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Nintendo to give 'Revolution' details soon
Nintendo plans to announce the price, launch date and other details for its next-generation game console by the end of the year.
Nintendo Co Ltd plans to announce the price, launch date and other details for its next-generation game console by the end of the year, its president said on Thursday.
Nintendo earlier this week unveiled its console, code-named "Revolution," and said it will launch in 2006, giving users access to more than 20 years of games from past Nintendo consoles.
The Revolution, roughly the size of three stacked DVD cases, will feature wireless controllers, built-in wireless Internet access, and an add-on for DVD playback.
"We plan to give details on when we will launch it, what the price will be, what the controller will look like and how games can be played on it by the end of the year," said Nintendo's Satoru Iwata, speaking to Reuters at the Electronic Entertainment Expo annual trade show, known as E3.
Some gamers and industry analysts had criticised Nintendo for providing sparse details on the new machine, comparing it to Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp's unveiling of slicker, graphic-intense next-generation machines.
But Iwata said he didn't want to tip his hand to rivals.
Iwata said the new console is aimed at customers who hate clutter and find current games and the controllers used to play them to be confusing and difficult.
"In the past we tried to entice new users with increasingly sophisticated graphics, improved sound, and complex storytelling, but to a big extent, I think we've pursued that as much as we can," said Iwata.
"Right now, game consoles are important for the game fan, but for the rest of the family, it's just a piece of nuisance that's loud and eats up electricity... We want to create games for people who haven't played games but are curious about them."
He said the company was already talking to third-party game publishers about including their old Nintendo-compatible games in the downloadable archives.
