Print - Nintendo Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution (and a Micro Too)

With Microsoft and Sony unloading their plans for next-generation game consoles this week, we were expecting Nintendo to make a big splash with its own console, the Revolution. That didn't quite happen: Nintendo officials were indeed on hand this week at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles to briefly preview the Revolution but made few details available. Instead, Nintendo talked up a new, smaller GameBoy device called the GameBoy Micro, which will ship this fall and won't feature any new technology. Has this company lost it?

Not completely, as it turns out. Despite seeing its current-generation console, the Game Cube, get a thorough drubbing in the market at the hands of the more capable Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo believes it still knows what its customers want in a next-generation game machine. The Revolution, the company says, will be a game machine only and won't offer any digital hub functionality.

"The consumer wants a pure gaming device, rather than us forcing a less elegant solution on them," Nintendo Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing Reggie Fils-Aime said. The Revolution is certainly cool looking. It's a tiny black obelisk sitting in a white base, and the whole unit is about the same size as three stacked DVD cases. It will use a proprietary CD-like format but will also play all Game Cube titles. Like the Xbox 360 and PS3, the Revolution will use wireless controllers.

From a technical perspective, details on the Revolution are vague, and it's still unclear how this machine will stack up against the powerful PS3 and Xbox 360 devices that Sony and Microsoft will ship, respectively, in the next 12 months. The device will feature 512MB of flash RAM, Nintendo says, and use a new IBM microprocessor and an ATI-based graphics processor. It will include networking features, a first for a Nintendo console. Nintendo didn't publicize technical details about Revolution or show off any game play, suggesting that the device is still at least a year away from shipping.

It's not all bad news, however. The Revolution will be able to play DVD movies using an added cost adapter of some kind. And in a bold move, Nintendo will let Revolution owners download every console game Nintendo has ever made, from any console it's ever shipped. That's right, NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 fans: The games from your past are about to make a comeback. What's not clear, however, is whether Nintendo will charge for this feature.

Meanwhile, most of Nintendo's preshow press conference concerned a new GameBoy device, dubbed the GameBoy Micro. Measuring just 4" wide by 2" tall and weighing only 2.8 ounces, the GameBoy Micro is to the GameBoy line what the iPod Mini was to the iPod line of MP3 players--a smaller device with identical functionality. Going on sale in third quarter 2005, the GameBoy Micro will play all GameBoy Advance and GameBoy games but will offer no new features (other than its size). The device will be sold alongside its GameBoy Advance SP and Nintendo DS stable mates.

"Despite seeing its current-generation console, the Game Cube, get a thorough drubbing in the market at the hands of the more capable Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo believes it still knows what its customers want in a next-generation game machine." Paul, I disagree with your characterization of Nintendo's situation with the GameCube. It was hardly a "drubbing". Sure, Xbox may have gotten a slightly larger market share, BUT in order to do that Microsoft has had to absorb a $1.2 BILLION DOLLAR LOSS PER YEAR on the Xbox project. (Perhaps over $4 Billion in losses so far? That's a lot of money, even by Microsoft standards.) Nintendo, on the other hand, has been running a profitable business. I honestly think that the term "drubbing" is more applicable to Xbox's situation. It's been bleeding enormous amounts of red ink from day one. Anyway, I hope that Nintendo continues to succeed with their next system. They're a creative company and make a lot of great games.

Even though this doesn't contain many details, it is the only report I've seen so far on the matter. I think revolution may have a good chance at coming out on top from all of this, seems how the physical size of the other two consoles seems as though they haven't learnt ANYTHING from the XBox. (They're BIG) Although ever since the game cube I've found a huge number of people are turned away from nintendo products because of they're incompatability with other media. I mean, to buy a addon just to play dvds? When the others are all set to play HDVD from the word go... Yet there may still be hope going by the "CD like format"...

"It will use a proprietary CD-like format but will also play all Game Cube titles." All the accounts I've read stated that the Revolution will be using a standard DVD-9 drive.

"I've found a huge number of people are turned away from nintendo products because of they're (sic) incompatability with other media." Yeah, it's killin' the PSP, isn't it? And GameBoy? Who buys those? VideoNow players? Can't find 'em. Oh, and the most successful Online Music Store in the Universe uses a proprietary format. Honest to God. THINK before you type.

Nintendo typically never releases info at E3. They do it at the Tokyo Game Show or other Nintendo-biased venues. Let the tech press eat up Sony's pre-rendered CG movies and Microsoft's underpowered "iBox" for a week. Nintendo will wait until the spotlight is just on them. It remains to be seen if it will be as revolutionary as they've been claiming. Nintendo would have to do a LOT to be #1, or at least be a healthy competitive #2.

Um two consoles seems as though they haven't learnt ANYTHING from the XBox. (They're BIG) . Um so can u enlighten me on how size matters on a console as long it's not overly huge. Gamecube was small ya. But it was underpowered compared to the Xbox and we all saw how its sales went.

