Shifty Geezer said:
I've been explaining Nintendo's actions. I've no interest in getting a Revolution myself, and I've never said I have in all the time I've been on this forum. It IS possible to agree with something without being a raving six-star
Well, I do remember you making ridiculous comments such as "gaming is getting boring and far too complicated for me", comments that were almost unheard of in gaming forums before Nintendo´s PR/BS campaign. If it wasn´t you, I apologize.
Your talking basic componentry and features, not tech specs. Of course Revolution will come with a feature list of IO options, DVD playback, revolutionary controller. But not...
but you don't ask for this information on your DVD player or TV. You have specs like IO, connections, and trademark names like 'Photonominal Filtering' and 'Whizzmatronic Picture Enhancement' as features, but not processor speeds or memory amounts. A TV might advertise a quality feature but it doesn't say the tech specs of what's driving the technology. If you walk into a store and see two TVs from the same manufacturer, and one has 'ClearView Technology' and one hasn't, that goes to helping you make an informed decision. But you never see 'TV with 500 MHz image processor' as that information is irrelevant to the experience.
It´s relevant depending on the context. You don´t see those kinds of specs on a DVD player because requirements do not vary, differences between DVD players are not big enough to justify such a move. It´s more usefull to say what makes your DVD player unique rather than mentioning specs.
On the other hand a console has different performance capabilities when compared to their competition, so such information should be available. It´s a ground for comparison, somewhat flawed as it may be, but it is an information that can be usefull to a consumer. It´s also a part of the console´s nature, it´s not merely a DVD player with minimum technical requirements, it´s an important technological evolution over the last generation, so specs are relevant in this market regardless of Nintendo´s claims.
Nowhere can I read PS2 has a 300 MHz CPU, 150 MHz GPU. Neither can I read XB has 700 MHz processor, nor the structural differences of those components that explain the worth of the clock speeds (because as we all know clock speeds alone are worthless and anyone choosing on clock speeds is...a moron, to be blunt!). Ah...I have just found one site. GAME (owned by Electronics Boutique I think). They don't list the GPU clockspeed for XBox though. And no vertex and pixel pipes figures for any system. I guess they're violating consumer rights, no?
The specs are easily available on the official site AFAIK, and can be obtained easily regardless from gaming publications. Whichever way a store decides to market the product is irrelevant.
Now I appreciate some people want that information when choosing consoles, because they want the fastest machine. But those people wouldn't buy Revolution anyway because we all know it's not the fastest and that's why Nintendo aren't bothering to release the technical specifications (CPU and GPU speeds etc.).
For everyone else, the substantial majority, just as they don't care what components go into their other CE goods, they don't care what the specs of Revolution's internal workings are. They'll buy on the appeal of demos in store in the first instance, and recommendations in the second. There's no need nor requirement amongst the general public for detailed information on internal workings, and Nintendo are not doing any wrong to the mainstream general non-geek public by not releasing this info.
That´s fine and dandy, still the company should give the customers a choice, do not withhold information from them if they do wish to know it. I suppose your arguement boils down to "if you don´t absolutely NEED to know it, then you will NOT know it, regardless of what you want" and assuring that´s fine.
Well, I disagree with that stance and I feel nobody should follow it.
