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[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/news_6133335.html[/URL]
Ummmm...
Picture of the controller:
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=3[/URL]
Analogue stick expansion (phew):
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=4[/URL]
More pictures:
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screenindex_6133335.html[/URL]
Controller game demos:
[URL]http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15143-2567-x-x-x[/URL]
1st Article for the lazy people:
"Though the Nintendo Revolution was partially unveiled at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, its controller is the final piece of the venerable hardware manufacturer's next-generation puzzle. Speculation about the device has run rampant, because its manufacturer has made a point of keeping it well hidden. Nintendo has chosen only to drop hints that it would be an integral part of the Revolution's unique gameplay experience.
Today, in his keynote address at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Satoru Iwata touched on those themes again, giving further clues about Nintendo's vision for the future. But while Iwata's speech offered a bit more clarity on what Nintendo is aiming to offer gamers with the Revolution, he was vague about exactly how its controller will fit into the company's grand plan.
Thankfully, GameSpot had the chance to gain a better understanding of what Nintendo is going for with the benefit of a visual and tactile aid--a working prototype of the Revolution controller. Yes, we touched it. Yes, we used it. But is it a "revolution"? It just might be.
Our guided tour of the Revolution controller was led by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, the industry legend whose talent has been one of the driving forces behind Nintendo's success. But, as always, he was his humble self, emphasizing that the day's presentation was about the possibilities of the controller and not his own upcoming projects. With that disclaimer, Miyamoto and the assembled Nintendo Japan reps unveiled the long-awaited controller, a modest-looking device that is low on flash, but big on functionality.
Miyamoto noted that the impetus for the controller design came from Nintendo's desire to do something "different" after hearing user feedback on consoles. The company felt the current generation of machines was coming close to overwhelming players by taking up too much space in their living rooms and creating briar patches of cables that must be navigated. As a result, Nintendo wanted to offer a solution that starts simple but supports expansion and that offers accessible experiences for casual players and more intricate experiences for hardcore gamers.
The form factor on display wasn't the absolute final design for the Revolution controller, and Nintendo reps noted that it is still a work in progress. That said, it was enough to give us an idea of where the company is headed. The controller itself bears no resemblance to the myriad fan-generated renderings purporting to be the real deal. The unit basically looks like a slim, ergonomic television remote that's about as long as your hand.
As can be seen in the images released today, the controller features core elements along with some you wouldn't expect. A power button at the top left of the unit appears to let you power the Revolution console on or off. An old-school digital D pad rests just below the power button. A large GameCube-controller-style A button is prominently placed below the D pad. Its counterpart B button is located on the opposite side of the remote, like the Z button on the Nintendo 64 controller. Directly below the A button is a series of three buttons: select, home, and start. While it's easy to guess what they do, Nintendo reps offered no details on their exact function.
Below the select, home, and start buttons is another set of vertically aligned buttons labeled X and Y. On some of the prototype controllers we looked at, the X button had a small "B" next to it and the Y button had a small "A" next to it, indicating that the controller can be held sideways to approximate a classic NES controller. Directly beneath those buttons is a horizontal row of colored lights that indicate which controller slot the owner is using--1 to 4 are planned at the moment. The plan is for the controllers to include built-in rumble packs and to run off of batteries, ŕ la the Wavebird for the GameCube.
Finally, the base of the controller features a unique plug that lets you make use of a wide variety of peripherals. One such peripheral is an analog stick attachment with two shoulder buttons. Though it gives the combined items an odd, nunchaku-like appearance (which is actually Nintendo's tongue-in-cheek nickname for it), the add-on demonstrates the controller's versatility. While Miyamoto didn't say much else about what other attachments were in the works, he did note that it's theoretically possible to have entirely different configurations plug into the port--which got us thinking about SNES and N64 controller attachments.
