Nintendo Revolution Controller

[Easy Mac]

wow, I may have to buy this thing just for the controller. From Gamespot.com
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 (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=3) 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 (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screenindex_6133335.html), 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 (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/15/screens_6133335.html?page=4) 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.

Come back to GameSpot for more on the Revolution controller and system in the coming months. For a more-detailed breakdown of Miyamoto's demo of the Revolution controller, visit <extlink href="http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15143-2567-x-x-x">GameSpot Hardware</extlink> (http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15143-2567-x-x-x).

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/09/15/revcon_screen001.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/09/15/revcon_screen002.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/09/15/revcon_screen003.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/09/15/revcon_screen004.jpg
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[sterlingice]

I just don't know what to make of it yet. Then again, I thought the DS was the world's stupidest idea when they initially talked about it and now it looks rock solid.

I'm somewhat disappointed but it was going to be impossible to live up to the "Revolution" hype they were building on. Never mind that the bar got set really high by the Nintendo On fake video that was just amazing conceptually. Again, I'll have to see it in action.

SI

[SackAttack]

They mention that conceptually you can swing the thing 90 degrees and play it old-school; I wonder how accessible the B button will be if you do that.

[sterlingice]

You know, the more I look at it, the more I'm really going to have to be convinced that it's worth something. It looks like a tv remote right now. Granted, the Gamecube controller still works with the system, too, and I love my Wavebird (apparently so does Microsoft since the X360 controller *is* the Wavebird, essentially)

SI

[SackAttack]

You know, the more I look at it, the more I'm really going to have to be convinced that it's worth something. It looks like a tv remote right now. Granted, the Gamecube controller still works with the system, too, and I love my Wavebird (apparently so does Microsoft since the X360 controller *is* the Wavebird, essentially)

SI

1) That was my first thought. "You use a TV remote?"

I suppose that's them going for the casual market, since the controller will feel natural. :D

2) The X360 controller design was really the most logical place to take it. I doubt they said "let's make it as much like the Wavebird as possible." The black and white buttons are really the most useless pieces of crap around, and since the PS1/PS2 controllers are so universally loved, moving the black and white button to analogous locations to L1/R1 makes the most sense if you have designs on convincing part of the market to switch.

[dubb93]

It just doesn't look very practical for gaming. I've learned to hold my controllers in different ways for different games depending on what buttons I need to be able to use the most. It seems like it forces you to hold it the same way and use your left hand for the analog stick only. What it I need to hit several buttons at the same time AND use the analog stick? Doesn't seem very practical to me, I've going to need to be VERY convinced this is actually a good thing.

[Shkspr]

What it I need to hit several buttons at the same time AND use the analog stick? Doesn't seem very practical to me, I've going to need to be VERY convinced this is actually a good thing.


One would assume that the games will be designed in such a way that you don't need to hit several buttons at the same time as the analog stick. Likewise, when the controller is flipped sideways for old-school action (like playing those old SNES classics that will be made available), the "B" key on the bottom will not be used very often, I would imagine. Plus, the option will always be there to use a different wireless controller like a wavebird or a new 3rd party PS style controller.

I like it; it's new and I would imagine it will affect the control schemes in games to require less button-jockeying, which is a good thing. I'm still not going to get a Revolution, but I admire the decision.

[SackAttack]

It just doesn't look very practical for gaming. I've learned to hold my controllers in different ways for different games depending on what buttons I need to be able to use the most. It seems like it forces you to hold it the same way and use your left hand for the analog stick only. What it I need to hit several buttons at the same time AND use the analog stick? Doesn't seem very practical to me, I've going to need to be VERY convinced this is actually a good thing.

Shrug, that's how most game controllers have always operated. Actually, something kind of nice about the Revolution design that I hadn't noticed earlier - it'll naturally scale for left-handed OR right-handed people. Every other controller ever made has been designed with righties in mind, but the Revolution controller can be used equally well by folks of either persuasion.

[ThunderingHERD]

A little disappointing considering all of the outrageous speculation that has been going around. Hopefully they'll do something great with it though--they definately have some of the most innovative designers over there. Did we really need a third console that plays just like the other two?

[kingnebwsu]

Good call with the lefty/righty thing, Sack...I never thought of that.

Otherwise, my expression when I saw the picture stated my opinion on the controller. Don't have a picture of it to post here, but it was basically an expression of bewilderment and confusion. I probably will buy the Revolution at some point, but no way in hell will I buy it until it's really cheap. I made a huge mistake with the gamecube because I bought it at launch.

I can't even imagine trying to play the new smash bros. on that "controller"...

[rexallllsc]

I don't get it I guess.

