Will the Revolution Controller be revealed at TGS?

[SoulBlazer]

What can I say that has'nt been said allready?

It looks really different, allright, and I can imagine we'll see some great games to use the controller....but how well will it work in pratice? Will developers make games for it?

I can answer one question -- I imagine that someone (maybe even Nintendo themselves) will make a wireless 'traditional' controller to allow games that are ported over to the Revolution by third party companies from the XBox 360 and PS3 to be played. You HAVE to. This Rev controller is just TOO DIFFERENT to allow anything to be ported over.

[Daria]

I had an initial "WTF" moment when I first saw the pictures. But, I'm all for it now. The potential for this thing is huge. The controller can turn into any periphrial device, fishing rod, driving wheel, mouse, light gun. It's everything rolled up in one. Not to mention the potential in that any developer can hand design their own fucking interface that best fits the needs of their individual games. And just imagine if they release a touch screen/stylus pad ad on.

For the price increase on both system and games all you're getting from Sony and Microsoft is bigger and better specs. Whoopee new graphics cards. They're stagnant, Nintendo's going the route of innovation and progression. It's what the industry needs. This is the system I'm buying on launch.

[njiska]

This is the end....the only end my friend

Ok that is offically the best thing to be said on this subject yet. Well done.

[lendelin]

To all N fans: Don't desert the ship so easily and give N a chance. We still don't know HOW this controller works and how it plays.

What I don't understand about this rather extreme disappoined reaction of N fans is the surprise factor. This kind of controller could be expected, it is something which I say for a year now based on Ns statements and subtle leaks about the system and gaming habits what supposedly the gameplayer today wants: do not expect the Revolution to be a traditional console, it will be a hybrid handheld/portable system. Do also not expect traditional next-gen games for this systyem, this is left to Sony and MS.

How much more subtle could Iwata have been when he stated more than nine months ago that N will not try to compete with Sony and MS with the new Revolution?

How much more signals could he have delivered when stating that gamers want shorter games and are not impressed by cutting-edge graphics?

How much more could have a PR startegy been rebvealing than consistently referring to the success of cell-phone games, changed leisure time activities due to the Internet, and more approachable simpler games?

How much more could he have prepared the handheld emphasis of the new system than by stating that N will go after the hardcore gamer AND the casual gamer at the same time?

Back then I wrote again and again read the writings on the wall, but lots of people still dealt with illusions rather than reality.

This isn't a surprise. About the controller: I don't know how well that thing plays and how good the control is for games; furthermore, we don't know the games.

It seems there are a lot of obstacles to overcome to make it a success. Game developers won't flock around it for sure, in particular not for triple A titles they want on two traditional consoles. The Reggie quote about the fishing game also hints at a handheld market; and if I want to use the traditional 'free' analog control for Metroid as a right-hander, I know for sure I will have probs with that in my left hand (very different from a analog stick on the left which I can garb with two hands).

It seems to me a lot like the N DS: there might be a lack of third-party support for this kind of control and system; however, it is marketed to a very different audience than the traditrional console player, so it might be a success as what it is intended: a handheld system with console aspects with shorter and approachable games.

This way, N fosters their strong economic foot in the handheld business, and retrieves where they had disappointing success in the last ten years, the console business.

Not the dumbest move by N.

Overallo, I say wait...we don't know a lot of details, there will be surprising details in the future which makes the system look better than it is now. But for me, the general direction of Ns path going with the Revolution is pretty clear for some time now.

[sabre2922]

What can I say that has'nt been said allready?

It looks really different, allright, and I can imagine we'll see some great games to use the controller....but how well will it work in pratice? Will developers make games for it?

I can answer one question -- I imagine that someone (maybe even Nintendo themselves) will make a wireless 'traditional' controller to allow games that are ported over to the Revolution by third party companies from the XBox 360 and PS3 to be played. You HAVE to. This Rev controller is just TOO DIFFERENT to allow anything to be ported over.

exactly

Lets hope that Nintendo comes to their senses and give us gamers and most importanty those who actually control the idustry the casuals who will most likely be flaborgasted by this thing an alternative LIKE A NORMAL CONTROLLER so other games can be ported over to the Rev from Xbox360 and PS3.

