Topic: Revolution Controller Revealed

[Jonnyboy117]

Looks like a remote control, held in one hand, has attachments such as an analog stick, detects movement and tilting.

Reports are flowing in from TGS, as Satoru Iwata has finally revealed the Revolution controller to the masses.    

   

   

   

   

[G3cyco]

/seppuku

[Mop it up]

.......sa-WEEET! I've got to say... I'm impressed! That's better than what I thought it'd be!
The only downside is now I can't wait to test this thing out.

[thenintendorevolution]

I found what is now clearly the Nintendo Revolution Controller patent 6 months ago and couldn't even get a single Nintedo site to mention my link. Not a big deal, just annoys me that everybody paid so much attention to what was totally wrong and totally overlooked the one thing that was actually right.

http://thenintendorevolution.blogspot.com/2005/03/nintendo-patents-2-operating-apparatus.html

[rodeoclown]

One thing this does reveal is that there is only four controller 'slots'... judging by the lights on the bottom of the controller.

[KnowsNothing]

That's good, it means my muliplayer screen isn't going to get any smaller....

[TheYoungerPlumber]

I didn't forget about that patent, thenintendorevolution.  One of the first things I thought of when I saw this was that forum thread about the dettachable bongos.

[thenintendorevolution]

Quote
Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber
I didn't forget about that patent, thenintendorevolution.  One of the first things I thought of when I saw this was that forum thread about the dettachable bongos.

Thanx! You mentioned me in the "BLAH BLAH BLAH" story. All I ever wanted was a mention. Now I'm happy.

I've been sitting here holding my remote in one hand and half my GCN controller in the other and imagining. I won't pass judgement till I really hold this thing, but I have a feeling it's going to be damn cool.

[Bill Aurion]

"In Heaven's Hands" indeed... ^_^

[nitsu niflheim]

I hate it.  That's all I can say.  I hate it.  It looks like a joke, and if I think that, I already know what the true detractors are going to think.  I just don't know what Nintendo is thinking.

[oohhboy]

Whoa. Thats more out there than I dared to imagine. Red pill whoa.

It isn't going going to fly in terms of your "Normal/standard" games at first glance, but we already got GC controllers for that. Hell with its M4 like modularbility it might even work for those games next gen.

Now to see how plays.

[Bill Aurion]

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: 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.

That should shut you lousy whiners up...

[UncleBob]

So wait... Do I or don't I need to order some more of those uber-excellent Hori Digital GameCube Controllers?

[nitsu niflheim]

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
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: 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.

That should shut you lousy whiners up...

Sega all over, gotta buy special expansions.  Why can't Nintendo just give us something normal once in a while. ;__;

And no, it didn't shut me up. you just made it worse... lol

[Bill Aurion]

Because normal is for pansies!  Seriously, 20 years of normal wasn't enough for you?

[Ian Sane]

"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."

Buy extra stuff to do what the other consoles already do for free!  Yeah that's a great strategy.  That will go over about as well as connectivity.

You figure after connectivity Nintendo would have learned that no one likes buying extra stuff when they logically shouldn't have to.  Instead they've gone the opposite direction and made it so that you have to buy more junk just to play normal games.

No third party will design a game that requires the player to buy a special attachment just to play a traditional game.  This is like if the SNES came with the superscope and the mouse and the controllers were sold seperately.

[Bloodworth]

Remember that some of these expansions will be included with the system.  I wouldn't be surprised if the "traditional" shell and analog nunchuku both come with the system.

[ShyGuy]

Hmm 3 control modules bundled. $250 US starting price? still cheaper than the competition so far.

[Ian Sane]

I've read the blah blah blah on the first page and Rick's opinions pretty much mirror my own.

Nintendo is no longer a serious competitor in the gaming console market.  This isn't even really a console.  This is something different like a Virtual Boy or Sega Pico.

I am now in an annoying situation.  Neither of the three console makers is targeting me.  As I have always feared I've been squeezed out of one my favourite past times.  I want to try out the Rev and it looks fun but it isn't what I really want out of videogames.  I might like it but it will be like a new different activity.

Edit:  I thought of something else that kind of pisses me off.  There are some Nintendo games that we may never get to play online as we wanted them.  We never got a "normal" online console from Nintendo.  Now if I want to play Mario Kart online I either have to do it on a portable or with wacky new controls I never wanted in the first place.  I can't just sit around the TV with my brothers and play against friends online with normal controllers.  So we had to put it with bullsh!t excuses on the Cube only for Nintendo to go insane on us and never deliver what we really wanted.  It's nice to know that my loyality to the Cube was completely unappreciated.

[PaLaDiN]

Or how about you just use the traditional controller expansion, which will probably be packaged in the box. Or buy one, would that really be so bad?

For all your talk of connectivity, it seems to me that if people want to play traditional games, they will get the attachment. The reason connectivity didn't work is because you had to buy a GBA to essentially unlock bonus features. People didn't want to buy a GBA because it was too expensive and the bonus features weren't worth it. This won't be a problem here.