One of the most interesting features of the peripheral is tied to its functionality as a "pointing device." A glossy section of the top of the controller houses a transmitter--much like any remote would have--that was used extensively in the demos we saw. The signal from the unit is picked up by sensors you'll place near your television, which will then reflect your actions on the screen. Based on the responsiveness of the demos that we tried, this feature has the potential to turn the entire base controller unit into a new kind of pointing device. It also has great potential applications for sports games, such as laser-pointer-style play calling.
Overall, despite its unorthodox appearance, the Revolution controller has a comfortable feel. The assorted demos on hand also indicated that playing Revolution games will be a more active, physical experience than playing current-generation games. Whether you're using the pointer mechanic to actively control onscreen action or using two hands to take advantage of attachments, the Revolution controller will likely change how games are played.
Will the change the Revolution heralds be successful? It's too early to say for sure. But given Nintendo's well-documented history of breaking new ground in gaming (such as the DS) we're game to see just how this all pans out. The potential for a revolution is there; Nintendo just has to lead the way with software."
Ummmm...
Picture of the controller:
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=3[/URL]
Analogue stick expansion (phew):
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=4[/URL]
More pictures:
[URL]http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screenindex_6133335.html[/URL]
Controller game demos:
[URL]http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15143-2567-x-x-x[/URL]
1st Article for the lazy people:
"Though the Nintendo Revolution was partially unveiled at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, its controller is the final piece of the venerable hardware manufacturer's next-generation puzzle. Speculation about the device has run rampant, because its manufacturer has made a point of keeping it well hidden. Nintendo has chosen only to drop hints that it would be an integral part of the Revolution's unique gameplay experience.
Today, in his keynote address at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Satoru Iwata touched on those themes again, giving further clues about Nintendo's vision for the future. But while Iwata's speech offered a bit more clarity on what Nintendo is aiming to offer gamers with the Revolution, he was vague about exactly how its controller will fit into the company's grand plan.
Thankfully, GameSpot had the chance to gain a better understanding of what Nintendo is going for with the benefit of a visual and tactile aid--a working prototype of the Revolution controller. Yes, we touched it. Yes, we used it. But is it a "revolution"? It just might be.
Our guided tour of the Revolution controller was led by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, the industry legend whose talent has been one of the driving forces behind Nintendo's success. But, as always, he was his humble self, emphasizing that the day's presentation was about the possibilities of the controller and not his own upcoming projects. With that disclaimer, Miyamoto and the assembled Nintendo Japan reps unveiled the long-awaited controller, a modest-looking device that is low on flash, but big on functionality.
Miyamoto noted that the impetus for the controller design came from Nintendo's desire to do something "different" after hearing user feedback on consoles. The company felt the current generation of machines was coming close to overwhelming players by taking up too much space in their living rooms and creating briar patches of cables that must be navigated. As a result, Nintendo wanted to offer a solution that starts simple but supports expansion and that offers accessible experiences for casual players and more intricate experiences for hardcore gamers.
The form factor on display wasn't the absolute final design for the Revolution controller, and Nintendo reps noted that it is still a work in progress. That said, it was enough to give us an idea of where the company is headed. The controller itself bears no resemblance to the myriad fan-generated renderings purporting to be the real deal. The unit basically looks like a slim, ergonomic television remote that's about as long as your hand.
As can be seen in the images released today, the controller features core elements along with some you wouldn't expect. A power button at the top left of the unit appears to let you power the Revolution console on or off. An old-school digital D pad rests just below the power button. A large GameCube-controller-style A button is prominently placed below the D pad. Its counterpart B button is located on the opposite side of the remote, like the Z button on the Nintendo 64 controller. Directly below the A button is a series of three buttons: select, home, and start. While it's easy to guess what they do, Nintendo reps offered no details on their exact function.
Below the select, home, and start buttons is another set of vertically aligned buttons labeled X and Y. On some of the prototype controllers we looked at, the X button had a small "B" next to it and the Y button had a small "A" next to it, indicating that the controller can be held sideways to approximate a classic NES controller. Directly beneath those buttons is a horizontal row of colored lights that indicate which controller slot the owner is using--1 to 4 are planned at the moment. The plan is for the controllers to include built-in rumble packs and to run off of batteries, ŕ la the Wavebird for the GameCube.
