Revolution Kits Arriving Late?
March 9, 2006 - Nintendo's vice president of sales and marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime, recently revealed that more than 1,000 Revolution controller development kits have been sent out to various software houses in order to familiarize studios with the workings of the device. IGN Revolution had the chance to go hands-on with one of these "kits," and we have new details on its basic setup, including how it looks and feels.
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One thing is crystal clear from the controller-based development kits, though: Revolution will definitely operate as an extension of the GameCube hardware. These preliminary kits include only a wired Revolution controller, a wired nunchuck attachment and a wired motion bar, which some studios have labeled the "wand." So the obvious question is, how can developers possibly hope to test any of this gear out? The answer is simple: the controller and its attachments plug into existing GameCube development hardware.
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Most software houses working with this kit have only a vague idea about what to expect from Revolution where horsepower is concerned. Studio sources regularly reiterate previously reported projections that the hardware will be roughly twice as powerful as GameCube. Development insiders we've spoken to seem unconcerned with power and instead focused on the gameplay possibilities that the new controller may help realize.
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/694/694785p1.html
Is it normal for developers to not have real, full development kits just 8 months from launch?