So IGN has launched their Revolution channel, at last. With it, they’ve brought some insider news to the public. Here’s what they know (allegedly):
- Developers are currently working with “GameCube-based kits” that resemble “a souped up Xbox”. They still don’t have final specifications for Revolution’s ATI-developed graphics chip, codenamed Hollywood.
- HD is likely an impossibility due to the insufficient RAM capacity, which is needed to display high-res textures.
- Revolution will likely top out at 128MBs of RAM or less. One of the sources claimed: “same as GameCube plus an extra 64MB.” Another studio said the on-board 512MBs of flash memory could be potentially tapped into, but not relied upon.
- Studios are very intrigued at the possibilities of the controller.
- Developers are waiting for the finalization of the GPU, Hollywood, to find out if the Revolution will be more than just a juiced up Xbox.
- Ubisoft is indeed working on a Revolution first person shooter, with “a level of aiming precision unavailable in traditional console shooters.”
- Developers have been told by Nintendo that the launch target for Revolution in America is Thanksgiving week 2006.
What can we deduce from this? Well, first off, it’s too early to know how Revolution will look like when we have it next to our TVs. Essentially, aside from the controller, it doesn’t exist yet. Second, developers are more concerned with the controller’s possibilities than the visuals the system can produce. I assume the graphics will be focused on once the final chip sets are in their possession. At the moment, it’s all about the core of the game. That, my friends, is how game development should always be.
[Source: IGN Revolution]
jadnice
If what I read is true… then Nintendo should just stick to the handheld marktet and quit making subpar consel system. PS3 and Xbox360 will be light years ahead of that crap they are making. I AM SO PISSED!!!! What a joke they are if that’s what they are planning on bring to market next year. That news makes me sick….
I have been a Nintendo FanBoy for many years and for the first time ever…I am on the verge of jumping ship to Sony. This is truly a dark day.
Black Adonis
Jadnice, why don’t you just not buy a Revolution and leave it at that? As a matter of fact, if power is what you crave, you can pre-order an Xbox 360 right now and get yourself ready for marathon sessions with Kameo or any number of stellar, high-definition 360 releases. If that’s not powerful enough for you, there’s always the PS3 and the joy of getting what you pay for. Furthermore, the Revolution will be far less powerful than those supermachines and will rely heavily on quirky titles developed by obsessive day-dreamers whose innerthoughts are a constant stream of technicolor images. Your choice is clear.
LSSLAVE
From a technical view this is heartbreaking, Oh no your system is like the DS im comparison to the PSP itll get its ass kicked, graphics always wins over innovation..
WAIT?!?1
What did I just say??
Isnt the DS winning?
Look at the facts, the XBox 360 doesnt have amazing graphics that people claim, I guess if I spend 400 american id be trying to swear I could see that one extra polygon in my football players cup or something..
If this is the thing they are saying, maybe people NEED to read “THEY ARE USING GAMECUBES MODIFIED TO USE THE CONTROLLER” I mean christ sakes thats like using a NES to design a PS3 game and saying “I cant believe how shitty my games are looking, it cant even handle 10 texture passes”
Furthermore, one thing people dont account for is the fact that alot of system resources are wasted. You can have a top of the line computer and it will not work very well, why? Resources wasted. The PS2 had more ram than the gamecube but the gamecube is the superior console, thats all I need to say.
Ubisoft, one of the people who are PROUDLY working for this console, have not said anything negative about it. They are the only company we know for SURE is working on it, and they could easily back out now while they have the chance (Ubi does do nice graphics, I think that might be why gamecube misses some of their nice games *albeit goddamn PS2 gets them*) but they are pushing forward on it.
It will suck if the system is under par. It kind of feels like a cheap shot every time I see the nice graphics on a PSP, but then I play Castlevania a bit on my DS and remember that I prefer 2D anyhow, and the DS doesnt have load times 😉
Frisby
Well if we are going to split hairs.
DS is beating PSP 3 to 1.
PSP has all kinds of crap it can do, but since the DS is cheaper, and I my opinion, has bettter “portable” games, the choice is simple.
If you have an xbox you have no reason to buy a 360 for like 2 more years. The trendy games will be ported to old xbox and you will still be happy. But why buy a Revolution. Less load times for one, exclusive games out the ass, and a new gameplay. Xbox has nothing more to offer but prettier graphics, and PSP is just an Ipod that is real bad on batteries that can also play games I’d rather play at home on a console.
I dunno, I may be really bias, but play Monopoly the boardgame, and I don’t complain that the drawings on the cards arent good enough, and the player pieces are too crappy. I play it because I enjoy it. RE4 graphics are good enough for me, and I could not ask for better.
The more you distract from what games are the more you lead to destroying the reason we played them in the first place.
Metaldave
This is the same thing people said about the Xbox360, when the developers started making games for it. Dev kits everyone, dev kits. Don’t worry about the Revolution’s graphics. Jim Merrick would not lie about something like this to us.
