Here almost my entire speculation currently on the Revolution. Enjoy. I had trouble
One can dream- The Nintendo Revolution – My model mockup.
With a the talk around the Nintendo Revolution lately I have decided to write up a little model on how Nintendo may have things set up to get their games and experience into our living rooms. (Note: I use the name Revolution through out the article the name for the console may still change before its launch next year.) A thing to note that this is an article on possibilities and few if any of these could be implemented by Nintendo. Oh and feel free to add your thoughts and ideas.
The Hardware
Currently little is known about the internal hardware that runs the system. The few things that are known is that the CPU is being designed by IBM, like there other two competitors. The GPU (Graphics Processor) is being designed by ArtX and ATi, the same team that created the Gamecube chip; this time around ATi also is supplying the GPU for the Xbox 360. MoSYS is supplying their RAM technology once again with a few tweaks they have developed in the past five year, plus Nintendo has said that there will be more use of their RAM in the system, whether that means the Revolution will entirely utilize this RAM remains to be seen.
Nintendo has taken some flack for saying that the Revolution will only be 2-to-3 times more powerful then the Gamecube. But considering the technology suppliers they are using the Revolution will be close if not more powerful than the Xbox 360 which is being released this year with the same GPU/CPU supplier. That would mean Nintendo’s chips will have a little more R&D time, plus if they are weaker technologically they would probably only be as far away as the Gamecube was from the Xbox which is basically indistinguishable.
The unit will use a full sized proprietary DVD format (it hasn’t been announced whether it will be single or duel layered), which puts them at an advantage with publishers especially when compared to the PS3 Blu-Ray format disc which is more expensive to acquire and stamp considering how new the technology is and that Sony (along with two other companies) are the sole champions of the media so far.
The Controller
It all starts with the controller. Nintendo opened up new possibilities with the controller’s “motion detection” functionality that offers precision targeting for “light gun” games and games in the FPS genre. The controller should be run on a rechargeable battery similar to the DS or on rechargeable battery packs allowing for swapping during longer game sessions. And Nintendo put an expansion slot on the bottom of the controller and as it stands now it seems a controller shell and an analog stick/trigger will be packaged with the controller. As I see it the shell will be included to not scare third parties from porting games to the Revolution and the Analog/Trigger Combo will be standard because Nintendo already seems to have plans to use the device in some of their games.
Single Controller Possibilities
Basically the controller acts as a 3D mouse. So any mouse driven activities can be done. A good use of this is the RTS genre. The good full blooded RTS has never graced a system with the exception of StarCraft for the N64, or Pikmin 1 & 2 for the Gamecube. But with the mouse functionality you can easily manage several groups of units with a lot more ease a precision than done on a regular console controller.
With the addition of a keyboard attachment that will more than likely be made for the Revolution either by Nintendo itself or a third party, the Revolution may be home to many RTS games, with the possibility of Nintendo’s War series, and possibly but not likely the Fire Emblem series, taking advantage of the Revolution superior control setup. (This is more likely this generation because Nintendo itself will be supporting its own internet presence instead of relying on the third parties to do it for them.)
Another use for the single controller setup includes a railed hack-n-slash similar to the Samurai styled survival horror game that you find in arcades, a magic system similar to what is employed in the DS’s Castlevannia title, not to mention the possibilities a WarioWare title could utilize for its twitch style games. And if you play RPGs and love to mindless build up your characters the controller will allow you to do other things with your free hand (get your mind out of the gutter), such as writing, reading and playing another game…. (That not meant to be a joke, my brother usually has two-to-three games going at once.)
The enhanced precision of the controller makes targeting for FPS, point-and-shoot. With the expansion port it is possible to connect a light gun like attachment to it, and if there is another expansion port on that the analog stick/trigger button.
Luigi’s Mansion sequel- The controller could act as Luigi flashlight/vacuum combo. The player could use the controller to swing the flashlight around the room and with a push of a button switch to the vacuum and pulling motion can be preformed on the console itself.
Monkey Ball game- The controller can be used to tip the platforms.
Double Controller Possibilities
When Nintendo demoed the controller they showed a “game” being played with two controllers. Doing this will allow only two players per console but this type of setup not only increases the number of buttons, but is perfect for boxing games and other similar titles. For example if there was an attachment that securely attached the controller to a glove type device with a button by each thumb. A boxing game movement mapping could go something like this.
Defense: Put one or both controllers up in front of the player’s face
Parrying: Moving left or right
Moving around the opponent: Pressing one of the buttons and moving right or left
Attacking: Make a jab at the computer opponent and the game’s avatar making the same move
The other button could be used as an action button and pause button
In some games the controller could be used as a second weapon or a shield in more action oriented games. Shield bashing on command, sweet
.
