Revolution won't be revealed until E3, says Fils-Aime

Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime has announced that there's still plenty of surprises in store as far as the Revolution is concerned, adding that nothing is likely to be revealed before this year's E3.

Speaking to US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, Fils-Aime said: "Come [May], we'll disclose a lot more. After, we'll disclose even more, and right about the time of the launch, we'll disclose even more... I'm talking beyond the controller, the virtual console; all the different elements we'll be sharing all the way up to launch."

When asked whether the Revolution might make use of an EyeToy-type peripheral or a microphone, Fils-Aime said we "could certainly see all of that."

"Again, our orientation is, how do we push the gaming experience, the interplay between the player and the game? So all of the different elements that enhance that capability's use of a camera, use of the microphone, voice activation; all of that, certainly I believe, is fair game."

Fils-Aime went on to say that the Revolution's online network is likely to work in the same way as the DS's Wi-Fi Connection service, reiterating Nintendo's intention to create "an environment that is more friend and peer-to-peer based, versus simply, 'I wanna go take on everybody for certain types of games.'"

He did not rule out the possibility of a virtual console system that lets gamers download older Nintendo games and play them on a DS, saying: "We certainly never say never."

"My concern would be, how do you embed that on a DS [cartridge] in addition to the game to really make it effective? But we've said from the start that Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is meant to be the service both for the DS as well as the Revolution. So could you see a merging of that technology at some point in the future? Certainly possible."