Come on Nintendo please get off your pedastal for once and see that this thing should have been an ALTERNATIVE CONROLLER NOT THE STANDARD.

also dont bother posting over at the Gamespot forums youll get flames out the wazoo unless you plan on kissing Nintendos ass and claiming that this impending disaster is the second coming and this REMOTE CONTROLLER IS THE GREATEST THING TO HAPPEN SINCE SLICED BREAD

[djbeatmongrel]

All i have to say is that this is a bold step and i'll have to wait and see how this pans out.

Remember when the DS was announced and everyone laughed about how silly of a concept it seemed, "2 screens, wtf am i gonna do with 2 screens?" hell i did it to, i didnt think the ds was gonna be a good system at all. once it came out and titles starting really coming out for it, my head turned and i saw what nintendo was doing and they seemed to have the right idea about where handheld gaming can go.

We seem to be doing the same thing about the revolutions controller. Counting it off as a flop before it has even been played by the consumer! i suggest we sit back in a non partisan manner and see what unfolds in the future with the revolution because it could be good, or it could be bad, WE haven't had the first hand expeirence to see what it is like.

[fpbrush]

Agreed with Daria.

I'm excited that we aren't getting Gamecube2. I was worried about this next-gen of videogame consoles being another round of upgraded graphics. We have finally made a step in GAMEPLAY. If this specific example works or not, we will see. But whether you like it or not, your idea of a controller has been changed.

G'night folks.

[petewhitley]

For the price increase on both system and games all you're getting from Sony and Microsoft is bigger and better specs. Whoopee new graphics cards.

But that's what I want. That's what alot of people want. Better looking, more detailed, bigger games with smarter AI. Why does Iwata think that the industry is stagnating? Gaming continues to increase in profitability and popularity, globally if not locally in Japan. New gaming genres (in a large part driven by spec increases, ala GTA) continue to change the face of gaming. You can't shake the feeling that Nintendo is telling us what we want. It's not even that big of a jump in control (hello Powerglove); it's just big enough to alienate 3rd parties and discourage cross-platform ports, just as the N64 cartridges did and to some extent the custom GameCube disc format did. This is a forced evolution in control, and as such, it stands less likely to revolutionize anything.

[Daria]

For the price increase on both system and games all you're getting from Sony and Microsoft is bigger and better specs. Whoopee new graphics cards.

But that's what I want. That's what alot of people want. Better looking, more detailed, bigger games with smarter AI. Why does Iwata think that the industry is stagnating? Gaming continues to increase in profitability and popularity, globally if not locally in Japan. New gaming genres (in a large part driven by spec increases, ala GTA) continue to change the face of gaming. You can't shake the feeling that Nintendo is telling us what we want. It's not even that big of a jump in control (hello Powerglove); it's just big enough to alienate 3rd parties and discourage cross-platform ports, just as the N64 cartridges did and to some extent the custom GameCube disc format did. This is a forced evolution in control, and as such, it stands less likely to revolutionize anything.

How's Nintendo dictating what you want? If you want flashy visuals there's already two consoles providing that experience for you. For the rest of us that feel there's something lacking, we have Nintendo's new approach. So sorry that three major comapanies aren't catering to your specfic desires.

[fpbrush]

You can't shake the feeling that Nintendo is telling us what we want.

Nintendo told you that you wanted the side scroller. And the D-pad.

Listen, I know what you are all saying and I understand your concerns. But Playstation3 and Xbox360 have the bases COVERED for nextgen supergraphics systems. Why not try something different and unique. It may be the next Virtual Boy or it may be the next NES, props to Nintendo for trying!

[njiska]

To all N fans: Don't desert the ship so easily and give N a chance. We still don't know HOW this controller works and how it plays.

