Revolution Specs

[Ikohn4ever]

IBM's "Broadway" CPU is clocked at 729MHz, according to updated Nintendo documentation. By comparison, GameCube's Gekko CPU ran at 485MHz. The original Xbox's CPU was clocked at 733MHz. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 runs three symmetrical cores at 3.2GHz.

Revolution's ATI-provided "Hollywood" GPU clocks in at 243MHz. By comparison, GameCube's GPU ran at 162MHz, while the GPU on the original Xbox was clocked at 233MHz. Sources we spoke with suggest that it is unlikely the GPU will feature any added shaders, as has been speculated
Revolution will operate using 24MBs of "main" 1T-SRAM. It will additionally boast 64MBs of "external" 1T-SRAM. That brings the total number of system RAM up to 88MBs, not including the 3MB texture buffer on the GPU. By comparison, GameCube featured 40MBs of RAM not counting the GPU's on-board 3MBs. The original Xbox included 64MBs total RAM. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 operate on 512MBs of RAM.

It is not known if the 14MBs of extra D-RAM we reported on last December are in the current Revolution specifications.


http://revolution.ign.com/articles/699/699118p1.html

"The external RAM can be accessed as quickly as the main RAM, which is a nice touch," a developer we spoke with alleged

[guyver2077]

interesting...thx 4 link

[skinsfan56la]

Uhhhhhh. I'm speechless.

[Kaijufan]

I believe developers have been saying that the Revolution will be 2 to 3 times more powerful then the Gamecube, so those specs seem about right.

[SpottedNigel]

I can play games that look better than Gamecube with a really neat controller on it? Sweet!

[Vinny]

Wow... I knew the specs wouldn't be very powerful, but this is just unbelievably low. Only 729MHz processor? 88MB of RAM?

When Iwata said it would be 2x-3x more powerful than the GC, I was hoping that he was be conservative about the specs but that doesn't seem to be the case. The only way I can think this acceptable is if the system did cost $150.

I'm not graphics whore or anything but if I'm going to be looking a game, I want to be somewhat impressed with the visuals. I wonder how Rev games will look compared to 360/PS3 games.

[SpottedNigel]

Wow... I knew the specs wouldn't be very powerful, but this is just unbelievably low. Only 729MHz processor? 88MB of RAM?

When Iwata said it would be 2x-3x more powerful than the GC, I was hoping that he was be conservative about the specs but that doesn't seem to be the case. The only way I can think this acceptable is if the system did cost $150.

I'm not graphics whore or anything but if I'm going to be looking a game, I want to be somewhat impressed with the visuals. I wonder how Rev games will look compared to 360/PS3 games.

Look at Resident Evil 4. Now think of that almost 2x better.

Sound fine to me.

[botticus]

No one ever complained about the Xbox's graphics, and the Rev appears to be at least comparable to that. So I don't see an issue in that department.

[gtguru]

No one ever complained about the Xbox's graphics, and the Rev appears to be at least comparable to that. So I don't see an issue in that department.

Well, thats partially because Xbox had the best graphics of the generation. Of course no one complained about them. But now it would be like Xbox compared to 360/PS3, which is a whole other ballgame.

[Doom Gaze]

My.. God.

Most of you who have seen me post know I've never said anything bad about Nintendo, but.. weaker than Xbox..?

My.. my gosh. Nintendo has fucked up. Bad.

This is maybe 1/5 the power of its competitors, and that's what Sony and MS are, whether Iwata wants to admit it or not.

I'll hold on to hope keeping in mind that DS has dominated and blown-out PSP completely, in terms of both sales and product quality; optimism about Revolution is crucial to saving the big N.

(I would wait until 2007 for something around the level of Xbox 360, I might add)

[hopesfall]

No one ever complained about the Xbox's graphics, and the Rev appears to be at least comparable to that. So I don't see an issue in that department.

I know what you are saying, but when you compare the X-Box graphics to 360/PS3, and then compare the Revolution to those two, you would hope that the Revolution looks better than the X-Box. Having said that, I do have to admit that I am looking forward to the Revolution very much. I had a GameCube, and I was never blown away by a game on it. Not to say that I didn't enjoy any of the games - I did. Some very good games on that system. But nothing that just held me glued to the TV (except RE4 - and I didn't play it on the GC, I played it on PS2) for hours on end. With the Revolution, it looks like they are targeting everyone who feels a bit neglected by the other next-gen systems, if that makes sense. All I know is that I'll be there on day one to pick mine up!

[Ikohn4ever]

i mean look how small the system is, its more powerful than the xbox and it is tiny as hell. Plus the graphics will be much better for first gen games because of the similarity with the hardware of the Revo and the GC. Just wait till you all see a game before you flip out.

[SpazX]

So, how did the gamecube's graphics compare to the xbox's? Are there comparisons somwhere of the same games?

[cochesecochese]

Specs are great.

Miyamato and Iwata have both said that we really have to wait to see the controller in conjunction with the software in order to understand. Yes, it's my bleeding fanboy heart on this but I'm just going to be patient until E3 rolls around.

[dhs odium]

You guys do realize that the GC's 485Mhz CPU was pretty much the same speed as the Xbox'x 733Mhz CPU right? Kind of how like an Apple G4 1ghz processor is comparable to a 2ghz pentium.

Also, the Gamecubes 24mb of ram was about even with the xbox 64mb. Nintendo used better, more speciallized parts than microsofts off the retail rack components.

The only reason the xbox generally had better graphics was harddrive caching (which not enough games used), and an edge in the videocard, and maybe just a small processor and ram advantage. (Edit: Also lazy developers and unoptimized ports).

Personally I find these numbers bogus, but if you are just going to compare something that says 25 to 75, and think the 75 is instantly better without any other kind of numbers or information, then you are the same kind of person who bought into Sony's hype about their emotion engine (read: Idiots).

[Gameboy415]

Keep in mind that the 360 and PS3 have COMPLETELY new development hardware and it will take a loooong time for developers to create games that utilize all of the consoles' power.

BUT apparently the Revolution is a souped up Gamecube which means that developers can crank out beautiful looking games without wasting time re-learning how to develop for the system.