[CentralMassHokie]

There's a video floating around of people using it (or at least how it would be used). It's full motion -- the guy swings the controller like a baseball bat, sword fighting, etc.

Plus, it sounds like there will be a "normal" controller too. Quite frankly, I think it looks awesome and hope that Nintendo comes up with good ways to leverage it. I'll probably get the Revolution just for the downloadable NES/SNES/N64 games.

[sterlingice]

There's a video floating around of people using it (or at least how it would be used). It's full motion -- the guy swings the controller like a baseball bat, sword fighting, etc.

Plus, it sounds like there will be a "normal" controller too. Quite frankly, I think it looks awesome and hope that Nintendo comes up with good ways to leverage it. I'll probably get the Revolution just for the downloadable NES/SNES/N64 games.
That's the video they showed at Iwata's keynote speech yesterday. It shows everything from two guys who look like chefs making chopping motions while you hear chopping sounds in the background to a guy swinging it like a bat to a guy swinging it like a sword to a guy shooting stuff, etc.

FYI- there are 4 Gamecube controller ports so I'd imagine you could use that, if nothing else. It should work well for N64 as there are a lot of design similarities. NES and SNES would be like, well, if you played Animal Crossing- it worked just fine to play old NES games on the Gamecube controller.

SI

[sterlingice]

Just posting more tidbits as I come across them:


Eurogamer: How is the controller going to work with games that aren't designed specifically for the Revolution - multi-platform titles and so on?

Jim Merrick (of Nintendo Europe): We're producing a classic-style expansion controller, based on traditional designs like the Gamecube controller. It's like a shell with a hole in the top into which you slot the freehand-style controller, and then you can play third-party ported games, and retro Nintendo games you've downloaded.

So there's that option - but even while it's inserted into the classic-style shell, the freehand controller will still be able to sense positioning and so on, so there are more options too.

It's something that's just as true for the DS - not every game uses the DS's unique features. But some multi-platform titles do, like The Sims 2 for example. We hope other developers will do the same and look at ways their multi-platform titles can make use of the Revolution's features.

Eurogamer: Is the freehand-style controller your trump card, or have we got more exciting stuff to look forward to?

Jim Merrick: Let's just say we have more surprises in store.
SI

[A-Husker-4-Life]

It kinda reminds me of the old coleco controller and yeah that's a bad thing..

http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/remote-control/coleco-joystick.jpg

[Daimyo]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but it seems like it could be very good. Nintendo seemed to realize even back in the N64 days that controllers we getting out of hand with too many buttons and started simplifying as best they could. I could see this controller not working well on 3rd party games, but assuming Nintendo designs their games around it, it could be really nice (and who really buys Nintendo for 3rd party games anyway?).

[SackAttack]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but it seems like it could be very good. Nintendo seemed to realize even back in the N64 days that controllers we getting out of hand with too many buttons and started simplifying as best they could.

Not sure I buy that. The SNES controller had six buttons - four face, two shoulder. The N64 had 9 buttons - the four yellow buttons, A, B, the triggerish one, and the two shoulder buttons. If anything, they were exacerbating the problem; no other mainstream game console in the last 20 years has ever had more than 8 buttons on their controllers. Some of the fringe stuff like Jaguar did, but they never really caught on.

I could see this controller not working well on 3rd party games, but assuming Nintendo designs their games around it, it could be really nice (and who really buys Nintendo for 3rd party games anyway?).

Ironic statement, since there was a time when developers making 3rd party games for Nintendo systems were contractually obligated not to develop those games for competing platforms.

[stevew]

They need to make a kick ass star wars lightsabre game for this thing for launch.

[sterlingice]

Just to give people a better idea of what they were talking about with the "classic style controller" that plugs into the one shown, IGN created a mockup of what they thought it would look like- basically sticking it in the middle of a Wavebird (at least roughly- tho this one doesn't look like it would have the ergonomics of what Nintendo tends to shoot for).

http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/article/651/651559/understanding-the-revolution-controller-20050916041026412-000.jpg

So, regular 3rd party games would still be playable using a normal style controller and may invite some innovation on Revolution (tho they seem to have taken away that moniker now as it wasn't on any of the branding they showed off at TGS). Sure, you can play madden like like x360 and ps3 but you can actually use tilt the controller up to see where your receivers are instead of having to move one of the analog sticks, etc. That said, there's still the issue of processing power- Nintendo hasn't said a thing about it and it's going to have to be on a similar level to the PS3/X360 (not a problem this gen) and have a sizeable user base playing certain genres (the problem this gen) to attract some of the 3rd party support that was lacking this time around.

