Topic: Revolution to launch in March?

[hudsonhawk]

Linky.

[ThePerm]

it looks fake

[Spak-Spang]

It was reported on Gamespot as a fake.  

However, I do not believe we will be waiting till November for the Revolution.

I am predicting Early June or July.  

I think we will know this year though a definite release date.  I just hope that the Revolution is as easy to develop for as Nintendo thinks so that we can get some 3rd party support.  Either that or Nintendo better have a great lineup of first party games.

[Toruresu]

I really thinks it all depends on Sony. When Sony decides when they'll launch, Nintendo will decide themselves.

[Spak-Spang]

Toruresu:  I think Sony definately gives Nintendo pressure on when to launch...but I don't think the decision is solely in response to Sony.

I remember reading a quote from Nintendo talking about the lack of information given so far about Revolution.

It said something like Microsoft has to give out information because they are launching this year.  Sony is launching in a year and has time.  Nintendo is launching sometime in 06.

Two things grab me about those comments.  One noting that Sony will launch in year means Summer launch definately for Sony.  Second, Nintendo's no-answer for its launch.  It could mean late 06 for a holiday release, and Nintendo doesn't want to announce it.  Or it could mean an earlier launch to surprise Sony.

I personally remember the quotes about Nintendo DS and how they wanted to compare the DS launch to what will happen to the Revolution.

I fully predict an earlier but smaller US launch with 2-3 games in the Summer followed by a bigger December Launch in Japan.  

The problem with this plan would be that although Nintendo got an earlier launch for US we probably wouldn't get any new games until Nov from Nintendo.  At least the download service would help remedy that.  

Then just like the Nintendo DS release the Japanse Revolution release will have more games and a more solid lineup from even 3rd parties.  

[nemo_83]

That would be such a slap in the face of MS if they ran ads like that at the launch of 360.  It would seem Sony and Nintendo may be going head to head with launches early in the year 06 in America followed by Japanese launches in the fall.  They can do this because hardcore gamers will buy their consoles in America no matter what time of the year they launch.  Then they get to relaunch their consoles with the Christmas season to a broader audience (the families, Japan, and Europe) as well as release a second wave of games to relax the sphincter upon the 360.  I would believe they are concerned with having Metroid launch with REV in America and then releasing Mario Bros world wide in the fall in time for the Christmas rush.

This ad is cool, except for the fact the REV is the most box like of the three consoles.  So what are they implying by saying think outside the box (aside from the cheap pun on the name Xbox).  It must mean something for their own console.  

That is if the ad is real; and not fan made or viral marketing.  

[Spak-Spang]

Nemo:  My thoughts exactly.  Nintendo could probably very easily get a Metroid Revolution and Super Smash Brothers Revolution ready for Summer 2006.  Those two games would make a great launch line up for first party games.  

Then Nintendo could release another game in the fall, and then Mario and two more games for Christmas.  

Meanwhile the Japanese launch would just be in November with all the regular launches.

Nintendo can easily support a weaker launch lineup with the download service, and a summer launch would be awesome to take the fire from X-box 360.  Playstation 3 isn't that much of a problem.

[nickmitch]

Besides it has to launch after E3 so that Nintendo can have a big announcement of their launch line-up and up comming titles.

[ib2kool4u912]

I really do like that slogan as a way of sticking it to Microsoft.

[stevey]

Not if they have a spaceworld this year and show off the rev and mario 128 I know I'm dreaming so stop waking me up! It a really good dream.

[Ian Sane]

Launching in March would be good timing in relation to the Cube.  The Cube release schedule is barren.  We get Fire Emblem and Zelda and pretty much nothing else.  There aren't enough Cube games in the pipeline to allow for a smooth transition if the Rev launches later in the year.  Plus there's the whole "beat Sony to the market" thing that originally was part of the plans.

But supposedly third parties don't have dev kits yet and Nintendo's hasn't even finalized the controller design.  There just isn't time to launch in March.  If the Rev launches in March I could literally see only 1 or 2 launch games and then nothing for months.  Hell right now I'm thinking that there'll be a huge drought if they launch in November let alone March.  And no the download feature doesn't count as part of the launch lineup.  The classic games are a bonus and cannot be treated as a valid part of the release schedule.  People don't pay hundreds of dollars for a new console to play old games.  You could probably buy a used N64, SNES, and NES for less money than a new Rev.