Either way, I'll have one on day one. (and probably a PS3 too)

[jkam]

You guys do realize that the GC's 485Mhz CPU was pretty much the same speed as the Xbox'x 733Mhz CPU right? Kind of how like an Apple G4 1ghz processor is comparable to a 2ghz pentium.

Also, the Gamecubes 24mb of ram was about even with the xbox 64mb. Nintendo used better, more speciallized parts than microsofts off the retail rack components.

The only reason the xbox generally had better graphics was harddrive caching (which not enough games used), and an edge in the videocard, and maybe just a small processor and ram advantage. (Edit: Also lazy developers and unoptimized ports).

Personally I find these numbers bogus, but if you are just going to compare something that says 25 to 75, and think the 75 is instantly better without any other kind of numbers or information, then you are the same kind of person who bought into Sony's hype about their emotion engine (read: Idiots).

This was what I was thinking because the Gamecube isn't light years behind the XBOX. The differences are minimal graphically. Nintendo always seems to do a lot more with a lot less anyway. Take into account the overall size of the XBOX 360 and compare it with the Revolution. Where did you expect the extra horsepower to go? THE MAIN KEY again that needs to be stressed is that its not about graphics for them this gen. Nintendo has already stated this.

[daroga]

The main issue here is not represented in these numbers, but bus speeds, memory bandwidth, etc. These are the things that really make a difference. The Xbox could've been twice the machine it was if they had just cleared out some of the bottlenecks in the hardware. If developers can actually fully utilize all aspects of the Rev, we'll see RE4s x2 or x3.

In the end, which looks better, Mario Kart DS or Ninja Gaiden for Xbox? Which do I keep coming back to? We need to let the games do the talking, not supposed system specs nor screen shots. (Wow! Alliteration!)

My preferences lies in FPS vs. overall graphics quality. If they can keep the framerate at 60 for games, I'm in. If they look amazing, that's even better.

[Diiz]

Man, watching people jump to conclusions and pass judgement on something based on the first mention of stats has became a great internet spectacle. <3 <3 <3

[dhs odium]

I'll agree with the framerate issue.

Years back when me and my friend had near identical computers, he never understood why I didn't max out the graphics for games. He got like 15fps but didn't care cause it looked better than mine, meanwhile I couldn't stand anything if it wasn't smooth.

I'm still the same way. Smooth, locked framerates will beat pretty graphics for me any day.

[Dr Mario Kart]

I dont trust anything Matt Cassawhosit says at all.

I'm not completely sold on the idea that Hollywood and Broadway are merely 'extensions' of the Gamecube Hardware. I dont know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes regarding Hardware development, but Hollywood and Broadway are not ready yet, as far as I know, or at the very least, they havent been done for long, with final dev kits not going out until early Summer. Does just an 'extension' require so much R&D?

With that said, given the form factor of the thing, you couldnt realistically expect it to compete with machines 3+ times its size anyway. Nintendo is going to be packing as much as they can in what they have to work with same as anyone.

They said that they werent participating in the power arms race, and they're holding true to that.

Memory speeds, both RAM and Graphics Memory will play a big part as well, not just the raw memory size.

[Ikohn4ever]

i also think the external hdd will play a big factor too, they dont have to worry about crammin in a 20 gig when you can run it through the usb port

[Ecofreak]

Until I get an official press release (if one ever does come around) I call :bs:. He's had some discussions with "credible sources" before and they turned out false or simply off. No reason to start believing him now.

[dmes65]

With those specs why not go and buy an xbox. Thats not a new generation console, i could be wrong.

[Dr Mario Kart]

With those specs why not go and buy an xbox. Thats not a new generation console, i could be wrong.

If you need a next generation TV to appreciate the difference in console generations, maybe people SHOULD buy an xbox. Or maybe there is something other than specs that can define the differences between generations.

[dmes65]

If you need a next generation TV to appreciate the difference in console generations, maybe people SHOULD buy an xbox. Or maybe there is something other than specs that can define the differences between generations.
No buy an original xbox!!

[afedock]

Dont forget about programming tricks, there is the rumored "cube mapping" feature that would help the revs graphics out greatly.

[Strell]

The specs don't matter, period. They honestly don't. If they did, then the Cube would have looked like shit next to the Xbox, when in reality it held up amazingly well and produced games that look easily as good.

Now we have a machine that is supposedly just shy of an Xbox. Doesn't matter. It's still roughly 2-3x the power of the Gamecube.

In other words, if the GC is on par with the Xbox/PS2 with less power, doubling it's power will give it comparable graphics to the next generation.

You can back this up with the fact that how much of the PS3/360's power is devoted, solely, to outputting HD games? My guess is a huge amount. There's no need to split technical hairs at this point determining which part of the system handles SD, and which part handles SD + everything else.

Furthermore, Nintendo has always specialized their hardware. This is why an on-paper weaker architecture can output graphics on the Gamecube that were amazing. It didn't matter that the core clock speed was some 30% weaker than an Xbox. Kind of like how an AMD processor smokes an Intel one if their clock speeds are identical. So if that's the case, I'm willing to bet that, in execution, the games will look brilliant. And given that they don't have to perform at insanely high resolutions, they can survive on less power.

With all of Nintendo's comments and the size of the system, I don't think anyone expected it to compare to the 360/PS3 in terms of raw power. But when you've got a streamlined interior with complicated, specialized hardware, that more than makes up for brute strength. 360 has 3 cores. 3. Do you honestly know how many of those three are being utilized? At most 2, at least right now. In a few years we might start seeing someone throttling the hell out of the system with all three.

I don't really care about specs, and I damn sure don't care about graphics. The games will look great and play great. I can reserve further judgement until we know something concrete.

[RAMSTORIA]

as someone said earlier... resident evil 4 .... times 2-3. cmon, that will be great. and who cares anway, its all about the games, which nintendo can deliver.

[megaseadramon]

Apperently you people who hate those specs have never played the Resident Evil games on the cube, I will gladly play a 2x better version of that.

