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Nintendo Revolution Controller Revealed
kakos writes "At the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed what the Nintendo Revolution controller looks like. The new controller is a radical departure from traditional controller types. Has Nintendo struck gold with their new controller design? The reviewers seem to think so. It should be interesting to see how gamers react to Nintendo's new innovation."
Luanch titles for the system will include Dragon's Lair 1,2 and 3, Space Ace and any other old laser disc game that can actually be played on a tv remote and DVD player. Wait a minute, that sounds pretty cool actually. I miss those games.
Great, now I am going to accidently waste 10 minutes every game trying to control Mario with my DVD remote.
Thanks for the new controller Nintendo!
... it's so bad.
;)
Seriously, this feels like a move in a similar direction - I hope they improved the technology at least a little since then
HELL. YES. I just watched the video off of IGN's website, in one part, there was a guy using it as a sword. You could hear them clang. This has to happen, George, I hope your up late like me watching this because this has to happen.
Is it just me, or do you hate it when people say "Is it just me..."?
love it, just think about it for awhile, read some info don't just look at images. and check out IGN's movie of it in action here http://cube.ign.com/articles/651/651334p1.html the realization of how awesome it can be will flow over you.
I remember when I was a kid we would make fun of whoever was the kid who would move the controller trying to turn a car faster in a game... now look what nintendo did.
[20:36] wwwdot/.dotorg
very clean, looks like a apple product. but you access a push button and a directional pad with the same finger? does not seem very functional. a second button underneath for your pointer and middle finger would be better. the joystick add on looks very nice though and is a good break from holding one unit at what, was always for me, a awqward angle for my wrists.
an ipod shuffle..
frekking miss the obvious mr journalist.
-Sj53
There is a video floating around that demonstrates how it works.
...after seeing all the fan communities' efforts, really disappointed with the actual real thing?
I'm a huge nintendo fanboy, but the design of that thing just turns me off. Here's hoping 3rd party publishers don't share my view and that of my employer, either.
Baka Drew
Remember your roots people
I first I was a bit skeptical, but the more I think about it, the new controller is freaking sweet. I can't wait to play a FPS on it, using the right hand as a gun/flashlight, and the left hand for movement. Or swordfighting with the right hand and moving with the left.
And if that's all too weird, developers can still use the GameCube controllers that plug into the top of the system.
Yet again, Nintendo is the driving force of innovation in the industry. Revolution's release can't come soon enough for me.
Finally there can be a good cricket game!
Maybe this is yet another one of those "looks awful but ends up being pretty good in practice" type things Nintendo has been known to create. Remember Wind Waker's graphics anyone?
isn't their a sidewinder gamepad that uses this tech?
I can see why they wanted to keep this thing under wraps for so long. This is going to either be the savior of Nintendo or a miserable failure. Though I think it will be the former.
The very act of being able to control things on screen with precision 'ala mouse will finally let First Person Shooters and Strategy games be played unencumbered.
Even if this controller for some reason doesn't pan out it's 100% wireless so theres no reason they couldn't always fall back on a more "traditional" controller if need be.
You are about to see what may be the fiercest wave of criticism toward a console we have ever seen.
Don't flame. Sit back, relax, and laugh.
Damn this machine is going to be fun.
When I saw it, my first reaction was "iRevolution!"
My first pertinent reaction was something to the effect of "how odd. It'll never work."
My next thought was that Nintendo has done some interesting things, and just maybe it'll be really cool. I'll reserve full judgement until I've gotten my hands on one.
What are you thinking? This controller will put Nintendo ahead of the competition.
Unless the other companies whip up some controller to imitate it as they invariably have in the past.
D-Pad, Analog Stick, Rumble - All Nintendo popularized.
Help a student gain some exp. http://www.halovariants.com/touchup/index.php
Isn't this going to really help people who are left handed when it comes to playing video games? I'm looking at the picture, and it's difficult to tell if it can work.
Some (*edit* Most!) people haven't spent years developing highly co-ordinated thumbs, but every person on the planet knows how to move their hands in free space.
Intuitive controls + fun gameplay = A sure bet.
This reminds me of the unwieldly Nintendo 64 controller. Nintendo ergonomics skips a generation.
Nunchuku configuration? Imagine using a traditional controller that's been broken in half and is now only held together by a dangling fragile wire.
In a game like tekken or halo, for example, I'm rough on the controller, and I like to grip onto something solid. This does not provide.
Revolution controller.
Hopefully this one won't be as uncomfortable and unintuitive as the old one.
My userid is prime!
If this weren't going to be marketed to children, I'm sure the one-handed controller could warrant at least one AO-rated joke. Ooh, built in rumble? Make that two - one for each gender. How fair.
I am intrigued by one of the demos mentioned in the article - "Pilot Wangs".
Anyone remember when the neighborhood spaz would get über-pissed because he sucked at videogames and so he'd make a run to turn off the console, and a fight would ensue?
There really needs to be a way to prevent the console from being turned off remotely, or else there's going to be lots of bruises and bloody noses in homes that house both children and Revolutions.
With all the movement involved with using it, I hope Nintendo plans on making it durable. I'm assuming that there are moving parts inside of it, and that means that they are capable of becoming broken. I'd hate to think of buying a new controller because it flew out of my hands when swinging it like a sword.
But anyways, I applaud Nintendo for trying something new. This is their first endeavor in a long-while that I actually think is cool.
IF they can get the action to work flawlessly in real living rooms. IF they can get game authors to actually exploit the advantages of a totally different controller action. IF it is reliable. If all those things are true they will redefine the console and crush their enemies.
Otherwise they are pooched. But leave it to Nintendo to pull a rabbit out of their hats instead of release a console to be doomed to #3 behind Sony & Microsoft. This way they don't just sit contentedly in last place and fade away, they either go splat or put someone else out, I'd bet Microsoft.
Democrat delenda est
To me, it looks like this might be a welcome change for controllers. It appears to be very adaptible to different people. The add on analog joystick makes it more ergonomic (no giant xbox controller). How Nintendo will use it seems to be the biggest question. If they start doing tacky little apps that require you to buy add ons to the remote, this will be the biggest rip off yet. Only time will tell.
I'm no Nintendo Fanboy, and was at first extremely skeptical, but take some time to read reviews, watch the video, and imagine the possibilities.
Engadget has some more information here and IGN has looked at some of the possibilities for each type of game here.. As some parent post said, a mass amount of instant unchecked emotion flaming is about to come, but before you post, take some time to think about the possibilities.
Look, I love Nintendo (and I mean *love*) as much the next /.er, but did i miss the joke? Or is this TV remote thing actually intentional? In that case, I prefer Sony's version.
http://www.esato.com/board/img.php?id=35821
This looks pretty cool. As far as the ergonomic feasibility of it goes, I'm trying to think about how to hold this without fatiguing my arms. Elbow on stomach? Wrist on Mid-thigh? What does everyone think?
Nintendo likes doing things differently then other companies. I think the controller has the possibility to work really well, and even wondering if there will be a PC version of it eventually. I was skeptical at first about controlling FPS games without a stick, but the attachment looks cool and comfortable.
OK, so I was quite 'Eh' about it before... but man, that's really thinking outside of the box in regards to controllers... initially looking at it and thinking "Erm, that looks like a remote control, how uncomfortable", but then, reading that you move it around to control things... now THAT'S cool... and having plug in extras on flexible cords meaning it's perfect for righties and lefties... oh how very, very, very... wait... yep, very cool!
Bring it on please... come on, bring it on, over here.
After reading various articles (there are many up now) on the demo's that were used for this new controller, the possibilities for it's use seem limitless. The FPS demo caught my attention most of all. By moving around the controller you could actually move around the gun in the game, think a console FPS with better control than what you could get on a PC with a mouse.
It truly is "revolutionary," but many hardcore gamers don't usually welcome drastic changes so openly.
How does this becomes revolutionary? The same type of controller I have used on in-flight entertainment (movie/games)....ok its wired but its the same thing...
When I saw this, I thought it was a satire, and I'm still sort of hoping that it is.
I see a lot of positive reviews on Slashdot, but to be perfectly honest, it seems like a terrible design to me. I don't think I'll consider buying a Revolution if that's it.
...response times are going to suck.
Why? First, you need a clear line of sight (even if the transmitters/receivers are at angles to each other). When you're 28 with two neices and a nephew under age 4, you basically are dodging them while trying to see what you're playing anyway.
Second, consider IrDA, which if we use SIR is around 115Kbps. About twice that of most good dialup services. Probably be able to give good ping rates with QuakeWorld, were it not for broadband. Ether way, you have some signaling issues that will take up time and limit the responsiveness.
Hopefully Nintendo will go Bluetooth or some private radio.
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
Um, this idea ain't exactly new....I remember using Phillips CDi control for games like that zelda game that was on cdi and burn cycle and it was a hideous experience. You figure that nintendo would learn that that controller design was flawed based simply on the sales of that crap zelda game.
There are two types of people.
/fanboy
1. Those who read it, looked at the pictures, and love it.
2. Those who didn't bother reading the text, assumed it was like a DVD remote, and hate it.
But, seriously, what people need to realize is that you can't think, "but how would you play Halo on this thing????"
Stop thinking like that. You CAN'T translate old controls into this. This is a new way of gaming. FPS games will not play the same, plain and simple.
*gasp* "He's a mad man... A maaaad maaaan!"
Share and Enjoy: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Here are some examples.
:)
Let's start off with the most obvious implementation: FPS. A genre that drives the PS2 and XBox (and dominates computers) will thrive on the Gamecube. Gone is the fiddling with the joystick. A quick flip of the controller, and you've completely turned around. Aiming is no longer tense; your hand eye coordination will allow you to better attack your enemies using a 3d mouse than with a regular controller (think about how many people are about FPS on the computer.)
Don't like FPS? Let's ignore that and move to a love of the Nintendo community: Zelda. Want to see Link do more than just two directions with his sword? No problem, since you will be controlling his sword. When you swing your arm, Link swings his. When you jab, so does he.
Want to control how tense your bow string is? Pull out the bow and arrow, go into first person mode, and extend your arm. Press a button to lock the start position, and pull back as far as you want.
Zelda isn't your thing? How about some fishing. A whip of the controller and you're casting off. You can bob the line back and forth, left and right.
And the accessories for the controller; you can be sure that these will be fairly inexpensive, meaning that companies can throw in their own little controller to add more depth to the game. How about hooking up the headphone set to talk to your buddies in online games to the controller instead of having to have an entire other attachment to the Revolution?
Now imagine that you hold the controller vertically. You're playing Star Fox. You move the controller, just like in a real jet fighter, and the plane moves with you.
Plus, you have a controller that is in one hand only. This means you can eat cheetos and play games at the same time.
The possibilities for this seem endless. Nintendo was not kidding when they named this the Revolution; we are on the edge of virtual reality, the thing that every geek has longed for since we saw the Holodeck in Star Trek: TNG. What Nintendo is doing is taking the big, hulking interactive setups of yesterday's arcades and turning them into the remote of tomorrow's homes.
You no longer control the machine; you control the character itself. Your arm swing is its arm swing. Your aim is its aim. As we've seen with DDR, gaming is turning into more of a physically interactive medium. With this controller, gone are the days of sitting around on the couch fumbling with the controller. Now, if not standing, you're leaning forward or sitting up straight, slashing with your might or blowing a hole in someone's stomach.
Just imagine if they put out pairs of goggles that really gave you the whole FPS feel.
I think Nintendo has a good chance of winning this round.
I've been seeing this kind of reaction to it all night. Oh Noes!!!! Nintendo changed the controller. They just dug their grave!!!11!1One!!
Stop and think for one minute. Why do we even have game pads today? Because Nintendo bucked the trend of everyone and their dog with joysticks and made a gamepad for the Famicom/NES. What about analog sticks? Nintendo again with the N64.
Nintendo has made dramatic changes to the way we play our games twice now, and both times the industry fell right in step behind them imitating at their first opportunity. Who's to say they aren't doing it a third time here?
I'd tend to give a game company who's been around longer than half the population of this website the benefit of a doubt.
interesting tech, but what we don't know:
1). Wireless efficiency. The PC Jr. had a wireless keyboard. Is this thing going to work in a crowded house with lots of peanut butter flying around?
2) Durability. Speaking of which, how hard can you beat on these things? What's the MWBF (Mean Waves Between Failure) on this thing? Are people going to just wave them right into the rubbish bin?
3) Endurance. How long can a twelve-year-old boy wave his arms before fatigue sets in? Has anybody done any reasonable studies? What about 30-year-old overweight slashdot nerds longing for their misspent youth?
4) They are shipping at least two controllers per unit, right? 'cos if there's just one, then designers can't rely on the numchuck configuration.
* Remote control design: constructed to appeal to a wide variety of potential players
* 3D Pointing: Sensors understand up, down, left, right, forward and backward.
* Tilt Sensitive: Controller can be rotated or rolled from side-to-side.
* Buttons Included: Has a trigger on its backside, face buttons, and a D-Pad
* Multifunctional: Has an expansion port which can be used with different types of controller peripherals. Analog stick with two trigger buttons planned for left hand.
* Wireless: Totally wire-free. Currently there are no details on the max distance, source or power, or otherwise.
* Rumble Built-in. Included standard in all the controllers.
Wow, imagine what the possibilities of combining this with interactive porn!!
Y
DEMO: PILOT WANGS
Use your revolution controller as a dildo?
Life is offtopic.
After my first glance at that remote-like controller, my first thought was "Oh sweet merciful crap what the hell is Nintendo thinking?!" It looked like a shiny plastic DVD remote, and the apparent lack of an analog joystick was disturbing.
Then I read the article. Now that controller looks and sounds absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to get my hands on one to try it out myself.
But, wow, they weren't kidding when they decided to call it the Revolution. This is the biggest change video game systems have seen since, well, ever.
Here's the problem: The controller is far too exotic, which means 3rd party developers will not make any big-budget games for it. Do you really think you can play fighting games with this thing? Sports games? NO! There will be few, if any, ports of popular games on the other platforms. The only games you're going to see on this new Nintendo console will either be Nintendo originals or an assortment of puzzle and party games. This will be a MAJOR reason for why many people would not be buying this console. People don't just want to play these "unique" types of games, they want to play games like Grand Theft Auto. Popular franchises. There'll be few, if any, of them on the console BECAUSE of this controller.
What Nintendo has accomplished by creating this controller is they carved out a very specific niche for their new console. It'll be popular among people who want to try something new, without particularly caring about the games they're playing. It's a NOVELTY console. This is how most non-Nintendo-fanboy gamers will look at it, and this is how developers will look at it.
Along with this controller announcement, Nintendo shares fell by 2.5% today. I wonder if it's related.
UNIX: A computer user is defined as a programmer. WINDOWS: A computer user is defined as a consumer.
At least the motion detection will allow you to simulate jerking off.
Maybe the Revolution might not be just for kids.
Of for an even gayer application. Think about what the next Harry Potter game will play like.
I suppose an new innovation is better than an old one, speaking tautologically and repetitively again.
it did. why would you do this nintendo?
Now, before you get all up-in-arms about it, think of the possibilities! This article really makes you think of some of the extraordinary ways this device can be used! I know I'm looking forward to its release. Ah, finally some good RTSs on a console, or a shooter more akin to mouse+keyboard.
Also, the people who've had a chance to use it have generally come away pretty excited.
I understand that life's not fair, just why is it never unfair in my favor?
Wow. I mean, wow. You mean half the population of this website are over 116 years old?
The main thing I noticed right away about this is the small size. The big problem I have with controllers is all the cramping you get into in racing sims (my preference on consoles) after you play for awhile. If this is as light and usable as it seems, the ergonomics alone may make it a worthwhile purchase. Of course knock offs for Ps3 / 360 will probably be for sale before the revolution is now tho, so I'm not sure if the controller alone is enough to buy the console.
Make it easily programmable via standard interfaces, and don't charge car prices for devkits, and they certainly would have my interest tho.
Wonder how out of the box they're willing to be eh?
-- Chitlenz
Imagination is the silver lining of Intelligence.
The biggest fear everyone seems to be buzzing about right now is that the Revolution Controller won't be capable of playing "normal" games. Well, do you really think Nintendo would actually exclude themselves from those types of games? I think they're more clever than that; read this excerpt from one of the reviews: But what about for SNES or N64 games where there are more buttons or a need for a second analog stick? The Revolution controller can rest in a sort of controller shaped cradle which could add different buttons or control sticks to mimic the controller's predecessors. For example the analog stick portion would work quite well in the center of a N64 shell. Whether or not these shell cradles will come in the box, or if third parties will make shell cradles is also not determined. Not only that, but the expansion slot will enable any controller type to be hooked up to it allowing for wireless gameplay including dance pads, konga drums, and the like. No specific peripherals have been announced, but the possibilities are virtually endless.
So, the system will be more than capable of playing games the "regular" way. Although I'd expect that most games for the system will end up supporting the gyro in some way. I for one, am excited!
