Viva La Nintendo

In a recent inerview with Meristation, Jim Merrick reveals some new information regarding the Nintendo Revolution. Firstly, he has confirmed that the Wi-Fi USB adaptor for online DS will also be compatible with the Revolution. It has the ability to turn a home computer into an instant wireless hotspot. So to play online games with the Revolution, simply plug the adaptor into your USB port, connect to the net, then set up the connection on the console.

The next bit of news is the Revolution's ability to download games fro mall regions. This basically means that us gamers in Australia will have access to the many "Japan only" game titles for download :D. Did you know that many Nintendo games never make it outside of Japan?

Merrick has also mentioned a "single pak" play for Revolution games. I would assume he means that only one console owner is required to own a game to verse another online or through a LAN connection, similar to multiplayer on the DS.

Here is the killer. Jim Merrick has stated that games played on the Revolution will have no significant graphical difference compared to other next generation systems. So the Revolution, in addition to price and innovative controller, will also offer great "on par" graphics. Very nice indeed.

The last thing he mentioned was that no Revolution games will be shown in 2005. This basically takes away all hope of some Mario 128 footage any time soon, I guess Ninty plan on torturing us a little longer :P.

Micro And DS Info

Well, the GB Micro will be available in Australia from thursday, and retailers are unpacking their stock. The Micro will be available in many colours at launch, with an extra faceplate to go with each. The silver Micro with black faceplate will be available everywhere. The black Micro with silver faceplate can be bought from EB games. And a red Micro with extra purple faceplate is only available at Toys-R-Us. The console will retail for $149.95, and will come with an extra lanyard (or wrist strap).

Here are some images of the red GB Micro, courtesy of aussie-nintendo.com:





Also, a confirmed MKDS and Nintendo DS bundle has been confirmed for Australian release. Remember the red bundle I posted a while ago? Well, that is for the U.S only, Aussies will get a similar package, except with a silver DS console and retailing at $199.95. A pretty great price, considering the console itself is worth $179.95, and the game is $69.95. You'd save a lovely $50 with this pack, so if anyone is ever thinking of getting a DS, now is the time :).

Comparing Graphics: Gamecube VS PS2

Besides from loading times, does the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4 offer anything more than the popular Gamecube title? Thanks to Gladiator's post on Digital Share, there is a Korean gaming site which has a page comparing the graphics using ingame footage of RE4. Here is one comparison:





It may be hard to see much difference with the small images above, but the top image is taken from the PS2 verion, and Gamecube below. The Gamecube version has slightly better lighting (you can see further into the distance), and Leon appears a little smoother. But the PS2 graphics aren't bad at all, considering it has half the processing power as the Gamecube and can only produce 7 million polygons (Gamecube 15, Xbox 17).

For heaps more screenshot comparisons please click here.

A Step Forward

The Nintendo Gamecube, a home console more powerful, and able to produce superior graphics and faster loading times than the PS2, still came third in this generation of console wars. With sales a little behind the Xbox, though making more profit, produced smaller sales numbers for Nintendo. The main reason for this, claims president Satoru Iwata, is the late release date. It was due to the late release date that took away a large proportion of the Gamecube's success. So why do Nintendo plan on launching the Revolution AFTER the Xbox 360 and PS3?

In the latest edition of Nintendo minute, IGN interview NOA's vice president of corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan, and ask that exact question. Below is Kaplan's response, with the important points in bold.

Our strategy is to provide unique and innovative experiences to consumers first and foremost -- especially you, our core game players. That's a pure innovation and quality commitment and is what we believe we've stood for over all these years.

If that timing means we can be within a similar time frame to the other competitors that would be nice. But we won't compromise on quality. I think most consumers agree this makes the best sense not only for business but for the long term satisfaction of those who've remained loyal and have enjoyed playing our products for years.

In terms of launch dates, I think it will become clear as we enter 2006 when Revolution and PS3 will launch. So, to assume one is before or after another may not make sense.

Mr. Iwata's previous comments about the PS2 lead over other systems were truer during the current generation of hardware than they will be of the next. Why? The Nintendo Revolution will be an entirely different experience than the other two systems. On purpose. In the few bites of information we've already shared -- from virtual console capabilities to the amazing controller -- we're into providing experiences no one has ever had before, and in gaming, specifically. Just read some of the write-ups on the controller from those few who've demoed it and you can see for yourself how innovative and exciting it is.