[Michaellvortega]

I cant believe im saying this but, I don't think the RE4 for GC was all that great, I liked the PS2 version better due to the fact that it filled a wide-screen TV, unlike the GC version which stretched it out . There is no reason to start bashing Specs because the numbers seem low, just wait till they show games(please for the love of God Nintendo don't show games you dont intend to release) and not to mention play the games.

[schuerm26]

Man. I thought Res. Evil 4 for the Cube was one of the best looking games i have ever seen. That times 2 or 3 will be unbelievable.

[Reality's Fringe]

Uh, maybe this is IGN's hot April Fool's joke? They do it about the same time each year (the 29th/30th) and the fact that Matt Fat-Tits-What's-His-Name said that the specs were “Very current, trusted, 100% legit info from extremely reliable sources.” Why would he feel the need to say that, especially when he hasn't before?
Regardless, these seem a little low to me. I'd expect the actual speeds to be higher, especially since the article said those are what the devleopers have been working with to this point. Isn't that what's been said over and over, that the dev kits are currently "souped up cubes" with a corded controller prototype?

[1modernboy]

I’m not sure what to make of these specs, personally. A tad on the low end? Certainly, but we all knew that this system wouldn’t have the horsepower of the other two next-gen consoles. In the end I guess it does come down to the controller. If it changes the gaming experience that much, then I suppose graphics will be secondary. Only time will tell.

[Vinny]

Uh, maybe this is IGN's hot April Fool's joke? They do it about the same time each year (the 29th/30th) and the fact that Matt Fat-Tits-What's-His-Name said that the specs were “Very current, trusted, 100% legit info from extremely reliable sources.” Why would he feel the need to say that, especially when he hasn't before?
Regardless, these seem a little low to me. I'd expect the actual speeds to be higher, especially since the article said those are what the devleopers have been working with to this point. Isn't that what's been said over and over, that the dev kits are currently "souped up cubes" with a corded controller prototype?

I'm starting to think that it's an April Fools Joke too... I mean, first KHII gets a 7.6 and now these specs?

And even if it isn't, I feel much better about those numbers now. I saw a friend of mine play RE4 on the GC and thought if they can make games that look twice as good, then hot damn!:D Besidies, to this date, they're still only the developer who can gave me masterpieces like WW and MP.

[schuerm26]

I’m not sure what to make of these specs, personally. A tad on the low end? Certainly, but we all knew that this system wouldn’t have the horsepower of the other two next-gen consoles. In the end I guess it does come down to the controller. If it changes the gaming experience that much, then I suppose graphics will be secondary. Only time will tell.

It's not going to come down to the controller, it's going to come down to the games. So far i have been completely unimpressed with the XBOX 360 games. Rehashes and absolutely nothing original. I would play a system that looks like the sega genesis if it had original games.

[encendido5]

You guys do realize that the GC's 485Mhz CPU was pretty much the same speed as the Xbox'x 733Mhz CPU right? Kind of how like an Apple G4 1ghz processor is comparable to a 2ghz pentium.


I was thinking the same thing. I don't really know what all these numbers mean, but I do know not to trust the numbers and will wait to see some screenshots and videos to make a final determination. Like others have said here, RE4 x 2 or 3 makes for some damn nice visuals.

[Foolman]

Like what Strell said, the Revolution is not running at super HD resolutions like the PS3 and Xbox360 are. On a standard television, the Revolution should be on par with the PS3 and 360.

And now we know why Nintendo doesn't like to throw spec sheets around...

[Blind the Thief]

Personally I find these numbers bogus, but if you are just going to compare something that says 25 to 75, and think the 75 is instantly better without any other kind of numbers or information, then you are the same kind of person who bought into Sony's hype about their emotion engine (read: Idiots).

No way, man! The Emotion Engine was sweet! Did you see that old man in those pictures?! He had so much emotion, it's not even funny! Don't insult him, because you'll see his emotion, plain as day. They've got an entire engine in there for that stuff.

[yester]

My.. God.

Most of you who have seen me post know I've never said anything bad about Nintendo, but.. weaker than Xbox..?

My.. my gosh. Nintendo has fucked up. Bad.

This is maybe 1/5 the power of its competitors, and that's what Sony and MS are, whether Iwata wants to admit it or not.

I'll hold on to hope keeping in mind that DS has dominated and blown-out PSP completely, in terms of both sales and product quality; optimism about Revolution is crucial to saving the big N.

(I would wait until 2007 for something around the level of Xbox 360, I might add)

We should not forget, that Nintendo is not in a race against Sony or Microsoft in terms of specs.
They go in terms of game experience.
The Revolution is on my wishlist on the top, because i believe we will see some nice games on it.
And we should not forget, that the average buyer does not even care, what cpu is inside or how it compares to the Xbox360 or PS3.
So far, Nintendo made always good choice in productplacements. See the DS. Totally different to the PSP, but very succesful. And that, by lower specs compared to the PSP.
So yes, i think high specs are not the only issue we have to address.

[evanft]

With those specs why not go and buy an xbox. Thats not a new generation console, i could be wrong.

What the fuck? Do you not get it? The Revolution is going to be able to provide gameplay experiences fundamentally different and impossible than those on the other consoles. Fuck graphics, THAT is next-gen.

[snipegod]

You guys do realize that the GC's 485Mhz CPU was pretty much the same speed as the Xbox'x 733Mhz CPU right? Kind of how like an Apple G4 1ghz processor is comparable to a 2ghz pentium

That's exactly right, not "kind of how." Gamecube was a PowerPC, and XBox was an Intel. Comparing clock speeds between two different CPU architectures based on Mhz #'s alone is folly, as shown by a simple, live comparison of a Gamecube and a Xbox; they're almost even.

And that's the bottom line, regardless of whether this is an April Fools Day prank or not.

[botticus]

What the fuck? Do you not get it? The Revolution is going to be able to provide gameplay experiences fundamentally different and impossible than those on the other consoles. Fuck graphics, THAT is next-gen.
People don't get it. Generations of consoles should not be looked at like generations of computers. Computers have nothing to do but get more powerful, because their sole purpose is to compute stuff. Gaming consoles should have other agendas. Additional power is not a requirement to be "next-gen". New and fun experiences qualify for "next-gen" for me. If the only way for you to have more fun is to see more realistic graphics, then I guess the Rev is not an option for you.

