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The Aries rumor; Nintendo Revolution

Posted: 2005-05-02 02:55pm
by Praxis
Okay, I haven't mentioned it that much on this board other than some XBox 2 discussion, but my latest obsession is with the next generation consoles.

I've been scrounging every bit of data I can find, official, rumors, supposed leaks, etc.


For Nintendo, all Nintendo will say is that the system is revolutionary. They say it'll change the way people can play games.

They've also stated it has built in WiFi, built in online play, free online play, and backwards compatability with the GameCube.

As a result, there are more 'leaks' and rumors about the Revolution than any other console...


The latest supposed leak has really caught my attention. It comes from someone claiming to be a developer, called "Aries". I've read almost every bit of information to come from him and he's responded to a number of my questions personally, despite being flooded with dozens of people asking stuff.

Everything he says fits every official statement and most of the supposed leaks I've seen. It fits the companies mentioned, and he names some of the unnamed titles companies are developing (for example, he says he's working on a Vectorman title for Sega. Sega has mentioned they are developing next gen titles, and that one of them is the revival of a classic...that makes sense). The more I hear the more I am convinced he's the real thing.

Here are his first posts (the big ones with the major info). Remember that this was in response to an article where somebody claimed that the Revolution will have 3D goggles with stuff popping out of the screen.
Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 4:41 pm

Here you go:

Brooke got some things right, but much of it is flawed. I don’t know whether he just made up a lot of that stuff, because many of the points have been disproven before. For instance, Game Informer wrote an article on the next generation consoles in which it claims the Revolution’s controller will have one giant touch screen. I’m thinking this is where Brooke got that idea. The Revolution will not have a touch screen. Iwata has stated this before. The controller will be quite normal in the sense that it will have a d-pad and buttons. Like I said, I’m not going to tell you the revolutionary aspect of the system. Nintendo has some cool pre E3 plans for that.

First off, the 3D visuals he mentioned have nothing to do with the system. Nintendo isn’t crazy.

It will also have gyroscopic controls, but like Brooke said, not all the games will use it. For instance, earlier I mentioned Nintendo has a Halo killer in development for the Revolution. This game will use the gyroscopic controls for aiming as wel as other things. Our game isn’t using this function.

The controller will be wireless; he’s right about that. As you also know, the Xbox 360’s controllers will be wireless as well. Where do you think they got this idea? That’s why Nintendo is still trying to determine what to show at E3. From what I’ve heard, they will show the design of the system as well as games. I’ll tell you about the software later though.

The controller will also be pressure sensitive. The pressure you put into it will determine certain things, such as movement. This is another optional capibility. Someone on Nintendo’s board mentioned this months ago. They said that “touching is good, but feeling is better.” This may sound strange, but it provides great controls. Racing games will really be helped by this control setting.

The Nintendo Revolution will also include voice control more advanced than anything seen so far. Nintendogs is just the beginning. To achieve this, Nintendo sent us headsets (similar to ones you can use for Xbox Live) that are wirelessless communicating with the console. Imagine being able to merely call for an airstrike or reload your gun by giving out commands orally. So far, we have put this feature to the test the most; as you can see, I’m excited over this feature.

From a graphical perspective, the Nintendo Revolution is very powerful. Many people seem to think this won’t be the case, but rest assured. The games I saw while working at Nintendo were very beautiful. I’ll tell you about those later.

As Nintendo has stated before, the system will be online. In my eyes, the online system they have set up is the most revolutionary part of the system. While Sony and Microsoft are busy turning their systems into trojan horses for their other electronic devices, Nintendo is going to use the Revolution for direct communication with gamers. The only way I can describe it is as an internet service. Imagine turning it on and checking your mail on the system. You see previews and demos of DS and Revolution games that you can download. A magazine similar to Nintendo Power will be exclusive to the system, and you will be able to access it on the Revolution’s homepage. As you check you mail, you will also see various invitations from gamers on your buddy list who want to play you. There are so many other ways this is going to be used. Once the Revolution comes out, there will be no reason to hang out on message boards. Message boards as well as chat rooms will be available on the Revolution so that gamers can discuss and challenge each other all day. And the best thing is that the entire thing is totally free and easy to use. Why play Madden on Xbox Live when you’ll be able to play it for free on the Revolution with much better services?

That’s all I’m going to reveal for now. There are some very interesting games in the horizon for the Revolution; I’ll talk about them later.




Quote:
Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 5:04 pm

Like Brooke said, console ideas are nothing without good games. Once you see the games, you will understand. I would go as far to say that the Revolution isn’t as revolutionary as Nintendo is saying. It should be called the Nintendo Simplicity, because every aspect I mentioned greatly simplifies the gaming experience. For instance, the pressure sensitive grips on the controller make racing games much easier to control and play. Wave Race (yes, it will be at E3) is going to be very impressive because it will use this function. It will be sort of like controlling a game with one of those stress balls. You squeeze it and you go faster. It’s hard to explain though.

Don’t expect to see too much if any of the controller at E3 though. Nintendo is still trying to decide what to show and what not to show. The games will be revealed, as well as specs and the system design. But the controller is still being considered.

To Jesus: when you see the voice controls, you will be blown away. Go back and watch some sci fi movies with voice controlled vehicles (such as AI or I am Robot).




Quote:
# Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 2:14 pm

You guys are still talking about the 3D angle of that article? Check the date of the patent in question. This has already been used in a game that’s out right now. I would suggest you pay attention to IGN or N-Sider more.

