Revolution Due Mid-2006

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Revolution due mid-2006

Memory provider lets slip the release window for Nintendo's next-gen hardware

Memory production company MoSys has revealed the intended launch window for Nintendo's next-gen console, codenamed Revolution.

In an announcement made yesterday regarding the company's first-quarter 2005 earnings, and a recent deal to once again provide the memory for Nintendo's gaming hardware, Mark Voll, CEO and chief financial officer, added, "We are excited to be a participating member of the Nintendo team once again, as Nintendo will roll out its successor game console to Gamecube in mid-2006."

This time window puts the console behind Xbox 360's November 2005 release, as expected, but also behind PS3's newly rumoured release of the first quarter of 2006, making Nintendo last to enter the market, once again.

This gives Xbox 360 a huge sales advantage, as it's widely expected Sony and Nintendo will follow traditional launch practice, which sees consoles released in Japan first with launches in other countries months after. This process will give Microsoft a big head start in the US and Europe.

In other Nintendo news, rumours are cropping up all over the web regarding Game Boy Advance 2 and exactly how much of Revolution will be shown at E3.

Depending on what you've read, Revolution's appearance at next week's LA show could either be as little as a simple teaser trailer (with the company choosing to headline with its handheld plans), or a full blown showcase of every single feature, bar the controller - an aspect that Nintendo is apparently keen to keep secret, even through E3.

Rumours also suggest the next modification to Game Boy Advance will be revealed, although this is not the next-gen Game Boy 2, but merely an upgrade to the old GBA hardware that, since DS's launch, no one really cares about any more.

At the time of writing, we were unable to speak with Nintendo regarding the rumours. Should we discover anything more we'll let you know.

What is widely expected, though, is that Nintendo will be focusing heavily on its online plans for DS. Recently the company announced a deal with IGN Entertainment to bring US gamers free wireless access for DS gaming.