[ryanbph]

That's exactly right, not "kind of how." Gamecube was a PowerPC, and XBox was an Intel. Comparing clock speeds between two different CPU architectures based on Mhz #'s alone is folly, as shown by a simple, live comparison of a Gamecube and a Xbox; they're almost even.

And that's the bottom line, regardless of whether this is an April Fools Day prank or not.
almost even?? Yes resident evil 4 looked great, but what other cube games could compare graphically to the xbox mid to high level grapical games. Not many, and if the cube installed base was larger/had consumers that supported 3rd parties, resident evil 4 would have remained exclusive to the cube.

Yes the raw numbers look weak, but it will come down to games, plain and simple. I worry most about them not the features of the rev in many games. The DS is a great, and very unique system. But few games utilize the most important parts IMO. The mic/and touchpad. Yes the DS got a great jump on the psp, but you have to keep in mind it launched first, and shortly after the psp launced, the DS started to hit its stride with top quality games being released.

[botticus]

Not many, and if the cube installed base was larger/had consumers that supported 3rd parties, resident evil 4 would have remained exclusive to the cube.
Thank you for bringing irrelevant facts into the conversation.

And the point is, if RE4 looked that good on the Cube, it was possible for games to look that good, whether or not others were created. Capcom didn't make a secret deal with Nintendo to overclock the CPU when RE4 was put in the system.

[snipegod]

Thank you for bringing irrelevant facts into the conversation.

And the point is, if RE4 looked that good on the Cube, it was possible for games to look that good, whether or not others were created. Capcom didn't make a secret deal with Nintendo to overclock the CPU when RE4 was put in the system.

I don't even need to respond, now.

Thanks.

[zewone]

I hope they sell it for $100-150. That's costing them peanuts to make this system.

[vherub]

where's the blast processing? where's the fx chip? wil I be able to jack into the matrix? If the answer to any of these is no, then you have let me down Nintendo. And sight unseen I will not buy your new console.

[Dr Mario Kart]

where's the blast processing? where's the fx chip? will I be able to jack into the matrix? If the answer to any of these is no, then you have let me down Nintendo. And sight unseen I will not buy your new console.
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/2305/ken4davatar2ly4zw.gif

[Reality's Fringe]

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/2305/ken4davatar2ly4zw.gif

Don't forget the LUCID DREAM.

[Strell]

MAN. I bet even the 360 will outsell the Rev in Japan.

WAY TO FUCKING GO, NINTY.

[SpottedNigel]

I wanted to make the Blast Processing joke...

[Sarang01]

One thing people need to remember here is that Nintendo is the king of compression and if they find compression tricks to make the graphics signifigantly better than what would be expected from the chipset I would not be surprised.
Ryan what XBox games come to mind to blow one away on the Box in terms of this mid and high level graphically stuff you speak of? Riddick looks like shit in PS and I was severely pissed when I found Halo 2 wasn't WS. Buffy doesn't look spectacular in PS either. Remind me WHAT XBox games I'm suppose to be impressed by graphicswise over the Cube especially under PS? Fuck I have PGR3 for the 360 and thought the car looked good but first other impression is when I saw the trees and people I was NOT impressed by the HD here. I'm hoping "Enchant Arms", the Hudson RPG, Quake 4, Ridge Racer 6 or any # of 360 games look better in HD. So far the ONLY game to really impress me for the 360 in terms of graphics has been FNR3 though I will admit Kameo looks clean.
Oh and my feeling with Revo I hope Nintendo at least ends up making all devs. do WS. That wouldn't kill them since most GC games did PS by option.

[megaseadramon]

Have you negative nancys looked at zelda twilight princess? Thats on the cube and it looks like a next gen game. Now double that and your head will explode.

[shipwreck]

These specs are about what I figured. Expect more and more multiplatform games to come out for just the PS3 and the X360 because the Revo is just not going to be easy to port games over to.

Probably won't affect Nintendo much though. I'll buy the Revo for the exclusives and nothing else. They make money with that strategy, so why even try to challenge Sony and Microsoft.

Edit: Oh, I guess I forgot to comment on RE4 like every is required to in this thread. Yes, great graphics, but I'd have to say the Xbox had so many more games that outclassed the rest of the GC library in graphics (Ninja Gaiden, any of the DOAs, Mech Assaults, Crimson Skies, Halos, etc.)

[Who's The Twitch Now?]

To me, the logical explanation of "Next-gen" has changed over time. Let's break it down:

Nintendo Entertainment System - Incredible, timeless games which set the gameplay-oriented and graphical groundstones for the next generation. The graphics are dated; It's the NES.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis - The industry was just starting to hit its stride, and not only were 3D technologies impossible, but the public simply wouldn't have been ready for them. The SNES refined the brilliance of the NES' visuals to a then-staggering level of detail and color. This was its purpose, and the same goes for the Genesis.

Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation - Now, this was a real revolution. Think back to when you first played Super Mario 64; did it astonish you? It must have. The first truly mesmerizing, fully-expansive 3D world had been realized, and in my opinion, was perfected, and perhaps never done so again. Think about ALL the things that could have gone wrong with the first 3D Mario outing: The controls could have been unresponsive, the animation could have grossly inhibited the free-roaming gameplay, and the game, which no one had ever seen anything like before, could have been, simply, a wasted effort. It was not. Nintendo re-invented the videogame, and they did so to a level of flawlessness which was not met by any of the Playstation games, or most - if not all - of the following generation's titles.

Gamecube, Playstation 2, XBox - These were meant to bring gaming to a new, advanced level of what it had become the previous generation. They astonished all who played them, as they were SUCH a dramatic leap in visual and control-oriented complexity. The games were good, and they were what they were meant to be.

But now things change.

Look at the XBox 360 compared to the XBox. Some games are drastic graphical improvements, but not primarily in the way that you might think. Look at Call of Duty 2; it's wonderous, and, more than anything, engrossing. It pulls you in to a full world, with things going on every way you turn, all in real-time. That's engrossing. A "Weaker" version of the game is available on the other systems, as well, and therein lies my point.

