We're looking for new writers to join us!

Revolution details trickle in

Revolution details trickle in

Written by Sean Colleli on 7/28/2005 for
More On:
Electronic Gaming Monthly recently had the opportunity to talk to Nintendo’s two biggest hitters: CEO Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, Zelda and many other core franchises. Although he’s been extremely secretive about Nintendo’s next console, codenamed Revolution, Iwata did let a few facts slip that are sure to bolster faith in the company among fans and critics alike.

First of all, the Revolution will not be totally devoid of High-Definition support; as with the GameCube, Revolution will run in standard 480p progressive scan mode. Iwata is confident that Nintendo’s next big console will not be significantly inferior to its main competition, the Sony PS3 and Xbox 360. He also reiterated that while graphics are important for software success, they aren’t the whole focus for Nintendo. He went so far to say that GameCube’s upcoming Legend of Zelda: the Twilight Princess is not inferior to "what the competition is touting as 'next-generation' visuals." Big claims, but the new Zelda is graphically stunning for a current-gen title.

As for internet capability, the Revolution will be WiFi enabled out of the box. An Ethernet adapter will be sold to interface with the console’s USB 2.0 ports, for people who have an Ethernet service.

Iwata also spoke about the Revolution’s DVD playback ability. Apparently, the DVD player will be built into the console, but an extra device, sold separately, will be needed to activate the player. This is somewhat similar to the original Xbox’s DVD remote that "unlocked" the console’s player.

While there were still no specifics about the controller, Iwata put to rest speculation that the yet-unveiled device would be so different that it would alienate developers. Iwata stated that the controller will be different, "however, at least for the launch period, we designed the controller so it can play any of the different conventional styles." This fits in with the concept of the "virtual console"; the Revolution will play a massive back library of past Nintendo titles from at least three different consoles, so the revolutionary controller will be able to handle all of those older control setups.

On another note, Miyamoto spoke about a possible DS version of Super Smash Brothers, something the fans have been clamoring for since the dual-screen portable’s release.

He also said that he’d like to try new games in the Pikmin and Luigi’s Mansion series on the Revolution, and that the system’s top-secret controller would lend itself well to those types of gameplay. Finally, he said that past titles like Mario Party might possibly be modified for the Revolution’s online feature for WiFi play.

Intriguing to say the least. Stay tuned for more info as it is revealed. It’s nice to see that fan complaints and wishes garner some attention from the big N.

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

I've been gaming off and on since I was about three, starting with Star Raiders on the Atari 800 computer. As a kid I played mostly on PC--Doom, Duke Nukem, Dark Forces--but enjoyed the 16-bit console wars vicariously during sleepovers and hangouts with my school friends. In 1997 GoldenEye 007 and the N64 brought me back into the console scene and I've played and owned a wide variety of platforms since, although I still have an affection for Nintendo and Sega.

I started writing for Gaming Nexus back in mid-2005, right before the 7th console generation hit. Since then I've focused mostly on the PC and Nintendo scenes but I also play regularly on Sony and Microsoft consoles. My favorite series include Metroid, Deus Ex, Zelda, Metal Gear and Far Cry. I'm also something of an amateur retro collector. I currently live in Westerville, Ohio with my wife and our cat, who sits so close to the TV I'd swear she loves Zelda more than we do. We are expecting our first child, who will receive a thorough education in the classics.

View Profile