Nintendo Revolution

[leafdeathstar19]

I just heard of the new nintendo console that's coming out..It is called Nintendo Revolution. I think its going to blow away any competition that will be coming out. I am looking forward to getting the newest Nintendo Console. When it comes to Console's Nintendo makes the best. It also goes for Nintendo's games.

[Uzichida Cantameru]

they do make the best consoles, but since this will most likely be there last they should makle backwards compatability for every syhstem. thats a way a company should end.

[leafdeathstar19]

Nintendo unveils Revolution
New console focuses exclusively on games, unlike rivals' systems

By TODD BISHOP
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

LOS ANGELES -- Mario saves princesses, hits golf balls and even drives go-karts. But don't expect him to play recorded television.

Nintendo, the industry veteran behind the iconic video-game character, sought yesterday to secure its place in the next wave of game consoles -- showing a new machine, code-named Revolution, that will differ from its rivals by sticking mainly to games.

Sony and Microsoft plan a wide array of multimedia capabilities in their upcoming game consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But as Nintendo tries to come from behind in the next generation, it is betting that most people will choose a game console based on something other than the ability to plug a music player into it.

"It is the game experience that will most separate Revolution from its competitors," said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, introducing the new console on the eve of the big E3 video-game convention in Los Angeles.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20050518/NintendoRevolution2.gif

The smallest home console ever made by the company, Revolution was displayed yesterday in black casing with a neon blue slot for loading game discs, although the company said a variety of colors are being considered. The console, to succeed the current GameCube, is slated for release sometime next year.

In a surprise, Nintendo said Revolution will play downloadable versions of popular games originally made for the company's previous consoles, dating back to the Nintendo Entertainment System, released 20 years ago. Among other features, the console will come with wireless connectivity for online gaming.

On a separate front, the company looked to build on its strength in portable gaming, unveiling a new addition to its Game Boy product line. Dubbed Game Boy Micro, the 4-by-2-inch device is slated to debut this fall, playing games made for the larger Game Boy Advance SP. The company didn't announce a price.

Nintendo has historically dominated hand-held gaming. But in worldwide console market share, its GameCube is in third place, slightly behind Microsoft's Xbox and far behind Sony's popular PlayStation 2.

Executives from Sony and Microsoft have sought to cast the next-generation console battle as primarily between themselves, with Nintendo as an also-ran. During their event at E3 earlier this week, Sony executives repeatedly compared the specifications of the PlayStation 3 with those of Microsoft's planned Xbox 360, without mentioning Nintendo.

Microsoft's Bill Gates said during a recent speech that Nintendo "is more likely to be a niche player this time around."

Nintendo may not have helped its cause by offering fewer details about its console this week than Microsoft and Sony did about theirs. Unlike Microsoft and Sony, for example, Nintendo didn't offer any demonstrations depicting what games will look like on the new console. Nor did it show Revolution's controllers.

"The battle for the No. 1 position is going to be very interesting between Microsoft and Sony," said Schelley Olhava, an industry analyst with IDC, after Nintendo yesterday gave the last of the presentations from the three companies.

Nintendo did promise innovative games for Revolution, including some that will establish new genres. The company also said it will create games that extend its popular franchises, including Mario and Legend of Zelda, onto Revolution.

But Nintendo won't be first out of the gate with its new console. Microsoft plans to launch its Xbox 360 this year. Sony plans to launch the PlayStation 3 in spring 2006. Nintendo said Revolution will come out in 2006 but declined to be more specific.

At the same time, one of the main goals for all three companies is broadening the market for game consoles beyond hard-core gamers and further into the general public. And in its game development, Nintendo has displayed a knack for coming up with titles that appeal to the mass market.

In the most recent example, a portable game called Nintendogs has taken off in Japan, boosting the Nintendo DS dual-screen hand-held gaming device in its competition with Sony's PlayStation Portable. The game features lifelike dogs that can be taught tricks and petted virtually via the Nintendo DS touch-screen.