Every game system until now has given us something new, or, at least, an immeasurable improvement over a previously designed concept. But now we're getting into the new days, and you've gotta wonder if some better textures, lighting and effects are truly revolutionizing the games we play. Are they worth the extra dough? More than that, look at the controller; there is essentially one new button from the previous XBox controller, and it's not even used in actual gameplay. Is it worth 50 dollars for a wireless version of something we may already have 4 of, and must now throw away? Moving away from that, at what cost is this new level of engrossment coming? In NBA Live 2K5, for the PS2 and XBOX, there were several modes, levels, and options, including the main season mode. For NBA Live 2K6 on XBox 360, they took out almost every single mode - including Season - in favor of minorly improved graphics, until you get really, really close - usually during non-gameplay gutscenes, when you see "Amazing" sweat pouring from the hair of the players. That would be great, if it were visible when actually playing the game, and if it didn't come at the cost of 90% of the game's depth.

Amped 3 is a better GAME than Amped 1 and 2, but looks virtually identical.



Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.



Moving to the PS3, I have to say, it looks phenomenal. The videos I've seen of it have truly blown me away, and if they're not enhanced or forged (as has been suggested), then they shouldn't be able to keep the systems on the racks... if they were marketable towards households, as Sony themselves have said they are not. Apparently, unless they can find dramatically cheaper parts, they will not be able to market the PS3 for less than 700-800 dollars. And that's wrong. Also, the controller, while "Not a part of the Dual Shock line," as Sony has stated, is, in essence, a cooler, funkier Dual Shock 2, with almost identical button mapping.


Then there's the Revolution.

The Revolution may change gaming as we know it, as we have truly never seen nor invisioned anything of the sort. Not only that, but even with the "Weak specs" supposedly announced, it should be - at the very least - comparable to the XBox 360 out of HD mode. Nintendo has proved they can make more effective products with less power, time and time again. The details on DS games - such, for instance, the numerous little touches in Castlevania DS - have impressed me much more than the near PS2-quality overall presentation of PSP's library. But back on-subject, the Revolution is rumored to launch at around $150, and if it's anywhere NEAR the XBox 360 or the (likely) $500-$800 PS3, the latter 2 would be in a fairly large spot in the mass marketplace of graphics-hungry middle-classers. And if it truly lives up to its codename, it will be very interesting to see what Microsoft's third and Sony's fourth hardware outing will feature.

[shipwreck]

I agree with some of what you are saying Twitch, but c'mon, you can't judge the X360 by sports games and ports put out at launch. If that's the case, I guess we'll all be talking about how non-next-gen the Revo is when we bring up Tony Hawk and Madden for it as well.

And you can't honestly tell me you are more impressed graphically with Castlevania DS than with many of the games on the PSP. Graphically there is no contest between those two systems.

[ryanbph]

One thing people need to remember here is that Nintendo is the king of compression and if they find compression tricks to make the graphics significantly better than what would be expected from the chip set I would not be surprised.
Ryan what XBox games come to mind to blow one away on the Box in terms of this mid and high level graphically stuff you speak of? Riddick looks like shit in PS and I was severely pissed when I found Halo 2 wasn't WS. Buffy doesn't look spectacular in PS either. Remind me WHAT XBox games I'm suppose to be impressed by graphics wise over the Cube especially under PS? Fuck I have PGR3 for the 360 and thought the car looked good but first other impression is when I saw the trees and people I was NOT impressed by the HD here. I'm hoping "Enchant Arms", the Hudson RPG, Quake 4, Ridge Racer 6 or any # of 360 games look better in HD. So far the ONLY game to really impress me for the 360 in terms of graphics has been FNR3 though I will admit Kameo looks clean.
Oh and my feeling with Revo I hope Nintendo at least ends up making all devs. do WS. That wouldn't kill them since most GC games did PS by option.

My point wasn't xbox had a ton of beautiful games, it was that the argument throughout this thread has been, resident evil 4 looked as great as any xbox game, yet the cube was weaker. That is debatable, but I accept that point on resident evil 4. But IMO, no other cube game can make that argument. The entire thread has been filled with its not that weak, they can compress yada yada yada. My point was, yes 1 great game was able to do it. For the most part on any game message board, you have 1 side saying graphics, the other game play. But many of the prior post, talked about even though the info possibly being revealed was weak, it is still strong and look at Res Evil 4. It should be ignored, as it isn't proven accurate, and isn't Nintendo and there faithful supposed to be all about the game play and creating new ways of interaction?

I am with shipwreck, just getting it for nintendo games.

[botticus]

These specs are about what I figured. Expect more and more multiplatform games to come out for just the PS3 and the X360 because the Revo is just not going to be easy to port games over to.

Probably won't affect Nintendo much though. I'll buy the Revo for the exclusives and nothing else. They make money with that strategy, so why even try to challenge Sony and Microsoft.

Edit: Oh, I guess I forgot to comment on RE4 like every is required to in this thread. Yes, great graphics, but I'd have to say the Xbox had so many more games that outclassed the rest of the GC library in graphics (Ninja Gaiden, any of the DOAs, Mech Assaults, Crimson Skies, Halos, etc.)
I'm not going to argue with you much ship, but my previous post stands. If Capcom could create the beauty of RE4, what (technically) was stopping other developers from creating games that looked as good? If the technical capabilities of the GC allowed for RE4, then you can't blame the hardware for less attractive games.

Anyway, my generally uncaring attitude towards graphics and technical specs is that they only matter for some classes of games. Not all games (RPGs, platformers, etc) need lifelike graphics. War sims, racing games, those are certainly better the more realistic they look. It never hurts other games to look better, but if the developer designs a game well, it doesn't make it more fun.

Edit: And I this became a graphics debate because people were starting to freak out that the Rev wouldn't even be as powerful (and provide similar graphical quality) as the Xbox. Which given RE4 as an example, is obviously wrong.

[Sarang01]

These specs are about what I figured. Expect more and more multiplatform games to come out for just the PS3 and the X360 because the Revo is just not going to be easy to port games over to.

