Revolution sitting out HD Era?

Even before the Xbox 360 was unveiled on May 12, Microsoft made much ado about how the console would support high-delimitation television. In his keynote address at this year's Game Developers Conference in March, Microsoft corporate vice president and chief XNA architect J Allard called the advent of hi-def video the "HD Era." When it (finally) put the 360 on public display, Microsoft revealed that all games for its console would run at a minimum of 720p resolution and be optimized for HD televisions.

When Sony took the wraps off the PlayStation 3 at E3 last month, it said the console could support two HDTVs. The dual-video output could be used to have one HDTV display additional game information--think supersized DS--while the other plays a game. The two outputs can also be used to create a panoramic, 32:9 extra-widescreen image on two HDTVs placed together (much like a dual-monitor display).

But while Sony and Microsoft have jumped onto the high-def video bandwagon with both feet, Nintendo is apparently letting it pass by. Following online reports, Nintendo of America confirmed to GameSpot today that it does not anticipate its next-generation console, the Revolution, to support HDTV. "There currently are no plans for Nintendo Revolution to support high-definition video output," said Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo of America's vice president of marketing and corporate affairs. While promising more Revolution details would be revealed "soon," for the moment, Kaplan would only give a vague reason for her company's decision. "We have thoroughly considered the best means of video output for the system and are dedicated to delivering the best hardware possible to meet the demands of our consumers," she said.