N-Query
Weekend update. Revolution and projectors, framerate standards, 16:9 modes and so much more.
The Wand
Will you need one "wand" for each controller?
Matt responds: No, you won't. First, bear in mind that the "wand" we illustrated in Thursday's developer kit hands-on was a prototype. We don't know what the final sensor bar will look like or exactly how Nintendo plans to implement it with the system. However, Nintendo has stated that the bar will be able to support at least four different controllers simultaneously, so you can put to rest any fears you might have entertained about having to pick up multiple wands.
Projectors and Revolution
Hey Matt, great site! A while ago someone asked if the revolution controller would work with all types of TVs and the answer was a resounding yes, I would expect no less from Nintendo. I am making my decisions now about how to get into high definition however, and after a lot of research I am leaning towards a video projector rather than any panel style TV. So my question is; do you think the revolution controller will be able to work for a 6-8 foot wide display? How do you feel about projectors vs. conventional TVs in general? Considering that the light within the room will be well controlled, and that bulb life isn't an issue... Thanks again.
Matt responds: Well, first off, I do think that some of today's higher-end digital projector systems can deliver a very impressive picture, especially in a viewing room with controlled lighting. Cheaper projectors tend to lack brightness and contrast ratio, which is particularly disappointing when you want to play a game with dark environments like, for example, Resident Evil 4. Like any tech, there are multiple tiers of products, each with improved quality, but you'll have to shell out for a good system. These proven units, which often feature three-chip guts and support true HD resolutions, can run well upward of $5,000 - not exactly chump change. However - and we've got a $10,000 unit in our San Francisco office - they can look really good. Plus, you can get a really big picture. To answer your question more directly, I would say that some of the better projectors out there definitely hold up well against some of the quality plasmas and LCDs I've seen.
Of course, by far the best new TV tech is SED, but you'll have to wait until late 2007 for that. Click here to learn more.
As for whether or not Revolution will work with projectors, don't worry. Nintendo reps have confirmed that any TV, any size, will work. It's not about the TV. It's about the sensor bar. Your only hurdle will be positioning your Revolution toward the front of the room so that the sensor bar can be near the position on the wall where you images will be projected. Otherwise, you should be good to go.
16x9 Me
Hey Matt,
We all know that Revolution won't support HD resolutions, but will it support the HDTV aspect ratio of 16:9?
If all Revolution games are designed with 4:3 and 16:9 in mind, then I will be much less disappointed that it doesn't have HD support.
If all games fill my widescreen TV, without having to stretch it (which I don't do), I will be a happy camper.
IIRC, games like F-Zero GX support widescreen on GameCube. So, can we expect all games to be made with 16:9 in mind?
Thanks!
Jim
Matt responds: Certainly the capability for progressive-scan and 16:9 widescreen games will be there on Revolution. You can do that on GameCube now. The big question is, will Nintendo mandate that all developers make their games progressive-scan and 16:9 compatible? Right now, we just don't know. To me, it seems like an obvious must and I'm hoping that the Big N agrees. If you look at the demo footage of Metroid Prime 3, it was running in widescreen, so that gives me hope. Perhaps we'll hear more about Nintendo's plans here at the Game Developers Conference later this month. Note to message board users: I'm not trying to subtly tell you something. I'm merely suggesting that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata will be there and so will a lot of third party developers. If I can corner the right people, I'll try to get some answers.
Apples and Oranges?
Your comparison of Shenmue to Geometry Wars is completely irrelevant. In the future, try to pick better examples. You compared a artistically-intensive, sprawling game with tremendous scope to what is, at its heart, a throwback to an 80s arcade game.
A more realistic comparison would be this: creating Shenmue on DC to creating Shenmue on the X360 or PS3. The amount of programmer and artistic talent required to give the game the required polish is orders of magnitude higher on the X360. You know that, and so do we.
Stop insulting the intelligence of your audience.