Probably won't affect Nintendo much though. I'll buy the Revo for the exclusives and nothing else. They make money with that strategy, so why even try to challenge Sony and Microsoft.

Edit: Oh, I guess I forgot to comment on RE4 like every is required to in this thread. Yes, great graphics, but I'd have to say the Xbox had so many more games that outclassed the rest of the GC library in graphics (Ninja Gaiden, any of the DOAs, Mech Assaults, Crimson Skies, Halos, etc.)

Ok I forgot the Seg's and the Tecmo's. So we have what? PDO, GV, JSRF, DOA3, FF, FF2 and NG. 7 games there. Soz if I'm being a dick here but I can think of very few XBox games that would pull through on the PS mode the way they should.
I MIGHT give Halo 2 a fair shake as well. Hmmm and I heard good things about Magatama and Phantom Dust doesn't look bad. However Magatama wasn't released over here.

[shipwreck]

I'm not going to argue with you much ship, but my previous post stands. If Capcom could create the beauty of RE4, what (technically) was stopping other developers from creating games that looked as good? If the technical capabilities of the GC allowed for RE4, then you can't blame the hardware for less attractive games.

Anyway, my generally uncaring attitude towards graphics and technical specs is that they only matter for some classes of games. Not all games (RPGs, platformers, etc) need lifelike graphics. War sims, racing games, those are certainly better the more realistic they look. It never hurts other games to look better, but if the developer designs a game well, it don't make it more fun.

I think you can still blame the hardware though. By being less powerful it requires a lot more out of the developers to be able to achieve amazing graphics and thus, you generally don't get them.

[botticus]

I think you can still blame the hardware though. By being less powerful it requires a lot more out of the developers to be able to achieve amazing graphics and thus, you generally don't get them.
I was going to cede that point, but you beat me to it ;) But that difficulty should be gone with twice the processing power of the GC, so RE4 quality games should not be too hard to come by with the Rev, if so desired/needed.

[shipwreck]

I was going to cede that point, but you beat me to it ;) But that difficulty should be gone with twice the processing power of the GC, so RE4 quality games should not be too hard to come by with the Rev, if so desired/needed.

Yeah, stuff should look fine, just nowhere near what the PS3 and X360 are going to be pushing (especially without the HD support). For non-HD TVs though, Revo should look great.

It's the large gap between the PS3 & X360 that's going to cause a lot of issues with third parties putting their games on the Revo. Ports are going to have a lot of issues, not only graphically, but with physics and AI to name a couple of things as well. These multiplatform games are going to be really inferior to their counterparts and it's going to be interesting to see how the general public and third party publishers react to this.

[Crash55118]

It doesn't matter, What site is this guys, Cheap Ass Gamer, with a relative stress on the CHEAP! We want a next Gen system but I really don't want to throw 600 dollars for a system and a couple games. I like the road Nintendo is going keeping it cheap and still giving the gamer some graphical improvments.

And Remeber raw power doesn't neccesarily mean better graphics- look at the Madden 06 on the 360, they just upscanned it to HD, wand what a little better, but if they had really redesigned it and put some actual time into it, it would have looked alot better, just like anything, If your developers suck than your games and system will suck.

[SpottedNigel]

...Super Smash Bros. Melee STILL looks fucking good, doesn't it.

[botticus]

Yeah, stuff should look fine, just nowhere near what the PS3 and X360 are going to be pushing (especially without the HD support). For non-HD TVs though, Revo should look great.

It's the large gap between the PS3 & X360 that's going to cause a lot of issues with third parties putting their games on the Revo. Ports are going to have a lot of issues, not only graphically, but with physics and AI to name a couple of things as well. These multiplatform games are going to be really inferior to their counterparts and it's going to be interesting to see how the general public and third party publishers react to this.
I think it's really going to come down to how developers, and the publishers of course, feel about making something new. Even though Activision isn't a shining pillar of the development community, we're already seeing one game (Spiderman 3) that they are developing for the Revolution, not porting it. If developers are willing to make the effort (we still need to figure out how the cost of redeveloping for the Revolution will compare to porting between 360 and PS3 with their vastly different architectures), there could be some very good -- graphically inferior, but uniquely controlled -- "ports" on the Rev.

[shipwreck]

If developers are willing to make the effort (we still need to figure out how the cost of redeveloping for the Revolution will compare to porting between 360 and PS3 with their vastly different architectures), there could be some very good -- graphically inferior, but uniquely controlled -- "ports" on the Rev.

That sentence gives me the heebeegeebees. I guess I don't have enough faith in developers. :)

And porting between the X360 and PS3 must not be that bad (or developers don't think it will be), because there have been an awful lot of multiplatfrom games already announced for the X360 and PS3.

[Sarang01]

I think it's really going to come down to how developers, and the publishers of course, feel about making something new. Even though Activision isn't a shining pillar of the development community, we're already seeing one game (Spiderman 3) that they are developing for the Revolution, not porting it. If developers are willing to make the effort (we still need to figure out how the cost of redeveloping for the Revolution will compare to porting between 360 and PS3 with their vastly different architectures), there could be some very good -- graphically inferior, but uniquely controlled -- "ports" on the Rev.

Yeah see one of the points I make on the last page about someone potentially buying a game on the Revo over the other system just because of how well it controls. Granted some people may find hard to grasp but how much EASIER is this going to make playing FPS's over using a KB and mouse?
SM3 for Rev.=Get Bass with remote. ;-)

[botticus]

That sentence gives me the heebeegeebees. I guess I don't have enough faith in developers. :)

And porting between the X360 and PS3 must not be that bad (or developers don't think it will be), because there have been an awful lot of multiplatfrom games already announced for the X360 and PS3.
Let's just hope the Rev is cheap enough to develop for that we get some new people willing to take some risks then, shall we?

Eh, I think porting between 360 and PS3 will be required, regardless of the cost. No way a lot of companies can ignore what will likely be half the market. It just depends on the relative cost of that compared to the Rev if they will use it as an excuse.

[SilverPaw750]

Does noone realize that the graphics will look comparable to 360 and PS3 on an SDTV? The Revolution is outputting at a fraction of the resolution, so it needs a fraction of the power. I'm not saying Revolution will look better, but it will certainly look about as good as it can get in SD.