Like I said, I’m going to give out some details on the next gen hardware, especially the Nintendo Revolution. You guys already know a lot of information on the Xbox 360; you guys have already seen the specs of the system. Gamespy released them around GDC. I was at GDC, and I’ll fill you in on some stuff that IGN can’t talk about. Specs and details on the Nintendo Revolution were given out to developers during the conference. I can verify that my company as well as EA and Midway received them at GDC. I’m positive other publishers received them as well.

From what I’ve heard, Capcom and Namco are sold on the Revolution and are currently playing around with the development kits. I don’t know whether they are actually making games for it though. I was suprised to hear that Square Soft has a game in development for the Revolution. It will be at E3 as well as some other next gen titles for the PS3.

I’m currently working on a game for the Revolution as well. I can’t guarantee that it will be at E3 though. I think people are going to be very suprised. When I worked with Nintendo, I was able to see the earliest builds of the system. It has come a long way, to say the least. There are a lot of graphics whores out there who feel the Revolution will be a weak system. They will be very suprised come E3. Microsoft is banking on stealing the show, but I think they will be upstaged by Nintendo as well as Sony. It’s going to be very funny to see them trying to get people excited about Perfect Dark 0 when both Nintendo and Sony will be showing off Halo killers.






Quote:
# Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 3:28 pm



I’m not going to share specs with you because they aren’t really that important. I think Iwata said something like that when asked the same question. All three consoles are going to be very powerful, trust me. I’ll give you some information though: it will be more powerful than the Xbox 360. Much more powerful. Many gamers seem to think it will be as powerful as the GBA or something. That isn’t the case at all. From what I saw during my time their as well as our game, it will be very capible.

But having the most powerful console doesn’t guarantee that gamers are going to buy it. Software sells the games. And if that statement holds true next generation, the Nintendo Revolution will be very popular.

In my next post I will “spill the beans” on everything I know about the Revolution. I’ll give you some hints though. All the rumors out there are not mere rumors. Some are planted by people who are working on the consoles. In fact, Nintendo is doing this right now with the information they’ve released on the Revolution. You are going to see why Nintendo hasn’t just come out and said confirmed that the Revolution is going to be very powerful. You’re going to be punk’d by them in a couple weeks. Pay attention to the boards, especially Nintendo’s board. It’s much better than OurColony.

Aries Says:
April 27th, 2005 at 6:10 am

3rd party information:

EA is playing around with the Revolution’s capibilities, implementing them into another Madden game. This isn’t really news though. From what I’ve heard, they are really going out of their way to make this more than just a port. Voice controls are being used to the max in this title. Calling out audibles will be used this way. The wireless capibilities of the system are also going to be used. Like I said, there will be no reason to buy Madden for the Xbox 360 when the Revolution version comes out.

Sega is developing three games for the Revolution that should be at E3. I’m not going to reveal too much on what they are up to for obvious reasons. The three games I listed does not include the game we are developing for them. You will be very suprised at what they are doing. I’m sure you have heard of the Xbox 360 title Condemned that they are working on. This game is something that many wouldn’t expect Sega to make; you won’t expect what you will see at E3. The other game they have is a typical, quirky Sega game. It’s very interesting in the sense that it uses all the system’s capibilities.

Zoonami has already given out some hints on what they are working on. I have always felt that Sam Fisher is a much better character than Solid Snake. Zoonami just might have some characters that are better than both of them.

Namco is working on a Revolution game, but I don’t have details on it. I am sure that it is not a Soul Caliber III port. I don’t see why they just won’t add online play and Link and Ganon to the game and release it as a launch title. That would be a very smart move.

Activision is working on some ports for the Revolution. You will see what they have for the Xbox 360 at E3. At least one of these games will be ported to the Revolution for its launch.

On 1st party information:

Like I said, I have seen seven Nintendo titles, some of which will be at E3. When the DS was launced, it had one sub par 1st party game. This will not be the case with the Revolution’s launch. If they were to release all the games I’ve seen at launch, it would easily be the best launch ever for a console.

I can confirm that Nintendo is working on a new, orignal Mario game. In my opinion, the last few Miyamoto games havn’t been that interesting. This will change with this game. Like Mario 64 for the N64, this game will introduce all of the capibilities of the console. It will use the pressure sensitive controls mainly, but the voice controls as well as gyroscopic controls will be used as well. From what I saw, this game will use mini games to introduce many of these schemes. All of these mini games could be released as stand alone games.

A new Super Smash Bros. Melee is in the works as well. This game will demonstrate the online functions of the Revolution. Nintendo has added many new things into the game, included a deeper combat system. Many more special moves are included as well as some very cool suprises. The levels will include some destructible environments, and the characters will be fully customizable. Want to play as Mario in his 80’s outfit? Or would you prefer the 90’s look? It’s your choice. The most innovative part of the game is the different modes. In previous games, you were allowed to play in giant mode, metal mode, small mode, etc. That has changed. You will be able to choose to play in a “Paper” mode (a la Paper Mario), a cel shaded mode (Wind Waker), or Viewtiful Joe-esque mode.

As I said earlier, Retro is working on a Halo killer. This game is going to be one of the best games at E3. In my opinion, StarCraft was the best RTS ever. This game is going to use some similar ideas. In most FPS, you play as a hero trying to save the day. In Retro’s game, they allow you to choose which storyline you want to play, just like StarCraft allows you to play as Terran, Zerg, etc. Biological weapons will play a major part in the game. Imagine fighting in a chemical plant, where toxics are stored everywhere. By shooting them, you emit the toxic. If you get hit by this stuff, many different things may happen. For instance, you may lose sight on the screen, your controls might be inverted or slowed down, etc. Or, if your character gets the fever, the controller might get hot. Very hot. The alien races are very interesting also. You will be able to switch to 3rd person in order to move faster (similar to running in Odd World: Stranger’s Wrath). You will be able to “impregnate” human players by grabbing on to them for a certain amount of time. This will implant a NPC in them, which will burst out at your command, instantly killing the human player. You will then be able to use voice control to command the NPC.