Sony and Microsoft are still very focused on being the central hub for the high-end multimedia user.

When Revolution launches next year, we know you'll be very thankful that we devoted every second of time spent making sure it's perfect.

GPX2 Verses PSP

Sales of the Playstation portable are already looking grim, with the console holding about 25% of the Japanese handheld market. Up against the Nintendo DS, GBA SP and GB Micro, Sony are already finding it hard to maintain its sales. But up until now, Sony fanboys have always boasted about the PSP's ability to play movies and music. While the N-gamers argue that the same fuctions can be performed on the DS at a lower cost (using add-ons), it is true that the PSP produces better quality media, though at the cost of low battery life (pun intended).

Well, here comes the new GPX2:



This new portable media centre is pretty amazing. Here's some info:
- Has dual core 'ARM920T, ARM940T' CPU
- Plays games, movies, music, photos, ebooks.
- Has a high resolution 3.5" screen
- Plays MAME, SNES, Genesis and PC Engine ROMs
- Ability to upgrade firmware from official website.
- High speed USB 2.0 transfer for files
- Only uses 2 AA batteries, but still giving about 8 hours of movie playback and up to 14 hours of mp3 music.
- Comes pre-installed with Linux

Specs taken from official site:
- Dual CPU Cores ARM920T : Host processor ARM940T : Video Coprocessor
- NAND Flash Memory 64 Mega Byte
- Dimension 143.6mm* 82.9mm*34mm
- Weight 161 Gram (Without Battery)
- RAM SDRAM 64 Mega Byte
- SD flash card storage
- O/S Linux
- Display * 3.5" TFT LCD (Hardware : 16.7 Million Colors / Software: 260,000 Colors)
- 320*240(QVGA) resolution
- MPEG 4, Dvix 3.11,4x,5x, and Higher, XVID, WMV(7,8,9 Later On) Playback.
- MP3,OGG,WMA(Later On)
- MAX video resolution 720*480 at 30fps
- Bit Rate Video Max: 2500 Kbps ~ Audio Max: 384Kbps
- Caption SMI
- TV-OUT Support
- Stereo(L+R) audio
- JPG, BMP, PCX, GIF, PNG images

The console costs around 179 U.S dollars, about $240 A.U. Pretty decent seeing as it can play multiple roms, has high quality video playback etc. Though it lacks on game graphics due to being an emulator, you can consider it a "4 in 1" handheld console.

What do you guys think? Does this thing have a chance against the PSP in terms of portable media? It is certainly very powerful and efficient in terms of video playback. If you buy two 2000 mAH rechargable batteries, I reckon you can watch movies for up to 15 hours before the need to recharge. Quite a nifty gadget indeed :P.

Btw, the console should be about to launch in the States, there are no details on an Australian release date though.

Nintendo: Pioneers Of Gaming

I just came across this article posted at revo-europe.com. It was a response an editor received after posting an article about the Revolution's weaknesses. The editor obviously thought it was a worthwhile article to be posted, and he agrees on most of its points. In my opinion it was a very good read, here is the editor's reply below:

Recently, a reader e-mailed me about my thoughts on the Revolution, naturally they weren’t too happy about the conclusions drawn by the article, saying that ultimately, it’s “the games, not the names” that make a console. A truer word was never spoken. The Revolution comes from the House Of N, who are responsible for many of the best games of this generation and the last, and look like they’ll continue the legacy onto the next generation.

Firstly, let’s talk Mario; a character that divides Nintendo fans right down the middle. Some say that he is the greatest asset that Nintendo has, others say that he is a liability; a dinosaur left over from the mascot-dominated Megadrive and SNES era that has long passed us by.

I couldn’t disagree more.

