The Buzz: Revolution Speculation

» Twilight Becomes Revolution's Daylight

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess retains its mysterious release date of "to be determined." There is no denying that Nintendo is intentionally aligning Link's latest adventure as a Revolution launch title. This is Nintendo's most ambitious and, perhaps, most anticipated game in its history. Expect a huge pre-order campaign unlike anything we've ever seen from the company. Twilight Princess will release for the GameCube. You might be wondering, "How then will Nintendo associate the title with Revolution?" Perhaps the company will bundle the game with a limited-edition Revolution controller shell to award early Revolution owners and entice others to make the purchase. Or maybe Nintendo will offer different versions of the game -- with the Revolution version containing "extras." Whatever the result, Nintendo is inevitably the owner of my wallet.

» Game Developers Confer Revolution

Don't expect any significant info regarding Revolution software at the Game Developer's Conference on March 23. We'll have to wait until the feast at E3 for the press to get their sweaty hands on the revolutionary system. However, do expect another inspirational speech from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. He will reveal the last of the company's Revolution partners and also describe the obvious: how the company intends to expand the market. Will Iwata personally demonstrate a Revolution demo to excite all the developers in attendance? Yes, I think so.

» Remote Collaborations

Nintendo's Revolution launch will be the most quality-filled and diverse in its history. The unique controller is not only inspiring Nintendo's internal developers but the industry as a whole. Alongside the adventure-filled Legend of Zelda, we can also look forward to Wi-Fi compatible games such as Super Smash Bros. and the even more action-oriented, Metroid Prime 3, which will be faster paced than it's predecessors. Over the last few years, Nintendo has been collaborating with third-party developers more and more. Expect some new announcements with companies such as THQ, Ubisoft, and Activision. Mario skateboarding would be pretty cool if you ask me.

» Interfacing the Future

Those people describing the Revolution controller as a gimmick are not unlike those who once called the computer mouse a worthless hunk of Tupperware. By the conclusion of this generation, the Revolution controller will have proven itself as the standard. Sony and Microsoft are both likely already researching ways in which they can replicate it without stepping on Nintendo's patents. Unfortunately for them, they will be relegated to nothing more than imitations.

» Downloading Existence

Nintendo has already announced it will offer downloadable demos at retail kiosks. Reggie Fils-Aime mentioned this to the crowd at February's DICE. There's a good chance that once the Revolution arrives in your living room, it will act as a hub for further Nintendo DS demos. The Nintendo DS has the potential to wirelessly connect to the Revolution and download content. Don't be surprised even when Nintendo releases an SD card adapter so DS owners can play full classic Nintendo games on the go, downloaded from the virtual console.

» Virtual Acquirements

The idea behind the virtual console is not foreign to Nintendo. The company has experimented with it on the iQue, SNES Satellaview, Famicom Disk, and had even created the Nintendo 64DD around the concept. Nintendo has always found digital distribution alluring. Bypass retailers to get product directly to consumers -- convenience for customer and all profits to Nintendo. The extent to which this idea fits into the company's new strategy is unknown. However, after seeing the success that Apple has had with music and Microsoft's comments about the future of entertainment being in digital distribution...you can expect Nintendo is looking to establish itself as one of the industry's premier providers of digital interactive content.

» Tree Shedding

Can Nintendo ever remove itself from Apple's shadow? It seems many are comparing Nintendo's recent hardware designs to Apple's line of computers and music players -- simple and elegant with approachable interfaces. Sure, I can agree with that line of thinking. However, realize too that Nintendo has always had its own style. For instance, one can pick out a Nintendo game by simply looking at its colorful presentation. What then, will it take for us to associate Nintendo's new style with...Nintendo? Marketing perhaps? Expect a new marketing approach from Nintendo that we will begin to notice with the Nintendo DS first and then come to accept with the Revolution. Nintendo will be changing its image from the colorful Pokémon-company to a producer of a stylish and androgynous Touch! Generation.