Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Hm... not only the first post on this topic, but my first post on Revolution Fanboy. Better make it good. Here I go!
By one regard, I'm a little disapointed by this. It seems rather lackluster. It seems like Nintendo is stepping up to the technological level of... the XBox. Whee.
Still, I'm enthused. After all, the GameCube, as mentioned, had about half the raw power of the XBox and produced games of the majestic beauty of RE4, the Metroid Primes, and the upcoming TLOZ: Twilight Princess. Imagine what Nintendo could get out of the Revolution.
Mood: Cautiously optimistic! ...like everything else with the Revolution.

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Wow, that's pretty low compared to the rumors that have been going around. But still, if I want flashy graphics, I'll just play games on my PC. If I want something totally new, I'll play REVO. These specs seem to indicate that we'll get some pretty sick graphics (resident evil four graphics with twice the RAM capacity?), though obviously not the high-definition PC-level graphics 360 and ps3 promise.

Go revo.

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You also have to take into account the other console's need for more ram for high rez textures. That and the chips are custom, so mhz means nothing really. Honestly, GC by all accounts is much more powerful than PS2 and if Revo is 2-3x GC it should be able to be practically cinematic at 480p. I've seen FFX (albeit on a really tiny TV) and that looks crazy, although incredibly too shiny. Besides, no one who was going to buy the revolution should care about the specs.

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it should be noted that Revolution uses a Power PC Processor and not an Intel based processor like Xbox..
its like comparing AMD to Intel.. AMD processors run better at a lower frequency compared to intel. Powerpc chips are the same. (i wish more pc's actually used them :( )

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The real question is, how many teraflops does it have. Oh wait, no it's not! I remember when the PS3 specs came out, and gave a figure of 2 teraflops, or somesuch, and of course the fanboys jumped all over it. Remember folks, BlueGene has 300 TFLOPS, so given that specious figure, the PS3 is one 150th as powerfull as the fastest computer in the world. Of course, it isn't nearly that powerfull. I'm glad we have some real specs here, as opposed to the nonsensical, hype-machine-generated, uberspecs that have been tied to the PS3. I really don't care how powerfull a console is, I can't change it even if I want to, and so I leave hard-core specs to my PC. With consoles, I care that the thing can run games that look good. As was said before, the GC didn't have stellar specs, but look at Twighlight Princess- amazing!

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I dont think this will matter, 360 and PS3 are trying for high def graphics, and REV isnt. I bet on a normal TV they'll look very similar. The only thing I'm worried about is the amount of things on a screen at once, I dont think REV will be able to handle things like Large huge battles.

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I think it is going to rock. I mean with the new controls in hand and that power.

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At first glance, a bit of a letdown. But the other commenters' points are duly noted.

I'm just glad to know that this machine should be substantially cheaper than the 360 and PS3. And with my budget, that means everything.

The Revolution's graphics don't have to be top-of-the-line to satisfy me. But I do hope they're markedly improved from ALL of the systems in the previous generation. If all we're looking at is a graphical rehash of the original Xbox, I'm not interested.

Visuals certainly aren't the most important thing, and that's not at all why I care about the Revolution. But there should indisputably be a step up over the systems of five years ago. Otherwise the system will fail in the marketplace.

As a longtime Mac user, I'm well aware of the "megahertz myth" that comes into play when comparing PowerPC chips to x86 architecture. But still... there's a huge gap between a single-core 729MHz CPU and a a triple-core 3.2GHz CPU. The clock speed alone of the Xbox 360 bests the Revolution's by nearly 450%! I think that's reason for concern no matter how you choose to crunch your numbers.

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So he's saying the Revolution GPU will be composed of a billion 12AX7 tubes and take up a room the size of the Pentagon?

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Wow, totally unexpected that the Revolution specs would be so close to the XBox's specs. On the bright side though, since it's closely related to the GameCube's archetecture big studios can start pushing out games that take advantage of every bit of power it has right from release. We probably wont see those kind of games on 360 or PS3 until 3-5 years into the battle.

I'm doubting that this lack of power is really going to hinder Nintendo's stratigy at all though. With the lack of uber leet graphics that take advantage of HD technology games will undoubtedly come out faster and easier for the Revolution and in more numbers. Which in all honesty, doesn't bother me at all.

