With the launch of the Xbox 360 last fall and the promise of Playstation 3 set to launch by summer, Nintendo's Revolution has not gotten a lot of press. Maybe it's because it's predecessor, GameCube, has not enjoyed the popularity that Sony and Microsoft consoles have had in recent years. Even so, Revolution is set to launch sometime in 2006 and Nintendo promises it will change the way we game forever.

So what is different about Revolution? According to a 2005 interview conducted with Nintendo spokespeople by IGN.com, Nintendo Revolution will not cater to the 'more powerful the better' mentality of recent gaming systems. Instead, Nintendo will focus their efforts on developing a "small, quiet and affordable console" that will change the way games are played. How affordable? Nintendo is looking to sell Revolution for less than $200.

Some of the features promised on the new Nintendo system will be a sleek, new design, 512 MB flash memory, and a state of the art, wireless controller (which looks very much like a TV Remote and is operated with just one hand). Revolution users will also be able to play online via Wi-Fi and watch DVDs (though you must buy an additional accessory to turn your Revolution into a DVD player).

As for games, Nintendo promises that the

Revolution will be backwards compatable with GameCube, enabling it to play all of the NGC titles. New titles are also underway for the Revolution, as well as remakes of old Nintendo favorites including Animal Crossing, Super Smash Brothers and Metroid Prime 3 (though these have not been confirmed). Perhaps the most exciting element for old-school players is that Nintendo is promising users the ability to download and play many games from the twenty-year history of Nintendo (theoretically all NES, Super NES and Nintendo 64 titles).

While we are not real clear on how the Revolution will change the way we look at game-playing, one thing is for certain. If anyone can deliver, it's Nintendo.

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