I'm starting to warm up to this a little, but they're still going to have to show me some games. Then again, neither Sony nor Microsoft have done much of that yet so no big deal and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to point me towards some non pre-rendered shots (like the Madden video from earlier this week for X360 that doesn't look much different than this generation's as opposed to Gears of War or Perfect Dark vidoes which were completely pre-rendered).

SI

[Yossarian]

I think the controller looks simply outstanding.

your left hand is just moving up/down/left/right on the joystick, the right POINTS where you want to go and shoots. What an improvement for fps games over all other consoles. Additionally, there are tonnes of cool new types of play you can do with this kind of controller that just don't work with normal joypads.

I love it.

[Daimyo]

Not sure I buy that. The SNES controller had six buttons - four face, two shoulder. The N64 had 9 buttons - the four yellow buttons, A, B, the triggerish one, and the two shoulder buttons. If anything, they were exacerbating the problem; no other mainstream game console in the last 20 years has ever had more than 8 buttons on their controllers. Some of the fringe stuff like Jaguar did, but they never really caught on.
The controller had a lot of buttons, but really the four c-buttons were more for camera rotations and non critical stuff so they don't really count, also the trigger and the left shouldeer almost always did the same thing. Its been a while, but as far as i can remember with most Nintendo made N64 games you only really used the analog stick, the A and B button and the trigger... GameCube took it a but further in that direction even.

[kingnebwsu]

Nintendo will AGAIN have very little third-party support with the Revolution and they will once again finish in a distant third in the console races. Mark it down now, and don't be amazed when this comes true in 3-4 years :p

[CraigSca]

One thing's for sure, those are absolutely beautiful hands in the pictures. I wonder which one is George Costanza's?

[RebelMan]

You'd really have to love Nintendo to buy that.

[Marc Vaughan]

Nintendo will AGAIN have very little third-party support with the Revolution and they will once again finish in a distant third in the console races. Mark it down now, and don't be amazed when this comes true in 3-4 years :p

You appear to be somewhat missing the point of Nintendo's approach to console manufacture ...

They make very good consoles generally aimed at a much younger market than Microsoft and Sony.

Bearing in mind that the consoles themselves don't actually make any money whatsoever the fact that the majority of games sold on Nintendo consoles are written by Nintendo helps ensure the consoles viability by keeping as much profit inhouse as possible.

The target market that Nintendo aim for are very 'icon' driven which allows them to also keep hardware costs down (which makes parents more inclined to purchase the console in itself) as young kids want the latest 'pokemon game' not because its shifting 'x' pixels per second or has wonderful crunchy leaf animations in the forest - nah they want it because its pokemon and they watch the cartoon and most importantly their mates got it already ...

As such they aren't '3rd' in the console race, they're where they expect to be and relatively happy with it (I'm sure they'd love to be higher, but realistically against Sony and Microsoft a third place is still a sizeable chunk of the market).

I'm very interested in what they've done with the controller, it to me indicates they're trying to converge on the 'living room' in a similar manner to the other consoles - but in a very low key and sensible way, having a control which looks like a remote fits in with this and makes me wonder if their console will have any additional functionality which would completement its place in a living room (ie. DVD playing, Tivo functionality etc.) ... time will tell.

[SackAttack]

and makes me wonder if their console will have any additional functionality which would completement its place in a living room (ie. DVD playing, Tivo functionality etc.) ... time will tell.

DVD = yes, but you will have to purchase a separate attachment.

[sterlingice]

Nintendo will AGAIN have very little third-party support with the Revolution and they will once again finish in a distant third in the console races. Mark it down now, and don't be amazed when this comes true in 3-4 years :p
See- and comments like this are why I think that the gaming public was actually smarter when we were all kids or teens playing NES or SMS, SNES or Genesis. Statements like this weren't floating around.

If Nintendo was finishing a distant third than Microsoft is finishing a distant second. Sony's sold over 90M Playstation 2's- next to that, Nintendo's 19M Gamecubes sold is certainly a very distant 3rd. I hardly think Microsoft's 20M XBox's sold is a crushing defeat over Nintendo, tho (1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars)). Oh, and Nintendo didn't lose $4 Billion (with a B) this generation on their console (2 (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-09-16T181326Z_01_EIC665614_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-MICROSOFT-XBOX.XML)). In fact, last year, where Nintendo did have it's first quarterly loss EVER, they still made $1 Billion (again, with a B) while Sony made half that and Microsoft lost $1B (3 (http://nintendo.about.com/od/editorials/a/gamestatistics.htm)).

But, damned if Microsoft didn't win the propaganda wars. You'd think, listening to them, particularly the Microsoft-based sources, that they were getting really close to Sony and Nintendo only sold a total of 5 console units. Yet, strangely, Nintendo and Microsoft are a near statistical dead heat. That said, in fanboyism, statistics clearly have no place so go on believing what you'd like.