What I don't understand about this rather extreme disappoined reaction of N fans is the surprise factor. This kind of controller could be expected, it is something which I say for a year now based on Ns statements and subtle leaks about the system and gaming habits what supposedly the gameplayer today wants: do not expect the Revolution to be a traditional console, it will be a hybrid handheld/portable system. Do also not expect traditional next-gen games for this systyem, this is left to Sony and MS.

How much more subtle could Iwata have been when he stated more than nine months ago that N will not try to compete with Sony and MS with the new Revolution?

How much more signals could he have delivered when stating that gamers want shorter games and are not impressed by cutting-edge graphics?

How much more could have a PR startegy been rebvealing than consistently referring to the success of cell-phone games, changed leisure time activities due to the Internet, and more approachable simpler games?

How much more could he have prepared the handheld emphasis of the new system than by stating that N will go after the hardcore gamer AND the casual gamer at the same time?

Back then I wrote again and again read the writings on the wall, but lots of people still dealt with illusions rather than reality.

This isn't a surprise. About the controller: I don't know how well that thing plays and how good the control is for games; furthermore, we don't know the games.

It seems there are a lot of obstacles to overcome to make it a success. Game developers won't flock around it for sure, in particular not for triple A titles they want on two traditional consoles. The Reggie quote about the fishing game also hints at a handheld market; and if I want to use the traditional 'free' analog control for Metroid as a right-hander, I know for sure I will have probs with that in my left hand (very different from a analog stick on the left which I can garb with two hands).

It seems to me a lot like the N DS: there might be a lack of third-party support for this kind of control and system; however, it is marketed to a very different audience than the traditrional console player, so it might be a success as what it is intended: a handheld system with console aspects with shorter and approachable games.

This way, N fosters their strong economic foot in the handheld business, and retrieves where they had disappointing success in the last ten years, the console business.

Not the dumbest move by N.

Overallo, I say wait...we don't know a lot of details, there will be surprising details in the future which makes the system look better than it is now. But for me, the general direction of Ns path going with the Revolution is pretty clear for some time now.

You make some good points but the one thing i don't see being adressed is that Nintendo doesn't dictate who they compete with and what market they get, we do. They can say they aren't going to compete with Sony and MS but the bottom line is if you're a console you have to with them. Even if you don't want to. You can make non-standard next gen but it's how the customer looks at you that really matters. Nintendo claims that the DS isn't competing with PSP but the bottom line is that it does. In the minds and wallets of most gamers they're in direct competition. That's why i'm worried about the Revolution. Nintendo doesn't have the weight in the market to just make this drastic a change and expect other companies to follow. They have to hope other companies will follow and honestly i don't think they will. They might do a few experiments with the Rev, but it's not like you can expect full support. Multi-platform games won't translate well to the Rev because of the different styles and the lack of buttons.

Nintendo didn't make a bad move, they just made a very VERY risky move that looks like it's gonna be a very bad business decision.

I agree that the only way we're gonna know for sure is when it happens. Right now all bets are off.

[sabre2922]

The unit is held in one hand. It interacts with included motion sensors (which are placed on the left and right sides of televisions) to become a virtual conductor, of sorts. It detects motions, angles, directions and depths in a realistic manner, offering more freedom and precision in games than ever before. Imagine sticking your hand in a 3D box and being able to input all of your movement in games and you've got the basic idea. The bottom of the controller features an expansion slot, by which a number of add-ons are possible. Nintendo demonstrated an analog stick, held the opposite hand, which is sure to help maker first-person shooters more intuitive than they have ever been before on any home console.
Features at a glance:


Remote control design: constructed to appeal to a wide variety of potential players
3D Pointing: Sensors understand up, down, left, right, forward and backward.
Tilt Sensitive: Controller can be rotated or rolled from side-to-side.
Buttons Included: Has a trigger on its backside, face buttons, and a D-Pad.
Multifunctional: Has an expansion port which can be used with different types of controller peripherals. Analog stick with two trigger buttons planned for left hand.
Wireless: Totally wire-free. Currently there are no details on the max distance, source or power, or otherwise.
Rumble Built-in. Included standard in all the controllers.