Go here for teh [sic] funny.
I remember laughing at people at uni who thought you could send a virus to somebody by email.
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
Use coral cache when submitting!
= 3143782
Even something like..
Nintendo Revolution controller ( Coralized Link )
would be just dandy.
Anyways here is the coralized link..use it!
http://www.1up.com.nyud.net:8090/do/newsStory?cId
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
Here's a video clip: http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/09/16/443527.h tml
While it's impossible to tell whether this move will work for nintendo, it can definitely be said that it opens interaction possibilities that just aren't possible with either console or PC gaming (which is what Microsoft and Sony have been promising). What's more, it was accomplished without getting sucked into the graphics/cpu arms race.
It's certainly different. Whether it's "Virtual Boy" different or "Nintendo DS" different remains to be seen.
http://nintyrevcontroller.ytmnd.com/
;)
I felt like a fool when I first saw it I stopped eating and almost laughed. But then, 1up spoofing this time of year? ARE YOU SERIOUS?
No seriously, I was sure it was a joke.
I was one of those kids who was not allowed to have a game system. I finally bought a gamecube at age 23 after playing all my friends systems. I still like it as much as the PS2, maybe better. But I am now 29 and hardly ever play the machine. Why? The games bore the hell out of me. I want to play a game, not beat it.
The most fun I've had is with the multi-player party games on the cube, and a room full of friends. I was actually going to give up on gaming, but I have a feeling the revolution will convince me otherwise. This machine is built for PLAY, something most gaming seriously lacks these days.
This is a GREAT idea, but I have two worries.
One is that the main controller looks like carpal tunnel city. Admittedly, I haven't used it yet, but it looks awkward. The wrist will be under exactly opposing strains, from the thumb pushing down and the other fingers pushing up. My knowledge about wrists is mostly limited to just HAVING two of them, but when I'm holding a standard two-handed controller, it doesn't feel like the support strain is hitting my wrists too badly. It feels like it's radiated down my arm to my elbows. And the load is shared between both hands. With the new Revolution controller, the pressure is all on one hand and comes at the top of the controller. I can't help but think that the wrist will take the entire load... possibly like a lever using the wrist as a fulcrum... against itself.
It may be perfectly fine -- remember, I'm no expert here -- but I still wonder.
My other concern is how precise and repeatable the hand-gesture controls will be. It's a really superb idea, but it's going to require deployment of sensors on either side of the TV. I wonder how well Nintendo is going to handle the gamut of televisions, from 13" B&W up to 100" projection models. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but doing it right, and giving it the kind of sensitivity you have with mice and analog thumbsticks, will be very hard.
If they can get it working reliably, but it's a bit sloppy (which is my expectation), they'll need to adjust game designs quite a bit to accommodate it. But it'll give a degree of immersiveness that we will love. Practically everyone instinctively moves the controller around, trying to give their character or car an extra 'push' when they're in a tight spot... making that into an actual control mechanic is brilliant.
Upshot: I'm so there. I'll buy one when it ships. Even if it fails, at least they're really doing something NEW.
After trying for 4 hours, you FINALLY manage to get past the toughest part of your favorite game. You toss your controller on the rug as you leap up in the air... only to see (with horror) the TV screen wink out.
This can be solved by a delay-button -- i.e., you have to hold it down for a few seconds before it works.
But your spaz scenario is spot-on, and even worse with the power button on the controller, he can even pretend he did it *accidentally*.
Whoah. Yeah, no good.
There are more evil scenarios -- how about the 3-year old little sibling who likes to play with the spare controller while you play -- if that power button works you aren't going to be too happy, and that's a lot of shouting and crying coming right up.
Other than the power button, though, I have to say I'm really intrigued by it. I'm *definitely* keen on the more intuitive movement/angle interface. Doesn't everyone try to do this anyway? Come on, admit you lean into the turns.
Nintendo can still manage to kill the thing if it's buggy, breaks easily (or gets out of whack easily), or if the new games using it are weak... but I have a feeling this is really going to take off.
If you can't see the potential in this controller then you are certainly one sad individual. I can understand if you are not a fan of the tv remote-looking design, but its nothing short of stupidity to allow that to blind you from seeing the innovation. Personally, I like the design. From what I can see, it seems to allow a lot of incredibly fun games. I can't help but imagine playing a game like Zelda and physically slashing at enemies or playing a game like Metroid and using the sensors to guide the point of the gun, then hitting the gun-like trigger to fill them full of holes. You can't look at something like this with an inside-the-box mindset and expect to see its potential. I am way more excited for the Revolution since this news.
Well, at least it's still better than the PS3 controller. No, but seriously, think of what's been done with the DS. This will likely lead to similar things.
It's as if a million Sony fanboys attempted to cry out...but had already been silenced.
When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
This will no doubt usher in the proud era of multiplayer Duckhunt.
This new controler design will be TONS of fun. But I'm worried about 3rd parties porting games from the other systems, seems like it could be a major challenge. As long as developers really think outside the standard control setup this will be a great setup.
I'm glad to see a company actually taking the initiative to enhance the gaming experience by creating innovate new techniques to interact with games. In this day in age increasing the horsepower and resolution of a video game system is useless unless you can come up with new game types instead of just releasing six funded clones of a first perspective shooter. The controller itself can sense motion and supports plug ins which leads to infinite amount of possibilities that games can feature, but hopefully this new technology will be raped for everything it can offer instead of just be another addon used option in the random clone of another game.
[ brakken ]
Because it's going to be hard to find a place to rest them.
While the mouse + keyboard combination for PCs sucks, it's actually pretty confortable because your hands are still resting on the keyboard and the mouse.
For this thing, while it's cool you can aim with it, your hands / arms are really going to get tired quickly when aiming around.
- sigs are for wimps.
That's the sound of a millon retarded Nintendo-bashing-fanboys hushing at the same time :) Ahh so sweet..
You've got to handle it to Nintendo... this looks sweet. I don't even like consoles, and i'm dying to try it. The posibilities are endless, and this cemented my opinion of Nintendo being the only company doing something interesting this days in the console market (along with the DS).
but we are all going to get used to it pretty quick. - sleep
Just to let everyone know, third-party games will not be hard to port. Revolution has built-in support for GameCube controllers, which can be used as a fall-back for third-parties.
Just thought I'd point this out.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Alice transcribed Iwata's keynote here where he talks about the vision of creating the controller and intended direction for it. If you prefer a bulleted version(aka they couldn't keep up ;)), IGN has that here
Gamespot's take on the demos
IGN's take on the demos with decent commentary about the controller as a whole
IGN has the teaser video that was shown here
One controller for your sword/mace/staff/dagger and the other for your shield (or other dagger, short sword, whatever). Real RPG combat...now that might be interesting...
Maybe controller gestures to cast spells?
After well over a decade of being stuck with the same controller setups, I think its great nintendo has gone and updated their designs. I think this will open a huge range of possiblities for games, and the ease of use will skyrocket. The backwards compatability of games, and the new controller have made a huge impact to me, for the first time since the mid-ninty's have I not only considered buying a console, but I know I'm going to pick up a Revolution. Awsome work, Nintendo.
... the original
Everyone who loves it is a fanboy, continually having faith in anything and everything done or said by their favorite corporation come hell or high water (or goofy designs). Criticism isn't just heresy, it's undisputably wrong.
Everyone who hates it is a troll, stoking their own agenda of loyalty to competing corporations. They obviously (that term is solid gold in a flamewar) only play "mainstream" titles like Madden Football or some kind of low-brow FPS, and don't know what real gaming is.
There is no middle room for opinions, and facts are neither relevent nor plentiful. Only hype, speculation, and brand loyalty matter.
Personally, I'm intrigued by the controller and would like to find a link to the movie that still has bandwidth. But half the fun of this weekend is going to be watching the flamewars between the fanboys and the infidels.
I was ready to hate this thing, but after the vid and article i gotta say it looks awesome. I poo-pooed the DS too when I got my PSP, and guess which one I play more? This thing may very well be the future of gaming, so I'm excited.
My good looks paid for that pool, and my talent filled it with water.
I know for a fact I will lose it in the cushions of my Couch...
IMPRESSIONS: At first, I was standing up and swinging my hand all around to aim - and my arms got really tired really quick. But once I sat down and relaxed, resting my hands on my legs as I would with a normal controller, everything clicked.
Yes, leave it to geeks and gamers to quickly figure out how to get around Nintendo's quixotic attempt to force some exercise on our lazy, couch-potato, videogaming arses...
Flying is easy, just throw yourself at the ground and miss. -Douglas Adams
How many times do they need to shoot themselves in the foot, leg, arm, groin, shoulder, and any other extremedy until they realize that they should stop trying to come up with new ideas, just because they look or sound good.
The controllers we have now are so widely used because they work.
Whenever new funcitons are necessary for gaming, they can be easily adapted to the controler and be utilized.
Of course in a day down the road, the functions and actions in game will require for a complete and revolutionary controller.
It is possible that this is the revolutionary controller, but sure as hell doesn't look like it.
I am seeing a lot of people snickering, but I already want one. not the revolution, although that would be nice I want the controler. For my computer. For the type of design I do, the simplicity appeals to me imensily.
This is going to either be the savior of Nintendo or a miserable failure.
I agree, and I think the thing that will make or break them is the question: Is it easy for 3rd parties to develop for? The article seems to say that, in practice, the idea doesn't inherently suck. Okay, so that's the first hurdle cleared. Now it's time to see if it's just as natural to develop for.
An believe you me, I sincerely hope it is.
This sig rocks the casbah.
Seriously though, this seems good for left-handers. Having the analog stick on a wire means it can be held in either hand.
Another neat thought while we're indulging ourselves. What if some games allowed you to use two controllers in conjunction with each other? Imagine dual wields pistols, or knives, or even, saw a bow an arrow: you'd aim with one controller and pull back on the string with the other. This could truly open up the video game industry to a whole host of intuitive controls.
Or it could not. Of coursem, how intuitive the controls are are due to the interface design of the game. So let's just hope that game developers are able to exloit this to its fullest potential.
In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and is widely considered as a bad move.
When I was a kid, I was a hardcore video game fanatic. In the last few years, though I have pretty much quit playing games entirely. When my friends ask why, I point out one major reason - there are no new games! In my opinion, there has been nothing almost new since Wolfenstein, Warcraft, 3D-platformers, and the old text-based MMORPGs. Everything since has just been prettier pictures plastered atop the same old crap.
Sony and Microsoft are banking on doing the boring - even prettier pictures, the same old games.
Nintendo is bringing us - NEW GAMES.
Sony and Microsoft are going to be scrambling to catch up. I wonder what sort of patents Nintendo is holding...
I strongly believe that Nintendo doesn't want to simply have ports, they want to reinvent gaming. And I won't hesitate to say that it is a huge risk, but it keeps with the company's vision, which is more than you can say for most these days.
Video
s _1.html http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/09/16/443527.h tml
http://media.cube.ign.com/articles/651/651334/vid
I WANT ONE!
The article suggests that maybe the button is for menu navigation, but I figure if the controller is sensitive to where it is in space with relation to the TV/console/whatever, then the "home" button obviously tells the console what the controller's home position in that space is. Not some menu's home, the controller's.
If the controller vibrates, it can be used as a dildo.
As a Big Nintendo fan im sure im gonna buy the console. But geez.. after i saw the controller i was a bit too impressed (in the weird way). How in the world am i gonna play Pikmin on that thing? 2 sticks anyone? WHERE DAMMIT! I cant think of any NORMAL game coming out for the revo that a person with 2 next-gen consoles will buy over there version for the other (more normal, more familiar console controller) (read: ps3, xbox 360). Im scared of what will happen, and wth is gonna happen with all those little children eating the pieces of the controller. I can imagine Nintendo bein sued over that.
//WR
This is going to be huge in Japan, and in reality, thats all that matters to Nintendo, the Japanese market is what has single handedly kept Nintendo in business. Given the success of unique gaming experiences with DS, Revolution is almost guaranteed to be successful. Personally, I want one now, this kicks ASS!
its has to be .
I love two handed gameplay (the addon analog stick just feels real weird) and this looks really really cramped . Every unintentional nudge or move of my wrist now would cause me change my char position ?
during gameplay i frequently change my grip and holding positions intutively without having to stop/pause the game in any way..now how do i do that ?
this has to be some kind of joke
I agree. Nintendo has always had the best controller in the industry. Even now, IMO, the GameCube controller is one level above those of PS or XBox. The new controller actually makes sense. These types of "controllers" have been available at game arcades that are specific to a particular game - i.e. swinging, slashing, or otherwise moving it around to simulate specific actions tracked by the sensors. However, it seems like it will be the first for general gaming use. I could easily see players jumping around and swinging their swords, and throwing objects in Zelda, fighting against each other in many other games. At the very least, it may get people off the couches and involve some physical activity when playing most games - it's a step in the right direction.
Hi-larious.
The reason FPS games are so good with a mouse is that you are using very small precise movements with your wrist and fingers, with your palm and arm at rest.
Your fine motor skills can be trained to a much higher degree of acumen than your whole arm/shoulder/hand.
This controller may end up being worse for FPS games than even a traditional gamepad/thumbstick, but I guess we'll find out in a year or so.
... it's rotated 90 degrees from what we'd expect?
Well, that and it looks absolutely nothing like what Sony and Microsoft would have us play with.
Don't like the mouse? Hate readjusting when scrolling on a web page (sans button of course) or when playing an FPS or other game? Here's your replacement. A look/scroll up/down/sideways... it's all here in a flick of the wrist. I hope this moves out of the console realm and to PC's quick, cause this could... ummmm... ohhhhhh... sorry, got to dry my keyboard off...
This could do wonders for everyday computing. Not to mention that this should seriously take the suck out of most console FPS's. For instance, I sometimes hate playing both Metroid Prime's because you can't look around worth dick. Mmmm... so... good... damn I hope this doesn't just stay with Nintendo.
and hold it with both hands and you have an original nintendo style controller with a/b and a d-pad. I am sure that is not an accident.
http://notanumber.net/
Very weird. Seems like they're taking the Apple route of trying to make things simpler. Not even enough buttons to even play Metroid Prime. I think I have a solution:
Controller Modification
Star Wars kid...
perhaps he meant when they first started making video and arcade games.
in that case, it would be around 1980 or so. you can check the exact date but you get my point.
Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
This controller is completely retarded. They've had these gyro gizmos in PC controllers for awhile. They never caught on. Know why? Because they hurt! Current controllers are almost ideal from an ergonomic point of view. There is no motion required of the wrist, only small pressing movements required of the eight fingers, and thumb motion limited entirely to its natural range of movement. This controller gets rid of that nice setup, and requires wrist motion on multiple axes. Not only that, but unlike an analog stick or D-Pad, there is no tactile feedback to the wrist motion, which means that your precision in directional control is going to be a lot lower.
This is hardly innovation. This is more "different for the sake of being different."
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
After reading the commentary on 1UP, Gamespy, and elsewhere, it seems like the controller's orientation detection system is actually very robust, responsive, and accurate. The reaction to the tech demos seems to be generally positive, and the use of regular hand motions that translate directly into equivalent movements on the screen is probably the most intuitive game control scheme yet. Two actual action buttons (one for thumb and one for trigger finger) are a bit sparse by modern standards... but then again, the controller, right out of the box, can detect both translational & rotational movement in 3 dimensions, for a total of 6 degrees of freedom (compare to 2 degrees of freedom per analog stick on conventional controllers, which are considerably more clumsy than just picking up an object and moving it through space).
The addition of the plug-in thumbstick controller with 2 additional triggers increases the control possibilities, and with enough polish it seems like using the analog stick with one's left hand for movement while simply pointing with the controller in one's right hand (or vice-versa for the lefties) could be an even more accurate and satisfying control method for first-person shooters than the mouse and keyboard or DS touch screen (and certainly light-years ahead of two analog sticks).
The key with this radically different controller really is, you guessed it, control schemes. If we didn't have the position and orientation sensors, then 2 action buttons would be paltry and anemic for anything but a turn-based strategy or RPG game, or a simple puzzler or platformer. Certainly a modern fighting, action, or sports game would suffer. BUT, using the revolution controller, motion becomes much more important than button mashing. Swinging the controller through the air like the hilt of a sword would reproduce than sword stroke in the game. Or, imagine playing a basketball game where you use just one of the revolution's buttons to hold onto the ball. You lift the controller up, move your hand to make the shot, put a little spin on it and release at just the right moment... how much would that kick the ass of any other sports game?
One issue that arises, however, is that it becomes very non-trivial to port titles from other platforms. The Revolution's controller doesn't just enable radically different control schemes... it basically necessitates them, as there aren't enough analog sticks and buttons to map a conventional control scheme on to (unless a newer Revolution game were to make use of an older gamecube controller). Nintendo will probably have to lead the way on the system with strong first-party titles.
