Nintendo Revolution Fully Revealed

[the_new_simman 5]

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, and how the Revolution's controller plays into that future.

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,

[DuskTrooper 316]

Heh...it looks like a Mac device of some sort....

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

OMG!!!! Coolness!

[your_adress_here 11]

Wrong forum!

It looks pretty neat, but I still would prefer playing with a normal controler.

[halo_lover 1]

One thing like no one has brought up yet:
how do you use the top part (d-pad and A button) and the a and b buttons on the bottom at the same time? I guess you can't....will make playing fast pretty hard, having you move your hand like crazy. I can't say I'm a fan of the design (or the controller) in general.

[the_new_simman 5]

TGS 2005: Merrick Confirms a classic-style Controller

In a recent interview with Eurogamer.net, Jim Merrick, Europe

[wobopopilis 3]

I hate that damn controller and The small n's  future is lookin purty grim

[EAGCE 2]

Date: 9/16/2005 8:57:15 PM
Author: wobopopilis
I hate that damn controller and The small n's future is lookin purty grim

quote>


Would you like to provide some reasoning to this statement?

[jmusshorn 7]

Yes, I agree with EAGCE.

Please: Provide a reason before flagrantly insulting the controller in question. At least be civil, and provide us with your line of reasoning. Thank you.

~Jamie~

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

And lets try not to turn this into another thread about which one is better. I didn't once see anything in the first post Sony or Microsoft, so I assume this is not a discussion about who is better. Therefore please don't post if you want to say Nintendo is rubbish! Sony is teh pwnorz!!111 and comment on the controller itself.

The controller is motion sensitive! I saw a video of it yesterday where a guy was slicing with it at the screen....A new SSBM game would PWN if you could control it like that!

[Compromise 1]

Looks intrsting. I honestley see nothing wrong with the controler.

Yes please don't turn this into a which is better argument thread.

[EAGCE 2]

More info on Rev Controller here

http://cube.ign.com/articles/651/651559p1.html

[the_new_simman 5]

Here's some more promising news for Nintendo Fans...

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TGS 2005: Developers Comment on Revolution

During his keynote Friday morning in Japan, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata wasted no time in professing the company's philosophy for Revolution:

Every gamer who plays. Every one who used to play. Even those who have yet to play. Nintendo is your bet.

Nintendo seems to stand confident in their system

[toxicpiano 125]

it looks attractive, but remember by the time all the 3 major consoles are released the PC world will be far, far ahead. this is why i don't buy console games anymore. My new PC already has a better spec than the PS3 and the Xbox 360'. AND it's upgradable. anyway not to stray from the subject the controller is more disturbing than the PS3 one which i thought was bad. Although saying that it does look futuristic, and perhaps one day all controllers may look like this?