[snipegod]

And considering most people neither have nor care to have an HDTV anytime soon because the cost-to-benefit ratio isn't great enough ...

[Blind the Thief]

I think I'm already at the point where style matters much more to me than graphics. I enjoyed Ico far more than more realistic-looking titles because the graphical style was nice to look at. Same with Wind Waker or Okami; they're some of the least realistic-looking games this generation, but I'd rather look at those than at a basketball player's sweat anyday. It's just more appealing, and I hope more developers figure this out next generation.

[Who's The Twitch Now?]

I agree with some of what you are saying Twitch, but c'mon, you can't judge the X360 by sports games and ports put out at launch. If that's the case, I guess we'll all be talking about how non-next-gen the Revo is when we bring up Tony Hawk and Madden for it as well.

And you can't honestly tell me you are more impressed graphically with Castlevania DS than with many of the games on the PSP. Graphically there is no contest between those two systems.


An understandable and valid argument. Perhaps I was a bit too linear with my examples. All right, how about Perfect Dark Zero? A mediocre shooter made worse because of the perfection of its predecessor (which I may be biased about, as PD1 is my favorite game ever, but I'll move on). It also pretty much looks like a glorified Timesplitters. Still, just an example.

Truth be told, I haven't been keeping up on all the 360 releases, as I have no intention of getting one for quite a while. At least until the developers start utilizing it for more than just pretty textures. This may seem rather fanboyish, but in actuality, I'd really like to see how the public reacts to the Rev. I think some of Microsoft business strategies are pretty rediculous, but there's still a demand for the 360, so I guess they must be working.

The remark about the DS vs. PSP's graphics may have been vague; I haven't played many DS games, and almost no PSP games. I've seen footage of most of the major releases, though, and while the PSP is certainly impressive for a handheld (moreso than the DS, primarily), the DS has more little things that immerse me. Case in point; the very beginning of Castlevania DS, where if you jump on the car the snow falls off and the car tilts. This adds nothing to the gameplay, but while the bulk of the graphics (save for bosses and backgrounds), aren't so much more than a little improvement over the GBA games, the fact that they could create such a fantastic, immersive gaming experience, and have similar graphical detailing, on an "Underpowered" handheld, while not detracting anything from the gameplay or depth, is much more impressive - to me - than fancy polygons on the PSP or sweat or hair-blowing effects on the 360, or even the other current home consoles. It's just an opinion, and I'm certainly not against improvement over tried-and-true formulas, but as of yet, the 360 hasn't been much of an improvement, by my watch.

[megaseadramon]

The remark about the DS vs. PSP's graphics may have been vague; I haven't played many DS games, and almost no PSP games. I've seen footage of most of the major releases, though, and while the PSP is certainly impressive for a handheld (moreso than the DS, primarily), the DS has more little things that immerse me. Case in point; the very beginning of Castlevania DS, where if you jump on the car the snow falls off and the car tilts. This adds nothing to the gameplay, but while the bulk of the graphics (save for bosses and backgrounds), aren't so much more than a little improvement over the GBA games, the fact that they could create such a fantastic, immersive gaming experience, and have similar graphical detailing, on an "Underpowered" handheld, while not detracting anything from the gameplay or depth, is much more impressive - to me - than fancy polygons on the PSP or sweat or hair-blowing effects on the 360, or even the other current home consoles. It's just an opinion, and I'm certainly not against improvement over tried-and-true formulas, but as of yet, the 360 hasn't been much of an improvement, by my watch.

I couldn't agree more with you on the DS vs PSP. I own both and I bought the PSP on launch and have 1 game for it, and emulators on the mem stick. But on the DS which I also got on launch I have around 20 games and couldn't love it anymore then I do right now. Metroid is eating my time, but Trauma center is what keeps coming back into play because I havent played a game like this before. The psp has good games but there just dumbed down ports with little innovation.

[Foolman]

Does noone realize that the graphics will look comparable to 360 and PS3 on an SDTV? The Revolution is outputting at a fraction of the resolution, so it needs a fraction of the power. I'm not saying Revolution will look better, but it will certainly look about as good as it can get in SD.

It's been mentioned but needs to be reiterated. I do have an HDTV which will be connected to my 360/PS3. But the Revolution will be in my room with my SDTV.

[Sarang01]

I couldn't agree more with you on the DS vs PSP. I own both and I bought the PSP on launch and have 1 game for it, and emulators on the mem stick. But on the DS which I also got on launch I have around 20 games and couldn't love it anymore then I do right now. Metroid is eating my time, but Trauma center is what keeps coming back into play because I havent played a game like this before. The psp has good games but there just dumbed down ports with little innovation.

Meh soon to be "Gradius Portable", "Astonishia Story", "Princess Crown" and "Popolocrois" for me.

[yester]

MAN. I bet even the 360 will outsell the Rev in Japan.

WAY TO FUCKING GO, NINTY.

Dude, its pretty quite around the xbox 360. SO far, MS did not to manage to have units in stores. We are looking into the 5 month since release.
So far, i've seen more and more good titles on the Nintendo console & handheld, than on the Xbox or PS2.
Still, the Revolution will give gamers a different game experience than any other console on the market and we will see very inovative games rolling to the Revolution, like we see on the DS. It might be not a Xbox360/PS3 killer, but it will have a strong userbase and perhaps even gain more marketshare.

But hey, i guess your quote was a joke anyway.

[SMMM]

Dude, its pretty quite around the xbox 360. SO far, MS did not to manage to have units in stores. We are looking into the 5 month since release.
So far, i've seen more and more good titles on the Nintendo console & handheld, than on the Xbox or PS2.
Still, the Revolution will give gamers a different game experience than any other console on the market and we will see very inovative games rolling to the Revolution, like we see on the DS. It might be not a Xbox360/PS3 killer, but it will have a strong userbase and perhaps even gain more marketshare.

But hey, i guess your quote was a joke anyway.

He was being sarastic. It's what he does.

[yester]

He was being sarastic. It's what he does.

thats what i tought :)

Anyway, i hope onlineplay kicks off with Revolution too. My favorite is Starfox online. yeah...

