Nintendo has finally started delivering developer kits, so that the development of games for the new game console can reach full steam. According to a company spokesperson, the first thousand copies have already been delivered; anyone who needs such a kit could have it ‘very soon’. The kits cost around two thousand dollars. A PSP kit costs a multiple of that and Xbox 360 and PS3 kits are already much more expensive, which once again illustrates the lower price point of the Revolution. Although Nintendo won’t say more about the price of the new console than that it will be “less than $300”, it is likely that the console will have to fetch between 150 and 200 dollars.
According to However, IGN doesn’t exactly have revolutionary features in Nintendo’s devkit. The site traced three different versions: two of which were little more than a GameCube with the new controller, and a third was essentially a GameCube as well, but with a slightly more powerful computing unit. According to insiders, there is now a fourth version, which would look more like the final Revolution. The hardware would be comparable to what will eventually be in stores, and the performance would be “between 90% and 95%” of the commercial version. The difference between the GameCube and the retail version of the Revolution, other than the ‘roughly doubled’ performance, would be minimal.
Designers who have made their mark with the GameCube should nevertheless be able to develop for the Revolution with virtually no problems with the kits. Here and there you can hear that the prototypes are not very powerful, but that the controller makes up for a lot. The final development kit is not expected until June, but thanks to the preliminary versions, the new Nintendo should still be released this year. The low price, in combination with ‘innovative content’ and the accessible interface should ensure that the Revolution will take a bite out of the market without any problems.