Info and Hands On from 1UP

Nintendo unveiled the Revolution Controller at the Tokyo Game Show yesterday. Apparently the much hyped and secretive design was in fact complete wireless control. In essence, you move the controller in air where you want to direct the action on screen. I don't know what to think about this yet, but it is definitely "revolutionary". Additional accessories can be plugged into the main controller for added functionality.

edit: this is interesting.

man, the thing I respect about nintendo is, they are always throwing new stuff out there. New concepts, new ways to play.

That said, I have to admit that the stuff that they come out with scares the hell out of me sometimes...

Wow! and WTF?!
We need the power glove back.
I'm still buying the revolution or whatever they end up calling it.

I'm freaked out by that design, but at the same time, intrigued. Nintendo has a knack of doing that to me. But in the end, it usually turns out well.

in the 6 hours since my post i've warmed up to it a bit. But kaz, it's funny you should mention that, as a joke, before they showed the design, i joked with customers that the secret controller would be the original nes controller, heh heh

.............? =/ rarely do i curse, but i'll make the acception in this case ~ bloody hell......by the gods, i would say that the thought of being muscled out by Sony & Micro$oft has finally snapped their cap...it's like they got homer simpson to design a controller for them..

It sure is um.. interesting haha. However, if this is the only way to get my Smash Brother's fix, so be it. See you online Wiryu.

er?
Crazy!
Boxy!
The thing that sticks out to me is the lack of buttons. The old controller had 7 buttons, 4 on the front, 2 triggers, and that subtriggerbutton Z. This new controller has 2? It looks to me like the big A and the trigger B are duplicated on those hard to reach smaller buttons at the bottom. Do I see trigger like bottons on the analog stick? It's hard to tell because of the angle. Does that even matter? Because the analog stick is an add-on which means that it most likely isn't shipped with the product.
What are those 4 light things at the very bottom? The first one is lighted blue. Can you assign a button set-up and are those lights telling you which set-up you are using at the moment?

wow... so many questions.

I will definately be doing a lengthy demo of the Revolution at the store before making any purchase.

one neat thing - The power button on the controller! Now that's cool.

Those lights on the bottom indicate which player are you. Pretty neat right there. IGN has a video that showcases the possibilities of the controller.

My first reaction: WTFM8.

But upon further inspection it seems like it MIGHT be workable. I don't know how intuitive it will be, especially since all of us have been weaned on the standed "D-pad-n-buttons" setup. Actually moving your wrist/arm to look around will be a huge change, but it may also provided unprecidented degrees of control provided they work out all the kinks.

It's also gonna be weird as hell having both your hands separate, I might accidentally punch some onlooker while I'm playing Super Mario 128 !!!

Good eye on seeing the NES controller thing, Kaz. I didn't even notice that! Time to play some Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!


EDIT: Wait, there's only 4 buttons? How the hell do they expect any 3rd parties to port multiplatform games? It was hard enough when GC has like 4 buttons less than PS2/Xbox, now it has like 10 less!!!

Yea, a friend and I at work were talking about just that, crush. nintendo looks like it might really alienate 3rd party developers.

Another way to look at the oh-so-few buttons thing, is examining Miyamoto's philosophy of games. Nintendo may be trying to go back to the roots of exactly what makes gaming fun, and providing new ways to enjoy them, like this controller. They might push aside the rush to make "sharper" graphics, "competitive" CG movies, (seemingly ps3 and xbox360's main thing) or whatever, and shoot for quality games that are fun, fresh, and exciting.

New infomation on IGN states that in addition to the "nunchuck analog/trigger" add on, Revolution will also utilize a "conventional controller cradle/shell" add on. So no need to worrie about playing games the traditional way.
This is a crappy IGN style mock up of what it could look like. Basicly a photoshopped Wavebird with the remote slammed in.



But atleast it's some assurance for naysayers.

I think I've been turning into a nintendo fanboy. I'm really excited by the possabilities of this new controller. It looks like it would be a perfect for FPS, which means that this time nintendo will be taking a more adult approach at games? Ether way I'm with donkey, Im getting a revolution o matter what! haha.

Like most people my initial reaction to this was totally wtf?! Mainly because I was startled by the weirdness of the look of thing compared to what has been the norm, and skimmed through any accompanying explanation. It wasn’t until I saw the video that I started to get what this new controller is about, and the full potential of it began to sink in.

While the implications of how well this new interface could work with FPS & RTS games are clear, I can see where Nintendo is trying to go with this.

From 1UP...

mmm, after i got all my rants out of my thoughts, i took one hard look at this widget crafted by nintendo.........for about 1/2 hour, drawing a blank.. ^^. for what it is & what they said its designed to do, perhaps "it" can be workable...however, it doesn't mean that i readily support it ~ primarily for two distinct reasons.. Crushinator already caught the first, & i'm curious to see how nintendo will compensate for the lack of buttons that may be necessary for the porting of games from other platforms...the other is that though it looks pretty, it's quite impractical for games that require rapid trigger-action..

any seasoned gamer worth their weight will know exactly what i speak of...classic example ~ shooters like r-type or gradius that demand this sort of thing & the best way is to hold the controller with the left hand & rapid-fire with the right pointy or middle fingers...now someone please explain to me how in the flip will that be possible with this widget ~ when the controller is no longer one solid unit to hold? that is going to be bloody incovenient & rapid fire with thumbs will leave sore hand/wrist muscles after a time......nintendo should know this..

... ^^`

dunno, but i'm still the skeptic ~ i must grudgingly admit their courage to display something like this to the public, but at the same time it's an equally high gamble they risk & if it backfires then it's farewell nintendo to follow sega's fate...but then, i should not be so quick to doom them...it's kinda obvious what kind of market they are directing their attention to ~ enchant all the little sprouts in the world to ensure nintendo's survival against the corporate megaliths.........in this, maybe nintendo is not so dumb..

what the hell?
*imagines trying to play soul calibur with that thing*

*swings controller around wildly, trying to make mitsarugi fight*

After much discussion with Maxx and Tea-wolf last night, I've decided to be optimisitic about this controller. After watchin the video and discussing the possibilities, I think we'll definety get some unique and immersive gameplay experience from Nintendo on this.

Imagine you're playing Mario Kart, and you just hold the A button for the gas, then move the controller left or right to steer, and B to fire your weapon, and when you need to hop and power-slide, you actually jerk the controller up to bump the kart, then tilt it sideways to lean into the turn. Or some new kind or mario paint, where instead of a mouse, you are actually using the controller as a real pen or paint brush and "painting" in the air to create art on the TV. I'm sure Nintendo will have some mind-blowing applications for the new controller than we can't even fathom.

I still think it will alienate 3rd parties, though, unless that "Cradle" controller thing, or a standard GC controller comes packed in with EVERY revolution console.

After watchign this video, I am SO fucking psyched up about this controller and system. It will be a whole new era of console gaming!

http://media.cube.ign.com/articles/651/651334/vids_1.html

You weren't kidding, i can't wait for sword slingers now!

Forget the swords, lets play a cooking game! *chops onions furiously*

I gotta admit, I was a little nervous for a minute. I'm a fighting fan...gotta have the traditional controller. But hey, it looks like it may work out. Only time will have...