Late Night PC

There's some pretty huge coverage of the Nintendo press conference over on Engadget but what I'm interested in first is the nuts and bolts of the Revolution.

They've graciously summarized that here.

From the picture, it looks like it will be easier to fit in the entertainment center than the Xbox360. It's going to be about the size of 3 DVD cases and lays flat or stands up. What's with these designers anyway? They say they want to be an "entertainment hub" but they won't make a simple rectangular box.

It sounds like Nintendo is showing up late to the party again, with just a "larger than life size" prototype and specs that may not cut the mustard when it finally shows up on store shelves some time next year. I've heard that Nintendo prefers to make announcements at other trade shows that are more friendly to them. I've also heard the argument that Nintendo wants to wait until the talk about the other consoles dies down.

I don't know if I buy that. I think we're seeing Nintendo get beaten in the market they've been a real name in for decades. Case-in-point is the "All-Access Gaming" feature. While it sounds cool when they say I can play all the games they've had on all their systems for the past twenty years, stop and think for a while. When your friends are playing Quake 4, are you going to want to go home to Duck Hunt?

The only way I see for them to save themselves is in the price point. If they offer the Revolution for a substantial savings over the competition, they've got a selling point. Consumers looking for a game console for their kids (or grand kids) don't want to read through the laundry list of features for the PS3 or Xbox 360. They could well see the Revolution next to those on the shelf (albeit not until next year) and say "Oh cool, it can play 'Duck Hunt'!"