The Mario games, whether or not they have been great innovators, have always proved some of the most enjoyable on the home gaming and handheld gaming scenes. The games are consistently high-quality, facing many rigorous quality checks prior to actual release. Such high standards naturally produce superior games that never fail to entertain on many different levels, whether it be with time-honoured themes or that fantastically addictive “just one more go” gameplay. Mario is a powerful asset for the Revolution and any console that hosts a Mario game, with excellent franchises such as Mario Golf and Tennis, Mario Party, and the new Super Mario Strikers game, the Revolution will have a formidable catalogue of Mario-themed titles to suit many different tastes.

Secondly, we can cite the new and exciting gyroscopic control device that promises to push forward in the new generation. The extra dimension added to play by the new input method will be something akin to the analogue stick pioneered by Nintendo nearly ten years ago and is sure to open up entirely new methods of play hitherto unimaginable for modern gamers. The technical ins and outs don’t really hold much interest for me –much as the technology behind analogue didn’t a decade ago, far more important is the application in games and how my experience will improve as a result. Sure it looks odd and stands out like a sore thumb when placed against the PS3’s “Batarang” and the featureless plastic hand of the Xbox 360, but hell, the N64 controller has to rate as one of the strangest looking controllers of all time, and I had far more fun with my N64 than I ever did with the sedate and symmetrical PSone handsets.

Finally, and probably most important of all, the Revolution will be a great machine because Nintendo themselves are its pioneers. Blazing a trail of evolution across four home formats, they have been the creative pathfinders for the gaming community and the benchmark against which other, lesser titles are measured. Buy any Nintendo brand game and you are guaranteed to take home a high-quality piece of software that will more than stand up to any of its competitors. The rigorous quality testing and high standards over this and the last generation have ensured that Nintendo’s consoles have had a steady stream titles that are a cut above the competition. Stand the intricacies and clever world of Metroid Prime against the brute force and ignorant universe depicted in Halo and I know which one I would choose every time. Compare the free roaming charm and depth of Mario and Zelda to the classless Grand Theft Auto and the often soulless and repetitive deluge of adventure games on the PS2, and there is no contest in terms of design and execution.

Although Nintendo games may not be everything that players expect and want, they never fail to delight on a variety of levels; from the charming personalities of the Pikmin to the blisteringly good fun to be had with four friends and Mario Kart, every Nintendo game exudes quality and refinement from every polygon and pixel. It’s a standard that many envy, few copy and that none can reproduce.

The Revolution has so many different factors in its favour that will hopefully make it much more of a success than the last two generations. From Mario to Metroid, Pikmin to Players Choice, F-Zero to Zelda, Nintendo have the potential to take on all comers and regain the crown that has slipped over the last few years as many pretenders to the throne squabble pointlessly over sales figures and market share.

After all, it’s about the games, not the names, and Nintendo are matchless.

Iun Hockley talliswolf@hotmail.com

Three Weeks Left Until MKDS

Four new Mario Kart DS videos have surfaced at the Spanish Mario Kart website, JeuxFrance. They were posted at aussie-nintendo.com, along with ther final boxart for the game. Here is the boxart:



I guess it is a little plain, but as the saying goes, don't judge a game by its boxart... or something like that. Anyway, here are links to the four new videos:

Video 1:
ftp://www.jeux-france.com/Nintendo_DS/Mario_Kart_DS_8.avi
Video 2:
ftp://www.jeux-france.com/Nintendo_DS/Mario_Kart_DS_9.avi
Video 3:
ftp://www.jeux-france.com/Nintendo_DS/Mario_Kart_DS_10.avi
Video 4:
ftp://www.jeux-france.com/Nintendo_DS/Mario_Kart_DS_11.avi

The first video features Mario, riding a bulky looking kart on what looks like Mario or Peach circuit. Notice the quality of the graphics, and the smoothness of gameplay presented in the footage. His turns are nice and smooth, and the graphics certainly look realistic. The shell item looked very easy to use, though it travelled very slowely when shot. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the N64 green shells, where the player to actually catch up to one after he shoots it.

The next video shows a battle game, similar to the "Shine" mode from Mario Kart Double Dash. It seems the objective is to collect as many shine items as possible, then use whatever means neccessary to steal them off each other. The background could make you a little dizzy, but the idea of having a battle on a cake, or cookie, or whatever it is, with a hole enclosed by boost pads in the middle, certainly looks interesting.

