Revolution development kits are "out there" - Iwata !

Development kits for the next-gen Nintendo Revolution console are "already out there," according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who has promised that the information developers need to start work will be available "in the near future."

Speaking in an interview with BusinessWeek, Iwata said, "Development kits are already out there, depending on which stage you're talking about. All I can say right now is 'in the near-future' for the basis platform information they will need to get started on games."

Iwata also spoke briefly about the Revolution interface, and said it will "allow some new forms of innovation". "We have a number of candidates for a new interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone," he said.

"We may or may not use the microphone in the new interface," he added, but said the inclusion of a microphone would "not be a defining feature of the new console".

Other than that, Iwata's comments toed his company line about not "simply relying on sheer horsepower" in the race for the next-generation. Nintendo is expected to unveil the Revolution console at E3 this year and launch in late 2006 - although Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime last week described that date as "an assumption" when quizzed about launching later than rivals PlayStation 3 and Xbox 2.

The majority of publishers have yet to officially declare their interest in developing for Revolution - with several announcing projects for "next-generation consoles" but most of them opting not to identify the individual target machines.