Nintendo e3 thread 3

[Shifty Geezer]

Do you think that'll work? Side by side in a store, if Revolution can't offer the same degree of visuals and action on screen as XB360 and PS3, even at the lower price-point and with 'gimmicks', I can't imagine them shifting units. They'd have to have some amazingly original content that appeals to the masses in a way current gaming concepts don't, but in that I don't think they'll be alone. EyeToy is going up a gear next-gen, MS have similar in mind I believe (a camera at least), and all that power is going to allow crazy physics based games that can be simple to play but highly engaging.

I don't know what level of performance will be required to match at first-glance the content of XB360 and PS3, and that will have to be Revolution's bare minimum. A single core G5-esque processor at <3 GHz will surely date very quickly next to the others.

 

[PC-Engine]

Do you think that'll work? Side by side in a store, if Revolution can't offer the same degree of visuals and action on screen as XB360 and PS3, even at the lower price-point and with 'gimmicks', I can't imagine them shifting units. They'd have to have some amazingly original content that appeals to the masses in a way current gaming concepts don't, but in that I don't think they'll be alone. EyeToy is going up a gear next-gen, MS have similar in mind I believe (a camera at least), and all that power is going to allow crazy physics based games that can be simple to play but highly engaging.

I don't know what level of performance will be required to match at first-glance the content of XB360 and PS3, and that will have to be Revolution's bare minimum. A single core G5-esque processor at <3 GHz will surely date very quickly next to the others.

Have you even seen the disparity in quality of games visuals on the SAME platform?

A single Gekko at 2.5GHz is 5 times as powerful as GCN's CPU without any VMX units added. A Flipper at 2.5GHz is over 15 X as powerful as GCN's GPU without changing the fixed function TnL unit.

Anyway thanks for posting that Urian. It's so straight forward that it may work quite nicely.

PPU fron NEC sounds like a monster though.

 

[Nightz]

The way I see it Nintendo hopes the new interface will more than make up for the lack of horsepower. People will buy the console because no other console will offer the same unique experience. X360 and PS2 are pretty much going in the same direction, the games are pretty homogenous.

Revolution will likely be a haven for buget titles, retro, arcade and indie stuff. It could have the most games based simply on the lower development costs.

 

[PC-Engine]

Were they going for that? I guess everyone is behind the NGage when it comes to this.

No they weren't going for this per se, but they were going for voice communication over internet in games using a headset hence the headset jack on DS. A non-gaming VoIP app is just a side benefit. Imagine using this VoIP along with Pictochat.

Anyway NGage is nice but it doesn't use VoIP ie you have to pay for a carrier subscription not to mention long distance and roaming charges. NGage has really weak game support too. Also with DS you don't even need to use the headset. You can basically use it as a speaker phone. 8)

As WiFi hotspots increase in numbers this will only get better. Funny, I recently bought a Hawking Technologies WiFi detector and was amazed at how many WiFi signals I detected in my own neigborhood.

We haven't even touched the prospect of video calling using a DS and webcam attachment.

I wonder what happend to the PDA on DS thing. Also what was that V-Pocket thing that was mentioned awhile ago? V^2 Pocket would be a coole name for this app ie Voice*Video in your pocket. 8)

 

[Ty]

No they weren't going for this per se,

Oh I meant Sony.

but they were going for voice communication over internet in games using a headset hence the headset jack on DS.

Interesting. I didn't know the DS had a headset jack as opposed to a mini-stereo jack. I just assumed they would rely on the built-in microphone if they wanted to input speech.

A non-gaming VoIP app is just a side benefit. Imagine using this VoIP along with Pictochat.

Agreed. It could be like a IRC chat channel w/voice.

Anyway NGage is nice but it doesn't use VoIP ie you have to pay for a carrier subscription not to mention long distance and roaming charges.

Oh I just meant that NGage came first to marry a phone with gaming. I don't think it's good for gaming that much (at least not yet) but I would think it's a better phone than the DS is ever going to be.

<snip>

As WiFi hotspots increase in numbers this will only get better. Funny, I recently bought a Hawking Technologies WiFi detector and was amazed at how many WiFi signals I detected in my own neigborhood.

Yep, scary stuff. Many of them are probably open as well.

We haven't even touched the prospect of video calling using a DS and webcam attachment.

But now we're talking about a headset and another attachment? I thought you were against the PSP having all sorts of attachments? Kind of clunky in either situation (PSP or DS imo).

