Revolution could start in US, Europe

There must be something in the water over at Nintendo. With its upcoming Revolution console, the company is taking innovation to the next level and rethinking its normally rigid methodologies. It started with the unveiling of the console's controller, which has garnered equal parts cheers and jeers. Just last week, at the North American Nintendo press summit, company exec Reggie Fils-Aime explained how Nintendo will be imploring "disruptive technologies" akin to those of industry shakers Apple and Dell Computers.

Now another executive is saying that the Revolution might not even launch in Japan. Nintendo Europe senior vice president of marketing Jim Merrick told Eurogamer that the US, or even Europe, may get the Japanese-made console first.

"We're very serious about trying to be a more global company and not follow the stereotypical formula of Japan first, then the US, then Europe some time later," Merrick told Eurogamer. "Anything's possible. There are no rules that it must be Japan or US first."

Such a move would be very un-Nintendolike. The Kyoto-based company is well-known for taking care of its countrymen first, then sharing the wealth with other regions later. Whereas Nintendo has slipped in popularity in the US and Europe, it still holds a rabid fan base in Japan.

Regardless of who gets the Revolution first, the company is making an effort to see that it goes global faster than any other Nintendo console before it.

"With DS, we were 14 weeks, which was the tightest Nintendo has ever been with a console launch, and that was an achievement," said Merrick. "But with Revolution, we expect to do better than that. That certainly is our goal."

The Revolution will also be backward compatible with the GameCube without the aid of an adapter, according to Merrick. Even though the GameCube used the small 3-inch discs and the Revolution will use the full-size discs, both media will be read through the same slot-based disc drive.

Merrick also answered questions about Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima's contributions to the console. When asked simply if the game vet is working on a Revolution game, Merrick said, "To my knowledge, yes."

Nintendo is targeting the Revolution's release date sometime between April 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006.