This is his final post for now where he stated why he did all this.
This is going to be my last post for awhile. I would like to thank and apologize to Brooke; he has an amazing site, and I have had a great time here. Outside of some impersonaters and spammers, we haven’t had many problems.

As a Nintendo fan, I hated seeing that few people were hyped for the Revolution. It seemed like everyone was busy talking about the Xbox 360 and “the cell”. This wasn’t fair. So I decided to share some of the information I have on the Revolution. I think this decision has rekindled the hype in the console. Breaking NDAs really wasn’t a concern too me; I just want to see Nintendo become respected in the gaming community again. Although I love many of Sony and Microsoft’s games, there has always been a special place in my heart for Nintendo’s classic game. There will never be a series as acclaimed or respected as The Legend of Zelda. There will never be a video game mascot bigger or more recognizable as Mario. Ocarnia of Time is easily the best game I have ever played; Final Fantasy 7 is a distant second.

I hope that the gaming community will regain more fire and hope as E3 approaches. This is easily going to be the best showing in the expo’s eleven year history. Last year, Reggie really brought out the 16 year old Nintendo fan boy in me; his voice and charisma was contagious. When I think of the future of Nintendo, he is one of the first people that comes to my mind. It’s great to see the company become more of a competitor. The Sega vs. Nintendo battle of the 90’s were amazing, and they really helped the gaming world. I would love to see the gaming world get back to this.

E3 is 15 days away, and I can’t wait to share even more information. I have had a truly great time here. It’s always great to connect to the people who have made the gaming industry what it is today. I look forward to talking more at E3. Until then, I probally won’t be able to post here. Next weekend I might be able to get away, but that’s it. I also hope IGN starts releasing some of their information next week as well. It will be an exciting time for all gamers. Everyone will have something to look forward to. So until E3, I’d like to say goodby to you guys. It’s been fun, and I’d love to do this again.


And here is a summary of his statements one member made.
# Paladin69 Says:
May 1st, 2005 at 8:04 am

I’m going to do a summary of everything that appears to be coming from the real Aries. I typed this out on a different message board so I thought I’d paste it here for you all to read as well…

————————————————————-

I’ll tell ya, I’ve learned more from this brokensaints blog than anything else. You just have to do a lot of CTRL + F to filter out the asshat spammers.

I’m super pumped about the NRev now. Extremely pumped. =-)
I’ve been following what the user under the alias name Aries and what he’s been saying real closely this past week. Hes been nice enough to weed out and quote the crap imposters from the the real deal. Sunday (today) will be his last day answering questions as his week break expires and he’s got to head back to work.

A little history about him, he has been with NOA between 1999 to late 2004…he works with a new developer now who has been involved with NRev development…won’t say who for obvious reasons. He claims to have been in a very good position at NOA to know the things he knows. I believe him personally, because what he’s said hasn’t been really out of the ordinary, aside from a massive new effort by Nintendo to bring gamers online, all the other tidbits he’s given jive with some of the rumors we’ve been hearing.

First off there will be no holographic 3D jumping out of the screen. And surprisingly enough, the Revolution controller won’t be as weird as many of us have been thinking. The controller will contain all of the same buttons that the GameCube has and there will be no touch screen. He says Nintendo isn’t crazy. Game Informer = sack of lies. Also any specs on the web are pure speculation, someone was posing as him giving specs, but they aren’t real. He will say NRev will be more powerful than Xbox 360 but slightly underneith PS3 in terms of power.

As of right now, there is no d-pad which is kind of weird. We know games like Metroid Prime and Wind Waker need it for the backwards compatibility to work. He believes it will be implemented eventually. It’s the development process for how NCL works. I guess at one time he claims the DS didn’t have a d-pad either.

First, what Nintendo thinks to be the “revolutionary” aspect of the system isn’t really all that revolutionary as much as it makes things more “simple”. He said the codename should have been “Nintendo Simplicity”, heh. He won’t leak this, but it has something to do with the game medium and storage medium of the system.

He says someone got it correct but he won’t name who. There has been talk of HVD discs…holographic discs that hold a ton of information…but this is all rumor. And the disc is stationary…the laser actually revolves around the disc…the purpose is to almost completely eliminate load times. Something that will be a huge advantage to Nintendo over Sony and Microsoft. Again, this is all speculation.

Now on to the goods for what are the “supposed” facts. In his personal opinion, what makes the Nintendo Revolution deserving of its’ name are a combination of all the new gameplay features that are being added. Some of these we have heard before. Here we go…

- Gyroscopic control
Retro is working on an all new FPS IP that he claims will be Nintendo’s “Halo Killer”. It will utilize this gyration feature to the fullest for aiming to create a new experience.

- Controller handles contain pressure sensative ball grips.
The amount of pressure applied determines the change in gameplay. He says NST is working on a brand new Wave Race for the NRev launch and it’ll utilize this feature. The tighter the grip, the faster your jetski will go. He also wanted to add that the water effects are phenominal, the most realistic water he’s ever seen in a video game to date.

- Advanced voice recognition.
He said think “Nintendogs” but far more advanced. He said his company is working on a game to utilize this feature…the NRev dev kit has been giving out a wireless mic headset that looks similar to Xbox Live. Examples he gave were calling audibles in a new Madden game or organizing and giving squad based commands in a next-gen Rainbow Six.

