This is the official (and exclusive) WWG Revolution Preview! In here, you will find up-to-date information about Nintendo's next home system, codenamed 'Revolution.' It is probably the most talked about console out of the next three consoles, due to its radical innovations, and I, KillaZ, am here to tell you why this is.

The Hardware

What we saw at E3 in May was a prototype of the real thing, but Saturo Iwata added that they might be able to make it even smaller! The console is around the same size as 3 DVD cases and packed inside that gorgeous machine is:

• IBM CPU- The CPU, codenamed 'Broadway,' is the console's main processor. Nintendo or IBM has not announced any tech specs about it.
• ATI GPU- The ATI chip is the little chip bringing you enhanced graphics for your Revolution, codenamed 'Hollywood.' Again, no tech specs revealed.
• Internal Storage- There is 512MB of flash memory where game saves and downloads can be stored- 1024x better than a Gamecube Memory Card!
• External Storage- There are 2 SD Memory card slots that allow you to expand on the internal memory. 2GB ones are available at the moment. Also, Play-Yan owners use SD cards to store their music.
• DVD Movies- The Revolution can't play DVDs out of the box- instead; you will have to buy a dongle to allow you to play them.
• Controller Slots- Since there are wireless controllers for Revolution, there are no controller ports, apart from 4 Gamecube slots that sit under a flap.
• Wi-Fi- The Revolution can connect to local Revolutions and the internet wirelessly, just like it's portable friend, the DS.
• 2 USB Slots- A connections more often found on PCs, it will allow you to plug in hardware, dependant on what Nintendo releases.
• Disc Slot- The disc slot sucks onto discs, similar to a Car Stereo, and takes normal 12cm discs as well as Gamecube's 8cm discs.

The Controller <Pictures (HYPERLINK)>

The part of the console that everyone is talking about, the controller takes gaming into a new dimension… literally! The controller is a wireless, motion sensitive beast which fits into one hand. Two motion sensors will fit on either side of your playing screen, which will be able to detect movement horizontally and vertically as well as depth and rotation. The controller I have discussed was designed for a newbie gamer, for more advanced players, Nintendo have also released pictures of a 'nunchaku' style attachment that can fit at the bottom of the controller via an expansion slot. This adds an analogue stick and 2 trigger buttons.

I personally think that the controller is good, but suits a certain type of genre, for example, FPS games will benefit with the controller and nunchaku but Platformers might not fair so well. It will be interesting to see how developers approach the way games are created with this controller in mind.

Games

So far, Nintendo have not announced any names of games, but have declared that they are working on next-gen Donkey Kong, Smash Bros and Zelda Games, with Retro studios confirming work is well underway for Metroid Prime 3, and Shigeru Miyamoto creating a new franchise. Some websites are also suggesting Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing for Revolution.

Backwards Compatibility

Yes, the Revolution is fully backwards compatible, and I mean, fully! The Revolution will be able to play all Gamecube games, as well as the ability to download games from the NES, SNES and N64 via Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Nintendo have announced that over 200 of their games are available to download for FREE, and it is up to third party developers if they want to include their games on the service, and if so, will they impose a fee?

Cost

Nintendo have not released an official price, but many websites are suggesting that it will cost around, £50-£120 ($100-$240) which is much less than the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. This has even been confirmed by Saturo Iwata himself.

Release Date

Again, Nintendo haven't released any information about the release date of their new console, but we do know that it will most likely release in the latter stages of 2006.

Additional Information

• The Nintendo Revolution is NOT HD compatible. The have said on numerous occasions that gaming is not all about graphics, and it also keeps the cost down, for developers and consumers alike.
•  Nintendo have added a Parental control feature onto Revolution hardware. Games will have an age rating implemented into the discs, and if the user is not old enough to play it, then parents will input a password to allow the player to play.
• There are many different colours to choose from. We can tell by the fact that we saw 5 different controller colours- black, white, silver, red and green. There have also been other colour mock ups flying around the internet, including an aqua one, a purple one, and a 'baby' green one. I'm pre-ordering black!
• There are those around different websites and forums that believe that the Revolution will be able to connect to DS', but that has not been confirmed by a higher status Nintendo geezer, but nonetheless, a good idea.

More Revolution news, as it breaks, can be found right here at the Revolution channel of WWG!

Copyright 2006 © Zac Bryant