us up for low specs, I just didn't think they were setting us up for such a low amount of RAM, everything else was pretty obvious once information started getting out.

 

[marc^o^]

Still as far as creativity goes it was virtually non existant on GC with it's traditional games

Thus the DS and the Revolution

 

[Hero]

Ultimately it will be the games that sell the system or not.

Everyone was laughing it up when the DS launched while the PSP was just around the corner. The PSP trumped the DS in raw specs, but how's that going so far? DS is outselling the PSP. Going by most of GAF logic, it should be the other way around, but as of right now, it's not. Who's to say it can't be the same with Revo/PS3?

 

[Striek]

Why would making a PS3 game cost 3 times more than a Revolution game?...

It doesn't. However making a 'PS3-caliber' game would since you need more resources, more time spent on models, environments, textures, the engine etc.

what im saying is, will this system give developers more motivation to try things that they wouldn't normally do due to lower dev cost?

No. A Revolution developer will still be (typically) taking on a multi-million dollar risk.

ok, im just gonna throw DS out there just because.

DS hasn't really fulfilled its potential (I say that lightly, since I don't think there is too great a potential in a touchscreen to innovate in the first place). It has good games, but not because theres a touchscreen. In spite of the touchscreen, more like.

hey, maybe it's just me, but you seem to be going against your own point, while trying to make it.

Eh, to put it more simple: Successful, innovative hardware is created after an new idea for playing games. The Revolution meanwhile appears to have been created in the hopes to inspire an idea.
Ex: You get an idea for controlling a game in 3D (as opposed to having a 3D game with 2D game mechanics) - you then create an analog stick to accomplish this. You don't create an analog stick in the hope of being able to do something spectacular with it.
I don't really have much opinion on the statement but he hasn't stuffed up in his reasoning.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Ultimately it will be the games that sell the system or not.

Everyone was laughing it up when the DS launched while the PSP was just around the corner. The PSP trumped the DS in raw specs, but how's that going so far? DS is outselling the PSP. Going by most of GAF logic, it should be the other way around, but as of right now, it's not. Who's to say it can't be the same with Revo/PS3?

I personally think

Handheld!=Consoles