- Online Gaming Network.
Free. Yes he claims it will be free. Believe it or not, he believes Nintendo has the best online network being setup…better than what Sony and even Microsoft is doing. But it won’t be just for games. Nintendo is commited to bringing gamers together and offer new forms of communication. You can even surf message boards and chat with your fellow gamers. He believes things like IGN forums won’t even be needed anymore. Gyration will also aid in the surfing ability. The ability to download works of progress and previews of future games will be available. You’ll even be able to download demo’s for the DS…NRev and DS can communicate thru their wi-fi. Nintendo is already experimenting with the downloadable DS promos in Japan. The NRev and a broadband connection will make this available for everyone soon.

- Wireless controllers.
By default, the controllers will be wireless like the wavebird. Nothing has been mentioned about rumble feedback or if it will recharge lithium-ion style yet.

On to the games…

- Retro has a new FPS IP. Sorry, no Metroid Prime 3 yet SiM.
- New Wave Race by NST…grip sensative acceleration and kick ass water effects
- New Smash Bros that will indeed contain online play. I know, sounds too good to be true. The only other thing he said is the graphical style can be changed…Paper Mario style and cel-shaded style options will be available.
- All new 3rd person action IP being jointly developed by Eiji Aounoma & Hideo Kojima (the reason why he’s not working on MGS4) He said it’ll be a furturistic setting and you play as a cyborg ninja. Each developer has great respect for one another and they wanted to make a game together. Aries claims it’ll combined the best of both worlds, Zelda, and MGS, in terms of gameplay.
- Mario Revolution. It will utilize every feature of the NRev and include mini-games in the same sense that Mario 64 DS did. He doesn’t believe this will make the NRev launch because last he seen, it was still very early in development. Shiggy has been too busy with Zelda and Mario 128 for Cube. Yes Mario 128 will be for GameCube and it’s a seperate title from Mario Revolution.

As for GameCube…
Mario 128 isn’t really that grand, he doesn’t know why Miyamoto was hyping it so much. There isn’t really any ideas that other developers can “steal”. He’s afraid some people will be disappointed because of the built hype(prepare for GCNGB whiners). He does say the game will be extremely fun and it’ll feel like the true spiritual successor to Mario 64. Zelda will of course blow us away.

As for the DS…
DS will be unveiling their online plan. Mario Kart DS & Metroid Hunters will indeed be online along with Animal Crossing. He also said that a new Smash Bros DS will be shown and it’ll be online as well. This may be that “other” mysterious game that Craig-IGN said he was hyped for.

Anywho, that’s it. Chew on that for what you will, I believe this Aries guy personally. We’ve heard a lot of that stuff many times before, the only thing that sounds too good to be true is the new aggressive online effort he claims. But we all know the wi-fi push Nintendo has been doing lately…I guess we’ll find out in 16 days.


There is an INSANE amount of information, dozens of people bombarding him with questions, thousands of posts, him trying to answer as much as he can, imposters posting with his name while he posts try to tell people who the imposters are...it becomes a mess for about two days, the 28th and 29th, till the spammers quit.

I read through the entire thread, way too much to quote here, but I'm fairly certain he's the real deal. And very hopeful :)

The more I read the more I am convinced he either is the real thing, or a Nintendo spy trying to start hype. Or he's one of the greatest liars of our generation.


Take it for what you will.


My second post will just have a bunch of interesting quotes from him, skip them if you don't want to read it all.

Posted: 2005-05-02 03:00pm
by Praxis
Random Aries quotes:
Lostlegend: One word to describe the “revolutionary” aspect of the system? I already have used the word “simple” to describe it, so I’ll use another one. Evolution. And I am not using the word in the sense that games will be able to grow or anything like that, as SnsoryOverload suggested. I am using it in the sense that the Revolution will use a function that is just the logical evolution of interactive media. When you see it you will understand what I mean. It isn’t going to be anything totally alien to the average person.
Word Assassin: I agree with you. I was disappointed with Super Mario Sunshine, mainly because Nintendo hasn’t made a “real” Mario game in so long. I think Mario 128 is going to please a lot of people. As you already know, the game has been in development for a very long time. It could have been shown at E3 2004 in video form like the Zelda game, but Nintendo chose not to. I really don’t understand that. I think Miyamoto has hyped this game too much. Developers are not going to steal anything from this. In my opinion, Mario 128 will be a great game; it will include many older features that were not in Mario 64. But, like I said, it isn’t going to be the “innovative” work of genius some think it will be.
I mentioned many details on Super Smash Brothers already. It will include online play as well as many different play modes. You will be able to change the graphical presention to a paper theme (Paper Mario) as well as a cel shaded theme (Wind Waker and Viewtiful Joe). The combat system will also be increased.
Waltuo: I have seen early designs of it, but nothing concrete; Nintendo has no doubt changed it many times.

SnsoryOverload: I wouldn’t say that. All three companies are going to reveal very good hardware, but they will be different. I think Microsoft is focusing on power over innovation. The Xbox 360, in my opinion, is just a beefed up Xbox. Sure, the Xbox Live function will be advanced, but it isn’t nearly as interesting as the Revolution’s online system. The software is going to make it appealing though. As you know already, it has alot of 3rd party support. With the PS3, Sony is mixing sheer power and innovation. They are going to suprise some people at E3 as well. The PS3 is far more ahead in development than many think.
GAH: Well, I have done more than one summary already, but I will do another brief one with regards to the Revolution’s features. It will include gyroscopic and pressure sensitive controls. It will also have a very advanced form of voice controls. The online system will be similar to the internet in the sense that it will allow users to chat and use message boards. Like Iwata said, it will provide free online play.

...

bleed 4or me: No, I don’t know anything about a Revolution version of Mario Kart. At E3, Nintendo is going to show off Mario Kart DS, and that should hold you over until a Revolution version (or the GP version) comes out.

