Here Dave B...
The Magic Box Reports on N200X Rumors
March 30, 1999 - Gaming site The Magic Box reports that rumors concerning the next generation
Nintendo are circulating Japan. These rumors say that N200X will use a custom 128-bit CPU running
at 400 MHz, use Rambus RDRAM, a custom DVD medium holding 1.5 GB, built-in rumbling for the
controllers, a built-in modem, and will include internet software from Netscape and Alps.
Do they sound true? Well, they're pretty general, and they are consistent with other rumors and
facts that have been released. A 128-bit processor, Rambus RAM (which was used in the Nintendo
64), built-in rumbling, and networking (internet) capability have been pretty much confirmed thus far.
Nintendo is also known to have enlisted Netscape and Alps to develop networking software. Whether
the processor is 400 MHz is up in the air, and the bit about the storage medium is probably false. If
Nintendo were to use DVD (and by all accounts, they're strongly considering it), they certainly
wouldn't use a version that only held 1.5 GB when the standard single-layer, single-sided DVD holds
4.7 GB normally. While a proprietary medium might make sense (to combat piracy), crippling the
format to that degree does not. What's possible, however, is that whoever reported this rumor made
a mistake and is instead referring to the proprietary 1.5 GB disk that IGN64 said may or may not
offer rewritability (a feature that Nintendo is very interested in), one of two mediums Nintendo was
considering (the other being DVD). In any case, remember that these are only rumors. Check out
the news below for IGN64's N200X report.
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