I wonder what happend to the PDA on DS thing. Also what was that V-Pocket thing that was mentioned awhile ago? V^2 Pocket would be a coole name for this app ie Voice*Video in your pocket. 8)

Not sure. Still waiting for that whole previous AD campaign to debut as well.

 

[PC-Engine]

Oh I meant Sony.

Oh ok, well SONY did talk about a cellphone attachment.

Interesting. I didn't know the DS had a headset jack as opposed to a mini-stereo jack. I just assumed they would rely on the built-in microphone if they wanted to input speech.

Yeah it has a hybrid earphone/mic jack. I guess the reasoning behind this is the same kind of reasoning cellphone headsets are available even though they also have built-in mics.

Oh I just meant that NGage came first to marry a phone with gaming. I don't think it's good for gaming that much (at least not yet) but I would think it's a better phone than the DS is ever going to be.

Well I think it's great as a phone, but it's still missing the benefits of internet phones aka VoIP. This is where DS will excel.

But now we're talking about a headset and another attachment? I thought you were against the PSP having all sorts of attachments? Kind of clunky in either situation (PSP or DS imo).

True it would be clunky, but if you really wanted to see the person you're talking to then it's definitely worth the inconvenience. Anyway the headset is not required, it's just an option for those who do not want others to hear the other party ie the whole converstion.

I knew the headset functionality aspect of DS would be demoed sooner or later, but I expected the latter. Nice to see Nintendo has not lost their tech advantage when the need arises.

 

[archie4oz]

A single Gekko at 2.5GHz is 5 times as powerful as GCN's CPU without any VMX units added.

Except Gekko won't even clock half that... The fastest 750 core I've seen to date was 1.1GHz and IBM doesn't even ship them... A 90nm version with a lot of custom layout might hit 1.5GHz if you're lucky...

 

[PC-Engine]

A single Gekko at 2.5GHz is 5 times as powerful as GCN's CPU without any VMX units added.

Except Gekko won't even clock half that... The fastest 750 core I've seen to date was 1.1GHz and IBM doesn't even ship them... A 90nm version with a lot of custom layout might hit 1.5GHz if you're lucky...

Ok then just stick in a 970MP at 2GHz and throw in a VPA coprocessor from NEC.

 

[PC-Engine]

In other news, DS was shown using a rumble pack in the GBA slot. Yes folks, DS games will feature rumble capability in the near future. 8)

 

[Mordecaii]

I hope you're kidding... why would I want a screen that's (relatively) small to shake while I'm playing on it? It's not like it's all that easy for some people to see with movement just from holding it. On top of that, why would I want to waste my battery life on vibration? (As I said, if you're kidding, just ignore this post)

 

[DeanoC]

In other news, DS was shown using a rumble pack in the GBA slot. Yes folks, DS games will feature rumble capability in the near future. 8)

Which has been known since day one... The alarm feature of the firmware asks you if you want vibration, so it was pretty obvious it was coming

 

[PC-Engine]

I hope you're kidding... why would I want a screen that's (relatively) small to shake while I'm playing on it? It's not like it's all that easy for some people to see with movement just from holding it. On top of that, why would I want to waste my battery life on vibration? (As I said, if you're kidding, just ignore this post)

No I'm not kidding. In fact the vibration feature on a cellphone has been use on cellphone games to great effect. It increases the fun factor and immersiveness of the game. The screen isn't going to suddenly become blurry because it's shaking and if you have the battery capability then why not?

Actually in some games you can use motion blurr along with the rumble feature. That would be pretty cool. The other cool thing is the rumble feature could be used with other types of apps too and not just games.

In other news, DS was shown using a rumble pack in the GBA slot. Yes folks, DS games will feature rumble capability in the near future. 8)

Which has been known since day one... The alarm feature of the firmware asks you if you want vibration, so it was pretty obvious it was coming

Heh I wasn't aware of that.

 

[one]

That blue light in the disc slot suggests Blu-ray use I guess, since they only said it'd use 12cm disc, not specifically DVD.

 

[Mordecaii]

I thought that they said it would use a proprietary format (same size as DVD discs though)??? Maybe I'm wrong, but I swear they said that at some point.

 

[PC-Engine]

That blue light in the disc slot suggests Blu-ray use I guess, since they only said it'd use 12cm disc, not specifically DVD.

It might suggest an optical format based on blue laser. HD DVD makes more sense since it's cheaper to manufacture and more compatible with DVD which GCN already uses.