Nintendo also showed another new DS title that it hopes will broaden the market for the device. Called Electroplankton, the program displays patterns and images that can be manipulated via the touch screen to create music and rhythms.

"Hit software sells hardware," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Redmond-based Nintendo of America's executive vice president of marketing, summing up the company's strategy. Nintendo hopes the axiom will apply to Revolution, as well.

Yesterday's unveiling of the upcoming Nintendo console completed a rapid series of introductions for the machines that will compete in the next console generation. Microsoft showed its new Xbox 360 machine for the first time in an MTV special last week. Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3 Monday afternoon.

While Nintendo's Revolution will come with some basic media capabilities, such as the ability to play DVDs, it will be more of a single purpose device than the next Sony and Microsoft consoles will be. While that may not be as impressive to people looking for a multifaceted machine, it could be a selling point for others.

"All they do is games. A sense of credibility and authenticity comes with that positioning," said Joseph Anthony, chief executive of Vital Marketing, a New York firm that has done work for Nintendo.

It's unclear whether that lack of multimedia bells and whistles will let Nintendo sell its next console for less than Sony and Microsoft sell theirs. None of the companies disclosed the expected price of their new consoles this week.

But IDC's Olhava said she wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft and Sony sell their next-generation consoles for $299 at launch, the same price at which both of their predecessors debuted.

The PlayStation 3 will offer the ability to browse the Internet and play a wide variety of media, including photos, audio and video. The Xbox 360 will include many similar features, letting users rip music tracks to its hard drive and plug in portable music devices and cameras. The Xbox 360 also will tap into a home network to access content including recorded TV stored on a Media Center PC.

Microsoft and Sony both stressed that they don't expect those extra features to detract from the quality of games. This week, the companies showed snippets of games and technology demonstrations that looked like movie scenes.

E3 2005

Follow the news from the Electronic Entertainment Expo video game convention this week in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and on Todd Bishop's blog.

[ZeroWind]

I am sorry but i hav to disagree. Nintendo makes dam good systems but that is all they do make. They cannot make good games except for a select few. Also the PS3 is gonna be more powerful and is faster than the revolution and maybe 360. Also PS3 has good games such as DMC4 and others. The system price though is gonna screw Sony though, I mean almost $500 for a system seems a little steep considering i paid $200 for a PSP.

[kurue]

yup yup nintendos good and all....... but PS3 s much better , in lots of aspects, besides, i never really liked nintendoz kiddy approach to gamez^^

[8davryu suno8]

yeah, nintendoz ok and all, but the game level in PS3 is much better. Nintendo over time has stuck a little more towardz a childrenz audience, i think its great tha PS3 draws attention to features other than gaming, making a more complete entertainment system. And yeah, the game level in general in PS is higher than nintendoz, and DMC is awsome too ^^

[leafdeathstar19]

E3 2005: PS3 Price Revealed?
One of the most expensive consoles ever created, according to Japanese reports.
by Matt Casamassina

May 17, 2005 - According a an article published in the May 17th edition of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, the PlayStation 3 could be one of the most expensive mass-market videogame consoles ever created. Officials from Sony apparently told the newspaper that PlayStation 3s would sell in Japan for "less than 50,000 yen each." That translates to about $465 US dollars.

Sony unveiled its next-generation console at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005. The beast of a machine utilizes the powerful Cell processor, a custom-designed graphics chip by Nvidia, and 512MBs of RAM for a quantum leap in performance. The system will also be the first-ever to support high-def movie-playback out of the box, taking advantage of the upcoming Blu-ray Disc format.

Sony claims that PS3 will be roughly 35 times more powerful than PS2. If Mainichi Shimbun is correct, gamers will be asked to pay a hefty price for the high-end functionality.

IGN was unable to validate this news with Sony officials. Stay tuned for more as the story breaks.