Actually, one can look at the history of the DS as a good reference point for this: in the very beginning, we had some games that were built like glorified tech-demos. They showed off the possibilities of the new interface, but they were little more than software novelties, and there wasn't a whole lot of game underneath. Over time, however, the system built up a library of first-rate ports (Super Mario 64 DS), innovative and fun re-inventions of classic genres like the platformer (Kirby: Canvas Curse), widely appealing non-games (Nintendogs), and extremely solid games for hardcore gamers where the touchscreen and dual screens are a natural and organic part of the gaming experience (Advance Wars: Dual Strike). Now, there are dozens of great-looking DS titles on the horizon, and Internet gaming is set to take off on the system.
I think we might be looking at something similar on the Revolution. We start off with very gimmicky titles designed to get people comfortable with the new controller and wow passers-by at the local electronics store. After a while, a next-gen Mario and Zelda will start to show how old-school genres can be transformed into a new, fun experience with the new controls. Meanwhile, something like Metroid Prime 3 will hit and add a new and brilliant control scheme to the mechanics of the shooter and possibly impress a lot of hard core gamers. Seeing
Anonymous Luddite: "What do you think of the dehumanizing effects of the Internet?"
Andy Grove: "Not Much."
This controller is beautiful, sleak and fits nicely with the look and feel of their console. Now the obvious...
It has hard edges. Sure it looks cool as some guy uses it as a sword, but hey real swords have cylindrical handles for a reason... BECAUSE you will end up doing more damage to your own hand with a cubic handle than you will do to your enemy. Thousands of years of development went into cylinrical things we have to grasp and hold for any period of time for a reason... example, swords, clubs, baseball bats, your dicks... Even the newest television remotes are ergonomic in this sence. Granted your standard dvd remote isn't as once you press play and hit enter a few times, you put it down for an extended period, but your tv remote is pretty much glued to your hand the whole time you are surfing so studdies showed that users wanted something that was more comfortable to hold for long periods of time.
Personally I don't think it has enough buttons... it needs more buttons to look really cool, because if it is too easy to learn to use, it just isn't a game controller.
The second handle is a cool idea and will, I assume, eventually be fully thought out over a number of years to be quite useful and full featured. As to Left handed players, I guess you will all have to wait till Ned opens his new store and starts to stock them...
From an ergonomic point of view, I think extended use will cause wrist problems as the position your hand is in when holding it facing the TV is not a natural one. I think they could have done a much better job on the ergonomics by moving away from the look and feel of the console. Granted they are part of a whole, but they both have very different uses. One is for looking good on the shelf the other is for feeling good in the hand.
flinging poop since 1969
Yawn.
Sony demonstrated similar technology way back at E3. At least they were smart enough not to make it the center of their "revolution".
Satoru Iwata has said, again and again, that he wants to open gaming up. When Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped down, he left some words for Nintendo:
"As I retire from management, I have no words to share. Coincidental to my leaving the company, I would like to make one request: that Nintendo give birth to wholly new ideas and create hardware which reflects that ideal. And make software that adheres to that same standard. Furthermore, this software should attract consumers as new and interesting. Lastly, and of equal importance, is completing these products quickly and at a cost comparable to today's current market. I imagine most people question the feasibility of my request, but Nintendo has always pursued those objectives..."
I've watched the Microsoft and Sony and Nintendo E3 presentations. Sony and Microsoft both repeated the same thing -- we want to be the most powerful machines, and we have them here! Nintendo said, we want our machine to be easy to play and easy to develop for.
Sony said that they wanted to be a media hub. Microsoft said they wanted to break out of the male 18-34 demographic -- right before they stereo typed girls as casual gamers! Nintendo said they had something they felt would include more people in the games.
How about the games? I own Wario Ware: Twisted. It has some of the technology Nintendo has applied to the Revolution controller inside of it. It detects my hand motions, and uses those as means of control. I also have Wario Ware: touched! Between the two, you can quite clearly see that the folks at Nintendo are playing with various games and methods of controlling them (while also delivering interesting gameplay!).
While I am male and in the 18-34 demographic, I don't buy Madden every year. I don't want to buy another WW2 shooter. I don't feel like joining a 5-hour raid in WOW. I just want to have fun. I want to be able to have fun around my school, work, family, etc. I want to involve my friends and family in my fun when I can. The games Sony and Microsoft were showing weren't the games I can see doing that for me. Nintendo's games still do it for me 20 years later.
I don't think Nintendo is in trouble for this next generation.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Good night folks.
BytesTemplar.com
There's a difference between then and now though.
;-)
When the NES came out, I thought "Cool!". The controller was GOOD for the time. I didn't need convincing that it was a good idea. You could SEE it.
When the N64 came out, I though "Cool!". The controller was GOOD for the time. (I still like it better than the Gamecube and Playstation controllers). I didn't need convincing that it was a good idea. You could SEE it.
But THIS? I don't think 'cool'. I need convincing. I just don't see it.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not spending $200 or so on a new system where something as basic as the controller is questionable... I'll have to give it plenty of testing in the store
No it doesn't. There is no reason why Madden can't be released, hell it can even be imporved. Want to pass to a player? Point and click. Personally I'm more psyched to see how the baseball games use it, baseball games may actually come back in style with this. You can use the controller as a sword, you can use it as a bat, and you since it is tracked in 3 dimensions, you can even technically throw the ball if you swing your arm while holding the controller. Nintendo is doing everything right this time and I think you'll shortly see one of the two other players gone despite stockloads of cash. They are both no longer focusing on gamers, they are becoming media centers, and Microsoft already screwed themselves by making multiple versions of the same console, going against the whole point of the damn console in the first place.
Regards,
Steve
I wonder if the controller can also be used as a regular gamepad by turning it sideways? There doesnt seem to be anything about that. Since every game wouldnt need to use the Revolutionary capabilities of the controller that would make sense wouldn't it?
Time is an illusion, lunch doubly so.
I think FPS games may get much popular in consoles with this... cool
This means that, at launch, I will be able to use my old wavebirds, which I consider to be the pinnacle of controller design, to have a full compliment of controllers without having to lay down an extra $150-200. It's always irked me that it costs so much extra to get the controllers needed for the best experience in multiplayer games like Smash Brothers, and I'm glad to see that Nintendo is making their system backwards compatable in this way.
What will be great is seeing Sony and Microsoft try to fit this into their "second round" next gen controller. Sony's dual shock is already overfull with buttons and sticks because they keep adding Nintendo's design ideas to their own. Next they'll try to work a gyro, touch pad, and mic in and we'll have a controller that no one under the age of 30 can remember how to operate. Not to mention that Sony will, by tradition, fail to enforce any purpose for any particular input device. Games with confusing, shifting, counterintuitive controls! All hail the Sony Revolution!
Dunno abou this one but I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
But it still reminds me of some of the crappy Atari controls of old (the ones with the keypads and didn't centre upon release of the joystick). I think this might have some good application for certain games. But for others, not so much. But hey, at least give 'em credit for trying to do something to overtake Sony and MS.
Whether it works or not, remains to be seen.
Well, the nunchuck-approach looks like it could work similarly to mouse and keyboard.
(You can see my detailed opinion here)
REVOLUTION CONTROLLER: LINKS OF INTEREST
I was making a joke, so clearly you missed mine.
Won't you get tired from sitting there with one arm straight out in thin air while you play?
I like the idea, except for one thing- It shows the add-on setup using this second controller with an analog joystick that plugs into the first controller via a short cord. I really think it would be a lot better if they didn't have the cord there.
You can see in the video that the guy pretending to be playing a FPS and wielding the first controller as a sword is having to hold that second one up to his chest. The experience would look so much more natural if he could move his arms independent of one another.
And I can't be certain from just these articles, but it doesn't look like it has gyroscopic feedback- like using gyroscopic inertia to make it feel like you're carrying something heavy, or that your sword has hit something, or that your tennis racket has hit a ball, etc. It would seem a must to me.
Actually, what I think would be ideal would be two identical wireless controllers, each with 1 analog stick, 2 trigger buttons, and 1 combination ABCD/D-pad (because we all know they're pretty much the same) as well as gyroscopic sensors and feedback. Basically break a PS controller in two.
If these things vibrate I can see the Revolution exclusive Playboy titles now....
Time is an illusion, lunch doubly so.
Your arm swing is its arm swing.
Does this mean that the next generation of game playing geeks will have well toned muscular arms?
No Madden for the Revolution?! Oh heartache and woe!
I think Nintendo just dug Xbox 360's grave. 360 is going to be caught between supercomputer/home-movie-theater PS3 and the wacky/fun/innovative Nintendo Revolution. What exactly is Xbox's identity going to be? Yet another console? First mover and Windows-Vista compatibility are about the only things going for it. Good luck Microsoft!
I mean, they boys in blue look like they're really trying hard with the XBox 360.
E3 - Microsoft preps a big display to unveil their console. Sony shows off a video of Killzone 2 and everyone forgets about our favourite OS designer. And now we have the Tokyo game show and Nintendo comes along and again steals the torch. You'll have your day yet Billy. We all liked the Sparkle video, right?
I had a gyroscopic joystic for my Atari 2600 in the late 80's and you know what? It SUCKED. Why? Because you couldn't just keep it still in order to move in straight lines and constantly wiggling it was much more tiring than a traditional joystick. Having the separate D-Pad for movement should certainally help that situation though.
Here's an idea for fps gaming; Strap one to your head for instant TrackIR/head movement.
It's just like a brick, which I also fling at the screen if I don't like what's on!
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
It uses those censors only to know where your viewing area is, it uses gyros to determine how the device is tilted and so on...
Go here for teh [sic] funny.
For those of you who read the article...
DEMO: PILOT WANGS
Uhh.. I mean from context I can tell it should be "Pilot Wings"... but man, it's not like the I and the A are right next to each other on the keyboard or anything.
HJ
It looks like playing game on Nintendo's new console is going to be like play with a remote. One can use the PS2 DVD remote to control games. Having tried doing so I have my doubt about Nintendo's control.
The stunning innovation of Nintendo reminds me Apple Computer's innovation in every hardware they make. The sleek clean white console and remote really makes it look like Apple product. Perhaps Nintendo is taking a page out of Apple's playbook and being creative and innovative with their console/controller. If this controller pans out, it will change the way people play console games. If it flops, well, Nintendo could lose market share if they don't back system up with a standard controller.
\
To me, it always appeared as though they stuck their hands up their noses, scooped, and threw whatever it was. This proves one thing: they weren't italian; they're two Mexican, chili-powder sniffing, princess-chasing junkies in the Magic Mushroom kingdom. Goddam Spics...
Sincerily,
The Amazing Racist.
To confirm you're not a script,
please type the word in this image: retail
Worst. Controller. Ever.
Flame me if you must, but I would have been happy with some Dual Shock knockoff with gyroscopes. Even an Atari 2600 joystick would top this.
Really, I was hoping that Nintendo could make a comeback with the Revolution. Although I use to be a die-hard Sega fan, I always enjoyed Nintendo's offerings. Lately I have felt that the industry has been in dire need of innovation-- innovation that could only come from a legendary company like Nintendo.
But alas, my hopes have been trounced with the current abomination known as the Revolution. This thing is going to fail, and fail HORRIBLY here in the States. I have no doubt about it now.
How the hell am I going to play the next smash brothers with that thing?... I just don't see it working at all. Dear God I hope I am wrong though.
Hmmm. Maybe you're just getting cynical in your advancing age. ;)
Seriously though I like it. If you've ever watched someone playing Mario Kart with "body english", you'd see why this is brilliant.
Shit, now I'm fearful of the number of people who will accidently chuck the thing at the screen (or another human) and cause damage. :D
BytesTemplar.com
They put more thought into their designs than their competitors. For example, Sony's buttons are neatly arranged, but it takes a while to memorize which one is square, or whether L2 is the top or bottom one. The Gamecube controller looks odd at first glance, but you never have to stop and think about which one is the little red "B" button, or which is the vertical bean-shaped "X" button. And that's exactly why Nintendo made it that way.
main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
Most gamers will want to use both hands. Otherwise, you have to choose between movement OR actions.
Only thing I can think of is -- didn't they try this with the Power Glove?
I can't believe some dumb moderator modded this "offtopic". Just RTFA, the controller has a design which may very well be mistaken for an iPod...
Anyway.
I think Nintendo should bundle a gamecube controller with the system, to give developers and consumers options on whether to use the new controller or the previous one. This would solve most of the problems with people not liking the controller/getting tired of holding their hand up/etc...
Seriously, Nintendo-fencing is going to involve some serious skill and dexterity, expecially against online opponents. Bravo!
I was dismayed when I first saw it but as the shock wears off, after watching the promotional video and thinking it over, I'm totally psyched!
This is gonna bring us a lot of FUN games. Now if only Nintendo stopped smoking crack and decided to offer HD, I'll be set.
This 'device' within a few months will appear for the computer, probably made by Logitech or some company like that. There will be drivers that translate its movement into traditional WASD+mouse-look controls, and the big deal will be over. I am happy for Nintendo though; as a longtime fan of them and the industry in general I'd like to see them back in the game and take down the cocky newcomers Playstation and XBOX.
..With this controller, no doubt a formed company called "JAWS" will release a game called "Shark with freaking laser" that allow you to use that controller to shoot laser at human, boats and all. This Game's intended audience are those sharks who are looking forward to this game!
:(
Oh well i am tried to have a shot at joke..
Gets to skip Nintendo thumb, and go straight to Nintendo wrist.
Orthopedic Surgeons everywhere, rejoice!
If you attach the analog stick, it's very similar to any normal controller today.
The advantage, beyond all the new stuff, is size. People argue back and forth about the size of the x-box controller. Some thought it was too big, some thought it was finally big enough.
With this thing, you can hold your wrists at any angle you want. Stop fighting the hardened body of a controller that just can't fit every kind of person.
As for the share price, pfft. Nintendo's just like Apple in that. You should sell on the wave of a rumor, you buy just after the news comes out. The reality of things almost always falls short of insane fanboy speculation and some people sell, which fires the price down.
This looks like a great idea...but. Why does nintendo keep worrying about the people who dont play games yet? Why arnt they making games for people who already play games and ENJOY the games they have now. There constantly talking about bringing more people into the gaming market. We need LESS people in the gaming market...games are getting WAY to popular. Theres a reason why most of the modern franchises and games of the olden day are so beloved. They were made for nerds, not for grandma and the neighborhood dog. (Strap this thing to your little puppy's head and put him on a treadmill infront of the tv. Got your own walking device! :D)
just the idea of having the controller split up into two, independent components (one for each hand) makes me wonder why it wasn't implemented so well before.
Yes it was. The NES port of Smash TV had a mode where each player held two controllers.
From the look of things here, we are also going to see the fiercest wave of fanyboyism we've ever seen. Already people of declaring this to be revolutionary. Please remember that none of said people have ever used this, nor even seen it or have an understanding of how the technology works. We've had devices like this for a long time, from the orignal powerglove, to professional 3d controls, to wirless gyro pen mice, and so on.
So who knows how this device is? Certianly seems like the technology is here to make it work well, I guess then it comes down to implementation, both in the hardware to make it work and the software to properly respond to what's done with it. Right now, I think all anyone who hasn't messed with it can accurately say is that it will be interesting and different.
Yet despite that we have people corwing about how revolutionary it is, and how MS and Sony are so fucked and so on. Standard console fanyboyism in other words. Thus it should be no supprise the haters will join the fray as well and declare it to be utter shit, a stupid idea, etc, also without ever trying it.
What it really comes down to is we won't honestly know how good it is until it's released and different people start trying it on different setups. To declare it great or crap at this point is silly.
Halo would play well. Dpad for movement, gyro for aiming, trigger for firing and maybe the analog stick for rough aiming (turning around) and its triggers for jumping and grenades.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
I don't know how many 2600 controllers I went through. Of course, they were crappily made, and those damn plastic tabs that pushed the L, R, U and D controls would always break. I actually took one apart and used it like a gamepad once. It wasn't set up to be used like that though, so it was really tough.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Gamepads such compared to the good old joysticks, the reason for this Nintendo went with a left hand approach for the mor important fine grained stuff, and besides that it gives a huge pressure on the thumb. I hated them when I was young and I still hate them 25 years later.
I just hope some games have UI like in Minority Report. Hell, it could be an entire game.
-You start, just like in the movie, a red ball comes down and you look for clues, using motions just like Tom Cruise did in the movie.
-Next you yourself fly the helicopter to the location. The controller works just like a flight stick.
-Next you run into an unfamiliar house (randomly generated?) and need to find the exact location before time runs out. The first level would be simple, like in the movie. Later levels would be more complex and the bad guys would fight back.
Although, strange, but I'll buy one. Let's give them some marketing stats. How else is willing?
I really hope they release some games using stereoscopic 3d Glasses (like at Disneyland). If they do it right, it could usher in a new era of virutal reality, the last one was a little too short lived for me!
Yay me! ^^
No real text here. Just that there's a flip top cover on the top / right side that conceals 4 upside down Gamecube Ports. Don't like the modular supercontroller? Plug in a GCN controller and awaaaaay you go.