Shell Controller Possibilities
Nintendo’s primary purpose for the shell controller is to emulate a “normal” controller so games from the other two consoles could be ported to the Revolution with minimal interface changes. But there are other possibilities that can be exploited. It seems that the motion sensing diodes on the top of the controller will be exposed, so even with the controller in the shell a developer can still exploit this function.
For example in a game development class I had recently I made a game based on the current rumors. It had the motion sensing part of the controller used for defensive movements and quick attacks as follow:
Move Right/Left: Parry Right/Left
Quick Move Right/Left: Jump Right/Left
Move forward: Quick jab forward
Quick Move forward: Summersault forward (around/toward to enemy)
Move back: Parry Back
Quick Move back: Jump Back
When used with a combination of the controllers face buttons it is possible to make not only a game with an excellent parry/counter attack system. But it opens up the possibility that each individual character can have totally different move set (with a smaller amount of required input).
Another use for this could be in a snowboard game like SSX, where you balance with fine movement with the controller (with an option to change the sensitivity of the sampling), to go fast you could move the controller forward to lean forward, to slow down pull the controller back. And the trick and be done on the face buttons.
Other Controller Expansion Possibilities
With the expansion slot on the bottom of the controller, and with Nintendo pushing for developers to explore what a change in interface can do to give games a personality there are sure to be quite a few off the wall and no so off the wall ideas.
Microphone attachment: This is almost a given, since the system is online enabled and it leans to be more of a broadband friendly device in its leaning, using a microphone to talk to the person who you are playing with is a step up from using a keyboard. But a Microsoft interface can also be used for issuing commands in a game (Nintendogs and Hey you, Pikachu come to mind) and niche games like Karaoke Revolution can use this attachment.
More ascetic then functional add-ons – Much like Onimusa’s Katana controller a third party like Hori could come out with similar add-ons that change the visual appearance of the controller while not taking away its functionality.
Touch screen- I seen this one suggested but with the DS being about to interface with the Revolution it would be easier just to use that as the touch screen interface. (Not to mention for the price the player pays for it they also get a game system)
A dance pad replacement: Using one controller (or two) an attachment could be made to redirect the sensors on the top of the controller to pads on the player’s knees, so the Revolution can sense where the legs are going (i.e. no worrying about the pad slipping and you stepping on the start button and canceling the game, or a pad that bunches up and shorts out).
An idea from left field: I mentioned the two glove controller method up above. Mixing that with the dance pad replacement idea, a developer (can take up all the controllers per console) could map the kick functions to the sensors on the knee pads. And with button placed in the palm, maybe, you can have a complete experience in a fighting game. (This brings back the scariness of exercise that the Activator from Sega promised but really didn’t deliver.)
Arcade Shells: Much like Steel Battalion controller that Capcom made for the Xbox just for two games and $100, an arcade developer can package a shell in with their arcade port and a player can have the same experience at home what they could have at the arcade.
System Controller Shells: I will cover more in-depth in another section but image an Atari controller shell for old Atari games so the developer can offer their games with the original control scheme.
Storage
Revolution’s storage features both on system storage and removable storage. There is about 510MB of internal storage to save files and games to. But Nintendo has also included a slot for either Flash or SD cards to act as “expansion” or removable storage.
This means instead of having to delete saves and games to make room for more content a player can move the information onto a removable card and transfer the files to an archive folder on their computer, or keep it on the card and just buy more cards.
LAN/Online
The next place were Nintendo can capitalize on is their new online component. We will find out more in October when it is revealed for the DS but it will be set up much like the Xbox live is set up for the Xbox consoles. The main difference is the “free” level of service includes playing games online along with the entire buddy lists and personal about me pages that Microsoft like pushing. The online service brings me to my next point which could be the biggest draw that may make consumer buy the Revolution as their secondary if not primary console.
In addition with the wireless communication multiple Revolutions can be easily networked so players can have their own TV. This is especially valuable when games use multiple controllers for its game play.
Virtual Console
For Nintendo this function probably started out as a way to profit from their legacy titles from their older consoles. But slowly third parties are rumored to be pledging their older games from Nintendo’s older consoles. And it seems they are performing some tweaks to the older games such as improving their graphics and adding online functionality to the multiplayer games.
It also seems that Sega is interested in putting games from their consoles on Nintendo site to use on the Revolution’s virtual console. If the rumor has any truth to it Sega could make a controller shell that they can have marketed that could control games from the Genesis, SegaCD, 32X, and the Saturn, and the games could use their original button setup. It is doubtful if they could do this with the Dreamcast since the size of some game exceeded 1GB. If Sega and Nintendo allow this to happen it can open up the possibility of not only Sega’s games but their old third party games from the other systems could be offered on the site.
