Testing out the new Revolution controller

Though the Nintendo Revolution was partially unveiled at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, its controller is the final piece of the hardware manufacturer's next-generation puzzle.

Speculation about the device has run rampant, primarily because its manufacturer has made a point of keeping it well hidden. Until now 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, Nintendo President 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 plan.

CNET News.com's sister site GameSpot had the chance to use a working prototype of the Revolution controller and found that it just might be revolutionary after all.

A guided tour of the Revolution controller was led by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, whose talent has been one of the driving forces behind Nintendo's success. With the disclaimer that the day's presentation was about the controller's possibilities and not his own upcoming projects, Miyamoto and the assembled Nintendo Japan representatives unveiled the long-awaited controller, a modest-looking device that is low on flash, but big on functionality.

Starts simple, supports expansion
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. 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 hard-core gamers.

The form factor on display wasn't the absolute final design for the Revolution controller, and Nintendo reps noted that it's still a work in progress. But it was enough to give 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 control that's about as long as a hand.

The controller features core elements along with a few unexpected ones. A power button at the top left of the unit appears to 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.

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 player is using. The plan is for the controllers to include built-in rumble packs and to run on batteries, a la the Wavebird for the GameCube.

Finally, the base of the controller features a unique plug that lets you make use of a wide variety of peripherals. One such peripheral is an analog stick attachment with two shoulder buttons labeled Z1 and Z2. Though it gives the combined items an odd appearance, the add-on demonstrates the controller's versatility. The analog stick peripheral will come included with the Revolution hardware, with other attachments to follow in the future. While Miyamoto didn't say much else about what other attachments were in the works, he did note that it's theoretically possible to have entirely different configurations plug into the port.

One of the most interesting features of the peripheral is tied to its functionality as a "pointing device." A glossy section of the top of the controller houses a transmitter--much like any remote would have--that was used extensively in demos. The signal from the unit is picked up by sensors placed near a television, which will then reflect a player's actions on the screen. Based on the responsiveness of the demos, this feature has the potential to turn the entire base controller unit into a new kind of pointing device. It also has great potential applications for sports games, such as laser-pointer-style play calling.

Overall, despite its unorthodox appearance, the Revolution controller has a comfortable feel. The assorted demos on hand also indicated that playing Revolution games will be a more active, physical experience than playing current-generation games. Whether a player uses the pointer mechanic to actively control onscreen action or uses two hands to take advantage of attachments, the Revolution controller will likely change how games are played.

Will the new controller be a success? Given Nintendo's history of breaking new ground in gaming, the potential for a revolution is there; Nintendo just has to lead the way with software.

Ricardo Torres reported for GameSpot.

Hey C|Net?Here's an Idea

How 'bout a picture of the thing? When you can buy a 1 megapixel
camera at Toys'R'Us for 80 bucks, how can you publish so many
stories without images?

D:)

[keith.hummel]

Same Here

I was thinking that same thing

[ackmondual]

uhmm, u guys using text only browsers?

There's a small, imbedded image in the article u can click to bring up a picture gallery (4 images in this article) of the controller (multi-view angle, with the analog attachment, and with all 5 colors).

Am I the only one seeing this?

[amhed]

OMG!

Ok, I just saw the picture.

WHAT THE HELL IS NINTENDO THINKING? SURE!! LET'S BEAT SONY AND MS BY TURNING MULTI-FUNCTIONAL CONVENTIONAL CONTROLERS INTO AN INFRARED REMOTE WITH AN OPTIONAL TRACKBALL!! :D

[DarkHawke]

Weird, yet cool!

When I finally got a look at this thing (on ign.com!), I thought, "***? A remote?" But after looking in on the details and how it was presented to those lucky few to get their hands on it, this could be the coolest controller in 20 years. Near the end of the Atari 2600's cycle, they had something like this, though naturally there was only one button and it was wired. There's something of an Apple aesthetic to the whole design of the Revolution, and the remote-like look of the controller will probably make it more accessible to those who aren't currently gamers. I could wish for a more rounded look, though, simply for the ergonomics of its potential uses.

If they can get the devs behind it, or do first-party games that are compelling and aren't suffused with their cutesy-pie, in-every-frakkin'-game company mascots, they might have something here. However, learning from the past, Nintendo had better hit the market with games to match this new and innovative controller but quick, before Sony horks it and leaves them in the dust...again!

[Christopher Hall]

Ahhh, the issue of developers

I had a rather lengthy discussion with a friend of mine on this exact subject matter. I'm not concerned, and here's why.

The issue of develophers is a valid fear. I see Nintendo and Sega really taking the ball and running with it. They're some of the most creative development teams on the planet, so I think they'll produce wonderful things. Capcom will probably be a close runner-up to them (Viewtiful Joe, anyone?), along with Retro Studios and possibly a few others. Ultimately, if Nintendo's as devoted to developers as they say they are, this won't be a problem. But third-party support is a must for this system. Microsoft has tons of third party on its side for the 360 and Sony practically embodies third party support. It needs games, and being unique when there are two fairly similar competitors may not be a good thing.

However, I don't think things could get any worse than they were for the GameCube. Support essentially evaporated as you saw previous "exclusives" jumping ship (Resident Evil and Viewtiful Joe come to mind). So the support profile we'll end up seeing for this system is close friends and developers with exceptionally deep pockets, like EA. Unless, of course, Nintendo opens up the playing field for a new developer who can code exclusively for the Revolution. That would make the console quite a contender, although time will tell.

The one thing that could really work in Nintendo's favor is if they can get some Nintendo-dedicated development upstarts on their side. That would be like going back to the old days, almost, where studios got their start with Nintendo. That equals loyalty, relatively easy money, and an open playing field, since most development teams for the other systems won't be able to touch the Revolution-specific development studios.