quote: From [url="http://www.nintendo.com/newsarticle?articleid=02ea1a40-ac09-4cdf-9548-9…"]nintendo.com[/url]
Freedom of design: A dynamic development architecture equally accommodates both big-budget, high-profile game ?masterpieces? as well as indie games conceived by individual developers equipped with only a big idea.
I'm not sure if it has been officially announced, but it seems that the revolution will run non-signed games. Although it seems unlikely, if it was combined with some sort of distribution system, ala Nintendo's online back-catalog of games, or the XBox 360 marketplace, it could potentially mean considerable growth for the indie games scene.
considering how tight nintendo have been in the past with signing games for their systems, and the high fees they charge, this is unlikely - but it would be awsome. if the dev kits were cheep and freely available to all range of companies - and even individuals - the system could potentially sell for it's homegrown/mod appeal alone. not to mention the number of fresh ideas that would be available.
certainly a way of attracting enormous third party support, something nintendo has been seriously lacking for several systems now...
Ninti have that nature about them - so it wouldnt surprise me. I think they are the long term smarter players out of the 3 top contenders anyway. They arent expressing their forward movement with graphical goodness and power like the others. I think they prefer to keep the steady winner going that they have. Some of their ideas are pretty left field but i like that about them, they dont always go for the sure fire money winners like Sony & Microshaft.
In regards to Sony opening up the PSP to home brew, they will, their just waiting for the right time. Don't forget that the PSP still hasn't been released in Europe and Australia.
And after an appalling presentation at E3 I'm reassured that Nintendo Has lost the plot, "Where living in the 80's" isn't a good company slogan.
Nintendo's comments about indie development on the revolution aren?t all they seem, by stating that indie games can be conceived on the revolution, don't mean jack.
They aren?t saying that dev kits will be cheaper, you can homebrew on it, or that you won't need a publisher.
They are saying that because the graphics on the Revolution aren?t as good as Sony or Microsoft, Indie developers won't need to spend big budgets on making a game.
What they seem to be forgetting is that in order to create a blockbuster "indie" game on any platform now days, you NEED a big budget, and how many publishers are going to want to produce original IP on a console that isn't selling because it doesn't live up to the "big boys" standards.
This will mean that original IP will be made for either PS3/Xbox360 and then ported to Revolution, making the? lesser Graphics = lesser budget? theory obsolete.
Yes it would be great if Nintendo made coding on the Revolution possible, but the playstation 1&2 both had homebrew support, and nothing came of it, plus if you really want to code some games you'd have a PC, right?
Lastly, don't forget that it's because of Nintendo that we require dev kits and a license fee to produce games for home consoles.
I was thinking about this - and I think the persistence and always-on nature of the xbox360 will mean it's a non-starter on MS's platform...
...their stuff will still have to be signed or else we'll have viruses and security exploits going wild on xbox live.
Nintendo's idea, however, would be excellent!