Take a look at the DS vs the PSP, a prime example of Nintendo's strat gone good (Granted, they're neck and neck in America, but DS is winning by a land slide in Japan). The PSP is tons more graphically powered than the DS with several other features like emulation and movies, but since the DS has that touch screen and is a good $100 USD cheaper as well as targeting a new crowd while still pleasing the current. I don't think it's a far cry that the next gen consoles might reflect the DS vs PSP.

I'm having a feeling that the PS3 might be a 3do sized disaster however. With the rumored retail price being $500 USD or more it seems likely that the PS3 will take a huge hit in sales solely based on it's price. It can be as powerful as it wants, but like PCs, if it's too expensive only the rich gaming crazies are going to buy it. Nothing against Sony, I'll probably buy the PS3 for a game I really wanna play, but if the price is too high, it's possible I wont even touch it.

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banging my head and hoping that this isnt true. also hoping nintendo has something else to reveal and hopefully soon enough or i am going to die

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I can't change it even if I want to, and so I leave hard-core specs to my PC

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Yes it is right, I too think that REV will be able to handle things like Large huge battles.

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It's nice to see actual numbers, given how sparse Revolution information has been! I tend to side with the optimists among the above commenters... if the games make fun use of the controller, not a lot else will matter.

The only problem with the hardware specs is what the media will infer from them. Very few big-shot paper, magazine, or TV reporters could carry on a nerdy conversation with your average visitor to this site, let alone its writers. So, come E3, we'll probably see in every AP article how - in addition to being targeted to children - the new console is vastly inferior.

And when they do, we'll be counting on RevolutionFanboy to mock them relentlessly :)

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So....... Anybody have any idea how much these components would cost, this could give us a rough estimate of the total system cost.

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This may actually be good news from a cost perspective. With specs like these, the Revolution may cost somewhere around $150 to $200. Can you imagine, a new console with an exciting control scheme able to play all your favorite Nintendo games for the price of a DS, that would be incredible. Sign me up.

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I blame this entire spec-focused bull honkey on MS. Instead of focusing on games with the original Xbox, they shifted the conversation to one about performance. This topic has little relavence to anything but the PC market, which is what MS is use to. It reminds me so much of the PC/PowerMac debates. Architecture is far more important that people realize, and efficient good design beats out raw power any day.

Come E3, when Nintendo and Sony show their games, I think this whole spec talk will become irrelavent and disappear.

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QUESTIONS:

With these specs, does that mean Revolution won't be able to do displacement mapping?

Also, how can Sony and Microsoft steal Nintendo's design of their controller? Didn't Nintendo say they patented the hell out of it?

Also, I assume Nintendo patented the touchscreen technology for the DS (god knows how), but does that mean the next iteration of the PSP can or can't have a touchscreen?

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It's nice to see a lot of sensible talk in these parts. I wish Matt hadn't compared the Rev stats to anything but the cube though. No one with any sense would say the X-Box output graphics that looked 'twice as good' as what the cube did. The cube wasn't far behind on a lot of titles. Yes, a noticeable gap, but the average person on the street wouldn't say it was that big.

Something twice as powerful than the cube, would in my eyes be noticeably more impressive than the XBox. You have to bear in mind that unlike the Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox 360, the components in the original xbox were mostly off the shelf stuff. A custom designed GPU and CPU aimed specifically at gaming, can do more with what it has than an all purpose part.

The question isn't 'how much more powerful than the Revolution are the next gen systems', but will people be able to see more difference between Revolution and PS3/XBox 360 than they saw between PS2 and XBox. If yes then it could be crippling for the system, if no then Nintendo have little to worry about. Being the weakest system didn't stop the PS2 last time around... and until most people have HDTVs, if the revolution is there or there abouts on a small screen (even if the difference is noticable to the lay person) then spec wise, Nintendo will have got the balance just right.

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While I don't much care if these specs are right or not considering each console has been about twice as pretty each time around I'll have to add IGN's growing lack of credibility and their bias against Nintendo.

On another note when it comes to consoles the specs shouldn't be read the same way you do for a pc considering they are totally different designs and work differently. So not only do does the frequency not matter for pc's, such as horsepower(cause you can get a 250 horsepower engine in a car to outrun a 1000 horsepower car anyday with a good and effecient design), but it matters next to none with a game console.