It would be impossible for Nintendo to pull off an exceptable launch in March so thus I don't think they would do it.  They're just too far behind.  I'm predicting September at the earliest.

Though Nintendo's kind of in a "damned if you, damned if you don't" scenario.  To have a seemless transition from the Cube and to beat Sony to the market they have launch in the first half of the year.  But that could result in a dreadful launch that could kill the Rev right from the get-go.  Both scenarios are pretty crummy and risk losing sales to the competition.  I guess they just have to pick the lesser of two evils.  I think if they have an absolutely amazing killer app they should launch earlier and bank on the huge killer app keeping eveyone busy until the rest of the games come.  If they don't though I think they should wait and launch with a fuller lineup.

[stevey]

"Nintendo's hasn't even finalized the controller design."

No Shigeru Miyamoto said that they have a working controller.


"Though Nintendo's kind of in a "damned if you, damned if you don't"

No, Nintendo's a "bitch by Ian if you do, bitch more if you don't, bitch even more if you do it late, and bitch the most by Ian if they stop doing it.

"I think if they have an absolutely amazing killer app they should launch earlier and bank on the huge killer app keeping eveyone busy until the rest of the games come. "

ie SSBO you can play ssb online vs. for day on end for months  

[nolimit19]

i think a september release in 06 makes sense. i really doubt they would release in nov.  

[Artimus]

September 06 = ten years after N64.

[jasonditz]

9.11.06 makes a dandy launch date. Everyone loves holiday launches.

[stevey]

September 09 is seven years after dreamcast.  

[nickmitch]

Well we all know how well the N64 and Dreamcast did. So, september might be an unlucky month. . .

[Caliban]

Ian Sane: "Launching in March would be good timing in relation to the Cube.  The Cube release schedule is barren.  We get Fire Emblem and Zelda and pretty much nothing else.  There aren't enough Cube games in the pipeline to allow for a smooth transition if the Rev launches later in the year.  Plus there's the whole "beat Sony to the market" thing that originally was part of the plans."

I agree with you. Plus, at E3 Nintendo said that full details about Rev would be released by end of year because they don't want competition to see what they are releasing (controller and Rev specs), and that would work perfectly for their secret schemes.

Ian Sane: "But supposedly third parties don't have dev kits yet..."

Exactly, supposedly we don't know if they do or not do have dev kits, possibly some NDA is in effect. Also remember that Nintendo said that whomever knows how to develop games for GameCube already knows how to develop for Rev, that's a pretty good indication that the choice for Rev games might not be low at launch but then again...I can be so terribly wrong lol.

[HereticPB]

NDA, secrets, false news stories, false statements, etc, etc, etc!

[Caillan]

I don't think it really matters when they launch as long as it's before the holidays. It's more important that they've been working on titles for a sufficiently long enough period before hand. Launching before the PS3 isn't going to matter if all they've is Luigi's Mansion for their first month.

Quote
Exactly, supposedly we don't know if they do or not do have dev kits, possibly some NDA is in effect.

Well Reggie has confirmed that some developers have already seen the 'revolutionary' aspect of the Revolution. And so if the API reamains largley the same, it would be possible to start working on the planning phases of a game with a rough idea of what the limitations of the console would be.

Nintendo may have a stricter NDA than it's competitors, but I doubt it restricts anyone from answering in an anonymous poll. More likely the kits are in their later stages but haven't been finalized yet. Sony and MS's wil be the same, just they'd have sent out prototypes already.  

[Rhoq]

I noticed the other that C-Net had a "Nintendo Revolution Movie" on their main page. When I checked it out, it was nothing more than a condensed version of Iwata's E3 presentation, but C-Net's voiceover said the Nintendo plans to launch the Revolution in the "Spring of 2006".

[HereticPB]

Anyhow, March makes since in the aspect of a console generation is usually 4 to 5 years long. As for if, Nintendo is ready or not outside of the childish conspiracy thoughts, I do not know.

[Zach]

I think that no matter what, Nintendo will have somewhat of the childish reputation when the revelution releases, the only thing they can do is to make all of the fanboys screaming OMGOMGOMG NINTENDO IS FOR BABIES eat their words after the rev has come out.  

Edit: getting rid of the K-Word

[nickmitch]

Yeah the 'K' word is forbidden here.

[Zach]

oh, sorry, will change it immediately, whose idea was that anyway?