In an ideal world I'd have the PS3 and/or Xbox 360 hooked up to a hi-def, big screen with 5.2 sound in my living room and the joyous Revolution all to myself in the den.
It just looks like beautifully childish fun.
Unfortunately, I am not Wil Wheaton
I didn't read all these, i'm on break at work so don't have time, but I see two essential problems with this controller, both of which are correctible, and hopefully will be before release. 1. It's too small. I don't have large hands or anything, but i can imagine holding that thing one handed, and not being able to maintain control of it. It needs to be a bit thicker to really be comfortable. 2. The button configuration is all wrong. I like how it's set up so you can play it sideways and all, but holding it in one hand, I just don't see how they expect you to be able to hit more than one face button at a time if you're holding it the way you'd hold a remote control, which is the way most people are going to naturally hold it. Otherwise, it is pure awesomeness, especially the idea of extensions and inserting it into other peripherals. Will we finally see a Nintendo licensed keyboard?
just some guy
Wow, you can rotate the controller 90 degrees to play.... NES games.
But they promised SNES and N64 backward compatibility. Where are my extra buttons for that? Hmmmm? A,B,X,Y,L,R, C buttons, analog stick, directional pad.
You have to have respect for a company that takes chances and really does love what they do. I get that vib from nintendo and will continue to support them.
I think it would take a little time to get to grips with this controller but it will make for games that have far more depth, the developer are only limited by their imagination. But it looks like there will be a learning curve for each game..
All the games might have to have video of someone using the controller, trying to describe it in a manual will be next to useless.
Pablo
Can't do that with anything but a gyro.
Rather than a gyro, how about a series of accelerometers (1 for every axis). If you know the acceleration in an access, derive it and you have speed. Derive it again and you have the distance moved.
This is much more likely than gryos.
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Google innovative? Phhfft! This is Zombo-com!
You mean I no longer have to pause the game to smoke a cigarette? Bitchin!!!
I'm sure someone else wrote it before, but I did not see it.
Since the site it's been slashdotted, check the article at ign
ArticleHelp petition Nintendo to add HD support to the console. It's the only fault I see with an otherwise awesome system.
http://www.1080up.org/
It's one of those idiotic ideas which sound all great and revolutionary (again) until you actually try it. No, seriously.
RPGs? Try swinging your arm around like with a sword for hours, because that's what you'd have to do in an action-RPG. See how quickly it gets uncomfortable and then outright _painful_.
FPS? It's been done already, and done better with lightguns. And skipping over the lower accuracy that's already been mentioned, again, the problem is that you just can't keep your arm pointing at the screen for hours. Those are games played for half an hour, maybe an hour at a time, and by then you're already desperately trying to find ways to "cheat" by resting your arm on something. It really gets that uncomfortable.
And let me get back to the "again" part. It's not even a new idea. The PS2 at launch also demonstrated cool-sounding gizmos, like swords you can swing around and see your character do the same swing. Guess why it never actually took off? And it goes even farther back in time, with gizmos like the power glove that was already mentioned.
Idiotic ideas are like vampires in this industry. You just can't ever really kill them. Just when you think one failed spectacularly and miserably, that you've seen it crumble into a pile of ash once and for all... someone drops a drop of blood there and it springs right back to life.
Or more accurately, some ignorant designer comes along and thinks he's soo utterly original for repeating the same mistake again. "I know! It'll be soo original to have permanent death!" (Well, no, every third idiot MUD coder gets the _exact_ same idea. It's not original, it just keeps failing and getting off the radar.) Or in this case, "I know! It'll be soo original to make people swing the controller around!" Or whatever.
*sigh* I know by now I can't expect people to learn from history, as in what happened in the 1600's at the court of some obscure HRE "kingdom". But, eh, the launch of the PS2 isn't _that_ far back in time. You'd think someone at Nintendo would get their head out of their ass long enough to remember that the exact same thing was hyped back then.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
I see gamers just duct taping the controller to their hand/arm so they don't have to hold the thing. Just put your arm in a good button pushing position and tape away. That will elimate getting excited about a game and accidentally throwing the controller across the room and hitting your wife/mother in the face.
A lot of people seem to think this will be a great controller for FPS, but I disagree. The idea is that if you want to snap your aim in some direction quickly you can do so with a quick movement of the controller. I agree that this could work very well. But now I ask, how do you turn around and face the other way? Well, the obvious way is that you turn the controller just like you did for aiming. But now let's say you want to move in the new direction. You can recenter your arm or you'll turn back! This system leaves you facing one direction - the one facing the tv. Of course there are many ways around this like using the controller movement for fine-grained or snap movements and using the stick for gross motions, or maybe pressing a button in tells the game not to interpret moving the controller as game motion so you can ecenter. But while these solutions do solve that problem, they are much less intuitive that the simple control motion = character motion you may be hoping for. I can see how this controller will be a lot of fun and could be a step above the old style for console FPS, but I don't think it's the end all and be all that others see. Overall, I think this controller will make the Revolution an excellent secondary system. I think that Xbox 360 or PS3 will make a better main system for console gaming, but I also think that the Revolution with this control set up coult offer enough unique and fun games to make it a worthwhile edition to the stable. *sigh, looks like I'll have to buy both an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Revolution - goodbye cash, I hardly knew ye.
http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/260 0/mindlink.html
In other news, Goodyear reinvents the wheel.
If i remember correctly, the vast majority of computer related success is due to a killer app. They've already got the cutting edge hardware (i mean WOW, it was obvious, but no one really implemented this), but now they need that software, any clues as to what it might be? (If they were targetting an adult market, they could have simulated sex where you move the one handed controller up and down................ but that's just a dream, the models would need to be photo-realistic anyway, or would they?)
It's such a "radical" departure, that Sony tried it already, and it already failed. There were all sorts of cool-sounding gizmos being hyped when the PS2 launched, quite a few being, yes, motion controlled. E.g., a sword that you could swing around and see your character do the same move. Yet we're stuck using the same old DualShock controllers, because that's what actually works better.
It's not like it's a new idea by any means. It's just yet another incarnation of the same tired power-glove idea. It _has_ already been tried by Nintendo, Sega, Sony and on the PC.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
I find that it is indeed revolutionary, same as the DS is. In a way, they've taken the DS model (where we slash on the touch screen) into your living room by making it an actual slash. Kudos on that achievment. The technology itself is what I find very revolutionary. Now it's still going to be a while until we see the apps that are developed for this new technology however it does sound very promising. I mean to point and shoot in an FPS, say UT2104 and getting a headshot or shooting with a sniper rifle while actually doing it sounds ... awesome! I mean, in a way, instead of going for graphical realism, they went for ... actual realism! In your face Sony and Microsoft!
I am eager for the Revolution now more than before, but I wonder if this is the best implementation for this new controller. Will have to try it to know, though. Could it be possible to control a game using one remote in each hand? that may be very cool. Or linking one behind another to simulate a fishing rod or rifle for example? It seems to me it may have too few buttons. The d-pad plus the back button. Not sure what to think. How are super nintendo or even n64 games going to be played? it seems it's only fitting to play nes games, even with the add-ons. By the way, has anyone seen the anime Serial Experiments Lain? during the opening/intro there is a scene in which a kid is playing a videogame in a very similar manner (though it looks a lot cooler I think).
New Dilbert book: Still Pumped From Holding The Revolution Controller Out In Front Of Me For Hours On End.
... I dug out my old NES a few weeks ago, and one thing struck me, the old games were as good as we remember, except a few of them. SMB3 is still a fantastic game, but even better is Bionic Comando. That game excites me to this day, and boy does it need porting to Revolution...
The nunchuka in one hand controlling the weapons and movement, the wand thingy controlling the grapling hook, all in glorious 3D, with an emphasis on stealth and skill over brute force - magic. Hell, they could even include the ability to jump!
Scared of flying, pointy things snce 1979!
I don't know about you, but whenever I play games I avoid the analog stick(s) like the plague unless the game basically forces me to play. I would hardly call the changes that "Nintendo" (do recall that just because they were the first to do something doesn't mean it was all them) made dramatic. And, from the GameSpot pictures, developers will need to create some really, really convincing, unique games; and, in this cookie-cutter gaming market, why would they?
I didn't think it was possible for my boner to rip through my pants.
Thank you for your insights.
Almost better.
While I think the mouse will still be superior for looking around quickly, this definitely allows for aiming to be seperated from moving. The ability to shoot at anything currently in view without changing the direction you are facing would definitely make the idea of playing an FPS game on a console more appealing.
No France
did you catch the segment of the video where it looks like the middle aged Japanese man with glasses is, umm, inserting the controller into something? Then he leans back in his chair as if exhausted from his "exertions".
The first thing I thought of was: Interactive Hentai!
This looks to be a seriously good controller, assuming the motion sensors are as accurate as the article claims. Current game controllers really are not much good, but we put up with them because they are the best we have. What is needed is a complete change, an acceptance that just adding more buttons is not the best way to control more complex games. Why have a seperate button for picking up an item when you can just point at it and pull up?
I bet there will be a lot of resistance to the Revolution controller from hardcore gamers who have melded with their Dual Shocks, but I think it will be a really positive thing for the industry.
At last, after PCs went down the mouse-keyboard control path the console has finally gone down the controller-beer path!
This is truly a great day for mankind.
Recent advances in gestural technology have allowed programmers semi-Minority Report style interfacing with computers. But it's incomplete and inefficient at this point, and requires hardware (and software, for that matter) that the casual user is afraid of. But here Nintendo introduces the very first mainstream, real-time, 3-D, gesture-based interface for use every single day in the home.
The idea isn't necessarily new, nor is the technology, but until now, very few people use simple hand gestures to interface with machines they use every day. Some time next year, though, yes, we can have a near-actual swordfight, and yes, we can go fishing, but how will we navigate menus in the game? How will we navigate menus from within the Rev's own dashboard, for that matter?
This has the potential to revolutionize, not just gaming, but the way everyday people interact with their machines. Nintendo will be sure to keep the IP rights to their (wonderful--I'm drooling here) controller, to be sure, but the implications of this in technology in general are huge, and that cannot be overstated. Especially considering how much mainstream computing borrows from the gaming industry.
The Virtual Boy was too ambitious--ahead of its time for the technology available then--but I'd say the Rev is right on time, folks.
/first post :)
Concerning reported incidents of whiplash, rheumatism, RSI and other injuries (limbs hitting chairs, relatives etc.) that this system induces in children.
Don't expect to see Madden for the Revolution.
Next you'll tell me not to expect a heavy boot planted right into my balls.
you could set the sensitivity on these controllers very low and not to worry about knocking stuff off your desk. Unless you're playing in a really confined area you should be able to swing around enough for big movements and still have the precision for smaller ones when you need it.
And like the guy who wrote the article said, control was less jittery when he had his arms resting on his lap for support.
% mkdir
% ls -dF
Unless half of the Slashdot audience are aged 116+, the company is older than any of us. Nintendo has been around since 1889. Admittedly they sold playing cards, but the intent was similar.
Could this be? Games that are actually entertaining again, not the same old drawn out point and shoot, or point click affairs. I wonder if this will open the market for other third-party controlers in other shapes. Imagine playing something like SOCOM holding a mocked MP5K with the directional control on the thumb rest to control your 'walking', and whatnot. RTS game would be great with huge maps you can scroll with the thumb stick, and select units be pointing, and hold the button. Think if it has internet capability, and the educational stuff that would be possible. Forget sitting in musty rooms falling asleep. You could have virtual dry eraser boards, and chalk boards for internet classes. You could have a virtual teacher with real instruction, and the ability to actually answer questions in realitive real time. We're not just talking games if this thing is capable of these things. If Nintendo followed the route of the GP32, and the soon to be released GP2K, I could see more amazing potential behind such an innovative control concept. I doubt they would do such a things, but magine if they did. I'll definately be buying one. Wonder how much a dev-kit, and license would be as well.
Yes, I said it.
Bowling games would be really cool with this. Direction (whether or not you bring your arm back and forward straight), speed (how fast/hard you swing), and spin (how you twist your wrist as you throw) could all be done fairly easy and simply. Anyone would be able to do it.
A lot of sports games could have really cool possibilities. I am intrieged and I haven't really played a sports game since Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES.
This isn't based off the concept of the EyeToy, it's based off the concept of the Power Glove. Only there's no glove. And this thing'll work. (It has to, or the system's dead in the water.)
Remember the first time you picked up a Nintendo controller for the original Super Mario Brothers games? Remember swinging your arms in the air like a moron, as if the movement of the controller was actually going to do something? Now we've been trained ourselves to keep our arms and our wrists still, and move only our fingers. Now it looks like Nintendo is asking us to revert ourselves, not revolt.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this. Surely the Asian markets alone will create the sort of community needed to spur game development and innovation with the thing. And I do appreciate that Nintendo continues to surprise us, whereas Sony and M$ continue to offer the same old, same old. Lest we forget, however, not every suprise is a good thing (remember Virtual Boy?). I'm betting on Nintendo to deliver the same quality, innovative fun that they've been delivering for decades now.
They do all have their little flaws. The PS2 controller has too many confusingly similar buttons and no analog triggers ("analog buttons" don't count). The XBox S controller is better, but the triggers are too hard to press for extended periods of time, the four face buttons are still too similar, and the black and white buttons are inconvenient. The gamecube controller has good face buttons and sticks. However, all three shoulder buttons are terrible, and the controller is just a bit too small overall. The 360 controller is close to perfect except for the still-too-similar four face buttons, and I'm not quite sure about the action on the new "black" and "white" shoulder buttons, but that may have been changed from the E3 prototypes. I'm reserving judgement on the PS3 controller until it's actually finalized.
This Revolution controller looks awesome if the tracking accuracy is as good as implied; in that case I'm sold. But I am skeptical; I'm afraid it will turn out to be a much less awesome device than that video made it look, with unreliable tracking and restrictive range. I won't know until I can use it myself.
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My first thoughts went something along the lines of. Dear lord Nintendo what have you done!?! but reading the demo reviews (Which may or may not be biased.) I began to open my mind a little.
/. and the geeks at large are often totally out of whack with the general populace. Otherwise I have to admit really wanting a go on this thing.
The initial image I get of the controller is a bit of a problem though people are already having to be persuaded around to the idea of the controller rather than simply be excited at the prospect of using it. Not the best of starts but then Id need to ask my mum if she thinks it looks reasonable to see if maybe theyll make this market share back up by bringing new gamers in.
Getting over the fact it looks like a not so brilliant remote control I began to wonder just how flexable this is. Mostly in regards to RTS's though if it can return FPS's to the speed and frag fest of Quake then thats awesome too.
RTS's are near impossible to accomplish on a console with current controllers the analog stick is not precise or fast enough to select units from around a screen and issue instructions. Goblin Commander had a good crack at things and was a good bit of fun but it was heavily simplified to make things work. If this new controller is precise enough to work as a pointer on your TV screen well heck it could be just as good as any mouse setup you could have.
Im worried for the image of this thing but thats mostly based in what ive read here and other forums and the views of
Truly innovative. I like how Nintendo held back on this amazing controller until after XBox and PS2 have commited to their "retro" designs (Sony have a good controller, they wouldn't change anyway).
Aww man. All the things you can do with that controller (the video explores some of the possibilities): "Luke, whose your daddy now?!"
SEO Copywriter. Just Say ON
The Video (tm). Requires flash, and can be played back instantly.
mats
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
I've just got out of the 18-34 demographic, I still play games lots, in fact more than ever, but Nintendo's games do nothing for _me_. (Well, actually I lie. Last time I tried one, it got me bored out of my skull.)
Simplifying it as, basically, "bah all Sony and MS games are yet another Madden or WW2 shooter each year" is so over-simplified, it's not even funny. I'm pretty sure I've played lots of games that weren't FPS, sports or MMO. In fact, on my PS2, I don't even own any games that fall into either of those three categories.
I'm also very sure most of them could be played with friends, co-workers, etc. E.g., virtually all PSP games can be played in multi-player over wireless. I've actually tried it. And it's portable too, so yes you _can_ take it around your school, work, family, etc.
So, basically, please... If you like Nintendo's games, good for you. But reading yet another variant of the same old "Nintendo is for people who want to have FUN, MS and Sony are for people who want to get bored in a 5 hour WoW raid" wisecrack is getting boring already.
We _all_ play games to have fun. Just for some of us that involves different games. That's all.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
Based off the concept of the Power Glove? Sorry, it's quite obviously based off the concept of the Duck Hunt light gun -- in usage if not in technology.
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
I've been wondering what would happen if you had to pause the game and get up for one reason or another, and say, when you eventually returned you ended up sitting in a different spot, or simply sat differently (slouched or sat up more, or even leaned at an angle), or even decided to get closer to or further from the screen.
Personally, I'm not sure what the "Home" button is. As it is (according to IGN), Nintendo was apparently unwilling to comment on what the button's function is, so I have my doubts that it would be a simple recalibration button if no comment could be made at the time.
