Revolution Controller

[[i]_R_Crazy_Idiot 0]

Revolution Controller Finally Revealed

We've seen it, touched it, played games with it. Read this now.

by Mark McDonald, 09/15/2005

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The entire industry has been clamoring for a taste of Nintendo's so-called next-generation 'revolution.' So have we. Every time Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has opened his mouth, he underscored time and time again Nintendo would not be following the traditional path of a new console. Rumors have persisted for weeks about touch screens, gyroscope functions, virtual headsets, and everything else under the sun.

 

Nintendo always emphasized they weren't following Sony and Microsoft, and boy, they weren't kidding. Nintendo decided Tokyo Game Show (an event the company typically forgoes in favor of Space World) was the right time to sit down with select members of the press and unveil their vision of gaming's future. And guess what? We were there.

 

We've seen the Revolution, touched and played with its radically different take on the game controller, talked with visionary designer Shigeru Miyamoto about the reasoning behind Nintendo's new approach and we're back with our lengthy, hands-on impressions.

 

Has Nintendo struck gold again? Read on and find out.

 

The Revolution Controller Basics: What The Hell Is It?

The controller for Nintendo's upcoming Revolution home console system is a cordless remote-control-like device designed to be used with only one hand. Two small sensors placed near the TV and a chip inside the controller track its position and orientation, allowing the player to manipulate the action on screen by physically moving the controller itself. For example, you could slash an in-game sword by actually swinging the controller from side to side, turn a race car just by twisting your wrist, or aim your gun in a shooter by pointing the controller where you want to fire.

 

An expansion port on the bottom of the unit allows for add-on hardware to compliment this "remote controller" (our word for it, not Nintendo's), like a second controller piece Nintendo demonstrated that comes equipped with an analog stick and two trigger buttons (currently labeled Z1 and Z2, for those of you keeping track). When the two controller pieces are attached, the so-called 'Nunchaku' configuration (the two bits are connected by a short cord) can work similarly to current controllers, just with the second analog stick replaced by actual movement of the Revolution controller. Nintendo also mentioned that the controller stick could be slipped inside other, more conventional controller shells, dance mats, bongos, or other peripherals.

 

A large "A" button sits in the prime spot under your thumb on the face of the controller, with a "B" trigger on the back of the unit for your index finger. Otherwise the button configuration is an interesting mix of old and new: standard D-pad up top, near the power button (to turn the Revolution console on and off), Start and Select in the middle, on either side of the intriguing "Home" button (Nintendo wouldn't go into detail, but sounds like it has to do with navigating system menus, which will be important given the Revolution's promised WiFi connectivity), and two more buttons near the bottom labeled "a" and "b." These last two may seem uncomfortably low for your thumb until you turn the controller 90 degrees and it becomes just like an old 8-bit NES joypad, with the D-pad under your left thumb and "a" and "b" under your right. (Don't forget-Nintendo has promised downloadable versions of their classic games for the Revolution's "Virtual Console.") Nintendo mentioned the button names and their exact sizes could still change slightly before production, but what you see here is close to the final design.

 

Elsewhere on the controller, the four lights at the very bottom represent which player it belongs to, and that hatch on the back is the battery compartment. (The prototype Revolution controllers we saw used regular batteries just like the GameCube's WaveBird wireless controller-and last a similar amount of time, according to Nintendo-but reps wouldn't say for certain if the final unit would use batteries or some rechargeable option.) The effective maximum range for the wireless controller is expected to be somewhere between 10 and 15 feet. A variety of different colored controllers were on display, including red, lime green, white, gray, black, and silver. Finally, rumble functionality is built in to the controller.

 

Click to read about the game demo's ....

 

 

 

 

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1Up.com

I personnaly think it's a bit strange, but I'm not going to bash it until I try it. It does seem a bit "revoulutionary". I thought the stylus idea was dumb, but it turned out to be ok so I'll give this a chance.

[atomicnacho 0]

I think that it is an iteresting concept. Seems from the demos that they describe in the demo that it actually works well, which is a step in the right direction. I don't think it will be enough for Nintendo though. They will need some help from their cash cows (Mario, Link and Samus) in order to stay alive in the next console race.

[SeraphofShadows 0]

Interesting doesn't cover it; the controller's just flatout weird. Other than chip in the thing that tracks the controller's position, it seems incredibly simplistic. To me, it feels like Nintendo took one step forward and two steps backward with limited number of buttons. I don't know, I'll reserve final judgement until I actually have it in my hands. No doubt the Nintendo diehards will love it though.However there is one glaring question that I'm looking forward to being answered when it's released: is the Revolution's controller (or the Revolution period) too revolutionary for the general market in the upcoming generation?

[Armegeddon 0]

hmm interesting like its an old school controller which doesn't make sense in todays world i wonder what kind of games will be amed just for this controller.

[Dawid 0]

The game controller has been pretty standard for many years now. I think it's great that they're trying a new approach, it does sound strange, perhaps even a bit tricky. I agree, I won't bash it until I give it a shot, I'm willing to try anything once, that's right, anything.

[Saint_Michael 3]

ok 1 that is the crappiest design since they showed the prototype of the ps3 controller, i admit i got some good hand eye coordination going on but still, how many games would actually want to use a atari system like controller instead of the good ole standard ones,image it know resident evil 5 using that controller, won't get past the first zombie with it.

[wariorpk 0]

Nintendo has gone downhill since they came out with the Gameboy Advanced SP. They seem to be falling off good gaming cliff here. This controler is a remote for a t.v. I do not want to play a video game using a remote. I hope they realize they need a better design.

[[i]_R_Crazy_Idiot 0]

Don't be bashing on it before you try it, it may not bomb like you all think it will.

[[i]_R_Crazy_Idiot 0]

And hey, it's gotta be better for FPS than the other controllers, it's like a light pistol.

[Shengeta 0]

This controller is great.It is simple, can work like a gun for shooters.Looks pretty good.Turn it sideways so it is like an old controller from nintendo.you can jack thinks into it like an extra analog, and many more posibilities.If you don't like the look, there is shells that make it more like our average controller, you can jack it into drums, and much more.There is no reason why people should dislike this controller, it is almost better than the others in every way.