--Compulsion
Matt responds: Let's use your comparison. Two teams are making Shenmue - one for Dreamcast and the other for Xbox 360. Let's put aside the argument that the majority of console videogame art teams today develop to the highest spec and then downscale, which means that even if a game won't be running in high-definition, the original assets will be high-resolution. I'll wager that the development team working on Dreamcast runs into more problems because of hardware limitations than the one working on 360, whose teams have a little more freedom. I think most artists today will tell you that it can be harder to make an acceptable low polygon model than a high polygon one.
It goes both ways, which has been and remains my point. Just as a game like Oblivion costs millions to make because of its cutting edge graphics, so can a smaller project balloon into a bigger one as developers struggle with technology. I'd be surprised if the development team for Metroid Prime Hunters didn't burn the midnight oil in an attempt to balance beauty and a smooth framerate on Nintendo DS, a handheld that won't go down in history for its mind-blowing 3D capabilities.
At the same time, I'm not suggesting that developing Revolution games won't be cheaper than creating some, or even a good chunk of the titles on competing next generation consoles. The process very well could be. But it will have much more to do with the nature of the game, not the hardware. For instance, I'll guarantee you that a true Zelda sequel on Revolution will cost more to develop than Table Tennis on Xbox 360, despite the fact that the latter will run in high-definition.
Framerates
Hey Matt, what's good mang?
Is it just me, or do I see games still running in 30fps? I mean, I remember hearing that games would at least run at 60 frames per second for the current generation, after people grew a distaste for choppiness. I understand it depends on the visuals, as a game like RE4 is not running at 60fps, but looks great, and it can be a trade off. But now we are entering the next generation of consoles, tons more power, and while I'm seeing some great looking games, I sigh when seeing these games capped at 30fps. With all this hub bub with HDtv, shouldn't the standard be 60fps? I know I don't even have to explain why, especially to you. I feel it is sloppy development, and instead of spending time to optimize the game and framerate, they make somewhat solid visuals, cap it at 30fps, and rush it out the door. And consumers just eat it up. So devs neglect it as a standard, and seem to don't give a crap. I mean, c'mon, blistering 60 fps? With a framerate like that, I don't wanna blink. It's like buttah. How do you feel about this?
TheVmang
Matt responds: Well, I like my 60 frames per second. I decided to play through some F-Zero GX again the other night. Still an amazing game, by the way. It looks outstanding and runs silky smooth at 60 frames. The thing about technology is that as powerful as it gets, it's never enough. Xbox 360 has 512MBs of RAM in it. That's eight times the amount of memory in the original Xbox. Now ask your average developer if that's enough. Nine times out of 10 you're going to get the same response: absolutely not. I guess if technology increased and the visuals in games stayed the same, everything would run at a Ken Kutaragi-approved 120 frames and we'd never have a fluidity hiccup again. But that's not how it works. Games get prettier and employ every new effect in the book because studios know they can get away with it and, furthermore, they know consumers will eat it up.
Microsoft and Sony have particularly interesting challenges with their respective consoles because with the jump to high-definition more system resources go to texture resolution, leaving less processing power for everything else. As a result, some of the first generation games have framerate issues. And I don't see this going away any time soon. Based on all of this, Sony's pipedream of games running in 1080p on PlayStation 3 seems ludicrous. I'm not sure that PS3 has the bandwidth to play games in true 1920x1080 resolution, which is more than three times the definition of standard television. I'll bet you're going to see a lot of upscaled games and nothing more. And meanwhile, if you can even find a TV today that takes and displays true 1080p signals, it will only do so at 30 frames per second.
I would prefer a constant 60 frames in my games, but I'll happily settle for a steady 30 fames. What really annoy me are the games that can't decide what framerate they want to run at and in turn jump all over the place, resulting in a very unpredictable and jarring fluidity.
The Controller
I had a question about the rev now that you've gotten the development kit. Do you think it would be possible (given that it just plugs into the current gamecube hardware) to play gamecube and other games using the revolution controller. I think it would be amazing if you could go back and play duck-hunt with the rev. controller or Metriod Prime. Any idea if this is a possibility or just a crazy idea on my part that would never go through?
Thanks
Matt responds: If you're holding your breath, you might want to exhale. Nintendo exec Reggie Fils-Aime recently stated that the Revolution controller will only be compatible with Revolution games.
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