Nintendo Revolution FAQ

Nintendologo111
ztype85, our PS3 forum moderator (hey wait PS3?), has made a very nice and comprehensive Nintendo Revolution FAQ in our forums to share what little known knowledge about the revolution there is. “

What are the specs?
Nobody knows at this point. There’s been several rumors of leaked tech specs, but none of them have been confirmed nor denied by Nintendo as is typical of their policy.

When is Revolution coming out?
There is no set release date. The only thing Nintendo has said is that it will be released shortly after Playstation 3, so we’re most likely looking at a Summer/Fall 2006 release.

How much will Revolution be at launch?
Again there is no answer for this. Nintendo is banking on a “quiet, inexpensive machine” so I’m expecting a launch of around 9.99-9.99.

What is the controller like?

Revo5lv

It’s wireless and has built in rumble support. It can also detect motion, is tilt sensitive, works as a pointer, and features an expansion port that can be used for addons. The first add-on, dubbed the nunchaku by Satoru Iwata, features an analog stick with 2 triggers, designed for first person shooters. No other add-ons have been confirmed at this point. According to the TGS teaser video 2 controllers can be used by 1 person as shown during the drumming clip. It has also been confirmed that the Revolution will only support 4 controllers, therefore any modes supporting 2 of the base controllers for 1 person, will only support 2 players at the maximum.

Unlike all other sensory enabled controllers, the Revolution’s controller will function with HDTV’s by utilizing a sensor that is placed near the TV, rather then it’s scanlines, which would cause it to function improperly.

Will there be any GBA/DS connectivity?
Nintendo confirmed DS connectivity through wi-fi, however no GBA support has been announced.

Will the Revolution be backwards compatible?
The Revolution will be able to play Gamecube games right out of the box, and sports 4 Gamecube controller ports, as well as 2 Gamecube memory card slots. The Revolution will also be able to play Nintendo’s catalogue of console games all the way back to the NES. It is unknown exactly which games fall into this category. It has been confirmed by Reginald Fils-Aime that there will be a small fee involved, but the exact amount, and payment method is unknown.

What companies have signed on to make games for Revolution?
Although it is widely believed that many companies are in possession of Revolution development kits, so far only 3 companies have confirmed Revolution development. They are:

Konami
THQ
Ubisoft

Is Nintendo finally going to get serious about network play?
Nintendo is indeed planning something huge with it’s wi-fi service. It’s kicking off it’s DS wi-fi service this November, and it’s believed that Revolution will share the same service. It will be completely free, and will feature what Nintendo has called “Xbox-Live like capabilities”. Right now the only confirmed connectivity for the Revolution is through Wi-Fi via wireless routers, but there are good chances it will sport a similar USB network dongle that is being released for DS.

What kind of save support will the Revolution feature?
It’s all speculation right now, outside of Gamecube memory cards, and small onboard flash memory. It’s rumored that Nintendo is going to again support Secure Digital (SD) technology, however this time more seriously.

What is the Revolution’s media format?
Standard DVD5, and DVD9, as well as the ability to read Gamecube mini-DVD.

Will the Revolution come with a hard drive?
No.

Have any games been confirmed?
The only confirmed title is a Super Smash Brothers sequel featuring online play.

What colors will the Revolution be released in?
Red, Lime Green, Black, White, and Gray.

Is the Revolution the final name?
The Revolution still stands as a code name, and may or may not be the final name. A curious note that the Revolution name no longer appears on any of the recent showings of the machine and the controller. This may hint at the fact that they have decided upon a name.

Will it play DVD movies?
Through the use of an addon.

Update: What sort of video output will Revolution be capable of?
The Revolution, like Gamecube, will support R/F, composite, S-video, and component video out. The confirmed maximum resolution will again be 480p, which is widely considered not to be HD level. This has not been finalized however and Revolution may in fact support a higher resolution, simply because it has the proper video out and more powerful hardware than the Gamecube.

Update: Can I use Gamecube controllers for Revolution games?
This is tricky to answer. The Revolution does in fact house ports for 4 Gamecube controllers, and 2 Gamecube memory cards, but the extent of their use is currently unknown, outside of playing Gamecube games. I highly doubt Gamecube controllers will be used for Revolution games as some people have been speculating.

Update: Is the Revolution really going to be that much weaker power-wise?
Hard to say. Historically Nintendo has always been conservative about it’s machines’ capabilities, while both Sony and Microsoft are the complete opposite and enjoy bragging. If you recall, Nintendo frequently downplayed the power of the Gamecube yet it is indeed more capable than the PS2 and on par with the Xbox.

Nintendo has said the Revolution will be 4 times as powerful as the Gamecube, which is honestly really hard to gather a conclusion from. The only real answer I can give you is to have patience.

Update: Why are there differences with the button layout of the Revolution controller in most of the pictures?
The layout itself really hasn’t changed much, the only differences I’ve observed since it was revealed is the removal of the “Revolution” logo and the change from “X” and “Y” to “B” and “A”. The latter change may have something to do with playing NES games on the Revolution, because when held sideways the button layout is similar to that of an NES controller. It’s really hard to say because in some pictures the buttons are labelled as “B” and “A”, with the letters “X” and “Y” emblazoned on the controller next them. In some it’s simply “B” and “A” with no other label, and in some it’s simply “X” and “Y”. With no date attached to any of the pictures it’s hard to get an answer regarding this. I don’t expect it to be that big of a deal anyway.

For more information or any questions feel free to post in our always active QJ.Net forums [here].