Of course, it could very well serve as one anyway if it didn't just automatically re-configure after unpausing your game... and perhaps if you held the button down for 2-3 seconds (so you don't just unknowingly press it on accident), the game you are playing would then ask if you wish to return to the main menu of the game or the system itself? Just guessing here though, of course.
"Let's develop stuff that looks absolutely ridiculous, so that the weakest will die laughing at it, but people who actually try it will love it!"
From the looks of it this looks like a typical Nintendo thing: Silly-looking widget that makes most of the people automatically say it's an awful, stupid idea. But people who actually care to read the specs will probably think it's not that stupid. (Compare to the DS, or Zelda: Wind Waker, perhaps.)
"Thus the Great Red revealed their secrets, and those with Weak Mind were again culled from the ranks. And all was good."
Yeah, I was zapped at first, but I don't really care, I have complete confidence in Nintendo's ability to make this thing work in a heavenly fashion =)
Gyroscopic sensing chip
Something like this, maybe? No fully moving parts like a conventional gyro, just vibrating bits like any other solid state part. Though vibrating *more* than most.
I have one of these - while the tilt sensors are really great (insert numerous expressions of over-excitement) in racing games, it's utterly useless in FPS or other games. I wonder if Nintendo will solve the accuracy problem usually associated with tilt sensors in gamepads...
I hope I didn't brain my damage.
No? Then look here:h tml
http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2005/09/16/443527.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
with full length 22minute streaming video of the unveiling.
Provided by Gamespot here.
^_^
linked the wrong (non-tilt) model, here's the right one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000 04YMGT/102-2590626-3579305?v=glance
I hope I didn't brain my damage.
I have been using a Gyration cordless mouse for a few years now. You can use it on a desk, or wave it in the air to move the cursor around. They also have remote controls which utilize the same gyroscope functions. It's a really nice tool once you get used to it. But it won't be an easy crossover for those who are accustomed to a controller. You'll have to learn to steady your hand in mid-air in order to maintain a steady position on-screen. I imagine that it will be hard on the wrists after extended use. People who suffer CTS might want to pass on this one.
"Let's start off with the most obvious implementation: FPS. A genre that drives the PS2 and XBox (and dominates computers) will thrive on the Gamecube. Gone is the fiddling with the joystick. A quick flip of the controller, and you've completely turned around. Aiming is no longer tense; your hand eye coordination will allow you to better attack your enemies using a 3d mouse than with a regular controller (think about how many people are about FPS on the computer.)"
Yep, that's why you get owned in FPS by people using a presentation remote control instead of a mouse. Oh, wait, except you don't.
Trust me, this is one use that's been tried to _death_ before. If there actually were some inherent advantage in it, we'd have known it already. (We've had no problem switching from keyboard to joystick, or then from joystick to mouse when it actually offered better tracking. These things just don't.)
If Nintendo wanted to do something that actually works in FPS, they could have just replaced the right stick on a normal controller with a trackball. That actually works.
"Want to control how tense your bow string is? Pull out the bow and arrow, go into first person mode, and extend your arm. Press a button to lock the start position, and pull back as far as you want."
Actually, I don't. I just want to point and click, and have the arrow go that-a-way. If I want it to go farther or closer, I'll vary the angle I shoot it at, thank you very much. So that's one gimmick I can live without quite easily.
"Don't like FPS? Let's ignore that and move to a love of the Nintendo community: Zelda. Want to see Link do more than just two directions with his sword? No problem, since you will be controlling his sword. When you swing your arm, Link swings his. When you jab, so does he."
Actually, if we're talking Zelda-type games, that's the least of my concerns. A story that's not for pre-schoolers would be right at the top, on the other hand.
Not meant as an offense or anything, but that's really why I'm playing my story-driven RPGs on the PS2, PC or XBox. Not because of the controller, but because of the "story-driven" part. Adding more kinds of ways to swing a sword is just about irrelevant there.
"And the accessories for the controller; you can be sure that these will be fairly inexpensive, meaning that companies can throw in their own little controller to add more depth to the game. How about hooking up the headphone set to talk to your buddies in online games to the controller instead of having to have an entire other attachment to the Revolution?"
Accessories always tended to be the part where you pay three times what it's worth. And if we're talking Nintendo, we're talking the company that made you pay extra to get a lightbulb for the original GBA's dark screen, or various other such gimmics. So, umm, I'll wait and see there. I wouldn't take it for granted.
"Now imagine that you hold the controller vertically. You're playing Star Fox. You move the controller, just like in a real jet fighter, and the plane moves with you."
Except in that case I'd rather use a good self-centering force-feedback joystick than wave a wand around. Because that's what you're really pretending to do there: pretending that a silly wand without all that is a substitute for the real thing.
The advantage of Nintendo's controller over that is...? I'm drawing blanks here.
" Your arm swing is its arm swing."
So it can get uncomfortable real fast?
"Your aim is its aim."
And a piss-poor one, compared to using a mouse with your fingers.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
I remember owning a toy aircraft which could sense wether it was taking-off orlanding by the angle I was holding it in.
:p
Inside was a small copper ball in a little rail, constraining the ball's movements along it's nose-to-tail axis.
- When the plane was tilted forward, the ball would roll and touch 2 contacts on the front end.
- When the plane was tilted with tail down nose up, the same ball would roll down and close a different circuit, at the tail end.
- when the plane was held horizontally, it woudnt close any circuits.
This was how the aircraft "sensed" it's angle and thereby produced take-off and landing sounds.
I believe that using this idea it would be very easy to create hardware that can orient itself.
You make a "cage" like the toy aircraft used, but in a (roughly) spherical form. You put in a matrix of electrically conducting contact points on the inner surface of the sphere. You put in a copper ball, small but heavy enough.
As you now twist and roll the sphere, the little ball moves around.
This means: if you turn the controller upside down the metal ball will touch certain points inside the sphere, allowing electric currents from those points. you could quickly calculate through "reference points" what the position of the sphere is or look it up in a table.
USAGE:
------
-best results would come from ROLLING and TURNING:
The "PATH" which the ball follows while it closes contact points could graciously followed.
-SHAKING would yield really interesting ouput from the device I presume.
Some DETAILS:
-------------
-You need gravity for this to work in a way that nintendo uses it. (easiest part, we already have that) You see the idea is: if the ball touches a circuit, it means that it's forced to touch it, either by gravity or by shaking.
-FINDING the orientation:
ADRESS TABLE: each circuitpoint has a unique ID and a table containing these ID's and their pre-calculated position on the sphere.
e.g: - circuit XYZ is closed.
- Table returns XYZ's position on Sphere
- Software calculates.
RESOLUTION:how many little circuitpoints there are, would depend on how much we'd spend on the technology and what is considered a useful resolution to play a game.
okay it's maybe far fethced, butwho cares?
"The majority is always sane, Louis." -- Nessus
http://slashdot.jp
but then i read on about the gyroscopic technology and moving the controller in mid-air to actually manipulate the games you play.. to me, this is going to rock.. i saw someone down below say, "uhh soon someone is going to be designing these things for PC probably logitech or something".. dood, gyroscopic mice have been out for almost 2 years!!! don't you remember the Gyration Mouse???
if you've ever used one of these things before, you should have no problem switching to the Revolution controller.. its going to revolutionize the game console.. such a wonderful technology to embrace. i can't wait to see the gyroscopic features in action..
*plays the Apogee theme song music*
Don't expect to see Madden for the Revolution.
If anything, the lack of Madden and other similar piles of shit is a big plus. If you like Madden, then you probably already have it. If being able to drag Madden onto a console is a primary selling point for you, then that's your issue.
Don't forget, there is always the option of buying more than one console. I'm going to get a PS3, and a revolution, most likely. One-brand fanboying is for sad little wankers, and the poor.
How 'bout we call it a combination of both? The gun feature is certainly an addition that wasn't in the Power Glove, but the glove was supposed to allow you to punch in fighting games, steer cars in racers, move around the screen in platformers, and it required sensors set up by the TV. I could never get mine to work, though, so I ended up chopping off the cord and using it as a costume piece.
Why point the thing at the console when it must be using something like bluetooth, not IR? That image doesn't make people think, "good, now I can also operate my (IR based) TV with it", it makes them think "Crap, now the controller will have as bad a reaction time as my TV's remote."
Warioware.
Cue pages upon pages of posts by people who didn't even read the article but come up with all kinds of crazy reasons why this would suck. Take a look at it and think about how this would actually work, and it is interesting. This controller is flexible. With the attachments it can handle any game out there and many types of games that don't exist yet. You know how people always lean over and move the controller trying to make that desperate jump? That could actually work now.
It's impossible to tell how well they implemented the idea until you get to try it for yourself, but this has the potential to be a really good controller. At the very least, it's something fresh and interesting that'll be fun to explore. And if you don't like it? You can always plug in a traditional controller instead.
The sad thing is that I dont think people will buy Nintendo for some reason.
:(
People will go buy DRM enabled consoles such as PS2 or Xbox360.
But this uses discs so its easier to copy games than the old cassettes used in earlier consoles so maybe this will be Nintendo's big thing?
This definitely brings to light the "anyone can use it" philosophy they've had. Anyone can figure out how a remote works.
The attachable devices might be how we'll see the previous generation controllers emulated, I dunno. Maybe they'll have an adapter or something so we can use our old controllers?
I think this is an interesting idea, and it's really going to take some demoing at the local best buy to see if its something I think will work when it hits the states.
Insert Sig Here
Nintendo is betting their entire next-gen hopes on this controller. This isn't a funky looking peripheral that'll make a brief movie appearance and then be ignored for the rest of time, this is a technology that will make or break Nintendo's console business. If the technology isn't damn tight, they're going to be joining Sega in the software only game. They've got to have devoted everything to making this as perfect an implementation as humanly and corporately possible.
Because this thing is wireless there would be no need for converters etc. to stick this to PC :P. Anybody willing to make drivers?
It probably just turns off the controller to save battery. The Revolution will probably just be turned on/off by its button. I don't think an On/Off button would be useful since it doesn't play DVDs (or does it? I don't know if they gave it the capability after all).
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
Anyone else notice that if you were to hold the controller horizontally, it would be very similiar to "standard" controllers. D-pad on your left and buttons on the right. Or I could see Nintendo releasing some sort of addon accessory to move your A, Z1 Z2, start, select, etc buttons to the right side of the remot....er controller.
And the reason we have the controllers we have today are because Nintendo basically invented them. The D-pad, the analog stick, the shoulder button, force feedback/rumble vibration, the analog button, these are all timely Nintendo innovations that were copied by the rest of the industry.
... you got me there. I think Nintendo may have actually invented that.
The first D-pad I can remember was on the intellivision. The intellivision pad also had 16 directional control, better than the NES's 8. But that was nothing considering...
Analog sticks were around on the Atari 5200. And as for analog buttons, don't even make me laugh.
As for force feedback, just look who has the patents - not Nintendo. Nintendo licenses. Sony didn't and they got sued.
But the shoulder button
Since the root of "innovation" is the latin "nova" ("new"), it seems redundant to call a just-introduced innovation a "new innovation." Sure, innovations can be old and they can be new, but simply describing it as "Nintendo's innovation" would seem to be the most proper method of expression.
Yes, I am just ashamed enough of this critique to post as an AC. Yet I stand by it. ph33r!
The commercial might suggest there is a window right in front of the tv (or whichever way the sensor is pointed) cause everyone's squished together. Of course that could have simply been a directorial decision. Either way, I'd love to get in between some of those teeny girls.
This is a great idea --terribly implemented. I, and certainly many others, thought of the "wnad" idea years ago, but to put it into a TV remote control fromat? That takes some truly revolutionary backwateredness. I just pray they have no silly patents. Imitators can move in and correct. Expect Sony to get it right. And MS to copy with a minor swapping of two parts.
:T:R:A:N:S:
Basically it will ship with a DVD player but need a dongle like the Xbox so Nintendo doesn't have to pay royalties on every system sold.
On a side note, I think that if any console deserved a port of Irritating Stick it would be the Revolution. Yeah, laugh now but when it actually happens...
Dude, you're gonna enjoy the first time you hear about goatse!
...any prices out? i never considered buying a console - well now i do =)
"Nae Kin! Nae Quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna be fooled again!"
Wow, can you imagine the possibilities of some sports games for this thing? In the left hand you use the analog stick to guide a player, and in the right hand you use the 3D-space-sensitive controller to do things like navigate a hockey puck, kick a soccer ball, swing a tennis racket, or whatever.
That idea, to me, gives this system so many possibilities. I trust the big N to get it right.
A community-oriented lyrics site
Think it will work with rear projection screens?
Overall I got a bad feeling about this...
SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
It actually looks like as uncomfortable as Intellivision controller from 80's. If you have missed that piece of nifty design, take a look at it from the wikipedia with keyword "Intellivision". Escpecially strap of wire and the remote controller alike another side. I can't imagine what the hell did they thought when they started to design that.
Think about playing something for hours where only other side of the controller is in use. It looks like that the next Nintendo console will be as "arcade" as previous.
But who actually cares. I haven't seen nobody playing with Nintendo related stuff for years (except 8bit). It's obivious that it is aimed to Asia in first place, where people buy them because the label says Nintendo.
The problem with the power glove wasn't that it was idiotic or without merit: playing punch-out with the power glove was an experience above and beyond any other on the NES. The problem was that almost no games were coded to take advantage of it. The same is true of all of the other perhipherals you mentioned. Everything from the SEGA Justifier to Konami's DDR mats can be considered failures because of the simple fact that none of them shipped with a console and none of them reached their full potential. The SNES and Genesis mice were complete failures in the market, as they only had one game that supported them, yet as we all know mice are not at all failures as interface devices. The only truly "successful" addition to a console can be considered the 4MB memory pack for the N64, primarily because that sucker shipped with a few massively popular games that used it. In other words, no attachment to a console has ever been successfully supported, because it didn't come standard with the console. That shouldn't be a failure here, as this is the controller, and as such will be supported extensively.
Think of it this way, it's a pointer. It's a 3D pointer with angle information. All of the games on the PC can now be done with an even more naturally 3D controller. RPG's menu systems should become a lot more intuitive with just point and click. Click on the ground and your characters will walk over to it. Click on a menu to attack. This seems somehow more civilized than trying to hotspot around with a d-pad. You can steer a plane by, well, steering a plane, or swing a bat by swinging a bat.
I suspect it will be a little uncomfortable at first, but I remember how much my thumbs used to cramp up when I first started pressing down on buttons. I also remember how uncomfortable using a mouse used to be. If you rest your elbows on a knee this should be fine.
Not to burst any bubbles, but the PS2 launch was 90% hype and conjecture that really had no intention of panning out, much the same way that ROB the robot was not intended to be used as anything other than a way to sneak into electronics stores. All system launches are like this. Remember how the Saturn was going to replace your home computer for all internet-related activities? The PS2 had nothing like this. Honestly, I've been waiting for wand input for consoles for some time now... the closest thing was the aforementioned Power Glove, but the Power Glove really was the wrong input for a batch of games that had no analog sensitivity, let along z-axis.
Nintendo knows what they are doing in general... Except for the second analog stick and L3/R3 buttons, every part of the modern controller design can be traced back to a Nintendo system... D-pad came from the NES (and the game-and-watch), the analog stick from the N64. Shoulder buttons and the diamond button layout were from the SNES. The rumble pack first appeared on the N64. So nintendo should be given some credit. Even the Virtual Boy controller was a great piece of work... the dual D-pads with triggers were perfect for TeleroBoxer.
Nintendo is positioning themselves interestingly in this next generation. With the radically visceral controller and a slightly lower system cost / power, they seem to be going for shorter, more intense experiences. This seems like a wise way to differentiate themselves from all of the other consoles and computers. For physical games, you can use the controller in a very natural fashion. Tennis on this system would be brilliant, Golf could be great. Pool. Baseball. Burnout: Revolution. I'm afraid to think of how many of these things are going to get accidentally thrown through windows, but it sounds like a fun process of discovery to me. For intellectual games like the Sims, you have a natural cursor-style input device. I'm not so sure how the z-axis would play into such an arrangement, but maybe it doesn't have to.
And then you have Tekken and a whole bunch of other games that probably can't physically be played o
The ______ Agenda
just clone the _controller_ and voila.. possible on other systems.
it's like saying ds is unique when you could have made(and some gamestyles were) similar games on pda's for ages already.
so far for nintendo, it has accomplished a new controller when it's trying to bring out a new _console_. I don't see why they couldn't have made this thing just as an extra to go with gamecube(and most game concepts seem like you could have made them with a zapper).
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
God, I hope this was a typo.
With the controller detecting the controller movement in 3D; how do they expect us to play those log side scrolling levels in Mario 1? Moving the character with the "remote" would require you to run from side to size of your room, pausing just before you smacked the wall.
With WiFi maybe the level will be long enough that you just might meet up with your friend Timmy who lives at the other end of the street.
