Revolution (Ohga Shrugs)

Revolution is the name of Nintendo's seventh generation console, and was released in November 2006. Compared to previous consoles by both Nintendo and Sega, the Revoluton is notable for appealing to a broader demographic. By the end of 2011, it had become the best selling video game console of all time, outselling even the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Its chief competitor is the Sega Pluto.

The Revolution is a notable step above its predecessors. Among other things, it has online play, a digital store for games, and can download updates automatically.

It succeeds the GameCube, and is fully backward-compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console in 2004 and later unveiled it at the 2005 E3. By the end of 2006, it had completed its launch in the four key markets.

History
Work on the Revolution began as early as 2001. According to an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo realized the importance of online functionality by the time of the GameCube's release, but it was too late to update the system. Designing the system began in 2003, and the system was ready for development by mid-2005.

Launch
On September 14, 2006, Nintendo revealed launch information for the Revolution. It would be available in $300 and $400 skus, with the former having 20GB of internal memory and the latter coming with 60GB of internal memory and one of several eligible games, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The Revolution was released in the Americas on November 19, in Japan on December 2, and in Europe and Australia on the 7th and 8th. After the system's successful launch, it was released in countries where Nintendo previously had little influence, such as South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Launch titles varied depending on region. Throughout the world, the star of the launch was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Other games included annual sports installments such as Madden NFL 07, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, along with a few licensed titles.

Sales
The Revolution is the best selling home console of all time. By the end of 2011, it had an estimated 80 million sales, with 16 million in Japan, 35 million in North America, and 29 million in Europe and other parts of the world. Of particular note is the system's success in Europe, where it has outsold the second best selling console ever, the competing Pluto, by an over two-to-one ratio. The Revolution is often considered responsible for the spread of console gaming into the region.

Demographics
The Revolution is known for appealing to a relatively wide demographic. On one hand, it appeals to children and youths thanks to its variety of popular Nintendo games, which are often aimed at younger audiences. On the other hand, many games, such as Revolution Fitness, are aimed at an older audience, something previously rare in the console industry. Meanwhile, the middle audience of teenagers and young adults also have a wide library of games to choose from.

Hardware
The Revolution can be stood horizontally or vertically, and features a stand that comes with the system. The system also comes with a wireless controller, which can be charged by plugging it into the system, a power adapter, and the appropriate cables.

The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive which accepts only 12 cm Nintendo Optical Discs and the 8 cm GameCube Discs. Thus, the Revolution is incapable of playing conventional DVDs, much like other game systems.

Although initially only available in white, the Revolution has had Black, Silver, and Red models at various points in time.

Specifications
Nintendo has revealed relatively little information about the Revolution, but much information has been discovered by the gaming and technological press. The CPU clocks in at approximately 2,000 MHz, the GPU clocks in at about 400 MHz, and the system has 256 GB of RAM. The special optical discs hold up to 4.7 GB of data, although a dual layer disc can hold up to 8.5 GB. Up to four controllers can connect to the system at a time, and the system's memory can be expanded through SD Cards up to 32 GB in size. Video can be displayed in 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, and 720p.

Features
The Revolution interface is displayed as a menu with various channels. The main channels are the Disc channel, which plays the inserted disc, the Mii Channel, which can be used to create Avatars for certain games, the Photo Channel, the eShop channel, and the Internet channel. Other channels can be added by downloading them, including video-playing channels like YouTube and Netflix.

The Revolution is backwards compatible with all GameCube games, memory cards, and controllers, along with many GameCube peripherals. Furthermore, many Revolution games can be played using GameCube controllers for additional players. However, at least one Revolution controller is required for any game.

The Revolution can connect to the internet using either an Ethernet cable or the built in Wi-Fi adapter. Nintendo does not require customers to pay for online services such as play or the ability to download games.

Software
Retail copies of games are on Nintendo optical discs packaged in cases with instructions. Games can be locked to only play in a specific region's hardware.

Nintendo has released many games for their system, including entries in the Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and Pokemon series, along with new franchises such as Revolution Fitness. Most major publishers have also released games on the system, including Activision, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Capcom, and Square Enix.

Nintendo has also launched a Virtual Console service, which rereleases retro games via the eShop channel. The eShop also contains original games.

Reception
The Revolution has received generally positive reviews. The success of games like New Super Mario Bros Revolution and Revolution Fitness took many by surprise. It soon became a favorite among many Western and Japanese developers and publishers. However, the system has been criticized for its inferior online services compared to the Pluto.