Nintendologo111
ztype85, our PS3 forum moderator (hey wait PS3?), has made a very nice and comprehensive Nintendo Revolution FAQ in our forums to share what little known knowledge about the revolution there is. “

What are the specs?
Nobody knows at this point. There’s been several rumors of leaked tech specs, but none of them have been confirmed nor denied by Nintendo as is typical of their policy.

When is Revolution coming out?
There is no set release date. The only thing Nintendo has said is that it will be released shortly after Playstation 3, so we’re most likely looking at a Summer/Fall 2006 release.

How much will Revolution be at launch?
Again there is no answer for this. Nintendo is banking on a “quiet, inexpensive machine” so I’m expecting a launch of around 9.99-9.99.

What is the controller like?

Revo5lv

It’s wireless and has built in rumble support. It can also detect motion, is tilt sensitive, works as a pointer, and features an expansion port that can be used for addons. The first add-on, dubbed the nunchaku by Satoru Iwata, features an analog stick with 2 triggers, designed for first person shooters. No other add-ons have been confirmed at this point. According to the TGS teaser video 2 controllers can be used by 1 person as shown during the drumming clip. It has also been confirmed that the Revolution will only support 4 controllers, therefore any modes supporting 2 of the base controllers for 1 person, will only support 2 players at the maximum.

Unlike all other sensory enabled controllers, the Revolution’s controller will function with HDTV’s by utilizing a sensor that is placed near the TV, rather then it’s scanlines, which would cause it to function improperly.

Will there be any GBA/DS connectivity?
Nintendo confirmed DS connectivity through wi-fi, however no GBA support has been announced.

Will the Revolution be backwards compatible?
The Revolution will be able to play Gamecube games right out of the box, and sports 4 Gamecube controller ports, as well as 2 Gamecube memory card slots. The Revolution will also be able to play Nintendo’s catalogue of console games all the way back to the NES. It is unknown exactly which games fall into this category. It has been confirmed by Reginald Fils-Aime that there will be a small fee involved, but the exact amount, and payment method is unknown.

What companies have signed on to make games for Revolution?
Although it is widely believed that many companies are in possession of Revolution development kits, so far only 3 companies have confirmed Revolution development. They are:

Konami
THQ
Ubisoft

Is Nintendo finally going to get serious about network play?
Nintendo is indeed planning something huge with it’s wi-fi service. It’s kicking off it’s DS wi-fi service this November, and it’s believed that Revolution will share the same service. It will be completely free, and will feature what Nintendo has called “Xbox-Live like capabilities”. Right now the only confirmed connectivity for the Revolution is through Wi-Fi via wireless routers, but there are good chances it will sport a similar USB network dongle that is being released for DS.

What kind of save support will the Revolution feature?
It’s all speculation right now, outside of Gamecube memory cards, and small onboard flash memory. It’s rumored that Nintendo is going to again support Secure Digital (SD) technology, however this time more seriously.

What is the Revolution’s media format?
Standard DVD5, and DVD9, as well as the ability to read Gamecube mini-DVD.

Will the Revolution come with a hard drive?
No.

Have any games been confirmed?
The only confirmed title is a Super Smash Brothers sequel featuring online play.

What colors will the Revolution be released in?
Red, Lime Green, Black, White, and Gray.

Is the Revolution the final name?
The Revolution still stands as a code name, and may or may not be the final name. A curious note that the Revolution name no longer appears on any of the recent showings of the machine and the controller. This may hint at the fact that they have decided upon a name.

Will it play DVD movies?
Through the use of an addon.

Update: What sort of video output will Revolution be capable of?
The Revolution, like Gamecube, will support R/F, composite, S-video, and component video out. The confirmed maximum resolution will again be 480p, which is widely considered not to be HD level. This has not been finalized however and Revolution may in fact support a higher resolution, simply because it has the proper video out and more powerful hardware than the Gamecube.

Update: Can I use Gamecube controllers for Revolution games?
This is tricky to answer. The Revolution does in fact house ports for 4 Gamecube controllers, and 2 Gamecube memory cards, but the extent of their use is currently unknown, outside of playing Gamecube games. I highly doubt Gamecube controllers will be used for Revolution games as some people have been speculating.

Update: Is the Revolution really going to be that much weaker power-wise?
Hard to say. Historically Nintendo has always been conservative about it’s machines’ capabilities, while both Sony and Microsoft are the complete opposite and enjoy bragging. If you recall, Nintendo frequently downplayed the power of the Gamecube yet it is indeed more capable than the PS2 and on par with the Xbox.

Nintendo has said the Revolution will be 4 times as powerful as the Gamecube, which is honestly really hard to gather a conclusion from. The only real answer I can give you is to have patience.

Update: Why are there differences with the button layout of the Revolution controller in most of the pictures?
The layout itself really hasn’t changed much, the only differences I’ve observed since it was revealed is the removal of the “Revolution” logo and the change from “X” and “Y” to “B” and “A”. The latter change may have something to do with playing NES games on the Revolution, because when held sideways the button layout is similar to that of an NES controller. It’s really hard to say because in some pictures the buttons are labelled as “B” and “A”, with the letters “X” and “Y” emblazoned on the controller next them. In some it’s simply “B” and “A” with no other label, and in some it’s simply “X” and “Y”. With no date attached to any of the pictures it’s hard to get an answer regarding this. I don’t expect it to be that big of a deal anyway.

For more information or any questions feel free to post in our always active QJ.Net forums [here].

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