The third video is another Shine battle, demonstrating a different arena. This one resembles a giant Nintendo DS console, with the top half slanted to increase driving difficulty. The game ran similarly to the second video, except this time the player controller Luigi comes first. The concept of having 8 players duking it out in various battle modes is awesome, it will be great to verse friends in such a way. I believe this is the first time there is an 8 player battle option in any Mario Kart game.

The last video was the one I found to be most interesting. This one shows DK riding what looks like a motorcyle kart. The way the player keeps crashing into walls is hillarious (DK must hate him). The stage itself seems tricky, players navigate their way up a steep snowy mountain top. There is also a new item shown, the bullet thing (sorry about the terms) fro mearly Mario games. Acting like a cross between a boost and chain chomp from Double Dash, DK was thrusted forward like there was a guided rocket pushing him from behind :D.

Well, only 3 weeks left until the game is released in Australia. I am personally arguing with myself, whether to buy this game on release day, or purchase a GB micro next week (launching on November 3rd). I only have enough cash for one, and will probably buy the other in a month or so. What do you guys think? Should I get a Micro first, or buy MKDS and purchase a Micro at the end of this year?

Merrick Cuts Down 360

This was originally posted in a German game site (in German), then translated in a thread at Gaming Age forums. It is an interview with Jim Merrick made by daily newspaper FAZ. And surprisingly, Merrick talks aggressively about the Xbox 360, and remains bold on comments regarding Revolution. This article is a worthwhile read.

Nintendo skips high-tech race with Sony and MicrosoftOctober 24th 2005 The market for video games is preparing for a quantum leap: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are about to release the next generation of video consoles shortly. While Sony and Microsoft are taking on a fierce battle for the fastest processor or the best graphics, Nintendo deliberately heads down a different path. "Our approach lies in opening up to new users - not new technology", says Jim Merrick, NoE's head of merketing.

While Microsoft and Sony gear up their gaming consoles to turn into multimedia devices that also allow users to listen to music, watch films or surfing the net, Nintendo is reclaiming their roots. "Nintendo is an entertainment company. We don't own any film studios and we are no hardware company either. The Revolution is capable to play DVD films - but that isn't an important functions to us. We offer good interactive entertainment instead. But that's not a question of the hardware or power. This is all irrelevant. It's all about the games", Merrick said.

The problem of the industry according to Merrick: "An average person today can't make head or tails of a video game." Instead of the usual input devices (controllers), Nintendo would be focussing on a sort of remote device similar to TV remotes average people are used to. "Wenn thinking about a gamer today, you picture a pale tennager, drinking cola and eating chips. This shouldn't be." A way in the direction of new users would be Nintendogs. "In Japan, more than a half of the registered Nintendogs gamers is female. Additionally the age spread is much greater", Merrick says. In Germany, Nintendo sold 50,000 Nintendogs games in the first eight days after release.

The company traditionally has a strong position among young consumers, backed up by games like 'Pokemon' or 'Mario'. "The youngest gamers are 4 to 5 years old. We won't give up our position for this group, but we also want to score with older people. In Japan, brain training games are strong with gamers who are 35 years or older. That are not the people that are traditionally referred to as video gamers", Merrick says.

Beside the games, the price is also supposed to broaden the user base: "We are very aware of the price sensitivity of the gaming market, especially when going for the mass market. I strongly hope that the Revolution will be cheaper than the 400 Euros of the Xbox 360.", Merrick says. The new Microsoft console is that expensive, because it supports HDTV, for example. "But only few people are benefitting from that. We won't do that", Merrick says. However, in one area, Microsoft has set new standards: building online communities. "Nintendo is also going to establish an online community. But we don't wont to make the mistake of monetarizing the service first and put in value for the customers only later. We want to go the other way with our mobile console Nintendo DS: when we're starting the online service for the game 'Mario Kart', it is free for the gamers", says Merrick. The online games for the Nintendo DS, which has sold 200,000 units so far in Germany, are not regarded as a self-contained source of income, but as a catalyst, to sell more games. "With the Nintendo-'Revolution', not all online games will be free for the users", Merrick notes.