Most people are saying that it would be harder to play an FPS, as it's less precise. Guess what, everyone will be handicapped the same way, and it's actually more realistic. Since when do you aim a gun just by moving the mouse? Aiming at a person, literally, and shooting would be so much more intuitive.
Oh, and on another point. If the controller did have an IR port, and it could detect furniture, could you imagine your precious fps played in real life, ducking behind furniture and such? I sure can.
Shitty as a main one. I watched the video and thought, cool those games seem like fun. And then I thought about having to constantly move your arms for hours at a time. My guess your arms will get tired after 5 minutes and you'll wish you had a regular controller.
And finally they should just not even make than analog part. Having it seperated is just going to make your hands tired and be awkward for many games. Imagine trying to play an F1 game while having to keep both hands seperated? I don't know about you but when I use a controller, my arms form a bridge with the controller and allow me to better grip the controller and balance it. Seperate the controller in half and things just get awkward.
Again I don't think this is universally bad. In many ways it may very well be "revolutionary" and that video definitely made me want to try it out. But I still stand by my opinion that its a neat 2nd controller and a crappy main one.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
so let me get this straight, this "revolution" nintendo has been hyping for some time now is basically a recycled game-and-watch and a remote-shaped power-VR glove?
listen i miss the 80s as much as anyone, but.... oh who am i kidding, lets bring back duran duran and the breakfast club and shoulder pads!!!
I wonder how this will turn out for FPS games. There are a lot of different functions, like move (forward/back/left/right) aim, jump, crouch, next/previous weapon, strafe, and others. There don't seem to be enough buttons on this controller, even with the expansion part (with the analog stick) to make that work.
Having a smoking section in a public restaurant is like having a peeing section in a public swimming pool.
"swords have cylindrical handles for a reason... BECAUSE you will end up doing more damage to your own hand with a cubic handle than you will do to your enemy."
Right. Because the blade on a sword is dull and there is no concept of leverage when using a sword.
There are many variations on the shape of sword handles, and very clearly none have sharp edges, but you sound more like a D&D player than someone who trains with bladed weapons. And no, practicing for the "rennaissance festival" doesn't count.
I can't wait to play Virtual Handjob with this controller.
Remember in Part II when Marty showed a kid in the future how an old Arcade game was played, the kid replied "You mean you have to use your HANDS?". I think this new controller is pushing us closer toward that reality.
I hate to say this (it should just be a given on /.) but RTFA. It mentioned a demo of something very close to Irritating Stick.
Oh great. Nintendo of Japan has commissioned Steve Jobs to design the iNES.
Step 1: Go to fry's or any other computer store
. htm8 ,00.asp
Step 2: Buy any "gyration" brand wireless mouse
That's it.
http://www.gamecubicle.com/news-nintendo_gyration
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,112854
Obviously the USAGE of this controller will be important, but the technology IS there, and it IS amazing. I own one of these mice, and it is EXCELLENT.
I use it for a media center computer, and using it is like magic. Playing an RTS using a gyration mouse is hard to even describe.
For under $100 TODAY you can play with this technology in an "unoptimized for gaming" way.
So I guess now we can't make fun of the people who try to make Mario jump over a turtle by moving the actual controller?
Having a smoking section in a public restaurant is like having a peeing section in a public swimming pool.
World of Warcraft. It was made with the casual gamer--a previously untapped market in the MMORPG business--in mind. They wanted to attract people who don't play that kind of game. Where did it get them? WoW is one of the best-selling games--that's right, not just MMORPGs, _games_--of all time. I play it. Half or more of the people I know play it. Why? Because they made it appeal to people one wouldn't think would want to play an MMORPG.
By reading this you acknowledge that you have read it.
If it's the original, can we PLEASE get the automatic scene-pass-after-three-deaths turned off, or at least have the option of turning it off ourselves? That's really annoying. I know the creators of those games put it in because they knew people would be crowding around the game, watching it, and they wanted spectators to see as much game content as possible. But they should have at least put the ability to turn it off in the game settings.
Technoli
NES Controller + Power Glove + Remote Control + iPod = Nintendo's Revolution Controller
I am sorry guys, but this thing looks too gimmicky to work out. I thought Nintendo claimed that the Revolution would support all of Nintendo's classic games from the NES, SNES, and N64? This controller can't even be used for playing SNES games as it lacks the number of buttons needed to do so.
Furthermore, this controller lacks the ability to play classic 2D fighting games such as Street Fighter II. Sure there will be new games that you can play, but what happened to appealing to a wide variety of tastes? What happened to supporting their classic SNES and N64 games?
Anyone a fan of Earthbound for SNES. It could be easily played one-handed, and I hoped more games would follow suit. Back in my wide-eyed young gamng days, I sent a letter to Nintendo asking for this, it finally came.
"yup, if people dont keep trying their 'stupid ideas' then technology will stagnate."
:D"
That would be the case if those ideas were actually _new_. Rehashing the exact same failed stuff over and over again has yet to result in any actual progress.
It's sorta like seeing someone come up every year with "I know, let's make a perpetuum mobile where the water coming down powers a pump that pushes it back up." Just coming up with it one more time won't make it work better this time, or result in much progress.
"sure your arms could get tired waving them around all the time, but not as tired as they'd get if you really were using a gun or a sword."
That's like saying that getting kicked in the head is less bad than being kicked in the balls, so it must be a good thing. Well, I'd rather not have either, if I have a choice. Sometimes "less bad" is still nevertheless just "bad".
"People will get more excercise at least ^___^"
Or I'll just buy another console instead. One which doesn't put me through a useless exercise that I don't need or want. (If I wanted to exercise only one hand, I'd be on a porn site instead.)
"and even if it's easier to play with a joypad/mouse"
Then, see above, I'll go buy a console which lets me do just that.
"then it'll be more immersive and realistic to have to control your feeble geeky limbs
There are two very separate issues there which I would contest:
1. The same quip again about "getting some exercise" and "feeble geeky limbs".
I may have mentioned before that I like to experiment on getting people, especially non-gamers, to play various stuff that they normally wouldn't. Just to get an idea about the usability of it for a new player. You can get some fascinating insight that way.
Well, I know someone who's actually a body-builder. Unless you're one yourself, chances are this guy's arms are thicker than your _leg_. Guess what? He can't, for example, hold his arm pointed forward with a lightgun for hours at a time, either.
Some stuff is just uncomfortable no matter if you're geeky or not. It might be ok and fun for a quick distraction to play for half an hour or an hour, but it's not something I'd want for my main controller.
2. I fail to see why bad controls make anything more immersive. If anything, getting a muscle cramp is a distracting factor from _outside_ the game's universe. It can break suspension of disbelief in a jiffy.
And generally, immersion has to do with internal consistency and the quality of storytelling, not with such gimmicks. If a game was uninteresting or inconsistent enough to not keep you immersed with a mouse or gamepad, chances are it still won't keep you immersed after adding some gimmick controls. And viceversa. If it was a good game with some gimmick unwieldy controls, chances are it would keep you just as immersed with a gamepad or mouse.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
The problem is, you people seem to keep forgetting one very important fact. A few days ago Slashdot ran an article saying Twilight Princess would be the last Zelda game ever, unless I missed something and that was totally duped.
/ 1810215&tid=234&tid=10
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/05
"Potpourii doesn't taste as good as it smells." - Dark_Link2135
didnt vectrex have an analog stick ohhh
DECADE AND A HALF before nintendo?
my god theyre innovators!
i think ill go invent the wheel now, and become a billionaire!
...which, strangely enough, means that they're also older than half of us. OP just gave a slight underestimate.
(x|x>1) -> x>.5
Windows isn't the answer... it's the question. NO is the answer!
The new controller looks nice and all for new games, but given that the Revolution is also meant for retro gaming I am quite a bit disapointed. The new controller seems only able to play NES games and even for those it looks rather arkward due to its different thickness on both ends. For SNES, N64 and Gamecube games it simply lacks the required buttons, even with the AnalogStick add-on, which would mean one would basically have to fall back to the Gamecube controller for those games.
I kind of think that having a Gamecube-like controller broken up into two pieces would have been the better idea.
The new controller makes porting XBOX 360/PS3 games extremely difficult. Don't expect to see Madden for the Revolution.
Yes, surely being able to hold the controller sideways like a normal gamepad, plugging in a Gamecube controller, or any number of other possible alternatives will sink their chances.
Plus we may finally see an affordable swing tutor for golf, baseball/softball, and tennis. I'm intrigued...
When I read that the controller will have built-in rumble, two things came to mind. 1. I thought they ditched the rumble functionality in the wavebird design because it consumed too much battery power. Hopefully they'll have that issue sorted out by then. 2. Is the rumble feature going to disrupt the tracking ability of the controller? Imagine you're playing an fps and you're getting rocked by some guy with a chaingun or similar rapid-fire gun, your controller rumbling all to hell as you try to draw a bead on them. First of all, is the rumble option going to be mandatory? Because if not, I don't see anyone having it on for that reason, which pretty much makes rumbling useless in FPS games. If not, it's either going to add a new, interesting mechanic to the aiming system, or be extremely annoying. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
They seem to have had similar success with the touchpad feature of the DS, so there's some logic in what you say. The other big factor behind the DS is that they've had a decent selection of good titles that actually make use of the new features. That's really going to be the factor that makes or breaks the Revolution: the presence or absence of "must have" games on it. Good ergonomics alone won't sell the thing -- they need a GTA3 or a Halo to drive purchases of it. (By which I mean a new title that becomes as wildly successful as those two, not just ports of them.)
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I always preferred Nintendo systems to others, but frankly unless they get games like GTA and Lord of War, I am not going to buy one.
That being said, Mario Tennis rocks.
I was thinking, for FPS you look by moving remote thingy. Well, how would you do a 360 degree look around. Wouldn't that require you physically turning around yourself.
Even if its scaled, how would you get the cursor back to a neutral position. Like say if you move to the right a little bit, you do a 360, but you are now virtually where you started but your arm/hand/etc is off to the right.
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so maybe I'm the only one who sees it --
The controller looks like you can hold it sideways to play classic NES games (D-pad and the x and y buttons). Brilliant!
I'll be picking one up on release day for sure. This just plain looks _fun_, even more than the Nintendo DS.
-
``Of course it runs NetBSD!''
Actually I want one too.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
Now imagine if a player has 2 of these controllers hooked up -- one for each hand.
Double lightsabers, here I come!
Seriously though -- our imaginations are running wild with the possibility of a single controller like this. Imagine if each hand had one? One controller can be used for moving the player, the other for actions (such as swinging a sword, aiming a gun, etc).
... when the new Nintendo controller allows me to properly play Falcon 4.0 Allied Force on the box.
Until then, I stick with my keyboard and dreams of creating my own Viper pit.
i think this could be a very bad mood..
i happen to work in the arcade industry, we have dedicated machines that work off of movement and they suck.
you cant move to fast or they dont respond, you have to be in a certain posistion or they dont respond. if you move to far over any direction they dont work. they barely work, while they are good in theory and idea and i hope they can get them to work someday right now they just dont.
and you got to remember these arcade machines are alot more expensive and better designed than home consoles. a consumer cheap version of these scares me.
ill have to wait and see what its like but right now i see it as a very bad move.
if you doubt what i say go to an arcade ask the tech what they think of those machines, and go play them yourself... they suck
You should check out Daphne Dragon's Lair / laser disc emulator
The hard part is uh... ripping your original laser discs to mpeg, or ripping them from the re-release DVD video, or uh other *wink* aquisition methods.
Although after firing it back up, it was both cool and slightly dissapointing, but it didn't cost me a dollar to die 3 times in rapid succession... stupid rope swingin sequence! At least I can change the dip switch/settings and have more lives
e.
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
"As for the FPS thing... it may be hard to keep pointing at the screen, but I can't see it being worse than trying to play an FPS with a thumb-stick."
The FPS-on-consoles world doesn't begin and end with thumbsticks, you know.
E.g., on the PS2 you can just take any existing USB keyboard and mouse and plug them into the console. There you go: you can play your FPS with keyboard and mouse, like on the PC.
E.g., I had a Sega keyboard and mouse for the Dreamcast, and while I got them mostly to chat online in PSO, I can assure you first-hand that they worked perfectly in FPS too.
So basically "it can't be worse than a thumb-stick" is good and fine, but I'm more interested in whether it works better than keyboard and mouse. That's where FPS gaming is at.
"Though, of course, if that's what floats your boat, you can still do it. And that is awesome."
Did they include USB ports for the keyboard and mouse? No? Well, then it's not so awesome, after all.
So they solved... umm... what? A problem that only Nintendo had to start with? Heh.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
I haven't tried it, have you? Regardless, you'll be okay . . . the system supports the good old Gamecube controllers and memory cards too.
Whether the new games will is another thing. I'm actually excited to try the new controller out, but I'll stand right next to you and throw mine in the fire if they suck.
A B A C A B B
On a side note, I think that if any console deserved a port of Irritating Stick [gamestats.com] it would be the Revolution. Yeah, laugh now but when it actually happens...
I bet it would be a port of Kuru Kuru Kururin instead. I do expect it to happen though.
My Xbox Live Gamer Card
uh oh does it sorta vaguely resemble a modern/ipod looking phillips CD-i controller?
e.
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
Read the 1up review again. The tester said that he had a good response to subtle movements of the wrist. He actually played some games with his arm resting on his knees (ie not moving them much). I don't think you have to go all active if you dont want to
This does sound like a step toward virtual reality. Actually, I've been asking myself why we don't already have 3d headsets. Back when games were actually 2d pretending to be 3d (think of the original Wolfenstein, where a dead enemy looked the same from every direction), it would have been hard.
Now, lots of games model everything in 3d anyway. Couldn't you just hack something to adapt it? For example, take Halo on the Xbox. If you could hack the box and make it give you two views of the same scene from slightly different angles, then send those to goggles, you'd have 3d. I know that's easier said than done, but the system is already rendering a view based on things that "exist" virtually, so why not go ahead and render two similar views?
As a side note, I wonder how much advantage having depth perception would give you over 2D players.
According to TFA, they already made a simple demo that is a port of Irritating Stick. Just at least scroll through the paragraph titles in the article next time, ok ;)
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
I think Nintendos recent investment in Gyration proves that this thing will have a motion sensing chip, which is obvious by this point. I doubt it will use any kind of infrared sensors like the powerglove. Its just that in 198x when the powerglove came out thats all there was, and even that was semi-new technology. Nintendo has ALWAYS pushed the envelope controller wise. The NES Max, powerglove, powerpad, heck, the N64 controller was pretty wierd.. err "revolutionary" at the time. Even if it was uncomfortable to use the analog stick (at least to me). I think it will work just fine. Wether people like it or not is another story. I will reserve judgment till I use one.
They've been tried. When I was working as a Nintendo demonstrator in college, I did a good enough job (actually, I was in a good enough location) to win a mouse for the Super Nintendo, which came with Mario Paint.
However, that was really a single-game mouse. While mice have come out for other systems, they had various degrees of utility (an example would be the Dreamcast mouse, which was mainly useful for using the Web browsing software in my experience). I think the reason why is up until now a mouse isn't good for living room play. Even with Mario Paint, a flat surface was needed to use the mouse. I had my Dreamcast set up as a quasi-PC (hooked to a VGA monitor, with mouse and keyboard as well as joystick), in order to make good use of the mouse and keyboard.
The Gyration technology they licensed is designed for a mouse that doesn't require a flat surface, which is a much better design for the living room.
Nintendo are basing their next generation console and handheld around the concept of the mouse. It will be fairly easy to translate DS concepts to use this controller on the big screen, which they are probably planning to use to leverage the popularity of the DS. We may see a big divergence between the consoles, Nintendo specializing in mouse base games with their competitors sticking to standard controllers.
It's a gamble, but if they can create a killer app, Microsoft and Sony may not be able to follow. Nintendo paid a lot for the patents on this technology, so any implementation from their competitors will have to follow different design routes. (I could see Sony trying to do something similar with an implementation of their Eyetoy controller, which I think is also a kind of mouse, however. I'm not sure if that will work as well for ports. Microsoft, however, seems to be left out in the cold here.)
"MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
meaning you can play almost any game. I suspect there will be a few controller shells that will be more traditional so you can play games from other systems. I mean, how do you think you're going to play all the SNES, N64, and GC games they've been promising? Way too much work to recode all of them for use with the movement sensitive new controller.
"In the game of life, someone always has to lose. To me, if life were fair, that someone would always be Oklahoma." -DKR
Actually, I think it'd be more fun with this new controller, granted you feel more accurate with a mouse. Let me explain.
It's all about getting into the game. With a mouse, you can act as gawd, since you have total control over the mouse, and since years of mouse control has taught you, it's an easy aim.
After a while, everyone played all sorts of shooters. It became the new twitch game. If you're not familiar with twitch games, it's the games on the old consoles you were able to play easily by a flick of a wrist.
