Nintendo Revolution Revealed

Probably the best kept next generation console secret finally gets an airing at the 2005 E3 show. The Nintendo Revolution console, the replacement for the Gamecube, had its design revealed today.

Revolution appears to be the confirmed final title for the machine, as the console itself is branded with the name in the photo. The actual machine itself is tiny enough to be pretty versatile, as it can sit flat or stand vertically thanks to a silver, detachable stand.

Revolution is roughly the size of three DVD cases. In other words, it’s tiny. Interestingly, it’s completely lacking in visible buttons or ports (the controllers are wireless), making it by far the most minimalist of the three next-gen machines. You’ll find the 4 controller and 2 memory slots under a flap along one side of the unit.

Discs are housed via a front-loading slot and it will play games on full-size DVDs, as well as being backwards compatible with the smaller Gamecube discs.

As shown, it’s not just coming to us in one colour either, finally we get a choice to co-ordinate with the rest of your home A/V equipment. With the desire to become more versatile than just a games console, the Revolution will become the first Nintendo hardware to provide DVD movie playback.

The Revolution will feature a free online matchmaking service ala Xbox Live with downloadable content in the form of a library of archived games. From old school games like Donkey Kong to modern GameCube releases like Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo says they’ll all be available for download on Revolution, though a price, if there will be one, has yet to be determined.

Nintendo Revolution is due to go on sale in 2006. A firm release date and price have yet to be revealed.

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