Nintendo Revolution Hardware Specifications
By Alex Gordon

Little is know about the Nintendo Revolution at this point. Here are the confirmed specifications leaked out so far…

•          Customized IBM-developed CPU
•          ATI graphics chip
•          512MB of RAM
•          Expansion SD media slot for saved games and user-specific content
•          Wireless controllers
•          Two USB 2.0 expansion ports
•          Built-in router-style support for Wi-Fi Internet access

Unfortunately, it appears that the Revolution will not support high-definition output. This may prove to be a serious shortcoming since the PS3 and Xbox 360 have wholeheartedly embraced the standard.

Backward Compatibility
•          GameCube games
•          Built-in emulator that will let users download and play just about every game from all of the Big N's past systems
•          Nintendo 64
•          SNES
•          original Nintendo Entertainment System
•          Retro game downloads (Requires additional fee per download)

Rumor and Speculation
In a much-publicized interview, Electronic Arts vice president David Gardner pooh-poohed the Revolution, saying that EA would likely give greater support to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Since EA publishes the bulk of the A-list titles these days, its hesitance has been serious cause for concern among Nintendo fan boys. But don't panic just yet; at this point, it's likely that not even EA knows what to expect from the Revolution. We will say that Nintendo's frequent, ambiguous promises of a wholly original gaming experience probably aren't helping the situation; game studios are perhaps justifiably skittish about limiting sales by committing to make games that won't be easily ported to Sony and Microsoft's consoles.

Release Date
Nintendo has not yet specified a date beyond "2006." Impatient fan boys can take heart in rumors that the Revolution may hit sooner rather than later. Nintendo has already scheduled a big PR event at E3 2006, which is all but certain to be the Revolution's coming-out party. Nintendo's known for flexibility with its deadlines, but the company could be planning an even earlier launch to combat the PS3’s even vaguer release.

Price
There are rumors of price tags from $100 and more than $350, although Nintendo has confirmed none of these. Nintendo have a history of pricing systems at a lower price than the other companies. Selling the system at a low price will certainly give it an edge over the competition, bearing in mind that you aren’t paying for some next generation technology, such as: Blue-Ray, High Definition Support, Internal Hard Disk.

Bottom Line
With sales figures for the original Xbox and Playstation 2, killing the Gamecube, Nintendo needs a big hit to reclaim its foothold in the home-console market. There’s a lot of uniqueness in the Revolution, but the lack of High Definition could become a crippling flaw. It doesn’t seem to pack the technological and graphical acuity of its rivals. One wonders if Nintendo's emphasis on retro gaming means that the company is reliving its past glories at the expense of cultivating the more-advanced technologies those next-generation customers will demand. Fortunately, Nintendo has always focused on creating games that are fun to play, and the Revolution will be the only place you'll be able to take new Mario, Zelda, and Metroid titles for a spin.