Why would nintendo release an underpowered console a year after the release of 360?

[ninzel]

Well Mac Mini has 1.25 or 1.4ghz processor and VERY low end gpu and therefore it's performance is nowhere near X360/PS3 thus making it a bad example. We all know that you can put low end stuff in small case allready. Does anybody know when Nintendo is releasing the final specs?.

Latest rumours set the revealing at TGS around Sept.16th.Sounds accurate as I beleive this is the last big show to my knowledge before the 360 ships. I figure both Nintendo and Sony have to show something of substance before the 360 launches.Especially Nintendo.

 

[gokickrocks]

Does anybody know when Nintendo is releasing the final specs?.

probably not the full specs, but they will be revealing the "revolutionary" controller on sept. 16 at TGS

 

[gokickrocks]

Latest rumours set the revealing at TGS around Sept.16th.Sounds accurate as I beleive this is the last big show to my knowledge before the 360 ships. I figure both Nintendo and Sony have to show something of substance before the 360 launches.Especially Nintendo.

beat me to it

 

[Powderkeg]

Latest rumours set the revealing at TGS around Sept.16th.Sounds accurate as I beleive this is the last big show to my knowledge before the 360 ships.

There is still X05 in October.

 

[ninzel]

There is still X05 in October.

Isn't that an Xbox only show?. I don't think that's the kind of show I was thinking about.

 

[StefanS]

probably not the full specs, but they will be revealing the "revolutionary" controller on sept. 16 at TGS

This is another one of those nonsensical rumours. Iwata is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech. It is believed that he'll unveil some specifications. However, don't expect that Nintendo will reveal anything major.
Nintendo is more and more likely to push its release date back. IMO Nintendo will not present Revolution until E3 2006...

 

[Epik]

This is another one of those nonsensical rumours. Iwata is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech. It is believed that he'll unveil some specifications. However, don't expect that Nintendo will reveal anything major.
Nintendo is more and more likely to push its release date back. IMO Nintendo will not present Revolution until E3 2006...

Ah....FUD

Revolution should launch in june-may '06.

 

[Rur0ni]

I was thinking a full unveiling wouldnt come till E3 2006 as well. Unless they plan some press stuff unveiling, for magazine and internet hype, then show alot of stuff at E3. Launching that summer(July-Aug).

But yeah i'll add to that GPU/AA argument, running no AA, running games on tv out to my tv, there is less visible jaggies. One could say you dont even need it, maybe 2 samples for anything hardcore. Even so, 480p is alot less taxing than 720p. 640x480 vs. [size=-1]1280x720. Sounds like more than twice the pixels needed to me, dunno about you. Run your PC Games at 800x600 then 1280x960. Im sure your GPU will not choke on that 800x600. We still aren't quite into the HD age yet. Nother 2 years. And even then, console life is only 5 years max now. You'll buy a nice 27-32" WEGA or something for your gaming on revolution that is the archive to everything nintendo has ever offered on their conoles.
[/size]

 

[JasonLD]

Ah....FUD

Revolution should launch in june-may '06.

I think you gotta cross your fingers for that one...Nintendo has worst track record of making supposed release date. I don't think Revolution will launch until late 2006, which is around nov 2006, exactly 5 years after GC.

 

[V3]

Yes but doing the same thing in 480p is not equal to doing the thing in 720p, so even if they can do the same thing in 480p it doesn't mean that it has comparable power, now if they can do lot more then it's a different issue, but if they cut memory processor speed etc. it seems that they are targeting to do the same that it's rivals do in 720p but in 480p.

That's obvious isn't ? But as long as power/pixel ratio is the same, the graphics will be comparable. One at higher resolution obviously. They may target for more than both Sony and MS at 480p. Again it doesn't take much to do more at 480p. But IMO its better off for them to target for more CPU and what ever revolution feature (gyro ?) they are going for.

 

[V3]

It's worth noting that even at 480p, to match XB360's image quality on an SDTV Revolution will need a fair amount more than 480p's worth power. It'll need substantial AA. It's not quite the case that say rendering to 1/3rd the framebuffer size Revolution's GPU only needs 1/3 the power and thus transistors and power requirements and heat output.

Maybe someone like Jaws can appear here with some numerical requirements for front buffer sizes, fill rates, eDRAM requirements and pipeline 'stuff', giving an idea of pixel+vertex shading power for 480p at at least 4xAA to match XB360 from which we can make a guess at die sizes and power requirement for Hollywood if it is to match XB360's visuals at the lower resolution.

