Nintendo Revolution pimp slaps HDTV junkies

[Anthony1]

It appears that Gamers who happen to also be HDTV enthusiasts will be able to remove the Nintendo Revolution from their Xmas 2006 wish list.

According to an interview in the Japanese press, Nintendo's top dog seems to take a jab at Microsoft and Sony regarding their intentions to take HDTV's to a whole new level.

Here is a small portion of the interview:

Satoru Iwata: It's questionable what the "horsepower" of the two other companies' consoles will be used for, such as fast calculations and high-definition resolution. Creating game software in high definition will require everything from the [graphic's] models to the background to be redone, and it will bloat up development costs. And yet, it has no use for people that aren't playing with a high-definition TV set. Game consoles are not an essential product in life, so we want to make ours as compact, thin, and as inexpensive as we can so that it won't be viewed with hostility by family members.






Of course, this doesn't mean that the Revolution won't support HDTV resolutions, but it does appear that it's definitely not a very high priority for Nintendo.

Now I know that a bunch of people are going to say stuff like....."Who cares about HDTV support anyways, I don't have a HDTV, nor do I know anybody else that does, and I could care less about HDTV resolutions, so I'm actually glad to hear this, and I'm more interested in the Revolution than I was before!!"

Well, all I can say is whatever.

Personally, I want my games to look and sound as good as they possibly can. And that means that I want HDTV resolutions to be a "standard", I want 16:9 widescreen ratio to be a standard, and I would actually like 7.1 sound to be a standard.

Don't get it wrong, I still totally understand that it's all about gameplay and fun, but still, it might as well look and sound as good as it possibly can!!

[Ed Oscuro]

Creating game software in high definition will require everything from the [graphic's] models to the background to be redone, and it will bloat up development costs.

A lot of developers are nodding their heads at this...but the Revolution should be using higher capacity discs, so it doesn't really ring true as much.

[Gamereviewgod]

There's one reason I play my Xbox more than the other 2:

HDTV support.

Console ports always end up in the Xbox for me simply for that factor. I have no problem playing a game that's not supporting HD on the others, but it's a shame because some games would look gorgeous.

I'll never understand why Nintendo can be so resistant some times to follow the others just a little bit (online play, DVD support in the 'Cube) while providing the games we all want. It certainly wouldn't hurt them at this point.

[goatdan]

Don't certain GameCube games have HDTV resolutions?

If the GameCube can output certain games in HDTV standards, wouldn't that be enough? No, seriously... If it bloats the development costs of a game because it has to have essentially two slightly different graphics engines for displaying stuff, it seems like the quirky, underground games that don't have enough budget to do two passes at an engine would be interested in putting their titles on the Revolution. It also sounds like those games expected to be a hit could be put into HDTV format, just like it currently is.

It honestly doesn't sound like a bad idea to me, and an idea that developers may like a lot, and really... it is developers who Nintendo needs to cater to the most.

[Famidrive-16]

I don't give a crap about HDTV, and it does nothing for me.

[Ed Oscuro]

Don't certain GameCube games have HDTV resolutions?

Nintendo cut the composite port from newer models of GameCube, starting with the Metroid Prime bundle (US version, that is)...

[goatdan]

Don't certain GameCube games have HDTV resolutions?

Nintendo cut the composite port from newer models of GameCube, starting with the Metroid Prime bundle (US version, that is)...

While that's true, if you have the older console, it does support HDTV resolutions, along with some of the games...

[Gzilla23]

If HD becomes the standard during the Revolutions lifespan then they will be hurting but if it doesnt then I dont see Nintendo being in trouble with this. Not to mention its nice they try to keep costs down. Gameplay is all I'm after.

[Nez]

Do they have two different models for high def games today? Whats wrong with using the old moddels would they look fuzzy?

[Ed Oscuro]

Yes, and if I have an original model SNES, I can do S-Video. Don't get me wrong, Nintendo's cutting costs on newer hardware here (well, I don't know of any such measure on the N64, and the NES was upgraded, not downgraded...). However, this quote from Anthony1 looks like they're contemplating serious cost-cutting up front, instead of later.