I think Matt likes the Xbox360 too much, he needs to switch pages and let someone who is really excited about the Revolution do HIS job that he’s not doing. He’s lazy anyway. He swears up and down that he loves Nintendo but he is also a graphics whore and is swayed by the 360. I just wish he had some faith that Nintendo would be competitive in the graphics department. No Nintendo system has EVER disappointed anyone with their graphics capability, the Revolution will not either.
People scream and yell at these developer comments(just look at the ign revo boards jez) but they forget that all our fears were suppose to be gone when Jim Merrick said NO GRAPHICAL DIFFERENCE. What so now all that is gone? If the developers don’t have the GPU then basically they can’t and shouldn’t be allowed to make comments like that about the Revolution’s graphics.
Now Nintendo has to save the people who now don’t want to buy the system after hearing that its only a “souped up Xboxâ€. Thanks Matt for printing that lovely story. Like I said before, who side is he on? Where is Jim Merrick’s comments on the new ign Revolution page? Matt could have included them after he printed that the developers thought the system wasn’t very powerful; because he should be trying to reasure us, not dashing our hopes. I just think this is very fishy of Matt and I’m upset with this story about the so called “known†power of the Revolution without them having a GPU to work with.
Wai-Tung Leung
I really wouldn’t put too much faith in these rumours. ‘Allegedly’ is the keyword and I’ve heard loads over the last 6 months from all kinds of sources that both sound reliable but ain’t. So as far as I’m concerned I’ll believe it when I see it! Besides we all know the numbers and specs won’t be anywhere near the high numbers Microsoft and Sony are pumping out so why the shock? *rolls eyes*
Rollin
Jadnice, u didn’t have to say u were a “FanBoy”– ur comment says it all. Only fanboys r so concerned about which company they should stick to that they would abandon one whose ideas and games they’ve loved for most of their natural born life. You weren’t paying attention. What is being developed on is a GameCube, not a Revolution. They are both built on the same foundation, but one is not the other. When Hollywood and Broadway are out, it’s gonna be more than what it is now because Nintendo wants them to focus on the game ideas first and graphics later. That’s why they can get away with developing on enhanced Cube hardware. Did you miss the part where the devs said they still didn’t have the new graphics chip? The 360’s chips weren’t done till about a month or so before launch.
If you wanna “swap teams” because you think that Nintendo would ship a system that is on the Xbox graphics level- when this same thing happened to Microsoft and the 360 in the pre-launch period- then go ahead. You’ll get what your dumb ass deserves. What you see on the screen is so important to you, isn’t it? We’ll see how important it is when your standard def TV shows your 360 games in the same resolution as your Xbox. Or when your HD game is chugging just so you can see that extra crack on the floor. What kind of idiot buys hardware for the hardware?
You are the worst breed of fanboy. Jumping ship to Sony?!?! If you want a PlayStation, buy a PlayStation! There are no ships. Buy what you want, not what you want to support. You haven’t played a single game for either system and you are already deciding that only one deserves your dollar. It’s not Nintendo’s concern whether you buy a 360 or PS3; they could care less. But don’t buy another system because of what you think Nintendo might be doing.
Yorrike
If graphics mattered, the XBox would have won the last generation.
I’m in my mid-twenties and I’ve been gaming for well over 2 decades now. I don’t care about graphics anymore, or how many giggle bits something has, so long as it works and makes me suitably happy for the money I’ve dropped on it. You teenagers and fanboys can whine, bitch and moan all you want, or spit out tired old “Nintendo is doomed” or “the graphics will suck” arguments. Frankly, you’re what’s wrong with the gaming industry.
Meanwhile, I’ll be sitting here playing games and having fun, which is all that matters.
Anonymous
I don’t know how to post news, but y’all have to read this patent. It was filed by high-ups at ATi (on NIntendo’s behalf)and might explain why nobody has the chip yet: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=21&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=nintendo&OS=ninten
I usually don’t pay patents any mind, but this is absolutely fascinating.
jadnice
Gezzz already….no need for all the hate.
Guys I just lost it for a second this morning. Anyone would be a bit upset by that post on IGN. I have no plans on jumping ship. I have never own any other system but a Nintendo. It’s just that as a fanboy or a person that follows their favorite team… you just want the very best. By the way I agree the editor for the Nintendo section of IGN should be fired.
He should be all about promoting not planting a seed of doubt in our heads.
Rollin
“Gezzz already….no need for all the hate.
Guys I just lost it for a second this morning. Anyone would be a bit upset by that post on IGN. I have no plans on jumping ship. I have never own any other system but a Nintendo. It’s just that as a fanboy or a person that follows their favorite team… you just want the very best. By the way I agree the editor for the Nintendo section of IGN should be fired.
He should be all about promoting not planting a seed of doubt in our heads.”
No one ever listens to me.
Rollin
“I don’t know how to post news, but y’all have to read this patent. It was filed by high-ups at ATi (on NIntendo’s behalf)and might explain why nobody has the chip yet: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=21&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=nintendo&OS=ninten
I usually don’t pay patents any mind, but this is absolutely fascinating.“
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