IGN Strikes Back

Yesterday we told you all the deets IGN (allegedly) squeezed from their inside sources concerning the Revolution. Today we bring you their second dose of very credible hearsay:

  • “The Big N has opted out of filling the system with a massive supply of expensive RAM” because they are NOT in direct competition with PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
  • “Revolution will build on GameCube’s configuration of 24MBs 1T-SRAM and 16MBs D-RAM (40MBs) by adding an addition 64MBs of 1T-SRAM” with a total of 104 MBs.” This number excludes the GPU’s on-board memory which is said to be 3MBs.
  • Based on official Nintendo documentation IGN received, the Broadway CPU for Revolution is an extension of the GameCube’s Gekko CPU. The Hollywood GPU is “believed to be” an extension of the Flipper GPU in the Cube.
  • Development studios are only working with Nintendo documentation of the Hollywood GPU’s specs, which are limited.
  • One source says of the clock rates:”Basically, take a GameCube, double the clock rate of the CPU and GPU and you’re done.” Another source claimed it may even fall short of doubling those on GameCube.
  • “The CPU is the same as Gekko with one and a half to two times the performance and improved caching,” said a source. “Our guys experimented with it and think they’ll be able to get about twice the performance as GameCube.”
  • Revolution discs can store 4.7GBs of data on a single layer or 8.5GBs when double-layered on a single-side. It will hold “more than enough storage capacity for any non-high-definition game.”
  • “Every developer was in agreement that Revolution should launch with a price tag of $149 or lower [because of the low tech]. Some speculated that based on the tech, a $99 price point would not be out of the question.”

That last line should please alot of people. Turns out rumors were not far off at all. About the graphics thing, think about it this way: take a Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime, or a Twilight Princess, then double every single thing you see– That is what i expect from the Revolution.

[Source: IGN Rev]