Finally, the base of the controller features a unique plug that lets you make use of a wide variety of peripherals. One such peripheral is an analog stick attachment with two shoulder buttons. Though it gives the combined items an odd, nunchaku-like appearance (which is actually Nintendo's tongue-in-cheek nickname for it), the add-on demonstrates the controller's versatility. While Miyamoto didn't say much else about what other attachments were in the works, he did note that it's theoretically possible to have entirely different configurations plug into the port--which got us thinking about SNES and N64 controller attachments.
One of the most interesting features of the peripheral is tied to its functionality as a "pointing device." A glossy section of the top of the controller houses a transmitter--much like any remote would have--that was used extensively in the demos we saw. The signal from the unit is picked up by sensors you'll place near your television, which will then reflect your actions on the screen. Based on the responsiveness of the demos that we tried, this feature has the potential to turn the entire base controller unit into a new kind of pointing device. It also has great potential applications for sports games, such as laser-pointer-style play calling.
Overall, despite its unorthodox appearance, the Revolution controller has a comfortable feel. The assorted demos on hand also indicated that playing Revolution games will be a more active, physical experience than playing current-generation games. Whether you're using the pointer mechanic to actively control onscreen action or using two hands to take advantage of attachments, the Revolution controller will likely change how games are played.
Will the change the Revolution heralds be successful? It's too early to say for sure. But given Nintendo's well-documented history of breaking new ground in gaming (such as the DS) we're game to see just how this all pans out. The potential for a revolution is there; Nintendo just has to lead the way with software."
Page:
You would be able to build a steering grip around the borrom and point it straight at the screen though, to get that same experience rather than holding the remote thing horizontally itself.
Tomm wrote:
> I'm sure this has been mentioned before. It's not a traditional light
> gun there-for it doesnt rely on the tv for positioning, non?
No, it relies on a sensor which you need to place above or below your tv. Which has an effective arc similar to that of the viewing angle of most LCD tv's.
So, the device itself will have an effective arc and the sensor will have an effective arc which I'm assuming will mean that the thing can be pointed no more than 60 degrees from straight at the screen to get a working connection.
> I'm sure this has been mentioned before. It's not a traditional light
> gun there-for it doesnt rely on the tv for positioning, non?
No, it relies on a sensor which you need to place above or below your tv. Which has an effective arc similar to that of the viewing angle of most LCD tv's.
So, the device itself will have an effective arc and the sensor will have an effective arc which I'm assuming will mean that the thing can be pointed no more than 60 degrees from straight at the screen to get a working connection.
Bonus wrote:
> Game wrote:
> Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell,
> and
> pretend it's part of a steering wheel.
>
> No, you couldn't.
>
> The sensor only detect the "pointing device" in a similar
> arc to the viewing disctance of an LCD screen. Meaning, it has to be
> pointing in the direction of the screen or the area around it to work,
> so holding it horizontally wouldn't work for the pointing device
> sensors.
I'm sure this has been mentioned before. It's not a traditional light gun there-for it doesnt rely on the tv for positioning, non?
> Game wrote:
> Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell,
> and
> pretend it's part of a steering wheel.
>
> No, you couldn't.
>
> The sensor only detect the "pointing device" in a similar
> arc to the viewing disctance of an LCD screen. Meaning, it has to be
> pointing in the direction of the screen or the area around it to work,
> so holding it horizontally wouldn't work for the pointing device
> sensors.
I'm sure this has been mentioned before. It's not a traditional light gun there-for it doesnt rely on the tv for positioning, non?
Looks interesting. I'm glad Nintendo are still trying to develop new and improved products after their recent troubles and I hope it's a success.
Game wrote:
> Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell, and
> pretend it's part of a steering wheel.
No, you couldn't.
The sensor only detect the "pointing device" in a similar arc to the viewing disctance of an LCD screen. Meaning, it has to be pointing in the direction of the screen or the area around it to work, so holding it horizontally wouldn't work for the pointing device sensors.
> Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell, and
> pretend it's part of a steering wheel.
No, you couldn't.
The sensor only detect the "pointing device" in a similar arc to the viewing disctance of an LCD screen. Meaning, it has to be pointing in the direction of the screen or the area around it to work, so holding it horizontally wouldn't work for the pointing device sensors.
How is this drastic?
A) You have the Basic-Style Controller to back up any anti-Freehand genres.
B) You still press buttons on a pad that you hold in your hand(s).
C) You see the reaction on-screen.
It might seem like a gimmick, but think of all the games it'll work with.
SSX: 'Drive' with the Analogue, point down to crouch, hold a combination of A, B, Z1 and Z2, and then flick the Freehand up to jump. Rail sliding would be automatic, as ever.
Metroid: You'd look around with the Freehand, and when it pointed so far to the right of your TV, it'd keep spinning right until you moved it back to the left. A could put you into a ball, B could shoot, the D-Pad can select your weapon and Z1 and Z2 could scan things or whatever.
Fifa: Control your character with the Analogue Stick. Flick the Freehand to 12 O'Clock and press A to pass the ball up, in all other directions and A to pass the ball there. Same for Shooting, except you'd use B. Z1 and Z2 could be for through balls, tricks, or whatever. Alternatively, you could use the Basic Controller - I hope that has a Diamond layout and not a GC one.
God Games, RTSs, Tennis and Golf games are a given. The Rev could even pick up how much twist your wrists meaning it could guage how much you'd hook or slice the ball. Also, (on higher difficulty settings) instead of having to change the type of you shot, put spin on, or off you could just hit the ball in a certain way to do all this. There might even be a golf-club attachment! Haha..
Surival Horror? Easy.
Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell, and pretend it's part of a steering wheel. Or you could just twist the thing and your car would turn accordingly. Mario Kart Revolution... you could simply point where you wanted to go, press A to accellerate and B to use your weapon. You could 'strafe' the Freehand to the right and then quickly to the left to powerslide one way, and then to the left and quickly to the right to slide the other way. Alteratively you could just rotate the Freehand in the direction you wanted to powerslide. It's certainly not that hard. If need be, you have the nun-chuck attachment to the extra 3 buttons.
Most genre's are feasible with the Freehand-Analogue combo. Developers just need to look at what's on offer and put some effort in to using it.
A) You have the Basic-Style Controller to back up any anti-Freehand genres.
B) You still press buttons on a pad that you hold in your hand(s).
C) You see the reaction on-screen.
It might seem like a gimmick, but think of all the games it'll work with.
SSX: 'Drive' with the Analogue, point down to crouch, hold a combination of A, B, Z1 and Z2, and then flick the Freehand up to jump. Rail sliding would be automatic, as ever.
Metroid: You'd look around with the Freehand, and when it pointed so far to the right of your TV, it'd keep spinning right until you moved it back to the left. A could put you into a ball, B could shoot, the D-Pad can select your weapon and Z1 and Z2 could scan things or whatever.
Fifa: Control your character with the Analogue Stick. Flick the Freehand to 12 O'Clock and press A to pass the ball up, in all other directions and A to pass the ball there. Same for Shooting, except you'd use B. Z1 and Z2 could be for through balls, tricks, or whatever. Alternatively, you could use the Basic Controller - I hope that has a Diamond layout and not a GC one.
God Games, RTSs, Tennis and Golf games are a given. The Rev could even pick up how much twist your wrists meaning it could guage how much you'd hook or slice the ball. Also, (on higher difficulty settings) instead of having to change the type of you shot, put spin on, or off you could just hit the ball in a certain way to do all this. There might even be a golf-club attachment! Haha..
Surival Horror? Easy.