I don't see how early dev kits give hints to what the final specs will be. All the dev kits really have that anyone needs is the architecture, software and all to program for. You don't need final specs to make a great game. Plus if I remember correctly the dev kits for the PS3 were just shitty towers with a single core 533 mgz processor in it. This proves nothing and means nothing and coming from Matt's mouth, I believe it about as much as I believe OJ is innocent(He confessed by the way, but he never lied under oath and we have this thing against double jeopardy so he can't get in trouble for it). Considering Nintendo's relations with the only company that produces 1T-SRAM and it being super cheap yet as efficient as the other two standards, taking the best from both. And considering this being a new console and one of their partner's MoSys(people who made 1T-SRAM just having developed a new type of ram that uses a dynamic memory cell that will cost the same and be just as easy to produce yet much more powerful they will use it instead. It's a form of 1T DRAM that MoSys intended to make but f-ed up and 1T-SRAM was born.

But the bottom line is visuals do matter and will effect sales. Nintendo knows this, and you shouldn't doubt their intentions, they know what they are doing. They've kinda been doing it for a while.

I just can't wait till E-3, and be weary of anything IGN says in regard to Nintendo, the majority of the editors have a very strong deep seeded bias towards Nitendo no matter how hard they try. I'll wait for the official news though thank you. Not some average joe with a keyboard.

Anticrawl

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I'm happy. I was expecting 2-3 times the power of the GCN and it looks like we're getting it. We don't need that much power to play old games anyway. ;) I can't wait to get a Revo and play some Megaman 2 and Mario64. :D

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I agree with the comments here... I'm actually really excited now. The XBOX had a very slight advantage over the GC in terms of graphics, and look at the figures. If these specs turn out to be true, the Rev will be between 2 and 3 times more powerful than the GC, roughly twice as pretty as the XBOX, and cost $200 to $250 cheaper than the 360 or PS3. Pit all that with the new controller scheme, and I predict huge sales. They'll be a difference in graphical quality, sure, but about the same as the XBOX vs PS2, at least for the first few years until developers figure out the PS3 and 360 hardware. (Remember how they say coding on the PS3 will be a huge pain in the a$$?)

And since when did grandma care about graphics when buying little Johnyy his new Nintendo? I think Ninty is doing everything right.

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Wow, When developers have been claiming a souped up Xbox, they literally meant an Xbox with a little bit more oomph (hardly any more if you ask me). All the secrets that Nintendo is hiding must be HUGE or the Revolution will look like a current generation console with extra features. We'll see at E3.

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Yerk. I think I understood like half of this discussion. And I thought I was pretty fluent in "nerd..." But, you pull specs on me, and I kinda zone.

Graphics shcmaphics, I say! There were some pretty impressive-looking games on the GC, as have already been mentioned. The Nint designers know how to crush the tech specs within an inch of their lives when it comes to making good stuff with what they got. Besides, considering all the other stuff the Rev's got going for it--old games including stuff like Sega and Turbografix, innovative control system, and an estimated verrrrry reasonable price tag, and I can see no reason why not.

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I'm pretty sure we'll get comparable visuals between the PS3, 360 and Revolution SAVE for the high-definition.

If those specs are correct, then it means the Revolution will be a highly efficient, brilliantly designed, well-oiled machine. Much like the little box before it.

Nintendo said it from the beginning. They vowed to build a machine that was small, quiet and efficient.

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What's with you guys? This topic absolutely exploded with comments on Joystiq.

Anyway, they won't be rendering their games at 1080 lines, so they don't need as much power as the PS3 or 360.

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I have to say that I have never been a graphics whore.

HOWEVER......, Anybody remember the first time they saw the HUGE Hyrule field in Legend of Zelda(Ocarina of Time) N64, Played F-ZeroX on Gamecube???. How about Resident Evil 4??? or the Metroid Games??? NOW TELL ME YOU DID NOT GO WHAO BECAUSE OF THE GRAPHICS!!!

We Nintendo fans should stop kidding ourselves - GRAPHICS DO MATTER!!!