[crazytalkx]

Damn, dissapointing but hopefully the gameplay will more than make up for it somehow. I lack an HDTV so some aspects aren't that dissapointing.

[dhs odium]

Okay, as far as I'm concerned the specs are complete bullshit, I was right.

All those "leaked" specs are the gamecube's numbers multiplied by 1.5

April Fool's everyone. And Matt Cassasmasmsiamsmiamsani sucks nuts.

[zewone]

Wait a minute... there was games on the gc? who knew.

[Lice]

Okay, as far as I'm concerned the specs are complete bullshit, I was right.

All those "leaked" specs are the gamecube's numbers multiplied by 1.5

April Fool's everyone. And Matt Cassasmasmsiamsmiamsani sucks nuts.

its march 31st



And I dont think specs will hinder nintendo at all. Look at the DS versus the PSP. The psp compared is a graphics power house... but the games are lack luster and ports of Ps2 games. DS games are innovative and fun and think outside the box. It draws people in for the simple desire to want to enjoy a game.... The same will he had with the revolution. Its differnt. Its going to be intresting to see how it sells!! This will be a great year in gaming...

[jer7583]

only thing to worry about with the revolution is if it can handle complex and realistic physics systems. Imagine games with that freestyle controller and not being able to have objects react realistically and move on their own.. that would kind of suck. Now imagine interacting with objects the way they act in Half-Life 2 or Oblivion with the freestyle contoller.. that would be cool.

However, it will be tough to go back to plain textured models after seeing the amazing shaders on GRAW and such. Shading, lighting, and bump mapping make such a difference. Along with physics like havok I think these make a lot of games more fun and unpredictable. I want to see that in revolution games.

That unscripted-holy shit did you see that stuff.

[dhs odium]

its march 31st



And I dont think specs will hinder nintendo at all. Look at the DS versus the PSP. The psp compared is a graphics power house... but the games are lack luster and ports of Ps2 games. DS games are innovative and fun and think outside the box. It draws people in for the simple desire to want to enjoy a game.... The same will he had with the revolution. Its differnt. Its going to be intresting to see how it sells!! This will be a great year in gaming...

Yes, it is March 31st. But magazines and most websites start spreading their lies up to a week before April 1st and stop around a week after. It's best not to take any news seriously around that time.

What are the odds Nintendo decided ALL the specs would be GC times 1.5?

[Dr Mario Kart]

Okay, as far as I'm concerned the specs are complete bullshit, I was right.

All those "leaked" specs are the gamecube's numbers multiplied by 1.5

April Fool's everyone. And Matt Cassasmasmsiamsmiamsani sucks nuts.

This was an extremely sharp observation on your part. Now I have to all over the internets trying to repair the damage that Matt has caused.

Chief Editors that damage the reputation of the product their site is about = bad.

[SpottedNigel]

http://revolution.ign.com/mail/

"I mean, if you were to take a calculator and multiple the CPU and GPU speeds on GameCube by 1.5, you would end up with the MHz figures we posted for Revolution. But that doesn't mean the console as a whole is only 1.5 times more powerful."


Well, he does actually make that point...

[oleander]

The RAM is 2.2x (not 1.5x) the GC...
I certainly would not discount the possibility that this is an april fools joke, but it just doesn't seem like it to me.
Nintendo has said the Revolution will not be considerably more powerful than GC, so this doesn't seem at all farfetched to me. IIRC, IGN's past jokes have been pretty blatant (GBA SP Virtual Boy?).

[trip1eX]

I don't have a problem with the power. But the comparisons (Matt) made to the xbox were ridiculous. They're different architectures.


It's like saying my 4 cylinder VW does more rpms than your 8 cylinder Corvette so my Beetle is faster. The celeron cpu in the xbox is a 4 cylinder while the PPC is an 8cyl engine.

With the 50% clock increases and probable architecture enhancements you'll get your 2-3x more powerful than the 'Cube specs which is what Nintendo has said the Revolution power will be all along.

I mean really what he was saying was the GAmecube needed 50% more power to equal the Xbox. And that's bs.

[koster]

If the Revolution gets exclusive games of similar quality as the current generation (Metroid Prime 1&2, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Pikmin 1&2, Luigi's Mansion, Eternal Darkness), Nintendo shouldn't have a problem selling lots of systems - regardless of the specs.

[munch]

After 5 pages of posts, is this information going to stop anyone from buying a Revolution?

[ArthurDigbySellers]

After 5 pages of posts, is this information going to stop anyone from buying a Revolution?

Nope...and that is exactly the point. Nintendo has spelled out what their intentions are. Over and over.

The DS to PSP comparison's are exactly right. Power does not equal quality.

[io]

After 5 pages of posts, is this information going to stop anyone from buying a Revolution?

Yes... I mean no, of course not :D.

I'm supremely disappointed in the lack of HD on the Revo, as I've has an HDTV for nearly 3 years now and have yet to feed a true HD signal into it. Thus, I will definitely be getting a PS3 because I really want some content to see on the HD. But it's not an either/or thing. Sure, I've held off on the Xbox360 because, except for Oblivion, there isn't a game I'd want to play on it, but I will need some HD goodness eventually this generation. Thus, I'll get one or the other of the higher-end systems (though probably not both) in addition to a Revo. There was the (small) possibility that had Nintendo come out with a powerhouse HD system I might not have bought either of the others - but that clearly is not their strategy.

Having said that, 90% of GC games look FAR better on my HDTV than PS2 games do, so I'm sure the Revo games will look just fine. I mean, who needs Mario Party in HD anyway? :D. Though Metroid would be nice in HD :drool:.

[Blind the Thief]

Along with physics like havok I think these make a lot of games more fun and unpredictable.

Shouldn't that make the game more predictable? :)


This was an extremely sharp observation on your part. Now I have to all over the internets trying to repair the damage that Matt has caused.

Chief Editors that damage the reputation of the product their site is about = bad.

That's why I don't think this is an April Fool's prank. Despite what anyone (or everyone) think of that guy, he does appear to love Nintendo, and I have a hard time believing he'd resort to this.