...

In my opinion, Microsoft is rushing into the next generation too fast. I’m sure the Xbox 360 will be a good system, and I’m sure that it will preform well in the US. But once again Microsoft is going to wind up losing millions of dollars on production costs. Due to the power of each of the systems, I expect the next generation life cycle to be very long. This might not bode well for Microsoft if they do wind up failing in Japan and losing millions due to production costs.
I mentioned that the Xbox 360 will be the “weakest” console, and I stand by that statement.
OJ: I don’t have much information on which games are going to be launch titles, but I’ll give a few guesses. Our game isn’t going to be a launch title. I would bet Wave Race, Super Smash Bros., Camelot’s RPG, Retro’s FPS, Madden, and Activision’s games (which will be Xbox 360 ports) will be released at launch. I’m also sure Nintendo will release the Mario game as well; I’m sure it’s farther in development by now. The other games I mentioned, including Square Enix’s project, were so early in development when I heard about them that I would guess they might not be released at launch. We’ll see.

MrNintendo: The online capabilities and the voice controls are my favorite aspects of the Nintendo Revolution. The online plan is very interesting from what I know right now. All the games will support their own message boards and chat rooms so that players can meet. Nintendo will also use it to communicate with gamers by sending previews and demos for future games to them.

The voice control system is very easy to use, and it is very effective. Nitntendo sent us headsets which allow us to use this function, so I’m sure headsets will be included in the final version when it arrives on the market. In our game, we are using it for many different functions. For instance, gamers will be able to transform their character into various vehicles by giving specific voice commands. I can’t think of any games out right now that compare to this level of command. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory uses voice chat better than any game out right now in my opinion. I can’t imagine how amazing a next generation Splinter Cell would be using the Revolution’s capabilities.

GAME BOY TIME! (Another Aries post)
Foster: I don’t understand why people are so fixated on the “Game Boy Evolution”. The DS is going to be around for a very long time. I’m sure Nintendo has talked about the next Game Boy, and I would be willing to bet that they have some ideas written down. But I also bet that it won’t be discussed at E3 unless a journalist brings it up.

The DS is going to have a very goof E3 showing. The promise of free online play for Metroid Hunters, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart is enough to convince me to keep my DS.

More Aries on the DS and Rev:
Bacon: No really. Nintendo is already doing this with the DS in Japan. You can download demos at certain spots in Japan. Meteos and Nintendogs have been used with this. You are right on the message boards that Nintendo has never done that before. But when you listen to what they have said this year, it isn’t hard to believe. They are trying to make online gaming include more of a community aspect. The DS is just the beginning of this plan.

MrNintendo: That’s a very good idea in my opinion. I don’t have much information on that though. I do know that the gyroscopic controls will be ued as a mouse to navigate the screen. They might also use the DS as a keyboard, but that is just my own speculation.
More DS:
Bloodman: Yes, it will have analog sticks. I mentioned this earlier.

ZeldaOwnsU: Your screen name should give you a hint. Also, the DS’ online system will be unvealed. I’m sure Nintendo has some other suprises as well. Metroid Hunters, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Diamond, and some other games will be online for the DS. I can confirm that another Super Smash Brothers will be revealed as well. I would bet it will be online as well. I love my PSP, but I probally won’t be playing it during the holiday season due to some of the games I mentioned above.
No name: The gyroscopic and voice controls remind me of sci fi movies. For instance, in I Robot cars were able to automatically drive in cruise control if the driver “told” it to. Obviously, with the gyroscopic controls, Minority Report would be an example. The “revolutionary” aspect is pretty ordinary in my opinion. It makes games simple, but it’s something everyone is familiar with. A good example would be the DS’ touch screen. If someone came up to you and told you that Nintendo would make a handhelp with two screens in 1993, you probally wouldn’t believe them. Now, what if the person gave you a hint that the second screen would use a “revolutionary” function that you would automatically be familiar with? You would never guess that it would be a touch screen. Everyone knows how to “doodle” on paper, and Nintendo took that simple idea and added on to it to create the DS.

No name: A few months ago, some rumors came out that Nintendo was working on two different versions of the Revolution. One would have a hard drive, while the other wouldn’t. This rumor was almost correct. Nintendo is still throwing the idea around of using a hard drive. I hope the final version has one, because it would be so much easier to use than a bunch of memory cards.

Bacon: You’re right, they aren’ working on the Revolution right now. I still believe that they will eventually.


About new SSB:
Bloodman: It will include some different characters. Some of the older characters will will not be in this one; Falco isn’t going to be in it. The only new characters I have heard about are Krystal (from Star Fox) and Pit (from Kid Icarus). The inclusion of Pit is very interesting to me. Would Nintendo actually bring back a series this old? We’ll see. I have no information on a new game in the series though.

This is my last post of the day. Sunday will be my last day on this blog for awhile, since I will have to go back to work.



THIS POST NOT BY ARIES, but by the guy who was most intent at proving Aries a liar:
I believe Aries is telling the truth, now. The whole bank thing has been proven wrong, and it the way he speaks shows confidence and knowledge. No fanboy could be this clear and detailed, and go on for this long. He keeps saying well see in E3, and it sounds like he really means it


I was asking whether the Revolution had a hard drive or not considering there were downloadable demos, and whether music/videos/savegames could be transferred to the Revolution either through disks or the network.
Praxis: The inclusion of a hard drive is still being debated. Developers are hoping that Nintendo does put one in, and I think they will.

I don’t think the Revolution will have those kinds of media functions. I’d be willing to bet that you will not be able to store music on it, and I also would bet it will not play DVD’s.

