Last week, after months of waiting, Nintendo finally revealed the controller for their next generation game console, code-named Revolution, at the Tokyo Game Show. And after months of waiting, two things became apparent: all the speculation on the controller in the gaming community over the last six months was nowhere close to what was seen ,and Nintendo may have finally gone completely insane.
It is evident from Nintendo's recent endeavors in hardware and game play that they have entirely lost interest in competing with Microsoft and Sony.
Exhibit A: the bongo controller for several GameCube games. This input device allows characters to be controlled on screen with rhythmic tapping and clapping.
Exhibit B: the Nintendo DS. This handheld system comes equipped with everything you'd expect, plus an additional display that has touch-screen capabilities and a microphone for audible input. Though not many games have taken full advantage of the hardware, it show Nintendo wants to take game interaction to another level.
Finally, exhibit C: the Revolution controller. The controller resembles, and is held like, a television remote. There is a trigger underneath, a few face buttons and a D-pad on top.
What makes this controller really different, as though it were not off-beat enough, is the way it conveys its position relative to the television screen to the Revolution. It does this through sensors placed on the TV and in the controller itself.
This has the potential to affect game play in radically new ways. Imagine playing the next Zelda game and instead of pushing a button to swing your sword you actually have to move your arm. The same for baseball and tennis games could be applied.
With several additions to the controller, Nintendo has hinted that even more will be possible. At TGS, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also unveiled an analog stick attachment. This device is tethered to the bottom of the other controller and could be used in conjunction with the remote side. First-person-shooters similar to \Halo"" may see the most use out of this setup. For example, the player could control their character's position with their left hand and their weapon facing and aiming by pointing at the screen with their right.
The possibilities are as far-reaching as the developers' imagination. But some big questions have yet to be answered. Will anybody want/be able to develop for the Revolution? Many game companies may choose to focus their efforts on safe, proven methods of game play that Xbox 360 and PS3 will offer. Will the control be as precise as a standard controller for twitch-based games like ""Halo?"" When speed and accuracy are everything in a game, can this wireless wonder deliver?
The Revolution's success remains to be seen. Nintendo could be right and may very well revolutionize an industry that is stagnating right now. After all, their handhelds outsell Sony's Playstation Portable by nearly two to one. Will their luck carry over to the next generation? Time will tell.
Jason Ducat can be reached at jmducat@gmail.com.