Thankx for locking my poll by the way

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I think I said this before, but what the heck, I'll say it again: I'll pass judgement when I see how it affects the gameplay and the fun. I'm not a stockholder. I don't have any vested interest in Nintendo's sales, or Sony's, or Microsoft's (and I still wonder why other fellow non-stockholders give a flip too). All I care about is: Can they entertain me? Heck, they just might. I'll have to wait and see.

[Ze_ro]

I suppose this thread doesn't exactly need yet another person's 2 cents, but I for one think this controller looks very promising.

After all, you have the analog stick and a decent number of buttons (substituting the D-pad for 4 buttons if necessary) and gyroscopics on top of that. Right there you have enough to control pretty much any game, as well as performs neat tricks with the gyroscopics to swing golf clubs, shoot the TV set as a light gun, or whatever other nifty ideas game developers think of. Then on top of that you have the expansion port which pretty much leaves things open for whatever whacky ideas couldn't be done with what's already there. Heck, you could make a cheap Densha de Go throttle for this thing, since it would just piggyback on the wireless transmitter that's already in the controller (thus saving some cost on production).

Honesty, I can't think of anything this controller couldn't theoretically do. The only deal-breaker I can really see here is if the thing turns out to be excessively uncomfortable.

--Zero

[Slimedog]

I wonder how much the 3D hand movements will play in actual game design. I can just see trying to pull off a dragon punch and accidently belting player 2.

[Dimitri]

I wonder how much the 3D hand movements will play in actual game design. I can just see trying to pull off a dragon punch and accidently belting player 2.

I've belted player two while playing Samba de Amigo before.

He still gives me crap about that. :/

[sabre2922]

I wonder how much the 3D hand movements will play in actual game design. I can just see trying to pull off a dragon punch and accidently belting player 2.

positive:

Matt Casamassina, IGNcube: I was pretty skeptical when I first heard about and then saw the Revolution controller. Actually, I really didn't know what to think -- and this is a position that I'm sure countless readers find themselves in even as they comb over the new details. But I have got to hand it to Nintendo. It didn't wuss out and deliver a modified Wave Bird with title sensors. This Revolution peripheral is something totally new and unlike Microsoft and Sony, both of whom are content to deliver nearly identical renditions of their controllers over and over, Nintendo is really pushing the boundaries. I just got finished writing a piece that explored the possibilities of this new device and I have to say I'm really, truly excited. I'm downright psyched, to be frank. If the Big N can make good on the controller's potential, it's really going to expand the way we play games, from first-person shooters to pet simulators and racers. The controller might actually live up to the console's codename. Hats of to the Big N for putting itself out there. Can't wait to see some games.

Negative:
Like I said earlier, as games have become more sophisticated and given us more control over more things to do, we've gotten use to using more and more buttons. The usage of thumbstick buttons on PS2 and Xbox was a quiet innovation, like the right analog stick, that we're all used to at this point. This controller looks short of buttons, especially since the little A and B buttons on the bottom of the remote stick can't be pushed with any human fingers that I've ever seen if you're holding it pistol-style like we see in the pictures. EA's extremely popular sports games and Ubisoft's military themed games are notorious for using every single moving part on a game controller and the creators of those games just aren't going to have that many options with the Revolution controller from what I can tell.

Positive:
The motion sensing portion of the device isn't the surprise, and in fact, I was expecting it months and months ago. It's something that's done extraordinarily well in Wario Ware Twisted and Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble on the handheld, so Nintendo has clearly proven that it can whip out some fantastic ideas that use this input. I honestly can't wait to see some of the ideas that Nintendo's R&D have already created with the device. Wario Ware Revolution, here we come.
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other comments:
I'm still very worried about this controller's application to a wide variety of genres, but color me excited. This will definitely make playing games on Revolution different from 360 and PS3. With my current consoles, I buy cross-platform games for the most powerful machine (Xbox) and snap up the exclusives on PS2 and GameCube. But something like this could really make Revolution versions of games stand out. Of course, there's that not completely unfounded worry about Nintendo being able to sustain a steady stream of games for its next machine, whether first- or third-party. But ignoring those doubts, I'm very excited about the possibilities with this thing.