" But it was underpowered compared to the Xbox and we all saw how its sales went. " Why is there this view that because Xbox had (slightly) more sales than Nintendo that Nintendo "lost" against the Xbox? Microsoft heavily subsidized their sales of the Xbox by pricing it below the manufacturing cost, resulting in a $1.2 billion per year loss on the project. In what sense is that "winning" the console battle? If the purpose of business were to lose massive amounts of money, then I would agree that no one does it better than Bill Gates and the Xbox team. The purpose of business is to make a PROFIT. Nintendo, despite its smaller market share, has been doing that. Microsoft hasn't. The Xbox project must be close to $5 billion in the red by this time. I think that a lot of people get caught up with the idea that market share is all-important and ignore profits. In the case of Nintendo, what is the importance of market share? It seems to me that the importance is that having a large market share entices more software companies to make games for your console, right? But most of Nintendo's big hits come from its own in-house and very talented software group. Therefore, Nintendo's market share in comparison to Xbox and Playstation isn't all that important. It can humm along quite happily and make nice profits even with a small market share. Xbox has captured a lot of market share, all right. But its business model appears to be similar to the idea of selling $10 bills for $5 each. They do a lot of business. They capture a lot of the all-important "market share". But the financial model is ridiculous.

What kind of *** invests his personality in which console he plays crap video games on? All of you need to get a life. It's quite obvious you don't have one.

What? No one said this would have full access to every game ever released. How would Nintendo pull that off given that they don't own the rights to all the games. Other sites mention that it will have downloadable access to "fan favorites". I don't think you have your facts straight on this one!

If Nintendo didn't want to show anything, maybe they do have something revolutionary or different that nobody else has. Look at the analog stick on the N64. They were the first to come out with that. Nintendo always is coming up with great ideas. They are a smart company and know when to hide their ideas. I am sure in six months we will know more about it.

was underpowered compared to the Xbox and we all saw how its sales went --- No, the Gamecube is STILL very powerful, the problem was the discs could only hold 1.8GB so it took a lot of creative programming to port things on XBX, PS2 AND GC equally.. the Xbox and PS have DVD discs.. The Rev. will have DVD discs.. If you think GC is underpowered check out RE4 or the new Zelda game.. it's jawdropping.. If you guys don't know what PowerPC is , or whatever.. fine, but don't say the GC is underpowered.. it's a potent little box. It's just small cuz it has none of the other HD stuff. Furthermore, the GC's design was to childish, Nintendo is finally going to join the club and release a system for the living room. Paul I can't believe you didn't mention the DS. It's got all the momentum, all the marketshare, Nintendo will be leveraging the portable space for the revolution.. your coverage was predictably slanted. If anyone wants to know why Paul ignores reality, check out the Connected Home website... he's gotta stand by his blog.

I have to say I disagree with those stating here that that the gamecube has done better than Paul is suggesting. If I go into any gaming store, the shelf space devoted to cube games is a fraction of that devoted to either Xbox or PS2 - clearly, these shops are not stupid, nor are developers - they will both seek to target the platform that is the most popular in the market

All consoles lose money on the hardware sales. They break even when you buy 3+ games or something like that. XBOX loses more money on hardware sales than others because of people who buy the hardware for hacking and ZERO games. But that doesn't mean the XBOX isn't turning a profit for Microsoft based on game sales.

"All consoles lose money on the hardware sales. " No, they don't. Nintendo and Sony have both been profitable. The most profitable has been Nintendo. Microsoft loses money on the X-Box because the X-Box has a measly 15-19% of the console market. With the hype of PS3, people will hold off on X-Box 360 and get the bigger system a few months later...just like what happened with the Sega Dreamcast.

Microsoft loses money on the X-Box because the X-Box has a measly 15-19% of the console market. --- BZZZT. It's because they built a system that costs about $500 to make and sells for about $150-200

"Nintendo will let Revolution owners download every console game Nintendo has ever made, from any console it's ever shipped." Rock and roll! This is the best idea I ever heard!!!

If we will be able to truely download the older console games this might be the system I get for my kids. I enjoy the heck out of games but there is something to be said for the older more puzzle less action type of games.

Nintendo have mario and lots of others, look at society now. Look at increased gun crime and how years ago the reaction to violence and especially death was to feel sorrow. Now its no holds barred and almost all games from SONY and MS are violent or have a costed business model, that's disgusting. I am sure, as my childhood memories still prove that future generation that have experienced Nintendo and stuck with them will have fond memories. Geez, what is worng with you people and blaming games and Hollywood for everything that goes wrong??? Look at history, 150 years ago, someone annoyed you, you took out your pistols and shot at each other. How are those for good old days for you?

Those that say that xbox is losing about 1.2 Bil. a year are exactly correct. But those numbers do not reflect the billions of dollars that were made by microsofts OWN games. I agree that a portable xbox-ish system would be sweet, look at the handheld market. The PSP and DS are both enormous let downs. The DS is just plain ugly, not to mention its lack of features and poor game selection. The PSP is a great "idea" but was rushed horribly. Corners were cut making it (dead pixels on its NEW screens). Also it's proprietary disks will be its downfall. You'd think they would have learned from their little used ATRAC music files. I think that a handheld xbox style would fit in nicely to blow away competition now. -Death to iPod-

gamecube has 256 Kb L2 cache, xbox 128, ps2 16. xbox has the most ram, gc less and ps2 even less gameciube has teh fastest ram, xbox slower and ps2 even slower xbox has the fastest gpu, then gc, then ps2.. gamecube is more powerfull then most people think.

Its obvious that Nintendo is probably going to drop out of the console races after this. The signs are all too clear. Think about ti -It can read DVD so it will be a functional dvd player -It will have some games, but not a lot are being discussed -It will be able to play all of the old Nintendo classics by downloading them (which can also entice some older gamers who enjoyed the classics) To me, itt seems that Nintendo is trying to move away from teh console market and more into the handheld market. The're obviously not going to win this race, but the handhelds are another story (even though PSP has made it a little more difficult)