I think it'd be fun to actually use your own instincts. To get into the game and use your own arms speed and reflexes rather than your wrist. It'd put a whole new twist in searching for clues in rooms, looking around corners, aiming for critical weakpoints. I'm looking forward to it.
Beer in left hand...Controller in right hand...Now that's a winning combination!
Now when you get pissed off at a game and throw your controller across the room you'll see you character zoom across the screen. They better make replacement controllers cheap.
Now you have a reason to:
http://www.qwantz.com/posterchild/
So maybe small teams or even individual developers can get into the "game" of Revolution? With the risk of all kinds of trashy games being made available, I'd rather have the market decide who's better not some game console maker. If you look at sourceforge, you can see all kinds of odd ball projects but only the very few gain steam to wide spread usage and that's the way it should be. Let the customers decide what's good, not some central "authority." Communism didn't work and trying to impose similar controls with (game) software won't work either. Great ideas will almost always come from those who think outside the box: big companies are too often stuck in the group-think mode. (Companies like Apple may be able to take the oddball and run with it and be successful but note that Apple didn't come up with the first ever mp3 player or even commercial GUI OS/computer -- the latter honor belongs to Xerox Star.)
Danny Kumamoto
You haven't seen many product launches before, right? Everyone and their grandma shows up and shakes hands. This, however, doesn't mean jack squat about them actually shipping a product for it.
Reminds me of some of AMD's product launches, where CEOs and representatives from all sorts of companies went up on stage to pledge undying love... and then went back to promoting their Intel-based products instead.
They're just trying to squeeze in their own self-advertising, piggybacked on this. Whether they'll actually ship a game or not, they got a free chance to basically advertise "Buy our games! We're all innovative and original!" (THQ) or "Buy our sports games! And did you know we have a full portfolio of other games across all genres too?" (EA.)
Also rest assured that noone actually asked the _developpers_ for such an event. It's a bunch of C*Os reciting canned texts that came straight from the PR department, maybe with a short detour to the legal dept for a quick check.
Basically, oh, I'm sure they'll port some stuff, if it's easy to do. E.g., via some quick-hack abstraction layer that makes the motion sensor look like a mouse or like a thumbstick to the software.
But if you think they'll actually go make some exclusive titles just because the programmers jumped up and down with joy at the idea of a new controller... you don't know some of these companies. We're talking for example EA who occasionally openly admits its "meh, we're not into making art, we're into making money" attitude.
_If_ they'll make some exclusive title, it won't be because some programmer liked the controller, but because an accountant made a business plan that said "we estimate we'll make x million dollars out of it." This either means being just given the money (MS style) or having a _hell_ of a market to buy those games. Basically until the Revolution has already gained a bunch of market share, I wouldn't hold my breath.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
Finally someone tries something new. I'll gladly buy a Revolution over the other "next-gen" systems. At least this provides a new experience over a prettier experience.
I'm actually just fine with PS2 graphics, it's just that the gameplay is getting stale. Katamari is the only game I've played in a while that offers anything new in term of gameplay. I mean GTA:SA is an incredible game, but it's not new territory.
I'll take a guess that the revolution controller has a steering wheel attachment (but no force feedback, thanks USPTO). A sniper rifle attachment would also be really sweet. But this allows them to do so much more than Sony or M$ can accomplish with a standard controller. Granted, I never once considered the 360 given that games are even more expensive and mostly prettier versions of older games.
M$ and Sony are following the movie industry to a bad place full of sequels with better effects than the original. I'm betting that this console is the king of the next-gen systems among people with half a brain. The mindless droves will go with the other two, and I might buy a PS3, but this looks like some actual innovation. Wow, I haven't said that in a while.
This "revolution" could really help the Revolution to browse the internet or use computer apps, as well... the controller is basically like a wireless mouse where you can "point" to things on the screen.
This could come in handy if the Revolution comes with an internet browser. (it will come with some type of browser, to download old games) With other systems it would be a chore since you can't exactly point to buttons on the screen.
Another option... bring adventure games to the home console. Imagine bringing the King's Quest series, or Day of the Tentacle, or Sam and Max, to the Revolution... these games were basically impossible on a console before since it would be difficult to, say, "point" to a particular thing on the screen.
I can't wait... it may take time to adapt, but I really think this will bring us some innovative games not possible on other systems.
My wife recently had an accident that resulted in the amputation of her right thumb. And she's right handed.
One of her biggest complaints thus far is her inability to play games on the console anymore. She loves the gamecube, and this is a real blow for her.
This controller looks great. I can't see it because the site is blocked where I work, but she says she's real excited.
Anyone that does anything to give my wife back some of the joy and happiness that she's lost is all right in my book!
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
I have seen the revolution, and it is unquestionably good.
If this controller delivers half of what the video promises, it actually will deliver a revolution in gaming. My only sadness comes from the fact that many, many people will be too frightened to accept such a massive change.
If you look at the feature list, it is everything the 'true' gamer could want.
1) Controller makes completely new types of *genres* possible.
2) Backwards compatibility with 'Cube games
3) Wifi Downloadable content for all the good games of yore.
4) The design is a beautiful example of form following function
5) DVD playback you don't pay for unless you want to.
6) Cost of the hardware is probably only minimally affected by the controller. This isn't like Sony's extra $100 (or whatever) cost to include the Blu-ray drive. This is taking simple pieces and making a much better whole.
It is *almost* perfect. However, the obstacles to overcome are not insignificant, and most are brought on by the fact that the 'true' gamer wants things that Joe Six-Pack does not. There is unfortunately room for quite a bit of doubt:
1) Studios will have to throw out almost everything regarding game design that they know. This will require an entire reworking of our fundamental concepts of gaming. Read this as "huge cost of time and money, with a significant risk of loss"
2) The hardware has to work right, and not be plagued by sensor issues and bad logic.
3) Pretty sure Nintendo said no 1080i support. This is not as huge as #1 & #2, but prices on Hi-Def displays continue to creep downward.
4) Graphics, although unimportant in my eye, must be taken into consideration. Sony and MS have sold billions of consoles on screenshots alone. The public still loves teh shiny, so we can't have any moments where people think "but the XBox makes it look *real*!"
5) Adults. Nintendo, I beg of you, do not forget us. We have loved your games for years, but we've grown together. I have happily followed you into dangerous waters before, and games like Nintendogs and Animal crossing have made the journey fun. For the love of god though, can we have some games that actually cater to adults with unique challenge *and* themes?
6) Net gaming is here to stay. Can you please join us at the table of the internets? We have saved you a seat, but you missed the hors doeuvres . It's ok though, make sure you're here when the main course arrives and we'll fill you in on what you missed.
-- I have fans? Wow.
Imagine Katamari Damacy with that controller. Whole new level of fun.
- In hell, treason is the work of angels.
This Revolution does it for me really. I usually get two or more consoles each generation, but this time Nintendo is just screaming my name. It is so different how can I not get it?
Then I'll pick between XBox 360 and PS3 because they are basically the same system with just some specific games (Halo or GTA). I see only one winner here.
Bring back the power glove!!
No way. I don't want to actually have to work at controlling games I play. The whole sense your movement thing for controlling games may work out for really neat demos, but when it comes to actually using it it ends up being a pain in the ass. And whoever thought that attaching a 2nd device for the other hand was a good idea should be shot. The technology behind it might be impressive but useability is tossed out the window. There are some things you just don't radically change. This is one of them.
Doesn't matter if its revolutionary or not. People (aka parents and kids) are going to see this thing in stores and immediately say no without trying it and go to the next aisles with the xbox 360 and PS3 in them. They thought they didn't sell a lot of gamecubes? Well the numbers for this thing will be even lower. I want the nintendo of the old days back not this new crazy nintendo.
Partly because they've been going in odd directions recently for the sake of 'innovation'. The DS may be selling, but really did it bring any real innovation? No, just a handful of niche games. This is pretty bad for nintendo... they are currently last in the console wars, and while Sony and MS have released tons of info on their new systems, Revolution is mostly vaporware at this point.
I'm sure they'll also come up with some game where you have to shoot squares faster than your opponent, an air hockey game that doesn't work as well as the others and of course I'm sure they'll come up with a metroid prime version for this console.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
Pick up your mouse and "simulate" what it would be like to scroll or browse through webpages with it. It just feels clumsy. And Slashdot doesn't fight back.
Do that, and if your using a corded mouse add something in your hand to add the weight of batteries.
I also think this is going to be a blow to the many Star Wars fans egos when they find out that they suck with a Light Saber. Moving your fingers half an inch to command "Block High", "Block Low" or "Attack High" is one thing. Moving your arms to do the same will show you why being a Jedi Master takes years of training.
All things being equal I can't see a guy using this beating a guy with a normall controller in a swordfight. The response time of actions alone would be too long. By the time you have moved to "Block High" the opponent has already hit the buttons for the next three attack commands.
This is going to bring a whole new sort of Lag the the games. Not because the RF is too slow but because WE are too slow.
Lightsaber is one word.
some people have complained about it not having 10+ buttons for all the complicated controls, but this controller makes me excited about simple games. I'd buy this just for a pong or airhockey game. full tennis with nets, spin and boundaries would be amazing.
what I'd also love is a bike racing game. with bikes instead of cars your weight distribution matters so now you can lean the controller back, forward and to the sides as well as twisting to the left or right for the steering.
The Virtual Boy controller contained dual d-pads which became a popular option for FPSes (well, dual analog sticks), and buttons on the bottom of the controller just like the Revolution.
You can buy a three DVD set of the Dragon's Lair I and II, and Space Ace games. Unfortunately, they don't really work as games because there's a slight pause (including the audio) when you make a move; this isn't too bad with Dragon's Lair 1, but with the nearly constant moves for Dragon's Lair 2, it's unplayable. Fortunately, there's an auto-play mode where you can just watch the game from start to finish. This is pretty nice, although Space Ace has multiple paths towards the end of the game which the auto-play feature doesn't accomodate.
I haven't attempted it yet, but with the DVD set, you could just rip the scenes (avi) and put them back together with Flash, Java or something else in order to "fix" the problem with pauses in the audio and video.
There's also PC versions of Dragon's Lair 1 and 2 available, but I haven't played them.
You do realize that Irritating Stick was one of the previews that Gamespot got to play with right...
Where's that cap to the Decanter of Endless water???
Eh, the only button I know for sure where it is, is Z. And that's only because I hit the darned thing by accident half the time I use the system. I don't have that problem with the dual shock controller. It all depends on the person.
That was a movie of a bunch of actors swinging around the controllers in suggestive ways. There were no games running during the making of that video - there are no games for it yet, just tech demos, and even those don't match what the actors were implying - no "drumming" or "cooking" games yet.
What you're seeing is the director's impression of what games will be like. It's the Killzone video all over again.
Wait until you've tried it for yourself, with the games you want to play. It might be awesome, it might suck, and that will depend very much on both the type of game, and the player.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
As with all controllers, I must hold it before I can honestly judge it, but come on Nintendo, didn't we do away with square edges years ago, for good reason?
though it would be laggy if not dampened...
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
This... this is undescribable. ITS NOT A CONSOLE CONTROLLER! ITS A GOD #$@% DVD REMOTE! *sigh* Its going to be like playing PS2 with only an eyetoy. I dont want motion sensitivity, I dont want to play one handed (unless they have hentai games... what?) I want buttons dammit! I want change weapon to be "b" not "wave your arm in a circle to cycle through."
It's so that Nintendo fanboys will build muscles and be able to beat up all the Sony/MS fanboys! On a serious note though, I have to say this has an enormous amount of potential. I can't wait for the first good sword fighting game.
Ah, the same old, "it's not unique because it's been invented" argument. It does not have to be the "first" to be the one that makes an idea viable.
The iPod did not "invent" the mp3 player, is it not unique? Do not answer unless you have used one. You could do wireless networking with a ham radio if you had the right software, way back when. Since 802.11 wireless networking is essentially just a radio, I guess they are just "rip offs". I could get a GPS to tell me where I'm at for years. So selling one that is integrated into my car that allows me to figure out where I'm at and where I'm going is obviously more "me tooism."
So you could have made DS games on a pda eh? But they didn't did they? Because it's the combination of the touch screen, dual screen, microphone, and wifi in a portable gaming console that makes it work. Even if you technically *could* release nintendogs on a blackberry, you don't, because that is not what it is designed for, and people don't buy it.
You are correct that really the innovation is in the peripheral, but first off a little thing about patent law and copyrights will prohibit cloning it. Secondly the market for games using a peripheral that is not 'standard' means little software will be produced for it.
I have no idea what makes you think making a new 'console' has nothing to do with the controller. The inputs to any system designed for interaction are almost the definition of what it is. Did you mean they should put more stuff in the box itself? Like what? What if you could put the entire 'console' in the controller itself? Would it then qualify as a new console in your opinion?
-- I have fans? Wow.
They did this with the N64 as well. There was all this hype about their new controller. And if it wasn't for the fact that you see one of those crazy things in just about every hotel room on earth, nobody would remember it at all, least of all Nintendo, it would seem.
That time, they apparently believed their target demographic had three hands. This time, it would appear they aim for the one-handed crowd.
Seriously, these guys are not really paying attention. Maybe it's so crazy that it will bring them back some market share, but I doubt it. The only people who will care is the slashdot crowd, and even they won't care for long.
The Revolution supposedly has 4 Gamecube controller ports built in it. Maybe Nintendo's whole idea is to have the CDi-alike controller as the main controller, but for games that would benefit from a standard setup (ie, driving games, fighting games etc) then maybe you'll be able to use the gamecube controller to play them. After all, the graphics on this baby are probably going to compare well with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, so Nintendo would be fools not to want people to be able to play standard games on them that generally show off the graphical capability of the machine.
How many people want to bet that one of the new Nintendo DS plug-ins will be an orientation detector? This would make the DS essentially an additional controller for the Revolution. Wouldn't work too good for games like sword-fighting, but it would probably be very good for games like pac'n roll or a driving game.
I think some are genuinely interested in the concept, and others reject it because it is odd and definitely a new thing (in terms of the standard console controllers we are used to).
I want to address the people that reject it because it is not the most efficient method of controlling a game.
Sure a mouse is probably going to be significantly easier and more accurate to use in most applications. But when you go to an arcade half the fun of playing the shooting games for instance is that you get the feel that the thing you are pointing with is really doing the damage. A mouse (as I know since I have played FPS games on the PC for 9 years), while more accurate feels more like a remote tool and seperates you from the experience.
Same with a joystick for a flight simulator, which is the same idea as the real control method of planes. But even that kind of seperates you from it, what if the motion of your hand directly translated in the motion of the plane, no need to worry about seperate buttons or paddles for yaw and pitch. It would be really easy.
I think it will be very fun and if Nintendo manages to make a decent launch with good games I will definitely try it first at the store, and probably buy it 5 minutes later.
Plus even if you have to hold your arm(s) up in the air, it is very good for your cardiovascular health.
1). Wireless efficiency. The PC Jr. had a wireless keyboard. Is this thing going to work in a crowded house with lots of peanut butter flying around?
My son has a wavebird wirelass Nintendo controller for his gamecube and it works fine and has never had any problems.
2) Durability. Speaking of which, how hard can you beat on these things? What's the MWBF (Mean Waves Between Failure) on this thing? Are people going to just wave them right into the rubbish bin?
See above - it works fine, never any problems.
3) Endurance. How long can a twelve-year-old boy wave his arms before fatigue sets in? Has anybody done any reasonable studies? What about 30-year-old overweight slashdot nerds longing for their misspent youth?
That's when he should stop playing video games and get back to doing his schoolwork. Seriously, whenever my son says he's tired I have him stop playing, or at least put it on pause and take a break, go take a bath, have lunch, something like that.
4) They are shipping at least two controllers per unit, right? 'cos if there's just one, then designers can't rely on the numchuck configuration.
Nope. Nintendo makes money on their game consoles and their games, so I seriously doubt it will include two controllers.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
You have a glowtube that sparkles and shines more as you wave it with your arm(s), while you dance on the pad or wear the special dance shoes.
This would be oh so very awesome and fun. Especially when you turn the lights out and it glows in the dark too.
Party time!
I can guarantee they'll be offering a controller like that for DDR2/3 on the new Nintendo Revolution, as the fun level would be off the scale!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
If you are attuned to the gaming-force, you can feel a wave of despair, as if thousands of Sony and MS developers cry out in horror, as they are fired for completely missing the point.
-- I have fans? Wow.
Imagine if Nintendo gets a license to do a Harry Potter game, and kids can use the new controller to cast spells...
The Revolution would kill Sony and Microsoft.
Actually it's more like the end of PlayStation. At $500 and no real innovation, no one is going to bother buying one.
For your information, XBox 360 and Rev use the same CPU/GPU as each other so porting will be rather easy. You obviously don't know anything about industry.
Think for a minute about how this might really hurt store displays. With a controller that must be moved around, I see 3 possibilities:
1) Full in-store demo with a tethered controller. Kids smacking each other in the face (or me while I'm trying to get past them to pick out games)
2) Demo-only or clamped-down controller. Same as usual, but doesn't really sell the system.