This idea can lead to other old systems and games being revived such as the NeoGeo, and Atari. (Maybe Philips will revive to horror of the three Zelda games that didn’t grace a Nintendo system…) Imagine an arcade controller shell and playing older arcade games. This could open up getting almost direct ports of arcade games with their controller shells. (It wouldn’t be a direct port since they would have to change the programming to fit the Revolution’s.)
And with the Revolution’s ability to use flash cards, there wouldn’t be need to lose the games that you pay for, but saving the games to the card you can archive them on a computer or keep them on multiple cards as you run out of space.
Nintendo’s download service also brings up another item that may need to be addressed, or encouraged.
The “Developer’s console” and the Homebrew movement
It will be inevitable that the Revolution and the Virtual Console will be hacked, and other games can find their way onto the console that Nintendo will not be able to make money off of so here is a way that they can make some money while steaming the tide of illegal games on the system.
Nintendo has said that they want to support smaller developers so here is a way. Open up the virtual console to Homebrewers, have it so they can apply for an account to store and distribute the games on the site and Nintendo can charge a storage fee on the games that are stored there. With the right legal documentation and promotion Nintendo can find new talent to make games in the future and maybe new franchises and innovation that they can bring to the industry.
Here is some thing that we may see from the hacking and mod areas with the Revolution. (I’m not condoning this, just stating the possibilities.) Since the console will more than likely be cheaper than the Xbox 360 and they will have similar CPU/GPU a mod and poorly made shell to play some of the games on the Revolution, this could similarly happen with Playstation games.
Nintendo DS
The DS can also boost and be boosted by the Revolution and the download service. It is already been “confirmed” that there will be DS demo that can be downloaded from Nintendo’s download service.
If anyone can remember Nintendo use to have a program in Japan that they could use now, in Japan a customer could buy a blank Gameboy (Advance I think) cartridge, and then buy games for a cheep price from distribution machines in different stores. It was canned because of hacking and homebrewing cutting a big piece out of their profits. Nintendo could bring this back, and sell blank DS carts and allow players to download games from the download service. Not only will this cut production costs for Nintendo, and third parties making the DS a more attractive platform to make games for. But it will allow near universal access to retail games to the customers, so there can be little worry about some stores not giving self space to titles they don’t think will sell or bumping a game because another company paid to have their game in the spot.
The DS could also become a haven for Homebrewed games if Nintendo allows it, which would mean that the systems could have a large library of games for their consoles.
Marketing and the Market
I will start out by listing the Publishers that are currently making games for the Revolution, and I will also list those considering the possibility:
Square Enix: A Crystal Chronical games is rumor being made, a Square never misses an opportunity to re-release its older games. And they are interested in supporting all three console companies.
EA: EA has praised the controller openly. And being the biggest third party publish will not miss the opportunity to make games for any console.
THQ: They have supported Nintendo even through the N64 and Gamecube.
Activision: Same as the two above.
Namco: They are increasing their support of Nintendo this late in the Gamecube’s lifecycle, so it is not too farfetched that they will support the Revolution.
Nappon Ichi Software: Is thinking of supporting the Revolution.
All Nintendo developers
Koei: Has put it support behind the Revolution
Capcom: Nothing official but they have supported the N64 and Gamecube.
Konami: Nothing official yet but some of their developers are interested in the platform.
Ubisoft: will be developing/publishing games for the system
Tecmo: Is looking into supporting the Revolution
Camelot: is rumored to be developing for the console.
Factor 5: Is supporting all consoles, and it traditionally supports Nintendo and its consoles
Zoonami: Is rumored to have a game in development
This list is far from complete please help fill it.
After considering what has been said by Nintendo about Revolution it seems that they want to make this a system where developers both small and large can make games for. So one thing becomes apparent, Nintendo want to do something like Sony did to them when they first came out with the Playstation. Sony gave developers a console that had adequate power, removed as much of the cost of entrance to putting their games on the Playstation, and made a console that didn’t cost as much to program for as the other two on the market and after that nurtured that connection. As it stands today the roles seem reversed, Nintendo is trying every it can to bring Publishers and developers to their system (as seen by some North American publishers comments on the system soon after the unveiling of the controller (EA, THQ, Activision and Ubisoft). And Nintendo when compared to Sony will have to the lowest cost to put a game on the Revolution (even without the virtual console, they are using a DVD format disc). I’m defiantly not going to say the results will be the same but with Sony being on top there is no where else but down to go. Especially if they project a similar arrogance that Nintendo had when they lost the lead with the N64, Sony is the one who cannot make a mistake this generation, especially if Nintendo plays its cards right, or players will look else where for their gaming experience. (For example they can not have a launch with the disasters that accompanied their PS2 launch in the US.) But I am going to say that this generation all three competitors will be close and there will not be one with a definite lead.
Text
Show Posts