[goatdan]

Yes, and if I have an original model SNES, I can do S-Video. Don't get me wrong, Nintendo's cutting costs on newer hardware here (well, I don't know of any such measure on the N64, and the NES was upgraded, not downgraded...). However, this quote from Anthony1 looks like they're contemplating serious cost-cutting up front, instead of later.

The NES was also downgraded actually. The top loaders didn't have AV ports, and most consider their RF to be much worse.

The N64 didn't have any cost cutting measures at the end (at least not noticable), but you had to buy the RAM upgrade to play nearly everything that came out in the last year.

It doesn't seem as if they will be cutting out the ability to display HDTV resolutions to me, just that they will not force developers to have that mode like Microsoft and Sony have already said they will be doing. While Iwata mentions the "gme consoles" being made thin in that quote, I figure that means that the games themselves can be kept at a lower price point if they aren't spending a lot of extra time doing multiple engine revisions.

[Ed Oscuro]

The NES was also downgraded actually. The top loaders didn't have AV ports, and most consider their RF to be much worse.

Ah, sorry; I keep thinking of the A/V Famicom...

The N64 didn't have any cost cutting measures at the end (at least not noticable), but you had to buy the RAM upgrade to play nearly everything that came out in the last year.

And more telling me things that I've seen firsthand. -_-

It doesn't seem as if they will be cutting out the ability to display HDTV resolutions to me, just that they will not force developers to have that mode like Microsoft and Sony have already said they will be doing.

Well, you can always have a hunch, but this looks like Nintendo is preparing us for a no-HDTV announcement. After all, they're going to be the least powerful console, and Iwata here is talking about the extra power of other consoles being used for HDTV specifically (I don't know what is meant by fast calculations - that's always a good thing to have IMO). Of course, I'll wait for more information, but I believe we're being put on notice.

[goatdan]

Well, you can always have a hunch, but this looks like Nintendo is preparing us for a no-HDTV announcement. After all, they're going to be the least powerful console, and Iwata here is talking about the extra power of other consoles being used for HDTV specifically (I don't know what is meant by fast calculations - that's always a good thing to have IMO). Of course, I'll wait for more information, but I believe we're being put on notice.

I just don't see this as a total no-HDTV ever, no-matter-what announcement. The fact is Nintendo already has HDTV in this generation. Why they would take it out completely for the next when it is what both Sony and Microsoft are basing their entire plans around would be simply stupid.

I'm guessing that Iwata's comments about the power of the systems being eaten by the calculations would be that the programs have to figure out how to do both HDTV and regular displays at the same time... Now, if I were Sony or Microsoft, I would make a sensor to tell me what sort of connection is being made to the TV, so I only have to display one thing and I expect that developers would then actually be doing only one set of calculations at a time, so it is a moot point.

Nintendo fans seem to eat up everything they say as being the best thing ever, so Iwata's comments might have been to rile them up... or he just didn't know what he was talking about. But regardless, I see the Revolution as a console that will have more and more games come out in HDTV format as it catches on, not as an avoid-it-like-the-plague machine. If that is the case, it doesn't sound like a horrible strategy, although slamming the competition about it is rather goofy.

[Ed Oscuro]

I just don't see this as a total no-HDTV ever, no-matter-what announcement.

Yes. That's wonderful; my point is that they're opening the door for such an announcement. Hell, this isn't rocket science. It's a possibility, and nobody's saying it's a done deal. However, you don't go and slam tech that you want to adopt, usually ;)

[goatdan]

Yes. That's wonderful; my point is that they're opening the door for such an announcement. Hell, this isn't rocket science. It's a possibility, and nobody's saying it's a done deal. However, you don't go and slam tech that you want to adopt, usually

Well, Iwata (who says really dumb things in interviews... see "third parties won't develop for it" comments) is an oddball who I really don't trust with anything, but perhaps he is opening the door for that. I just think he wants to try to continue the Reggie-ish slamming of the competition.

