Wii FAQ
ign.com published a very extensive FAQ, i’ve picked the bones out of that information and listed below you’ll find the most popular Q+A i’ve seen most commonly asked.
Q: What is the Nintendo Revolution?
A: The official codename for the successor to GameCube.
Q: Is ‘Revolution’ the final name of Nintendo’s new console?
A: No. Nintendo confirmed at E3 2005 that the title ‘Revolution’ is a codename. A final name for the new console has not yet been selected. It should be noted, however, that the company said the same thing of Nintendo DS, which ultimately proved to be the handheld’s official name.
Q: How long has the Revolution been in development?
A: Preliminary development on Revolution began shortly after the release of Nintendo GameCube.
Q: Will Revolution feature more powerful hardware than GameCube?
A: Yes.
Q: What is Revolution’s media format?
A: Revolution will play proprietary 12cm discs, which is the same size as DVDs. It will also be able to play GameCube Optical Discs, as it is backward compatible with the unit. Details on the new 12cm discs are slim. Nintendo initially announced that the discs would be dual-layered, offering upward of 8 gigabytes of storage. However, shortly after the announcement, it removed all mention of dual-layered discs from its official Revolution press release.
Q: Will Revolution be able to play DVD movies?
A: Yes. However, DVD-movie playback will not be available out of the box. Revolution owners must buy an additional dongle that inserts in front of the machine in order to watch Hollywood DVD movies on the platform.
Q: Is the revolutionary aspect of the console its controller?
A: Yes. The console’s revolutionary new mechanic will go hand-in-hand with its input device, which may no longer look or function like today’s controllers. In a March 2005 interview with BusinessWeek, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted that Revolution’s new input device was still incomplete, and that multiple ideas were still being tossed around.
“The new interface will allow some new forms of innovation,” Iwata explained on the subject. “Already, you’re seeing changes in Nintendo DS, which has a microphone, input pen, and touch screen. We have a number of candidates for a new [Revolution] interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone.”
Q: What makes the controller so revolutionary then?
A: At E3 2005, Nintendo’s executive of vice president of sales and marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, offered a hint.
“We announced the ability to download and play the best NES games, S-NES games, N64 games, in addition to Revolution games and GameCube games,” he said in an IGN/G4 interview. “If you put those controllers all lined up together, they’re all very different. So think about what kind of device is going to allow you to play all those different types of games. It’s pretty interesting.”
This, of course, suggests that Revolution’s controller may enable gamers to configure their own layouts in order to best suit their different gameplay experiences.
Further, Revolution’s controller will very likely make use of motion-sensing technology. Leaked documentation shows that players may be able to twist and turn the device in order to twist and turn objects and characters in Revolution games. Nintendo has dabbled in this type of technology in the handheld sector with such games as Kirby Tilt ‘N Tumble.
Q: Will Revolution owners be able to connect online and download classic Nintendo games?
A: Yes. Nintendo announced at E3 2005 that Revolution would be able to go online wirelessly and download classic Nintendo games. Nintendo has not yet announced what titles will be available for download. However, it has confirmed that Revolution owners could theoretically download every NES, Super-NES and Nintendo 64 game ever made. The publisher is reportedly already working with third party publisher to ensure that popular third party games are also available to download.
At E3 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto said: “We have not set a price or determined a list of software for the Nintendo Revolution download service. But, we’re looking at this as a consumer service and not so much from the business end. What we want to do is provide the product that is going to make the Revolution the console that people want in their homes. So it actually might be driven from the consumer end rather than from us. You know, the games that they most want might be the ones that we do. From a technological point, we can do any of them. It’s just, we haven’t determined which ones we’ll do yet.”
Q: Will Revolution support high-definition?
A: No. Nintendo is more focused on making Revolution small, quiet and affordable, according to company executives. As a result, it will not be able to output in the accepted 720p, 1080i and 1080p high-definition formats. It will, however, support 480p (progressive-scan), which means that it will once again be able to use component outputs.
“It is accurate that at this time we will not support high-definition [on Revolution],” confirmed Nintendo of America’s vice president of corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan, in early 2005.
