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"Revolution controller revealed"

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Fri 16/09/05 at 04:01
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
[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, à 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."
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Tue 20/09/05 at 00:43
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
The sort of game modes that should have officially be in it from launch.
Tue 20/09/05 at 00:36
Regular
Posts: 6,492
Hedfix wrote:
> Errr. PGR2 was incredibly boring after about a week.

Did you ever get a good game of last man standing on Live?

The made up games were the best thing to happen on Live :-).

Or team Cat And Mouse :D.
Tue 20/09/05 at 00:33
Regular
"tokyo police club"
Posts: 12,540
Cycloon wrote:
> PGR2 was sublime.

Correct.

Hedfix wrote:
> Errr. PGR2 was incredibly boring after about a week.

INCORRECT.
Tue 20/09/05 at 00:23
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
Cycloon wrote:
> I know Bonus - I meant the games were. Just vaccuous boring boring
> boring wow gunz!!11 bang bang /death of anything remotely fun after
> extended play.
>
> PGR2 was sublime.

Errr. PGR2 was incredibly boring after about a week.

Atleast with the FPS games you have a decent chance of teamwork and tactics to make them interesting.

PGR2 needed to take itself less seriously and throw in some vehicular 'capture the flag' or something to make it a bit more fun.

Rallisport 2's much better and tbh the Xbox should have had an online Mario Kart clone by now.
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:19
Regular
Posts: 6,492
Cycloon wrote:
> Indeed - just to me a lot of what the Xbox (and PS2) offered was just
> not worth the time.

A lot of it was a waste of time, but what you were left with was still more than the Cube offreed, as far as I'm concerned :-).
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:18
Regular
Posts: 6,492
Tomm wrote:
> TBH it's all a bit of a moot point, some people like certain games,
> some people dont. End of story really...

Wow, common sense ;-).
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:18
Regular
"gsybe you!"
Posts: 18,825
Indeed - just to me a lot of what the Xbox (and PS2) offered was just not worth the time.

PGR2 though...ooo yes.

PGR3 is all I want in terms of consoles. And Twilight Princess.

Actually, I don't 'want' any games really.

WoW is all I need.
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:16
Regular
"the burning sky"
Posts: 4,984
TBH it's all a bit of a moot point, some people like certain games, some people dont. End of story really...
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:12
Regular
Posts: 6,492
Cycloon wrote:
> PGR2 was sublime. The other good games were good...but not what
> people make them out to be

Depends on what you class as the other good games I suppose.

I loved Mechassault, Crimson Skies and Quantum Redshift.

I also got Ghost Recon, Timesplitters 2, DOA3, XIII, Pro Evo 4.
Mon 19/09/05 at 22:10
Regular
Posts: 6,492
Sorry, I just listed all the games I bought and liked after I stopped buying Cube games, and well only two multi-format on the Cube isn't all that bad.

I didn't add in Viewtiful Joe for that reason, but I forgot about the other two being the same :-).
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