Revolution dev kits 'out there' - Iwata
But it'll be a while before developers have all the key elements to start making games. Oh, and there may or may not be a microphone.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says Revolution development are "already out there" to some degree, although publishers have yet to officially declare their interest in the machine - with several announcing projects for "next-generation consoles" but most of them opting not to identify the individual target machines.
Speaking in an interview with BusinessWeek, Iwata said, "Development kits are already out there, depending on which stage you're talking about. All I can say right now is 'in the near-future' for the basis platform information they will need to get started on games."
The Nintendo man also spoke briefly about the Revolution interface, and said it will "allow some new forms of innovation". "We have a number of candidates for a new interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone," he said.
"We may or may not use the microphone in the new interface," he added, but said the inclusion of a microphone would "not be a defining feature of the new console".
Other than that, Iwata's comments toed his company line about not "simply relying on sheer horsepower" in the race for the next-generation. Nintendo is expected to unveil the Revolution console at E3 this year and launch in late 2006 - although Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime last week described that date as "an assumption" when quizzed about launching later than rivals PlayStation 3 and Xbox 2.
You can read more of his comments on a variety of subjects including Revolution, DS, and even Mario 128, by heading here.