IGN reports that the Nintendo Revolution will be “not much more powerful than a [first generation] Xbox”, but instead “small, quiet and affordable.” Also predicted: 128mb of RAM, a fraction of the 512mb found in the Xbox 360. One source also said “It’s like another current generation platform for us. But it’s such a nice controller that it opens up a lot of possibilities.” Contrast all this with speculation on upcoming 360 titles which may fill four DVDs full of high-definition content.

I continue to be impressed with the gambles that Nintendo is willing to make. While everyone else is trying to win the entertainment war via better graphics and/or internet play, Nintendo is betting on more interesting games and a more diverse audience (as well as internet play.) The shrinking Japanese game market may be a primary contributor to Nintendo’s tactics — i.e. “something’s gotta change.” And of course, the PS2’s triumph over the more-powerful Xbox is proof enough that power does not always decide the victor in the console wars.

Silly idea of the day: an advertisement showing a whole family fighting over the Revolution, using their controllers to make stuff happen in real life (games flying through the air, chairs falling over, Dad’s shirt yanking up over his face, etc.) *grin*