Nintendo shock the industry by revealing what looks like a DVD remote with an attachable analogue stick.
During his speech at the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed the controller for the Nintendo Revolution. Everyone expected something unique, but perhaps not this unique. Nintendo has dropped the traditional controller style and developed a unit that is held in one hand and can detect motion.
"The feeling is so natural and real, as soon as players use the controller, their minds will spin with the possibilities of how this will change gaming as we know it today," explains Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president. "This is an extremely exciting innovation -- one that will thrill current players and entice new ones."
The controller can sense motion, depth, positioning and targeting, plus more traditional gamers can attach an analogue stick to the unit. We're still undecided on the design to be honest. Using Bluetooth technology the controller has a range of approximately 15 metres and uses a sensor placed near the TV so the controller's position can be calculated.
Also of note is how the controller will work with older games promised as downloads through a new Nintendo service. By putting the controller on its side players can use it as they would a traditional NES controller. Iwata also stated that rumble will be supported in games just as it was with the GameCube and Nintendo 64. There's also an on/off switch which will, rather obviously, turn the console on and off.
Imagining how games will play using one hand isn't easy and how well games can be ported across from other systems remains to be seen. Nintendo claim that cross-platform games can easily be ported to the Revolution, but only time will tell. The company is also working on a "Classic-style expansion controller" for use with more traditional games, but exact details of this are yet to be revealed. If anything, the new controller design should guarantee gamers a different experience when using the Revolution - perhaps giving people a real reason to pick up a second console in the upcoming next generation battle.
While we are sitting on the fence, a number of publishers have backed Nintendo.
"Nintendo has long been a trailblazer and this controller design reinforces that reputation," said Brian Farrell, president of THQ. "We enthusiastically support Nintendo's next console because we believe their approach of continual innovation is very much in line with our own strategy of creating unique and innovative games for the next generation of hardware."
"What we're seeing from this controller is the same thing we saw with Nintendo DS," said Chuck Huebner, Head of Worldwide Studios, Activision, Inc. "It's a system that's designed with an eye on enticing new players to the video game industry, and that's something we firmly support."
"Game control is essential - it's the area where perhaps the most game-play improvement can be made," said John Schappert, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of Electronic Arts Canada. "While our portfolio represents a full array of titles across all genres, I think our sports titles might be the first to immediately take advantage of what this novel 'freehand' type of control has to offer."
"We were among the first publishers to see the control design in action," said Serge Hascoet, Chief Creative Offices of Ubisoft. "We're excited about the new controller and are looking forward to taking advantage of its innovative aspects."
A number of members of the videogames press have used the remote-controller in a number of game technology demos and first impressions seem pretty positive. The lucky people got to play a fishing demo, Metroid Prime 2, a shooting game, air hockey and several other demos showcasing what the controller is capable of.