Gameplay is definetely important BUT Graphics are equally important too. If all that matters is gameplay, why are we NINTENDO ADDICTS looking forward to next gen consoles and not just dusting off our SNES/N64s(these offer more than enough gameplay, anyway).

I regretted buying an N64 due to the scarcity of games and high cartridge prices, and swore to leave the Nintendo camp.
I then ignored my promise and bought the Gamecube which I regretted when the games dried up.
Now we have the REVO which will be absolutely accient in a couple of years!!!
Tsk...Tsk... Listen up Nintendo, Inovation + High performance can work, you know???

Since graphics are now at a point where the difference between Xbox360 and PS3 will be minimal, I will now concede and buy an Xbox360 now for my HDTV.
If i have any spare change afterwards, I will buy the REVO. if I don't have any money left then NO REVO- SO< NINTENDO, I WANDER WHY YOU THINK YOU ARE NOT COMPETING WITH XBOX360 and PS3 - ALL 3 OF YOU ARE COMPETING FOR OUR MONEY - Duh!!!

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Well considering the PSP can't play certain emulators, snes nes sega mastersystem at normal speed, whatever specs we get it's about how the programming's done. RE4 shows the fantastic capabilities of the NGC, it wasn't the hardware so much as the people behind it and their skills.

I am worried however since all the secrecy around the specs I was expecting something astonishing. Mayb, just maybe it'll have a custom physics processing uni aswell as a GPU which could make things fun.

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Kay, Nintendo isn't competing with Sony and MS this generation in the traditional sense. The PS3 and 360 are in direct competition in specs and graphical performance; Nintendo is focused on innovation and gameplay. With their higher-than-last-gen prices, the PS3 and 360 are aimed at hardcore gamers, at least until they can afford a price drop. Nintendo promises a low price, aiming at the general market (gamers and non-gamers alike). Sony and MS want you to be excited about bigger and graphically prettier versions of the games you have been playing for years. Nintendo wants you to be excited about playing games in a whole new way.

I could continue but I think you see the point. Of course they are competing... Nintendo would love to say they sold the most consoles this coming generation (which, because of the points mentioned above, is much more likely with the Rev than it was the GC). But Nintendo is focused on providing different benefits to a different target market than either Sony or MS is targeting. Therefore, Nintendo is not comepting with Sony and MS like they are competing with each other.

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Like Hoffgod said: " Nintendo is stepping up to the technological level of... the XBox.". Hey, guys! Wake up! There is soon Xbox 360 coming out!

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Hey I own a x360 and I love it but I didnt buy it for its specs. People cant compare the original xbox to the revolution because the xbox had an intel chip running at 733 which is slower than an IBM running at the revo clock speed. The reason the revo doesnt need alot of horsepower as the x360 and ps3 is because it doesnt process HD. HD requires an enormous amount of power from the cpu and gpu. By staying at 480p they cut the required power by a factor if 3. The revo cant play games like GRAW with all the bells and whistles but games like Mario, Zelda and RE will be great because they are made excusively for the revo. P.S the revolutions fans are 10 times more civilized than ps3 fanboys and some xbox fanboys. Imagine a world with only the revo and the x360. They each will have their own habitats to live in and will not put each other in a disadvantage.

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The say there's some projection capability on the rev/nplay for gaming, instead of utilizing a TV, apparently there's a mysterious slot at the front for this device. I wouldn't be suprised cos as Iwata hinted at, there's more than the controller to look forward to.

Backwards compatibility, revolutionary control mechanics, projection screen?!?

I'm on it.

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@ Halfminuteman

The projection/sterioscopic 3D
thing was just
well put together speculation. It is cool, but seems highly unlikely.
If it was true, I would melt with excitement though. The wierd thing was that nintendo has never revealed the contents of under that flap. They say SD cards, which is probably true, but the flap is way too big to hold just SD slots. So it is up to the fans to speculate and guess about the mystery flap.

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As for IGN, I agree. They are always trying to make nintendo look bad by comparing just the specs, when they don't really matter. The 360 and PS3 have all the horsepower and extra RAM to process HD, which Revolution does not need to achieve. Their nintendo bias has led me not to read IGN articles. They are as shallow as the 360 fanboys when it comes to gaming, they dont look at the whole picture and are just amazed at the high numbers, so that's all that matters to them.

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