“Nintendo’s Revolution is being built with a variety of gamers’ needs in mind, such as quick start-up time, high power, and ease of use for development and play. It’s also compact and sleek, and has beautiful graphics in which to enjoy innovative games,” Kaplan said. “Nintendo doesn’t plan for the system to be HD compatible as with that comes a higher price for both the consumer and also the developer creating the game. Will it make the game better to play? With the technology being built into the Revolution, we believe the games will look brilliant and play brilliantly. This can all be done without HD.”
Sources indicate that Nintendo is internally split on the issue of high-definition. This is an option that is still being considered within the company. Both IBM and ATI, the makers of Revolution’s CPU and GPU respectively, have allegedly been asked to try and find a work-around the lack of HD support.
Q: Will Revolution be backward compatible?
A: Yes. At the March 2005 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that Revolution would be backward compatible.
“Contrary to much speculation, I can announce today that Revolution will be backward compatible. The best of the Nintendo GameCube library will still be enjoyed by players years from now,” Iwata revealed.
The announcement was a surprise because analysts and media, IGN included, figured that Revolution’s radically different new input device would make backward compatibility a near impossibility. Evidently Nintendo has found a way around this hurdle.
Q: How will games be saved on Revolution?
A: It depends on the game. The machine plays Revolution and GameCube titles out of the box. A GameCube docking station located on one side of the unit features four GCN controller inputs as well as two Memory Pak slots. Data for GameCube titles will be saved to standard Memory Paks. Meanwhile, Revolution software data will be stored on 512MB flash memory, according to Nintendo.
Q: When will Revolution be released?
A: “If you’re asking for a specific date for our next system — we don’t have one. Nintendo is going to remain competitive and will launch around the same time as competitors — not later than,” said Nintendo of America’s vice president of corporate affairs in a May 2004 interview. This used to be the company line. But at E3 2005, Nintendo sang a different tune. No longer concerned about beating Sony to market, Nintendo executives said simply that Revolution would “launch in 2006.”
During a conference call discussing its financial status, Revolution memory maker MoSys said that the console would launch in mid-2006.
Microsoft will debut Xbox 360 this November in America. Sony said at E3 2005 that it would like to launch PlayStation 3 by March 2006. Given these plans, Revolution will likely be the last system to hit the market.
Q: How much will Revolution cost?
A:: An exact price is unknown. But Nintendo is aggressively seeking to deliver a small, quiet and affordable console. It seems likely that the unit will debut at the sub-$200 mark and possibly cheaper if all goes as planned.
Q: What Games are in development for Revolution?
A: Believe it or not, there are already a number of top-tier titles in development for Nintendo’s next-generation console. At E3 2005, the company revealed that a Revolution sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee is being readied for the launch of the new system. Even better, the game will be Wi-Fi compatible, enabling players to fight it out against each other online. In addition, brand new Zelda and Mario titles are underway for the upcoming machine.
When questioned on the subject at E3 2005, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto did not yet know if the Revolution Mario update would be the much-talked-about Mario 128. “In regards to Mario 128, we’re currently doing a lot of Mario experiments back in Kyoto. We are definitely going to have a new Mario for Revolution. Whether or not that’s 128 or not, I can’t really say. It might be a new Sunshine. We’re not sure. We’re doing a lot of Mario tests right now for the Revolution,” Miyamoto said.
At E3 2005, Nintendo also revealed that Metroid Prime 3 is in development for Revolution. The title is once more being handled by Retro Studios. It will launch in 2006, say sources.
In addition, Nintendo confirmed that an Animal Crossing sequel is being readied for Revolution. Little is known about the title, except that it will interact wirelessly with Nintendo DS.
Nintendo also revealed that it has teamed with Square Enix to bring an original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title to Revolution.
Next, Nintendo’s vice president of corporate affairs confirmed to IGNcube at E3 2005 that Nintendo is working on a new IP that will premiere with the launch of Revolution. “Wait for Revolution,” she said. “At least one new franchise. Brand new.”
Finally, Bandai has pledged support for Revolution.
source: ign.com
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