Revolution Dev Kit - The Return of the Garage Gamers

[GeekGirl]

With the Nintendo Revolution Dev kit rumoured to only be $2000, we're looking at the possible return of the Garage Gamers.

Remember when you want to your local electronics store and found a rack of 5 1/4" disks by the counter*? They were all dot matrix printed or hand labelled and the games they showcased were GOOD!

*or in my case, cassettes....

Sure there may be restrictions such as the 'non-dev' version only burns to CD's instead of DVDs, but that's even better, as the CONTENT will be more important than the GRAPHICS - something the current gaming developers have forgotten completely.

How long before we'll be trading our games to our friends, and who knows, you may see a return of that rack by the counter, of handlabelled CDs

 

[Jakal]

That's just the preliminary versions. Trusted companies are sent the SDK (software developemen kit) for testing and compatability. One of the last lines:

On a final note, most studios working on Revolution titles think the console could retail under $200 US, possibly as low as $150.

That's music to my ears. I really don't think consoles should be priced so high. Everything is mass produced and a lot of the components are very similar to computers. I just hope the new controller is easy to adapt to.

 

[Rob Williams]

Sure there may be restrictions such as the 'non-dev' version only burns to CD's instead of DVDs, but that's even better, as the CONTENT will be more important than the GRAPHICS - something the current gaming developers have forgotten completely.

You said it right there! I can't believe it will be going for only $2K.. that's great! Jakal, you gotta remember that most times, the console costs the manufacterer more to make then they sell it for. Nintendo must be using some wierd parts to be selling the console that cheap.

 

[b1lk1]

My first PC was a Commodore 64 and I was a God to have it. I had the tape drive. Nothing like waiting 25 minutes for a game to load. Ahhh...

 

[Jakal]

The console costs the manufacterer more to make then they sell it for.

I agree, but I also think that by offering it at a lower price it will sell better. I, for one, can't believe how expensive the xbox360 was. I mean if you were to get everything for it you're looking at $500+. Most of the people buying these systems are buying them for the kids. Moms and dads would much rather buy a system priced at $200 over one costing twice as much. Even the PSP, priced at $250, I mean wow. I'm not willing to spend that much on a portable gaming device. With taxes and all it's close to 300.

I'm just saying that I think Nintendo is heading in the right direction by offering the Revolution at a lower price. It'll sell quicker and faster that way. Offering downloadable classic games is another great thing they've come up with.

I do want to check out the new PS3 though, can't wait.

 

[BlindMonk]

Sure there may be restrictions such as the 'non-dev' version only burns to CD's instead of DVDs, but that's even better, as the CONTENT will be more important than the GRAPHICS - something the current gaming developers have forgotten completely.

How long before we'll be trading our games to our friends, and who knows, you may see a return of that rack by the counter, of handlabelled CDs

I wouldn't say developers have forgotten it so much as they're not really in control of what gets developed. The publishers and execs seem to have the most say over what is pushed through the system and I'd venture to say pretty graphics catch the general consumer eye in new merchandise more so than other more critical aspects. And those are key words; "merchandise" and "product". It's not about the games like it used to be. Which is why I doubt the GameStop monopoly will allow that glorious little rack of goodness to exist again. The up and coming Rhino Video Games franchise shows some promise in the "lesser" markets of older systems and more of an interest in games and gamers, but "EBgames" of the land are pure retail environments with close advertising relations with the major publishers. The future looks sad to me.