Racing: You could hold the Freehand horizontally, like a dumbell, and pretend it's part of a steering wheel. Or you could just twist the thing and your car would turn accordingly. Mario Kart Revolution... you could simply point where you wanted to go, press A to accellerate and B to use your weapon. You could 'strafe' the Freehand to the right and then quickly to the left to powerslide one way, and then to the left and quickly to the right to slide the other way. Alteratively you could just rotate the Freehand in the direction you wanted to powerslide. It's certainly not that hard. If need be, you have the nun-chuck attachment to the extra 3 buttons.
Most genre's are feasible with the Freehand-Analogue combo. Developers just need to look at what's on offer and put some effort in to using it.
Game wrote:
> but you can't deny
> that Nintendo's Revolution idea has blasted the industry with a much
> needed breath of fresh air.
But I honestly don't think their lungs are big enough to make an impact.
(ahahahahaha, what an awful metaphor)
> but you can't deny
> that Nintendo's Revolution idea has blasted the industry with a much
> needed breath of fresh air.
But I honestly don't think their lungs are big enough to make an impact.
(ahahahahaha, what an awful metaphor)
Equally so, it's unwise to make such a radical move outright. Histroy has shown it's better to make slow changes rather than a drastic upheaval of gameplay as we know it.
Coatsy wrote:
> Thankfully, I don't plan on getting a Nintendo Revolution. The idea of
> prancing around the living room with modified TV remote doesn't go
> down too well, I'm afraid.
Well let me be the first to wish you all the best for the next generation. I sincerely hope that running around with a character pressing one of four face buttons (SNES Anyone?) keeps you going for the next 8 years.
Regardless of which 'side' you're on, you have to admit that this controller is genius. It won't work with every type of game, so Nintendo have the 'Basic-Design' controller that you slot the Freehand Controller into. You don't have 4 accessible face-buttons, per se. But who's to say that developers can't use the directions of the D-Pad as A, B, X and Y?
Frankly, all i've seen from the 360 and the PS3 is fancy versions of what we've already for the last 10+ years. Granted, Nintendo will release games based on the Mario, Zelda, Pokémon and DK franchises, but at least they're be innovative. I'll give you one guess how you control Solid Snake in MGS4. I'll give you one guess how you run, jump and shoot in HALO 3. And I'll give you one guess how you'll drive around in a car in GTA 4. I'm not knocking the PS3 and 360... i'll probably get both, eventually... but you can't deny that Nintendo's Revolution idea has blasted the industry with a much needed breath of fresh air.
If anyone can see how this Freehand Controller will struggle to play a certain type of genre, post it, and we'll try and figure out how it can be done.
> Thankfully, I don't plan on getting a Nintendo Revolution. The idea of
> prancing around the living room with modified TV remote doesn't go
> down too well, I'm afraid.
Well let me be the first to wish you all the best for the next generation. I sincerely hope that running around with a character pressing one of four face buttons (SNES Anyone?) keeps you going for the next 8 years.
Regardless of which 'side' you're on, you have to admit that this controller is genius. It won't work with every type of game, so Nintendo have the 'Basic-Design' controller that you slot the Freehand Controller into. You don't have 4 accessible face-buttons, per se. But who's to say that developers can't use the directions of the D-Pad as A, B, X and Y?
Frankly, all i've seen from the 360 and the PS3 is fancy versions of what we've already for the last 10+ years. Granted, Nintendo will release games based on the Mario, Zelda, Pokémon and DK franchises, but at least they're be innovative. I'll give you one guess how you control Solid Snake in MGS4. I'll give you one guess how you run, jump and shoot in HALO 3. And I'll give you one guess how you'll drive around in a car in GTA 4. I'm not knocking the PS3 and 360... i'll probably get both, eventually... but you can't deny that Nintendo's Revolution idea has blasted the industry with a much needed breath of fresh air.
If anyone can see how this Freehand Controller will struggle to play a certain type of genre, post it, and we'll try and figure out how it can be done.
Riskiness is a bad idea in console development. If Nintendo stuff up, they can hardly release another next generation console. They have to predict what the public wants first time and frankly, I don't think they've quite hit the nail on the head yet.
Page: