Revolution SDKs Cheaper than PSP’s, say Developers

After Engadget posted their interview with Reggie Fils-Aime revealing that over one thousand software dev kits have shipped to developers, IGN posted more interesting details.

IGN spoke to many developers which confirmed that they’ve received “three revisions of the development kits” so far, and the first development kit was literally a GameCube with a wired Revolution controller. “The second was the same with a few minor tweaks. And the third prototype, which was shipped to most studios about a month ago, follows the same structure, but also shows some boosts in CPU power, according to sources.”

Several top third parties have also reportedly received a more advanced dev kit which is “complete with internal hardware more reflective of the ‘new generation’ system and a wireless Revolution controller”, but many developers probably won’t see this for several weeks (or even longer).

Larger developers that plan on showcasing playable titles at E3 2006 will receive a fourth development kit, which is said to “deliver between 90% and 95% of the final system’s performance”. Final SDKs are expected sometime in June.

IGN also confirms earlier reports that Revolution’s framework is very similar to GameCube’s, but roughly twice as powerful, and that “any studio familiar with GameCube’s architecture will find that they can get their Revolution projects up and running in no time”. A good sign that we should see some well-polished games at this year’s E3.

Another key detail revealed by IGN’s report was that the SDK’s only cost around two thousand dollars, making them “thousands of dollars cheaper than a PSP SDK”, not to mention a Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 one.

When asked if Revolution’s power would be inadequate compared to its competitors, a developer responded: “At first, we were discouraged that it would be less powerful than Xbox 360, but once we got everything working with the controller, our concerns faded”. Other studios IGN spoke with supported these comments.

Finally, every studio IGN talked to genuinely believed that Nintendo’s Revolution could launch for under two hundred dollars, “hundreds of dollars cheaper than any competitor”. Nintendo has already stressed Revolution to be an affordable console, confirming a launch price under three hundred dollars.

Source: IGN Revolution