SI

[kingnebwsu]

It's not the numbers I'm concerned about so much as the number/quality of games coming out for the systems. I own all three systems and I love them all...but I just haven't purchased that many games for the Gamecube. I played the hell out of Smash Brothers, and if Nintendo would have gone online (for real) this generation then I think they'd be a lot stronger to me personally. Sadly they chose to not go online, and my opinion of them has greatly dropped.

I know that Sony won this generation in a landslide, and that M$ was a distant second, and that N was a distant third (compared to Sony). None of those things change the fact that there will be very few third-party games for the Revolution AND the fact that N will finish a distant third in the next generation.

Nintendo has always been a maker of great games, but for me to buy a system they're gonna have to do more than that. I was burned by the N64 and Cube even though Goldeneye (n64) and Smash Bros. (Cube) are two of my most played games ever. The price will have to be under $100 for me to make the mistake of buying the system for one game this time around.

[Daimyo]

People always complain about the N64, but I don't get it. Mario 64, Smash Brothers, Goldeneye, Star Fox, and Mario Kart were pretty easily among the top 10 games from that generation. I missed both Zelda games, but everyone I know who played them loved both... same goes for Conker's Bad Fur Day. Mario Tennis was also very entertaining, although it came out way too late to really matter. Yeah the library was small, but it certainly made up for the lack of quantity with quality IMO. I had both a PSX and an N64 and while I had more PSX games than N64 games I probably spent 10x the time playing N64.

This generation I think I'd agree though... I own a Gamecube and an Xbox and i think I only ended up getting Mario Sunshine (disapointing), Animal Crossing (surprisingly fun), and Metroid (awesome) for the GC. Metroid is probably my favorite game of this generation, but as good as it is doesn't justify the system at all. I spent a lot of time playing xbox, but at least half that was playing N64 and Gameboy Advance games via emulator. :)

[SackAttack]

Daimyo, you're pretty indicative of the "average" GameCube owner this generation. There's been plenty of quality on the system, but by and large it's gone unrecognized.

[sterlingice]

Daimyo, you're pretty indicative of the "average" GameCube owner this generation. There's been plenty of quality on the system, but by and large it's gone unrecognized.
Some of the sales this generation just boggle my mind. Games like Viewtiful Joe (great reinvention of the scrolling brawler), Eternal Darkness (interactive environment horror RPG in the mold of Shadowgate), and F-Zero GX (amazing course design but harder than hell) only sold between 200K and 300K (actually, I think FZero just passed 300K in the past couple of months). Even Metroid Prime selling "only" 1.3M to date is a travesty- I feel like I'm playing video game art every time I play it. Everyone over about 12 who owns a Gamecube should have that game. I've only played about 2 hours of Resident Evil 4 (no money right now :p) but between that and a couple of hours of watching a friend play and I'm pretty convinced that's as good as advertised with the 2nd highest Game Rankings score for this generation- rather than just crapping out another sequel- they actually reinvented the genre in a big way.

SI

[kingnebwsu]

Resident Evil 4 is amazing. The Gamecube does have several cool games, but overall I've been disappointed with my purchase. I bought both that and the Xbox and launch and I've gone through 3 Xboxes (that says something about their "quality") yet my Gamecube is always dusty. Anytime I visit my buddy in Columbus, we play Smash for hours on end. A wonderful game, but not enough to convince me that the Revolution will be the last purchase I make next generation.

[Schmidty]

Garbage. Pure garbage.

[TazFTW]

I've seen the gaming media saying that remote will change the way FPSs are played on consoles and my question is, Nintendo has FPS games?
There's Metroid Prime and.... (where's next gen Duck Hunt?)

Would the remote be considered a failure if every Revolution owner buys the normal console controller shell?

They showed a video of people swing the controller like a tennis racket. If a Top Spin came out for the Rev, am I the only one that thinks people will get tired of swinging before they complete one match?

Third party games. Third party support is limited for the DS and that is just a touch screen, would it not be more limited for something this unique?

[sterlingice]

Third party games. Third party support is limited for the DS and that is just a touch screen, would it not be more limited for something this unique?
Except it's not, tho. The DS is getting games from series that have always been on other systems (Lunar, Xenosaga) as well as series that have appeared on Gamecube (Viewtiful Joe) or GBA (Castlevania) before. Not every game has to have loads of innovation. After playing a demo of Advance Wars, which still plays a lot like the GBA versions- there are a lot of innovations in terms of making the battle system even better, but few have to do with the touch or dual screens. You can still make games that play normally just as I'd assume the Revolution will have but there's the option of doing much more.

SI