Posted: 2005-05-02 03:31pm
by McNum
Hmm... Sounds interesting. Did I understand it right that not only were the buttons on the controller pressure sensitve, but so were the grips on the controller? That's kind of cool.

If the voice commads are as powerful as they're saying I can see several very intersting ideas from that. Madden and Rainbox Six are like they said obvious and I'm sure Nintendo have something wacky, yet interesting up their sleeves with this... they usually do.

The cynic in me picked up somehing from it, too. He said that "certain information" has been leaked by Nintendo on purpose. Here we are, two weeks from E3 and now this is leaked... Could it be Nintendo themselves that are leaking this? If it is it's a good example of Viral Marketing. Maybe Nintendo are picking up on marketing strategy because intentional or not this information got me a bit hyped for the Revolution...

Posted: 2005-05-02 03:35pm
by SirNitram
Interesting stuff; if it proves right, the Revolution could come out alot stronger than the last two Nintendo systems. It seems to have a number of features to combat the 'What's after photorealism?' debate for games future.

I do have to agree on the X-Box sounding weak. Going with an 8GB disk while the competitors are going with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? Suicide. The quest for 'First to market' is gonna cost them, I think, in the long run.

Posted: 2005-05-02 03:38pm
by SirNitram
McNum wrote:The cynic in me picked up somehing from it, too. He said that "certain information" has been leaked by Nintendo on purpose. Here we are, two weeks from E3 and now this is leaked... Could it be Nintendo themselves that are leaking this? If it is it's a good example of Viral Marketing. Maybe Nintendo are picking up on marketing strategy because intentional or not this information got me a bit hyped for the Revolution...
It wouldn't be impossible. The internet is certainly changing the way things work; a Blog has brought the government's attempt to squash terror numbers to a halt, Google is growing like crazy from viral marketing, and word of mouth is becoming important again.

If Nintendo is conducting intentional leaks, they're brilliant. Since they, to my knowledge, haven't confirmed much of anything including the time they'll release it, it would let them get customer feedback and have time to make some last minute tweaks.

Posted: 2005-05-02 04:05pm
by Vendetta
Intentional "leaks" are an important PR tool.

BlairGov has occasionally allowed things to "leak" to direct media attention where they wanted it.

In the internet world, it's as useful as metagame marketing like ilovebees and ourcolony.

Posted: 2005-05-02 04:25pm
by Praxis
McNum wrote:Hmm... Sounds interesting. Did I understand it right that not only were the buttons on the controller pressure sensitve, but so were the grips on the controller? That's kind of cool.

If the voice commads are as powerful as they're saying I can see several very intersting ideas from that. Madden and Rainbox Six are like they said obvious and I'm sure Nintendo have something wacky, yet interesting up their sleeves with this... they usually do.

The cynic in me picked up somehing from it, too. He said that "certain information" has been leaked by Nintendo on purpose. Here we are, two weeks from E3 and now this is leaked... Could it be Nintendo themselves that are leaking this? If it is it's a good example of Viral Marketing. Maybe Nintendo are picking up on marketing strategy because intentional or not this information got me a bit hyped for the Revolution...
Yeah, the way I understood it the controller grips are pressure sensitive.


As for "certain information"...

Gyroscopic controllers were claimed 3 months ago by a so-called "insider".
Pressure sensitive controller grips were also claimed by another.

Nintendo themselves said they'd have built in WiFi and online, and said the DS online would be free, which led many to assume the Rev would be free as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if Aries is working for Nintendo trying to start hype. But I don't think he's a lying fanboy. He's either:

A) Telling the truth
B) Working for Nintendo PR

In my opinion.

He could just be a well informed lying fanboy. :lol: But I didn't get that impression at all.

The new information from him is that it would have BOTH Gyros and pressure sensors, and also all the online details and voice control.

He mentioned that they were going to use the gyroscopes to control vehicles in the Vectorman game he's working on, as well as the voice controls, but they might not use the pressure sensors. Everything is optional for the developers, Nintendo aren't making requirements like Microsoft's mandatory XBox Live and HD support.

Posted: 2005-05-02 04:27pm
by Praxis
SirNitram wrote: If Nintendo is conducting intentional leaks, they're brilliant. Since they, to my knowledge, haven't confirmed much of anything including the time they'll release it, it would let them get customer feedback and have time to make some last minute tweaks.
This is interesting, since when I asked Aries about the release date he said that Nintendo had not given them a date (he had mentioned earlier that the game they are working on is not a launch title) for the launch but his guess would be that both Nintendo and Sony would launch late 2006.

That got a reaction from a number of board members...it could be like you say, trying to gouge the consumer reaction. Most people thought it would be unwise to led Microsoft have a full one year lead, and that they should launch early to mid 2006.

Posted: 2005-05-02 05:10pm
by SirNitram
Praxis wrote:
SirNitram wrote: If Nintendo is conducting intentional leaks, they're brilliant. Since they, to my knowledge, haven't confirmed much of anything including the time they'll release it, it would let them get customer feedback and have time to make some last minute tweaks.
This is interesting, since when I asked Aries about the release date he said that Nintendo had not given them a date (he had mentioned earlier that the game they are working on is not a launch title) for the launch but his guess would be that both Nintendo and Sony would launch late 2006.

That got a reaction from a number of board members...it could be like you say, trying to gouge the consumer reaction. Most people thought it would be unwise to led Microsoft have a full one year lead, and that they should launch early to mid 2006.
Notice how he keeps mentioning the hard drive being debated.. Let me guess.. Lots of folks weighing in as well? It would be an extremely intelligent method of gathering customer feedback without the potential biases of normal polling.

