Revolution details due by year's end

At its pre-E3 press conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed the first scant details on the Revolution, the company's bid into next-generation gaming. We now know about the system's backward compatibility, built-in Wi-Fi, wireless controllers, and free online service, but little else. Iwata avoided giving out any significant technical specs on the Revolution, and he showed only a nonfunctional mock-up of the console.

Fortunately, it looks like Nintendo fans won't have to wait until next year to learn more about the machine. Speaking with Reuters, Iwata said that details regarding the Revolution--including price, launch date, and its mystery controller--would be revealed by the end of the current year.

One of the surprising announcements made about the Revolution during E3 was its ability to download and play games from Nintendo consoles as far back as the NES. More surprising was that Iwata revealed to Reuters that Nintendo is in talks with third-party game publishers about including their portfolios in the Revolution's downloadable game library as well.

Iwata added that the pricing method for these downloads hasn't been decided, though there are two possibilities: to charge users per game as they download them or to sell prepaid cards in stores. He also said that Nintendo might give some games away as part of promotions.