Revolution is backwards compatible. This is from Nintentdo's Website:
http://www.nintendo.com/newsarticle?articleid=02ea1a40-ac09-4cdf-9548-91e5a4e78746&page=other
"Backward compatibility: The new console plays all games from the current Nintendo GameCube generation. But there's moreÂ…
The secret weapon: The console also will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo 64, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and even the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Easy expansion: A bay for an SD memory card will let players expand the internal flash memory.
Two disc formats, one slot: Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content"
The Revolution is looking really appealing, im looking forward to it.