A weblog writer at BrokenSaints.com has some interesting details regarding Nintendo's upcoming Revolution console. Please keep in mind that what he discusses is still speculation, and is largely based upon fragments of information, insights offered by people on the inside, and the old-fashioned educated guess.
That said, read on: Nintendo Revolution?
Some of the features Nintendo may be looking to integrate include gyroscoptic control (ala Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble), touchscreen integration (ala DS), and wireless technology (mentioned elsewhere on these boards).
Interesting, of course, but certainly not revolutionary. The real revolution may be it's display:
"Okay. No major revelations there, but I bet its got you thinking about future game design and interactive potential, yes? Yes…but for me, the first twinge of excitement regarding this machine didn’t come until the final pieces of the long-rumoured DISPLAY puzzle fell into place:
"- the IGN boys posted this regarding a patent for Nintendo’s upcoming display technology, which I linked to a few days ago. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to glean that this conceptually portrays a form of 3D image projection.
"- at a major film conference called ShoWest just last month, a panel featuring George Lucus, Robert Zemekis, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, and a satellite feed from Peter Jackson has studio reps, journalists, and theatre owners seriously jazzed about their plans to integrate cheap digital stereoscopic 3D (like recent IMAX features or the oldschool Captain EO experience at Epcot) into ALL major chains by 2007. Lucas even showed several minutes of the original STAR WARS with remapped visuals that popped off the screen and hovered in front of audience members. When an agent friend of mine was chatting with Rodriguez (there to pump Sin City and discuss his experiences with Spy Kids 3D), he mentioned how they were aware of a game machine beating them to the mainstream 3D market.
"- the next day, I contacted another strangely influential industry pal/pundit and shared my thesis purely for fun’s sake (and perhaps some extremely lame bragging rights). The final shiny block of tetrisy knowledge slid into place when he excitedly shared the following - that the Big N had shown a real-time 3D add-on for Gamecube behind closed doors…AT LAST YEAR’S E3. It has since gone MIA. This is the sound of four rows dropping."
Again, please don't treat these as solid facts or gospel truth. But Nintendo is seeking to rattle the game industry; they simply cannot survive in the current business model. Is this how they plan to rewrite the rules? And, more importantly, could such an idea prove successful? Questions, questions.