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Rumour Control on the Revolution Controller
Gamespot's excellent Rumor Control column this week has some weighty topics to consider. Specifically, they take on the rumor floating around that the revolution in the Revolution's controller will be 'tilt resistance'. From the article: "When Nintendo intimated that the truly revolutionary aspect of its next-generation consoles was in its controller, rumors began to fly fast and furiously. One of the very first was that it would incorporate gyroscopes, which would allow players to control games via physical movement of the controller. Later rumors said the controller would sport everything from a touch screen, which would allow for configurable virtual buttons, to there not being any controller at all--just a visor and floor-mounted motion sensor." Their verdict? We're going to have to wait and see what Iwata has to say at the TGS. Other topics covered this week include Nintencats and Killzone 2.
Have you ever tried to hold a controller perfectly flat, especially while playing a multiplayer game? It's ridiculous and not any fun to do. Nintendo knows what they're doing, and they'll know that gyroscopes, except in special cases (the portable games that incorporate them, I believe there are Yoshi and Kirby games for DS and GBA, respectively, that do it, but they do it well. I doubt that possible on a controller.
The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
It's not a tilt detector, it's a tilt inhibitor, specifically, gyroscopes.
In fact, if the gryoscopes can be rotated, it could easily be something that tries to tilt the controller out of your hand.
At least, that's the rumor.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
I've seen the Revolution Controller for Nintendo's console, and it has nothing to do with tilt sensitivity or tilt resistance.
Granted, it's a Dance Dance Revolution controller, but still...
There has been a lot of blablabla over the Revolution controller. There have also been a TON of fake images floating around of it. Here's a list of a few things that should be considered:
1.) The price of controllers cannot skyrocket, so doodads like the touch screen are incredibly unlikely.
2.) This controller will have to play most of Nintendo's library of games, so it's unlikely that the physical resemblance of this controller will be that different from previous incarnations. (i.e. screw the rumor that it's only a helmet.)
3.) We've gotten hints that the revolutionary aspect is simple and has been done before, but hasn't really been used in games. I expect that the revolution won't be in the technology, but rather they mean that the way games are played will be different. (Much like the N64's analog stick really changed the playing field.)
4.) Nintendo's really turned net friendly this time around. It is likely they want the Rev to have an interface that is net friendly so something like an OSK is possible.
5.) Whatever it is, it's simple enough that Sony or Microsoft could throw it in at the last minute. So Nintendo's staying mum on it.
With these details in mind, here are the rumors I think we should be paying attention to:
- Somebody suggested once that the Rev controller would have an eye kinda like the light gun. Although I have reservations about this, it would be interesting to use your controller like a pointer. This would be fairly cheap to do and it would work. Though I do worry that these controllers would only work on CRT TVs. It wouldn't be a death blow, but this would be the last generation Nintendo would be able to pull this off.
- There has been a LOT of talk about gyros. I've also read a few comments already suggesting that gyros/tilt sensors/etc are a gimmick. To that I say: Bullshit. A couple of years ago I got to work with a gyro sensor. (I think it was from Intersense, but unfortunately I do not recall too clearly.) It was very good at detecting the orientation of the sensor. It would have been very possible to play a game like Quake with this sensor. My only reservation about this rumor is that I was under the impression these sensors were expensive. But, since I do not know that for sure, it still remains (in my mind) within the realm of possibility. I'd say this one's pretty likely. This fits the 'Revolutionary' bit as well as the 'not used much in games' bit.
- Gyro inhibitor: This is a fairly new rumor, and sadly I haven't kept up on it. I do remember a supposed 'leaked source' that claimed this device would cause the controlller to provide resistance if you tried to move it. I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it seems to fit Nintendo's fancy. Afterall, it's like a fancier version of the Rumble Pak. On the other hand, can they really fit something like this into a controller, power it, and make it useful? If anybody has any info on this sort of technology, I'd be really intrigued to hear it. If it works,though, it'd be a neat addition to the gyro.
- Touch interface. Note, I did not say touch SCREEN interface. Rather, like those glide point pads used commonly on laptops. There have been rumors that the handles on the controller are touch sensitive. You can squeeze or rub them somehow to interact with the game. I have to admit, I have trouble picturing this. On the other hand, imagine a small one of these things taking the place of the smaller analog stick on the GameCube controller. That would be a simple mouse-like interface that would make the OSK idea work and it could potentially even control the camera. It fits with the 'been done before, but not really for games' bit, but I would scratch my head if Nintendo called that revolutionary. But if they do manage to make the handles work like I read... well maybe.
- I read somewhere that the controller can get hot. That's right, it heats up. Intentionally, not like a Toshiba laptop heats up. Maybe my imaginat
"Derp de derp."