Dave Xenos article already did

http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/xenos/index.php?p=05#tiled

 

[StefanS]

Ah....FUD

Revolution should launch in june-may '06.

Let's See: No Unveiling at TGS and No Major Event until E3 2006. Unless Nintendo plans to do a Space World during Winter, which would totally unusual, where could Nintendo present their new console and market it to a large audience?
So far Nintendo is the only console manufacturer who hasn't released specs and shown actual game projects (apart from the MP3 demo, which was said to be only a quick demo running on a GCN dev kit on steroids). The Revolution and its controller is still shrouded in mystery. Nintendo's last big game (LoZ) on GCN has been pushed back. This could very well be a strategy to keep the GCN alive until the Revolution arrives.
While there's no guarantee that Nintendo will launch late, there's plenty of good evidence. IMO the launch will be certainly after E3 2006 and probably so by by at least 1-2 months to let the PR and advertisements reach the potential customer and let it sink in.

Anyway, this is probably very off-topic and Vysez will probably delete it...

Back On Topic, would aiming at 480p, impose different design constraints on Hollywood compared to PCish GPUs? They obviously could scrap much of the fill rate requirements, more AA might be welcome, etc. Is Holllywood a complete diffferent design from ATI PC cards or is it still believed to be related to R520?

 

[Urian]

Yesterday I had one of these stroke of genius.

If I am not wrong we can put out the 1T-SRAM from the Flipper if we had an external memory of the same type (or similar) and with the same bandwitch. The other thing is the number of transistors from the logical part of the LSI (25 milions, for sound and graphics). If we can put 8 Flippers and after it we can replace the Geometry Setup for a Vertex Shader Setup and replacing the 32 TMU for 16 TMU that can render everyone 2 pixel/clock I believe that we can have a monster of 200 milion transistors.

 

[Shogmaster]

[neo] The problem is Price[/neo]

Zzzing - You got rejected.

Totally agree. *glances at own sig*

 

[Teasy]

Well Mac Mini has 1.25 or 1.4ghz processor and VERY low end gpu and therefore it's performance is nowhere near X360/PS3 thus making it a bad example. We all know that you can put low end stuff in small case allready. Does anybody know when Nintendo is releasing the final specs?.

Again the point is the Mac Mini is smaller then Revolutions case. Plus it isn't entirely a custom design (it has a graphics card for instance and normal ram in a normal ram slot rather then having all these chips soldered straight to the motherboard which would save space). Also it has a 40GB Ultra ATA1 80GB HDD. Take all of this into consideration and its not hard to see that Nintendo can make a much more powerful system in 2006 (bigger case, more ventilation, custom design, no HDD and released 2 years later).

Small, Powerful, Cheap: You can only have two.

GameCube had all three..

 

[Powderkeg]

GameCube had all three..

Debatable. Gamecube could do many things well, but it's lack of System RAM really hurt it's true "power."

For instance:

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/093/reviews/924557_20050404_screen018.jpg

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/086/reviews/921914_20050328_screen026.jpg

Same spot, same game, but what a difference.

 

[Kalin]

Debatable. Gamecube could do many things well, but it's lack of System RAM really hurt it's true "power."

For instance:

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/093/reviews/924557_20050404_screen018.jpg

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/086/reviews/921914_20050328_screen026.jpg

Same spot, same game, but what a difference.

Powderkeg: that's both pathetic and insulting, crappy images prove nothing. Can't even force myself to take a look at them.

 

[Kalin]

On the "small, powerful, cheap, can we have all three of them" argument: is it only me that thinks it's a little pointless, all three of these criteria being too subjective?

I'd say PSP has all of them, prove me wrong.

 

[BlueTsunami]

To me power was never really an issue when it came to Nintendo, simply because thats not their angle. When I look to Nintendo games I want fun quirky games, not post-apocylptic "real" looking games...to me..thats what my Xbox is for. I also don't look for large eyed japanese teens saving the world from evildoers...thats what my PS2 is for. What works for one company doesn't need to be passed on to the next.

I would be happy with an underpowered, small, affordable Revolution that has better looking games than the Game cube...but did not (clearly) go all out, gun-ho like Sony and Microsoft. Thats probaby the reason why Nintendo is trying to dissaccociate themselves from being extremely powerful....of course as Kalin said...the Trinity proposed "small, powerful, cheap" is purely subjective...it depends on what you feel is small...what you feel is powerful enough and what you feel is cheap (which would depend on your financial standing).

 

[swaaye]

Totally agree. *glances at own sig*

Yes price is important. Please see my response earlier on.