As for X-Box having a full year? How long ago after the first of the current-gen platforms was X-Box launched?

Posted: 2005-05-02 05:25pm
by Praxis
SirNitram wrote:
Praxis wrote:
SirNitram wrote: If Nintendo is conducting intentional leaks, they're brilliant. Since they, to my knowledge, haven't confirmed much of anything including the time they'll release it, it would let them get customer feedback and have time to make some last minute tweaks.
This is interesting, since when I asked Aries about the release date he said that Nintendo had not given them a date (he had mentioned earlier that the game they are working on is not a launch title) for the launch but his guess would be that both Nintendo and Sony would launch late 2006.

That got a reaction from a number of board members...it could be like you say, trying to gouge the consumer reaction. Most people thought it would be unwise to led Microsoft have a full one year lead, and that they should launch early to mid 2006.
Notice how he keeps mentioning the hard drive being debated.. Let me guess.. Lots of folks weighing in as well? It would be an extremely intelligent method of gathering customer feedback without the potential biases of normal polling.

As for X-Box having a full year? How long ago after the first of the current-gen platforms was X-Box launched?
The GameCube and XBox both came one year after the PS2.

The PS2 outweighs both put together in market share.

Microsoft have said a few times that they are convinced Sony only beat them because Sony got the system out first.

Although the Dreamcast came before the PS2 and look what happened to it...there is such a thing as too early.


But yeah, you've got a point. He could very well be working straight for Nintendo. If so, hopefully he tells them to stick a hard drive in there so we can save the demos we download :D

Posted: 2005-05-02 05:31pm
by Praxis
Oh, if anyone is interested in reading the actual posts (warning; may take hours, lol)...


http://brokensaints.com/blog/?p=48


Use Ctrl-F to find his posts, watch out for imposters. Since its a blog there is no registration so there are a few posts where imposters using the same name make up stuff.

One of the imposter posts for example was where somebody posted that the Revolution has three 4 GHz PowerPC processors, blah blah blah, etc etc. Aries afterwards said that post was not him, and he would not reveal specs because they were not important, so ignore anyone posting them.

Hmmm. Come to think about it, that refusal to give the actual specifications but only to tell us that it is more powerful than the XBox 360 implies even further that he's working for Nintendo.

Posted: 2005-05-02 06:21pm
by McNum
Praxis wrote:Hmmm. Come to think about it, that refusal to give the actual specifications but only to tell us that it is more powerful than the XBox 360 implies even further that he's working for Nintendo.
After the stunt they pulled last E3 with... was it Reggie? Where he held up a folded piece of paper saying "These are the specs for the Nintendo Revolution..." and they put it away saying "but these aren't important..."

It does sound like Nintendo talk, doesn't it?

Whatever they're up to this Aeris person's ideas don't sound too far out and considering Nintendo's curret track record it might just be true.

Posted: 2005-05-02 06:30pm
by Praxis
Especially when you consider the Nintendo-Gyration deal, the fact that they already promised online play, and the fact that all the major rumors and rumor sites toward either gyroscopes, pressure sensors, or both...hmmm...

Remember he said the Revolution can download DS demos as well? Nintendo has been experimenting with this recently. The DS has a download play function so that you can download the multiplayer side of a game from a friend's DS and play him without actually having the game. HOWEVER, in Japan Nintendo is unrolling special Nintendo wireless stations at stores that transmit game demos for people with DS's to download and play.

Since there is already a precedent for being able to download DS game demos, it could very well be that you can download DS demos to the Revolution and have it transmit to the DS via download play...

Be true...please be true.... :D

Posted: 2005-05-02 08:25pm
by Master of Ossus
What are the specs for the next-gen consoles looking like? Do we have definitive specs on any of them?

As for the HD, ideally there would be a slot for a removable HD so a user could choose to get one or not, and also choose how much they were willing to spend on the feature to get a really good one or a really bad one, or even swap them out.

And incidentally, the only reason why anyone would claim that the specs are unimportant on a system like this is if they know that their product has specs that are dramatically better or dramatically worse than its competitors. I'm betting on "better," in this case.

Posted: 2005-05-02 08:51pm
by Anarchist Bunny
Online Super Smash Bros? DS and Revolution?



I may never need to masturbate manually again.

Posted: 2005-05-02 09:00pm
by Hamel
Master of Ossus wrote:What are the specs for the next-gen consoles looking like? Do we have definitive specs on any of them?

As for the HD, ideally there would be a slot for a removable HD so a user could choose to get one or not, and also choose how much they were willing to spend on the feature to get a really good one or a really bad one, or even swap them out.

And incidentally, the only reason why anyone would claim that the specs are unimportant on a system like this is if they know that their product has specs that are dramatically better or dramatically worse than its competitors. I'm betting on "better," in this case.
X360 is almost certainly getting a triple core G5 cpu, will definately have ATI's next gen card (r520 with SM 3.0), at least 256 megs of ram, and 10+ megs of edram for high resolution and antialiasing. MS is requiring 16:9 ratios and HD standard in all games for the system. There will be an optional hard drive with Halo 2.5 (Halo 2 in high definition and graphically improved) preloaded, and the drive may allow for backwards compatibility.

I have heard that Revolution is probably getting a 2+ core G5 cpu, dual ATI cards codenamed Hollywood (each being weaker than r520, but together more powerful), 256+ megs of ram, and a physics processing unit. Controllers will probably have gyration tech and pressure sensitive buttons/grips, but Nintendo isn't requiring all games to utilize them.

PS3 will have at least one Cell cpu, an Nvidia card, and I have no idea how much ram. Almost everyone assumes the PS3 is the most powerful of all the systems, an idea based on anonymous supposed statements from developers. Whatever.