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There's so much we don't know! I don't expect every game to be like Steel Battalion, but I also don't want to pay $90 per title just to get some new analog stick layout. You know? It just seems a bit too impractical.

[petewhitley]

How's Nintendo dictating what you want? If you want flashy visuals there's already two consoles providing that experience for you. For the rest of us that feel there's something lacking, we have Nintendo's new approach. So sorry that three major comapanies aren't catering to your specfic desires.

You're missing my point, and taking it somewhat personally or something x_x

Gaming controllers have evolved since the days of Atari to the current standards out of the needs of the games they control. Gimmicky control schemes dictated by the need to be "unique" as opposed to the needs of current games and developers have historically failed to take off (see the Intellivision controller, see the Powerglove, see those silly yellow buttons on the N64 controller, etc.). The current trends in gaming don't necessitate this sort of control style. Did you really feel something was "lacking" before Nintendo showed off this controller? I haven't heard people screaming out "Get rid of these damn Dual Shocks!" Today's controllers work well for today's games. That's not to say some great games can't utilize this control scheme, but it's change for the sake of change, and at this point the gaming industry isn't going to steer itself where in the direction of Nintendo's specific desires. Remember: form follows function.

[Anthony1]

I'm not so much dissapointed in the concept that they are going with, as I'm dissapointed in the ergonomics of the design.


This thing looks like your standard remote control for a TV, but much thicker, and it looks kinda heavy. Really hard to pass judgement on this thing without holding it in your hands or at least seeing a video of somebody playing a game with it.


For certain types of games, I think it will be pretty amazing, and for certain types of games I think it might be horrible. I still don't totally understand how this thing is going to work. For example, if I'm playing a racing game like Need For Speed: Most Wanted with this controller, how exactly will I be doing it? With only one hand? The idea of controlling any kind of racing game with just one hand is a very bad idea in my book.


I like the idea behind baseball games and tennis games and golf games, in terms of this controller really revolutionizing those kinds of games from a control standpoint, but I hope that somebody comes out with a 3rd party version of this controller that would actually feel like you are holding a baseball bat or tennis racket. Go pick up a regular remote and try to pretend it's a bat or tennis racket. It's kinda goofy. But if it actually had the grip of a tennis racket or bat or Golf club or whatever, I think it would be pretty cool. Like having a handle for a sword if it's a Zelda game or whatever. That would be pretty smooth.


One thing that I was really hoping for with this controller, was some real deal tactile feedback. Nintendo started the whole rumble thing with Starfox for the N64, and I was hoping that they were going to take rumble to the next level with real tactile feedback.

In fact, I can envision one day, that when we play games, we will actually wear a special shirt and pants that actually have all kinds of tactile feedback sensors all over them. Imagine playing a Ghost Recon game, and you are shot in your left wrist, and you immediately feel a stinging sensation in your left wrist. That would be pretty freaking next level.


If you think about it, interacting with games is all about the senses that we have. Right now, we are seeing things and hearing things, and somewhat controlling things and feeling slight rumbles, but there are a number of senses that just aren't even being touched, and I look forward to the day when we add more senses to the mix.


Can you say Smellovision?

[JB Lars]

OH NOES! IT'S TEH DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!

Bring it on. Nintendo's profitable, even with the last two console "failures". I can play games with "normal" control on other machines. I can't wait to see what this can do.

Hell, where do I go to buy Nintendo stock? With all the sky-is-faliing over this, the price is gonna have to drop. I wanna be laughing when the Revolution still does what every Nintendo machine is designed to do: Play games and earn money.