Personally, while this does open the door for such a future statement, considering Nintendo has already had the option for HDTV support, I just don't see them completely giving it up. He's just slamming (or attempting to slam...) Sony and Microsoft over it, how I see it. I could be wrong though.

[Anthony1]

Don't certain GameCube games have HDTV resolutions?

Nintendo cut the composite port from newer models of GameCube, starting with the Metroid Prime bundle (US version, that is)...

WoW! I never heard that! They actually cut out the component output from some GameCubes?

That's a good thing to know, cause if I ever pick up another one cheap I have to make sure that it has the component plug on it.


By the way, the GameCube doesn't have any "true" HDTV games. It does have a bunch of 480p games, that can look extremely good on a TV that can display 480p, but it doesn't have any 720p or 1080i games, which is considered "true" HDTV. The XBOX has about 10 or so 720p games, and I think just 2 or 3 1080i games. The PS2 has about 30 480p games, and one fake 1080i game. (Gran Turismo 4 is supposedly 1080i, but it's a software trick, and it's not really true 1080i, if they ever did actually keep that trick in it anyways, I've haven't had the chance to play that yet)

[fahrvergnugen]

Just to quibble, while the GameCube's 480p might technically be an HD standard, it's really just standard TV resolution at 60fps instead of 30fps. Not much to write home about as far as display resolution goes, but the extra fps are nice.

[Anthony1]

by the way, I just wanted to mention that there are certain versions of the Nintendo 64 that "can't" be internally modded for RGB output. I'm not sure if it was a later revision and they took that capability out or what. But I know that when I decided to get my N64 modded for RGB output, I had to have a certain U.S. Model to be able to do it.

[goatdan]

WoW! I never heard that! They actually cut out the component output from some GameCubes?

That's a good thing to know, cause if I ever pick up another one cheap I have to make sure that it has the component plug on it.

Yup. Just like Sega cut down the Genesis and Sony kept removing things from the back of the Playstation, Nintendo chopped one of the ports off the back of the newer GameCubes. I'm thinking about picking one of the originals up soon (need one for my second TV... Have enough in-store credit... Don't really want any games...)

By the way, the GameCube doesn't have any "true" HDTV games. It does have a bunch of 480p games, that can look extremely good on a TV that can display 480p, but it doesn't have any 720p or 1080i games, which is considered "true" HDTV. The XBOX has about 10 or so 720p games, and I think just 2 or 3 1080i games. The PS2 has about 30 480p games, and one fake 1080i game...

Well, yes... But as you pointed out yourself, even Sony and Microsoft are barely taking advantage of the "true" HDTV formats right now anyway. I won't argue if it is true or not because fahrvergnugen basically already pointed out that side of the argument too, but it is an HDTV format that Nintendo has more or less already adopted.

That's why I don't see them doing absolutely nothing for it in the future. It's already built-in to so many GameCube games, why cripple them in a futuristic gaming console that will be played more and more on HDTVs? Even if it isn't the best resolution, the difference is noticable.

[goatdan]

by the way, I just wanted to mention that there are certain versions of the Nintendo 64 that "can't" be internally modded for RGB output. I'm not sure if it was a later revision and they took that capability out or what. But I know that when I decided to get my N64 modded for RGB output, I had to have a certain U.S. Model to be able to do it.

Internal hardware revisions are really common, and usually not noticable by the end user. The Jaguar had at least three hardware revisions, and Atari took out the ability for analog joystick support from the second models.

The Genesis probably has about 50 revisions. I never see two sets of internals that look the same!

Of course, the companies do this to remove things they thought they would use that don't end up being exploited as much as they hoped (HDTV support in the Cube, AV support in the NES), stuff that wasn't exploited much at all (random Nintendo expansion slots on the NES and SNES) and change parts to save money (various DVD drives in Xboxes). It is always better for a console to start out with extras that aren't used and later removed however, because otherwise the likelyhood that something would be added (like HDTV support in a couple years for the Revolution if the first consoles can't output in it) is nearly nil.