With the release of new video game systems around the corner, many people are speculating about the backwards compatibility features of the new consoles. Microsoft is still unclear whether they can technically provide backwards compatibility for original Xbox games with the Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 will be able to play original Playstation and Playstation 2 games. Nintendo isn’t missing the boat here, and I have to admit that I’m a bit surprised.

Due to Nintendo’s devotion to cartridge-based game media in the past, very few systems have been backward compatible. No Nintendo consoles have been able to do it in the past, at least not out of the box. Of course, a few of the Gameboys have been able to play other Gameboy games, but it hasn’t been across the board. However, my buddy Darin was nice enough to point me in the direction of a small detail I missed with the Revolution’s “announcement”…

From MSNBC:

When the Revolution is released, players will be able to download more than 20 years worth of Nintendo games from all the previous platforms, such as the NES and Nintendo 64. The new console will support both a new disc format and discs from Nintendo’s current console, the GameCube.

This constitutes a HUGE library of games, and strikes a serious chord in the heart of any gamer who was old enough to tap a d-pad in the 80’s. My girlfriend Alisa just went through a small N64 game buying spree on Amazon.com last week. We also enjoyed some great head-to-head competition in Mario Kart, playing on an emulator with Playstation controllers on my Desktop computer. To have access to 20 years of the games that make up some of our fondest memories through one box is a pretty nice perk.

Of course this is all early in the game, and an announcement of a pricing guide would be premature, but we can speculate. Darin says that access to the whole original NES library for $100 to $200 wouldn’t be bad for the hardcore gamer. I agree, but can’t help but think that most “hard-core” gamers will have many of their favorite NES games as ROMs on a computer already. Whatever they decide to do, I do not expect free access to this library, though maybe they’ll introduce an all-you-can-eat delivery model for something like $25 a year… To me that’s cheap enough to subscribe to even if you don’t play old games all of the time, and (I am completely guessing) expensive enough to pay for the distribution networks involved in the content delivery.

Link: MSNBC

Tags: games Nintendo Revolution

Nintendo has taken the wraps off of its new console, the “Revolution”. And I really feel that they have nailed the design. This is a seriously slick looking machine! I’ve always been a fan of slot load drives, though the slot load does bring up questions about Gamecube compatibility. (At least they didn’t go back to cartridges!) In my opinion, Microsoft’s Xbox design is looking a little silly next to this thing.

Nintendo also showed off the Gameboy Micro, a new smaller Gameboy.

Link: BBC News
Pictures: bit-tech.net Forums

Tags: games Nintendo Gameboy

I got an e-mail this morning from PalmOne announcing that the Verizon version of the Treo 650 is available for order here. They are showing a price of $399 with a new contract (the price I was expecting) and a price of $519 if you don’t want to sign a new contract. If you order one now, you can get a free Bluetooth Headset valued at $80. There’s also another interesting offer:

Plus, if you’re one of the first 100 people to place your order, you’ll also receive a FREE autographed copy of the ground breaking new book On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins, inventor of the PalmPilot, and Treo smartphone.

The book sounds pretty cool, but I’d really love to get that BT headset! I still have to wait until August to make a move on the Treo though. I’ll just have to hope that they have some similar type of offer then.

Tags: Treo Palm PalmOne Verizon