E3: First official Revolution details emerge

Nintendo has announced a number of details of the Revolution next-generation console on its official website, confirming statements made by Perrin Kaplan in an interview with the New York Times last week.

The statement offers the first glimpse of a console that's described as only slightly bigger than three stacked DVD cases, backwards-compatible, wireless online out of the box, quiet and quick to start up and due out in 2006.

"In its final form, Revolution will be about the thickness of three standard DVD cases and only slightly longer. The versatile Revolution will play either horizontally or vertically, allowing the user total flexibility in setting up a gaming session wherever they have a television," the update describes.

"Thanks to Nintendo's hardware development partners IBM and ATI, the small system will be packed with power that will enable it to wow players with its graphics. Nintendo's legions of loyal fans will be happy to learn that Revolution will be backward compatible, playing both Nintendo GameCube 8cm disks along with its own 12cm optical disks in the same self-loading media drive.

"In the next generation, the addition of the Internet will be important to all consoles and particularly important to Nintendo. Revolution will be wireless Internet ready out of the box.

"There's much more to Revolution that will be revealed over the coming months, but the combination of its compact size, wireless Internet, backward compatibility, quick start-up time and quiet, low-power operation add up to the start of a great game system. Get ready for the Nintendo Revolution in 2006!"

Nintendo is expected to announce more details and perhaps show the console in video form at its 75-minute breakfast conference on Tuesday here in Los Angeles. Its rivals Microsoft and Sony will have already concluded their major E3 unveilings prior to the Nintendo event.