Because, you know, I didn't see problems with third party games taking a memory card as granted. And those aren't usually packed in.

So anybody being negative about this... tell me how it's a connectivity situation instead of a memory card one.

[Sir_Stabbalot]

Ian, are you always this much of a pessimist?

[Bill Aurion]

Edit: I thought of something else that kind of pisses me off

SURPRISE, SURPRISE! =O

[nemo_83]

The control mechanic (not just the tilting, but the ability to move in 3d space) is awesome.  However the blocky design and inability to play traditional games has left me wondering what they are smoking in Kyoto.  It appears we have no analog triggers anymore.  

How are we going to control camera in say, Zelda, if we are using the pointer to control the sword?  They could have put an analog stick or trackball for camera control on the pointer device instead of a dpad.  I understand they don't want to set the handle as left or right handed, but the setup with the a button directly below the dpad as opposed to at an angle just looks uncomfortable.  I like the sleekness of everything, but pretty much the thing looks like it will give me arthritis.  I like the secondary molded piece and I am wondering still, why aren't both sections conformed to the hand?  We have come so far with molded prongs and Nintendo just knocked us back into the stone age with this rectangle.  IGN said they had to hold the thing with two hands.  I thought Nintendo wanted to make things more accessable?

I feel the only analogy that works for this controller is the N64 pad.  There was really nothing innovative or imaginative about the N64 pad; in fact, in hind sight it was a terrible design (and so is the Rev controller).  What made the N64 controller work out was simply technology, and the same is true about this new controller.  Nintendo didn't create any new button/stick mechanics.  They didn't include any scroll wheels or track balls.  As anyone can tell by looking at the pics; they took a lot away.  What makes this controller revolutionary is technology, and the technology's uses are limitless.  The MP demo sounded like it would be a lot of fun as opposed to the clunky lockon system used with the Cube controller.  I just don't understand why they would have us purchase extra parts later on to play traditional games or force us to try and play a next gen game on the Cube controller.  Why not just include the traditional mechanics built into the motion control device?  

Even if this is the final version of the controller; it still offers so much with the 3d control.  The Revolution will, like the N64 garner third party support that is definably different from the software on Playstation and Saturn; oops I mean PS3 and 360.

[tForce]

This looks seriously disappointing.  If anything, it looks more like a controller that the PS3 would use... what with "the PS3 is not a gaming device!" that wacko father of the PS had been spewing.  Still, I'd be extremely surprised if we don't get a standard controller.  Honestly, I do NOT see this as being a problem.  It really depends on how the coding can be acheived.  If the routines require a certain controller be plugged in to work (such as the way USB mics work with the PS2), then it'd be a problem.  If not, then people could decide to use their Gamecube controller instead (or buy one for about the price of a memory card), or maybe a different style controller.

Another possibility is controller remapping based on what is available (such as playing DDR/Racing game with a controller, instead of a dancepad/wheel).  It may take some creative programming, but games could be done such that you remap buttons if controller X is connected instead of controller Y.  This would work just fine for the majority of games out there.  Yes, going from essentially 14 (including Dpad)  buttons to 8 (including dpad) is a pain... but do you REALLY need all those buttons?  Racing games... Accelerate, Brake... (extra: hand break, horn, camera, boost).  Fighting games... Punch, Kick (extra: block, run, special, hard/medium/light).  Adventure/Platformers... Zelda showed us that 2 buttons, plus a Z lock, were enough (contextual buttons).  RPGs... come on, do we need to map spells to individual buttons?  It's not so hard to use a list instead.

It just hurts because I love Nintendo.  I'm sure most gamers over the age of 21 still harkon back to the NES/SNES days.  I'm happy to see a company try to evolve past the "tried and true."  If not for them, we'd all still be riding in horse and carraiges.  It's a HUGE risk, and it's sad to think what might happen if it doesn't pay off for Nintendo.  Who knows, if Nintendo manages to get a good install base, developers might flock to them instead... forcing MS and Sony to come up with similar controllers.  Yes, it is nice in this dream world I live in...   But hey, don't forget about Steel Battalion and it's $250 controller.  If people are willing to buy that, then I'm sure they'd spend $25 to buy a "standard" controller.

[Ian Sane]

"But hey, don't forget about Steel Battalion and it's $250 controller. If people are willing to buy that, then I'm sure they'd spend $25 to buy a 'standard' controller."

Nobody bought Steel Battalion though.

"do you REALLY need all those buttons?"

Not if you're creative.  Though two buttons is very little.  I think they should at least have six.  This wouldn't be a problem if Nintendo was the only console maker.  But there are competitors with more market share that have 8 buttons, two analog sticks, and a d-pad.  That encourages developers to use all those buttons so switching to 2 buttons for the Rev isn't a smooth transition and as the last place console Nintendo provides no incentive for anyone to go to extra trouble.

It's like cartridges vs CDs.  Do you really NEED all that space?  No.  But Sony made the option available so everyone took it even though with efficiency and creativity Nintendo's idea would have worked.  You can't force someone to take the time and put in serious effort when someone else is providing a lazier solution that ultimately gets the same job done.