Something strange is happening. If you avoid the forum trolls and fanboys and talk to people that can string two sentences together, you’ll find that there’s a groundswell of optimism for the Revolution. Mike at GGA thinks this “virtual library of games” can work:
However, then Nintendo dropped the bomb for me. “Virtual console.” The ability to play 20 years of Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64 first-party (and hopefully third-party) games. Wow. Wow-oh-wow. This was what caught my attention. This is what I’m excited about with Nintendo’s new console, and I doubt I’m the only one.
No, you’re definitely not the only one. This may actually be a cool idea.
Amit thinks so, too
I’d like to slip in the theory that no matter what the Revolution promises to deliver, the fact that it plays every game Nintendo’s ever released is a revolution on its own.
And it’s not just the bloggers. Talking to my buddy today and he tells me that when he heard about the ability to download old games he decided that the Revolution would be his first console purchase of the next generation. And the game he was most excited about downloading? Earthbound? No. Super Metroid? Nope. Tecmo Super Bowl. Tecmo Super “Bo Frickin’ Jackson” Bowl. I hadn’t even thought about that one. There are so many games that could be available, it just boggles the mind.
It will be interesting to see what kind of library will be available. Will it just be Nintendo titles or do they maintain publishing rights to everybody’s games? There are some A-list games that are not Nintendo’s IP so I’m interested to know if I’ll be able to download Final Fantasy III or RC Pro Am. If they release the whole library, HOLY CRAP ON A STICK, watch out. And prices? If they are a buck for run-of-the-mill titles and five to ten bucks for A-list games they will make a killing. Killing. And what if they release games that never made it over here to the states? My brain hurts thinking of the possibilities.
This is some cool stuff.
Update: I forgot to mention this earlier – buttonmashing.com was linked by the L.A. Times here. I hope the Los Angelinos enjoyed their visit and that they come back often!
Joseph Valencia says
Hmmm… Could the Revolution end up becoming the iPod of game consoles?
Brinstar says
It is extremely cool to be able to play that huge back catalogue, but nostalgia is hardly revolutionary. Where is the future?
AgentGray says
Um…a buck or a couple bucks a game would rule, but do we really see Nintendo doing that? Take the GBA “Classic” line, for instance.
I love this idea, but I’m under the assumption that we’ll be paying for these games all over again.
Tony says
Being the iPod of consoles is my personal hope (man, these Apple comparisons won’t go away, will they?) It may not be the revolution, but like you said, Brinstar, it is pretty dang cool.
As far as the price, AgentGrey is right, they did “gouge” with the GBA Classics, but the overhead (silicon, cartridge, box, manual, shipping, etc) are all gone. Now it’s just 1’s and 0’s on a server that can be served up with practically no cost. The hope is that they pass that saving on to us.
Drew haas says
If this is only a small fraction of the capabilities of the revolution, sign me up. Lest you forget we have not even uncovered the revolutionary aspect of this system (controller, graphics, Right Brain is going to go crazy?. What about if Nintendo had an online options for all of these older games? Maybe the option to create your own online rendition of games. Here we GO NINTENDO!!!!!
Drew haas says
If this is only a small fraction of the capabilities of the revolution, sign me up. Lest you forget we have not even uncovered the revolutionary aspect of this system (controller, graphics, Right Brain is going to go crazy?. What about if Nintendo had an online options for all of these older games? Maybe the option to create your own online rendition of games. Here we GO NINTENDO!!!!!
Vinsum says
It is cool to come across a “non-fanboy” blog that actually sees the possible and seemingly very probable postion of the Big N in the next generation. I won’t go into a rant myself here but while Sony and MS tout their machines as being x times more powerful than the current systems, over-exaggeration has been proven on part of both. The Revolution’s development is incomplete and with the competitors having shown most if not all of their cards, Nintendo has the opportunity to bump up its own specs if they even have a need to. I was late in getting R4 for my ‘cube but after seeing it with my own eyes, I am totally on ship in realizing that making games “look better” should not be the priority right now. Truth is, I don’t want to find myself playing ANY videogame that looks so photo-realistic that it feels like I am actually running, jumping and shooting with/at an image that looks like I am gazing out of the window instead of into a virtual world.
Like everyone else, I am waiting on finding out more about the Revolutionary aspects. Gyroscopes, mind control, etc. I have read so many different thoughts and theories I can’t keep track of them all. I will never consider myself a fanboy, but I do have a loyalty and belief in Nintendo…and I have no doubt they are going to step to the plate and hit a grandslam that will silence most (if not all) of the haters, and draw the masses scurrying back in droves. All just my humble opinion, at least for now…