For christmas season, Nintendo doesn't intend to lower the price for their current console Gamecube at 99 Euros. Nintendo sold 800,000 consoles in Germany so far and is expecting good christmas sales - even with the Gamecube at the end of its lifespan and a strong competitor with the Xbox 360. "We don't worry too much about Xbox 360. The supply will be limited and the types of games offered won't appeal to all target groups. There will always be a group of technology fans, that buys any next-generation console on release. But there won't be an impact on the mass market - at least not until they see what is offered to them by Sony and Nintendo next year. When our strategy of expanding on the customer base works out, we have a very good chance to achieve world leadership by late 2007", Merrick hopes. Since March, the company has sold about 1,5 million Nintendo DS. They want to have sold 3 million DS in Europe by end of the year.

Merrick hasn't high hopes for games for mobile phones, though. "Every year mobile gaming is expected to go big business. This didn't happen so far. Only few consumers buy cell phone games. Most consumers play the games already preinstalled on their cell phone. So far we didn't see any mobile phone which our games could be played on properly. The second generation of the Nokia N-Gage was much better than the first generation, but its reputation is already tarnished.

I'm surprised Microsoft haven't retaliated after those comments, he really gives "it" to the 360. Link to the original article:
http://tinyurl.com/9lec9
Gaming Age post:
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=68569

Edit: I have been told that the translation of the inerview provided at http://nintendo-revolution.blogspot.com/ is more accurate than this one. Please take time to read and compare the two :).

Revolution's Release Date

At a recent interview with Nikkei Business, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has hinted a release date for the Nintendo Revolution. Though he wasn't very specific, he does make the claim of a post April 2006 release date for the console.

“I want to put it on the market to as many countries as possible at the same time"
- Satoru Iwata

This is certainly good news. A worldwide launch of a console is the same approach Nintendo made in the past with the DS, and currently with the GB Micro. A worldwide launch, and in distributing the console to every country in the short timespan of only a few months, very unlike the Gamecube, which took a whole year for it to reach Australia from Japan. Worldwide launches has been proven successful with the DS, and the Micro sold faster than even the GBA SP during its launch period, permanently removing its image of a "side console".

What is really interesting, is why Nintendo chose to claim April instead of a later date. Could this possibly mean that Revolution will be available in all countries by May next year? That would seriously beat PS3 to the market for most areas. Remember, we are talking about the console's RELEASE DATE here, Nintendo still haven't rejected their E3 announcement of unveiling all the Revolution's secrets before the end of this year.

The next possible chance we will learn more about the console is the outcoming editional of Edge magazine. The edition will be released on the 27th of this month, in just 3 days time.

Gaming Commercials

Yay, this is the 100th post made on this blog! Anway, here is a small collection of past random gaming commercials for hardware and games. Some are quite recent, the ad for the GB Micro has to be my favourite :P. There hasn't been much news on the Revolution lately, so I thought this may keep everyone entertained until the CES early next year, or (hopefully) the next issue of Edge magazine (due out Oct 27th).

New GB micro commercial:
http://aussie-nintendo.com/video/aussie-nintendo_gbmicro_canadian.mov

Ad for the N64 (get N or get out!):
http://thetravisty.com/Cool_Commercials.php?FN=Nintendo_-_Save_the_Pinata.mov

Ad for original GBA:
http://reklamyftp.gry-online.pl/l/laundrette.mov

The "Pop" Station commercial:
http://media.putfile.com/POPStation2

Christmas ad for N64 games:
http://www.gaming-age.com/specials/adspecial2/Commercials/N64/n64xmas.mpg

Ad for Mario Advance 4 (Mario bros 3):
http://www.4colorrebellion.com/media/movs/GBA_SuperMarioBro3.mpg

There is also another video I would like to link to. Nergized at Digital Share posted a demonstration what the capabilities of the Revolution controller. Someone holds a single handed Playstation controller in one hand, and a Gyration's gyroscopic mouse in the other, and plays Half Life 2 wielding both at the same time. This gives some idea of what the Revolution Controller along with Num Chuk will be like in action, except for the fact that this mimic cannot detect the controller's distance to the screen, making it somewhat inferior to the actual Revolution's.

This is an interesting video, take notice of the guy's hand movements as he plays CS:
http://boards.ign.com/Revolution_Lobby/b8270/101366434/?8