Posted: 2005-05-02 09:26pm
by Admiral Bravo
Wow. I'm really looking forward to this now.

Posted: 2005-05-02 09:48pm
by DarkSilver
At the moment, I'm still placing my bets on the PS3 and the NR.

Times like this I wish I was still working with Ianstorm...I could have gotten a press pass and entrance to E3 this year..

would love to check out the Sony and Nintendo boothes with my own eyes this year...

Posted: 2005-05-02 10:40pm
by Praxis
Hamel wrote:
Master of Ossus wrote:What are the specs for the next-gen consoles looking like? Do we have definitive specs on any of them?.
X360 is almost certainly getting a triple core G5 cpu, will definately have ATI's next gen card (r520 with SM 3.0), at least 256 megs of ram, and 10+ megs of edram for high resolution and antialiasing. MS is requiring 16:9 ratios and HD standard in all games for the system. There will be an optional hard drive with Halo 2.5 (Halo 2 in high definition and graphically improved) preloaded, and the drive may allow for backwards compatibility.

I have heard that Revolution is probably getting a 2+ core G5 cpu, dual ATI cards codenamed Hollywood (each being weaker than r520, but together more powerful), 256+ megs of ram, and a physics processing unit. Controllers will probably have gyration tech and pressure sensitive buttons/grips, but Nintendo isn't requiring all games to utilize them.

PS3 will have at least one Cell cpu, an Nvidia card, and I have no idea how much ram. Almost everyone assumes the PS3 is the most powerful of all the systems, an idea based on anonymous supposed statements from developers. Whatever.

Incorrect on a number of points.

The XBox 360 is not getting a triple core G5. Do you have ANY idea how much a 3 core 3 GHz G5 would cost? lol.


The XBox 360 is getting a tri-core 3 GHz PowerPC. Not a G5. Seems like a nitpick but there is a huge difference. Why? The PowerPC in the XBox 360 gets 2 Instructions Per Clock Cycle. Compare this to 6 in a Pentium 4.

This is EXTREMELY crude math, not taking into account SMP overheads, architectural differences, etc...but...

3 GHz x 3 cores = 9, divided by 3 due to lower IPC... XBox 360 processor = 3 GHz Pentium 4.

Take out SMP overheads and it's considerably slower than a 3 GHz Pentium 4.

Also, the XBox 360 is launching too early for the next generation storage formats, so its using standard DVD.


PS3 has a Cell processor and NVidia graphics card, Blu-ray drive, and will be the last to launch. No actual specs other than that.


The Revolution rumor you cite is incorrect; that was an Aries imposter posting using that name who claimed those specs. There are no confirmed specs on the Revolution at all except ATi graphics cards and IBM processors.

Aries made a big point of saying that those specs were NOT posted by him but by an imposter.

The PS3 will probably be the most powerful for the simple reason that it is the last to launch.


The XBox 360 will probably be the least powerful because it is being launched considerably earlier than the rest.


XBox 360 does NOT have a built in hard drive (for sure), though it is an optional add on, and reports indicate no backwards compatability.


EDIT: I said it was my obsession :lol:

Posted: 2005-05-02 10:42pm
by Praxis
Master of Ossus wrote: And incidentally, the only reason why anyone would claim that the specs are unimportant on a system like this is if they know that their product has specs that are dramatically better or dramatically worse than its competitors. I'm betting on "better," in this case.
Aries stated that he can guarantee the Revolution is more powerful than the XBox 360, and is not sure how it stacks up against the PS3 at the moment but suspects the PS3 is a bit more powerful.

Posted: 2005-05-02 11:07pm
by Hamel
Praxis wrote:snips

EDIT: I said it was my obsession :lol:
Poop

However I did mean PowerPC instead of G5, that's a mislabeling alot of people make, you have to admit

Posted: 2005-05-02 11:23pm
by Praxis
Oh definitely, it's a mislabelling, but its a HUGE mislabelling.

It's like saying, "I own a Mustang" instead of saying, "I own a Ford".

But it is a very common mislabelling, don't feel bad ;)

Posted: 2005-05-03 03:13am
by felineki
Wow, a new Smash Bros.? With free online play?! The future is looking bright. :)

Posted: 2005-05-03 11:00am
by Praxis
felineki wrote:Wow, a new Smash Bros.? With free online play?! The future is looking bright. :)

Well...
# ZeldaOwnsU Says:
April 30th, 2005 at 2:10 pm

Aries, can you tell us ANYTHING about waht the DS has in store for the future?



Aries Says:
April 30th, 2005 at 2:32 pm

Bloodman: Yes, it will have analog sticks. I mentioned this earlier.

ZeldaOwnsU: Your screen name should give you a hint. Also, the DS’ online system will be unvealed. I’m sure Nintendo has some other suprises as well. Metroid Hunters, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Diamond, and some other games will be online for the DS. I can confirm that another Super Smash Brothers will be revealed as well. I would bet it will be online as well. I love my PSP, but I probally won’t be playing it during the holiday season due to some of the games I mentioned above.

Yep. That's right. TWO Super Smash Bros. games. One for DS, and one for Revolution next year. :D

Posted: 2005-05-03 12:32pm
by Glocksman
I hate to by cynical, but does anyone remember that Nintendo has a well-established history of vaporware?
Years ago, I swore I'd never buy another Nintendo product after the lying bastards swore they had a CD drive coming out for the SNES. In fact, the only reason I bought a SNES over a Genesis was the promised CD drive that they said would blow away anything Sega had at the time.

Take any and all claims from Nintendo with a very large dose of salt until you have the hardware in your hands.