3) no demo setup. how does nintendo push sales in-store?? time to get the marketing people going over-time!
That controller will be so cool. Some dream about lightsabers. I dream hockey :P
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72194578@N00/
I had no idea Slashdot had this many Nintendo fanbois. Is there any reason only the pro-Nintendo articles are getting voted up?
... well...
I'm surprised someone can make a comment that a remote wand is going to be better for FPS's. Why not a remote mouse? I've yet to see anyone improve on this technology without requiring recharging times every two hours.
Has anyone even taken into consideration how long these devices will hold a charge or how often batteries would need to be replaced? Somehow I doubt Nintendo has made great strides in battery power and usage.
Granted, it does look cool, but it looks as if Nintendo will be positioning themselves as the console for "active" gamers. If I wanted to entertain myself while flicking my wrist around,
Right, because I can barely hit the Z button to save my life. I think for both of us it's basically useless, though. The Z button and the ludcrously huge A button (i don't mind it being bigger, but it makes it more work than it should to move your thumb to one of the other buttons) are the only things i don't like about the GC controller.
The enemies of Democracy are
So basically you will be able to play a 3rd person shooter by having two controllers, one that controls your movement and one that allows you to look/aim/shoot. I can see this giving a huge advantage over the standard controller and probably even a keyboard and mouse. So, when MS and Sony release Unreal 2007xv5-9 they will boast better graphics but you will still be kept down with the basic controller. However, Nintendo would release the same game with less graphics but the experience of playing it will be more immersive. I'm sold.
-Dipster
That's the sound of Nintendo shooting themselves in the foot...
One of the tech demos the console was showcased with behind doors was Kuru Kuru Kururin.
Gamers Europe - Gaming News. Reviews.
I predict that we will see 3rd-party, wireless SNES controller clones for those interested in playing old ROMS on the Virtual Console.
I can also certainly see why they bothered to include ports for hooking up Gamecube controllers.
The Revolution controller is AMAZING but it's going to be awkward unless games are designed with it in mind.
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
Remember the first time you picked up a Nintendo controller for the original Super Mario Brothers games?
Yes, I remember how those around were amazed that a 10 year old boy was strong enough to lift up the entire arcade cabinet by the joystick.
Remember swinging your arms in the air like a moron, as if the movement of the controller was actually going to do something?
No, but I remember making fun of morons like you who did.
While it's certainly possible on other systems, it won't play out that same way. It's not only about hardware, it's also about attitude. MS might release something similar for the Xbox360 in a couple years, but every system out there won't have shipped with one, so it won't see widespread developer adoption.
MS and Sony aren't trying to stake their future on expanding gaming, other than in the number of units sold. Other than one pushing slightly more pixels than the other, the Xbox360 and the PS3 are almost entirely the same, in terms of what they bring to the table. Their solution to making new games is to throw more processor power at it, and that's it. That's really all they have over their predecessors. In fact, the Xbox has taken a step backwards by not including a hard drive with every console. MS made two useful contributions with the Xbox(ethernet being the other), and now they're taking one away(with somewhat valid reason, but still).
I think it's just a different philosophy on gaming, the Revolution controller just being one very bold aspect of it. The gamecube, in terms of hardware is solid, but not entirely inspiring. It really isn't that much different that the PS2 or Xbox. Yet Nintendo's games are really unique in a lot of ways. They just have a different feel to them. Some prefer to write that off as childishness, but it's something that appeals to me, and to a lot of other people. And the Revolution controller is an attempt to bring that sense from the software to the hardware.
And yes, the DS is unique. Please, show me a PDA that has a similar collection of games. Preferably one that costs $120. And that can stand up to a week in a house with six kids fighting over it. My DS just survived that no worse for wear.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
I love how if you turn the controller horizontally, it looks like the original NES controller. That would come in handy for the old NES games in the Revolution's archive.
No pop-up orjavascript:
6 51334/revolutiontrailer_091605_qtlow.mov
http://cubemovies.ign.com/cube/video/article/651/
Man, I've wanted this controler for years!
activestudios web design
um...just to clear things up if no one has, there is no porting issue, if third parties don't wanna code for the new controller-type, then they'll map their button setup on the gamecube controllers for the slot the Revolution has for them...if they DO wanna dish out the work then thats fine too... but allow me to freak out for a second here...i've seen something similar to this back in 2003 in a video online of some kid playing a sword game in an arcade with a fake katana no bigger than this "remote" he blocked, attacked and moved flawlessy in the game, and there's no doubt in my mind its going to work.... dudes THINK...I SWEAR TO GOD....THINK!!! if IF IF some nut at LUCAS ARTS decides to say..."hey...lets make a Jedi game with Revolution...it would be interesting..." or any other Star Wars type game....all the Sony, Microsoft OR Nintendo-fanboy's wouldn't compare to the AWSOME ONSLAUGHT that STARWARS Freaks would dish-out in anticipation of such a game...their numbers are STAGGERING!!!!
Well while everyone is either wet-your-pants excited or disgusted with this new design, people are forgetting the golden rule of consoles, and that is that a console is only as good as its games. Say what you want about any console from any company, the success of it will almost always entirely depend on the ability of its game titles to make innovative use of its innovative design. This could be the most incredible idea to hit gaming in years, but unless there are games that come out that make good use of this idea, there won't be much to show for it. With this completely revolutionary system, Nintendo will have basically 0 portability to and from competing consoles, which in turn might scare away most 3rd party developers. And the ones that do take a shot at it will invariably make a few misses before we really start getting games that tap into the full potential of this new system, and even start showing us stuff that even we haven't thought of yet. Just look at the DS and see how it didn't really start hitting its stride till the games came out that made you say "wow, that really is a good idea...and I must have one". A year or two after launch, once the novelty has worn off and all the initial concept proof games are boring (fishing may be fun, but is hardly a particularly deep and moving narrative experience like a more complete game), the Revolution will only succeeed if it has a good library of innovative, fun, and popular games to support its sales. I for one am both hopeful and skeptical, but I am willing to believe that Nintendo can provide us with something new that will invariably be adopted in some way or another by the other follow-the-leader competitors. It will be an interesting next few years of gaming, and I am rooting for the success of this idea. But it won't be this design or technology that takes this system to the promised land, it will always be the games.
I guess I just don't understand that "New Math." Heck, the Famicom only came out 20 years ago. Or did Nintendo innovate arcade controllers in the Donkey Kong era?
shake shake, twist shake punch...
what'd be cool is if you had 2 revolution controllers hooked up to each other, then for someting like a dual pistol FPS, you can control both pistols independently...
"Not only the D-pad and the analog stick, but the rumble pak, controller expansion slot, top trigger buttons, wireless controller, and of course the DS. Where would gaming be without Nintendo?"
Pokemon (Digimon, CardCaptors, Yu-gi-oh) free. Think how better the world (whether we are talking about children as well as gaming in general) would be without that nonsense.
That stuff makes G.I. Joe and the TransFormers from my youth look like high art.
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
It seems to me that Nintendo was the company that designed the two handed, thumb pad joystick that everyone is using now. Why shouldn't they be the ones to design the next gen controller.
Besides, tracking the movement of the players hand could seriously improve some peoples playing... You should have seen my mom trying to play Mario back in the day, she was all over the place with the controller!!!!
My software never has bugs.
It just develops random features.
Yes, your arm is less precise than your hand. But your hand has a much more limited range of motion. So your arm is more than likely capable of generating movements with a roughly equivalent equivalent resolution.
For example: if your hand motions have a resolution of 1 mm and your arm motions have a resolution of 1 cm, it's equivalent if your arm can move ten times as far. These numbers are grounded in anything scientific, but hopefully you can see my point.
Anyway, it seems likely that in practice for most games on the Revolution the actual difference will be between thumb and wrist, rather than hand and arm.
I was sort of wondering how Nintendo was going to pull this off until I read your article.
The wand would be great for swordfighting, and first person martial arts anything. But best of all would be sports games; the wand makes such a wide variety of sports games possible.
Suddenly, Nintendo's licensing of their characters to EA Sports games and steady popularization of their Mario Sports games seem less cheesy and more incredibly canny. The EA Sports licensing were to make sure relations with the biggest sports developer are sunny, the Mario Sports stuff are to build a core audience which will jump on new games when they are released using the wand.
Damn... if Nintendo releases a treadmill, even big, physical games like football and basketball could be covered.
Almost makes me interested in sports games for the first time in my life, really.
Probably because it's the shape that human hands are designed to hold.
It's the shape that's designed to be held by human hands.
My only concern is feedback. Sure it'll rumble, but it can't simulate effectively, for example, a fish pulling on the line, or your sword hitting your opponent. While it's going to be a huge step forward, it's also going to be very obvious how much more it could go. Bravo, though.
When I last visited the U of MN virtual reality lab, they said the best controller they had was a hacked power glove. The sphere control they had may have had more degrees of freedom--but it sucked for moving around in 3D. They preferred the old power glove.
It can't be all that bad. I never got to try it myself--just the sphere, and insainly expensive VR helmets still suck.
Here are some more pics of the controllers incase you are interested:l
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/tgs2005/gallery.htm
I can see it now: a Che Guevara-style silhouette of Mario, complete with "M" emblem beret.
Viva La (Nintendo) Revolución!
It's so very, very awesome.
Can I play Smash Brothers with this?
From the first looks it seems like that's going to be difficult, but I guess I'll just have to try it first.
Remember when Nintendo said they are planning to re-release their back catalogue of games on this system?
Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to play Street Fighter 2 with so few buttons?
Or any number of other games from SNES or N64 that make use of all the keys that were so generously provided on those controllers?
Will I have to buy another controller to play these old games...??
It's not what you know, or even who you know- It's how many people recognize your damn
Okay, I got a thumb cramp just looking at that thing.
I used to play Action Quake 2 a lot and I was pretty much a crack shot in that game. I had very little difficulty hitting characters in the head, while we were both moving, with only a couple shots, over 90% of the time. This was, of course, controlled with the mouse.
Alas the skill does not translate to a real pistol. With my actual gun the claim is more like I can put 90% or more of my shots somewhere on a man-sized paper target provided both it and I am stationary and it's not too far away from me, with both hands on the gun, in a stabalised stance.
Given the choice though, if the other guy has a gun, I'd be willing to forego the additional accuracy of a mouse.
Guns don't kill people. People kill people. But guns certainly help. Have you ever tried running up to someone with a mouse and just yelling "bang!"? It's pretty ineffective.
That's one thing that I think could make this controller a major nuisance. Changing batteries is a pain. Having a Li+ battery would help, but it would then have to be proprietary and would probably cost a bundle to replace.
The prototypes use standard batteries, but I could see selling Li+ batteries being a cash-cow into the future for nintendo as controller batteries age, should this become popular .
I'm not convinced that this will perform well with the FPS genre, particularly in the multiplayer arena. I'm having trouble visualizing a scenario in which you could perform multiple spins in the same direction to follow an opponent's circling strafe motion without losing sight of the screen.
With a mouse, the solution is to lift it briefly off the desk and move in the reverse direction. With this controller, any such movement would cause you to spin the opposite direction. Pressing a "deactivate look" button is a solution, but strikes me as more cumbersome than a mouse.
While the controller is innovative, it doesn't claim superiority in FPS control over computers.
Umm.. Dpad was on Intellivision before Nintendo. Analog sticks have been around since Atari. Please stop giving nintendo credit for these inventions.
Have you ever been to a turkish prison?
And heaven forbid you should want to play multiplayer games with one. 800 dollar outlay for four headsets? I doubt nintendo is looking at VR headsets, given their priority on multiplayer.
"Inattention makes clowns of us all" -Bean
I think it's quite cool and innovative aswell, and you can stick it into a shell to get a more normal controller aswell (but with gyros...).
:)
Anyway, here we are, people just see a controller which looks like a remote, and start laughing without knowing what it is.
But imagine Apple showing that demo video, loads of people whould think that would be so cool and innovative. It's hard beeing "the Big N which just makes games for kids", heck, this console definitly does NOT look like a kids toy, it looks awesome. Best wishes Nintendo
The design is clearly not ergonomic for gaming. Nintendo are apprently sacrificing usability for marketing image.
They probably think they will attract more mature audiences by making it look like a tv remote, it won't look so childish.
area 51
Makes it tough on left handed players. Even if they make one, you'd have to take it with you when visiting your less fortunate friends.
Looks like a Star Trek Next Generation phaser.
Zelda isn't your thing? How about some fishing. A whip of the controller and you're casting off. You can bob the line back and forth, left and right.
Indiana Jones Revolution? Sounds good to me.
Due to medical problems my hands are often shaky. I can type and use a mouse well, but using a pen or pencil is right out. I just beat RE4, but aiming with the grey stick has taken a lot of practice (and I'm still not too great). The same thing happens in TimeSplitters 2. The analog stick just kills my mad skillz. Now the big N wants me to simultaneously use a stick AND aim a controller accurately at the screen?
:(
I know this doesn't affect most people, but having a controller let's me hold on to something to steady myself. Having to keep a steady hand could prove too difficult for me. That's too bad because I really like Nintendo games in general
Gameplay with one hand!?!
Nintendo needs to start making some adult entertainment themed games for the 18-34 year olds. You know, give us something to do with that free hand...
According to TFA, they already made a simple demo that is a port of Irritating Stick. Just at least scroll through the paragraph titles in the article next time, ok ;)
;)
Actually, according to TFA: "These were not real Revolution games (all the names for the demos are ours)-they were super-simple, graphically crude offerings designed solely to show off different aspects of how the controller can work." Not a port at all... Just at least RTFA next time, ok
When I say the wrist moves the mouse, it's not so much the up/down hinge joint of the wrist as it is the lateral torsion created by pushing and alternately pulling the sides of the mouse with the thumb and pinky- using the fine motor skills/muscles of the hand and thumb rather than the arm muscles that control the wrist and elbow.
Military personnel aren't aiming through a 30" glowing rectangle either.
Ok, I imagine that a gyroscope is quite expensive. It will require either a high-speed wheel of some sort, bearings and detectors. It is also quite delicate, and to imagine a gyroscope that should survive a kid dropping it on a floor...? An optic gyscope perhaps, but then the price tag would be quite different...
Furthermore, a gyroscope (mechanical or optical) will only detect twists and turns. It will not detect movements along the three axes, which is something the controller can detect.
And then there is the two small devices that needs to be placed with some distance, one on each side of the TV/monitor....
But... What if these two small devices were IR diodes, and the controller contained a small camera for motion detection....?
It would then be able to calculate twists, turns and movements along the axes, by looking at the diodes, and calculate the movements! It woul certainly give the wanted precision in some of the directions (depending of the IR camera resolution, of course)
Another thing that could hint some IR detector on the controller, is the 'window' on the end that points in the direction of the TV/monitor. I do not see an IR receiver on the 'Revolution'...
Comments anyone...?
I can play time crisis without having to shell out cash on the over priced guns.
I agree, and I hope that Nintendo's ready to accept the risk it's putting on itself. The controller is probably going to be very hard just to conceive for; the demos they showed to IGN and Gamespot gave us a good impression of what the controller's capable of, but it's up to the game designers to be creative enough to try and branch out, and take advantage of what this controller can really do, much like Advance Wars takes advantage of what the DS can do.
;)
I'm betting this'll ultimately hurt Nintendo, but I'm absolutely praying that this will help them. Because the X360 and PS3 feature more "conventional" controllers (or, what has become the typical setup: D-pad and analog stick on left, four buttons on the right in a diamond, etc.), developers from the current generation will only have to worry about a new development environment to learn. But, developers who want to create a game for the Revolution will have to learn not only a new development environment but the ins and outs of this newfangled controller. Plus with all the brand-new sensors...all I can say is it seems a bit daunting. Look at the dearth of quality DS games. Even Mario 64 DS seemed like an extended demo, showing what the DS was capable of. I wish there was something else that could lure game designers to the Revolution, like a cheap development license, and not just this extremely forward step in controller design. The Revolution seems like the console that could really benefit from the homebrew community.
On the note of controllers, I believe that what the next-next-(next?)-gen consoles should shoot for is true immersion, in the sense of touch: graphics are nearly there, sound is slowly working its way up, but the other three senses are pretty much ignored, mainly because it's very hard to accurately reproduce smells or tastes without resorting to scratch-n-sniff or food, respectively. Especially in racing games, when you see a car powerslide at 75 MPH, but feel nothing of g-forces. I envision a day when we no longer have controllers, but a Matrix-brain-instertion needle, for true immersion. Then even the crappiest games will be worth buying
This controller will be one of those quirky ideas where you look back and say "what were they thinking".
Moving from the typical "two handed" video game controller standard to single-handed? As far back as I can remember (Atari 2600)... systems were always two handed.
no i knew you were making a joke. i just didn't address that part of it.
;-)
so CLEARLY you missed mine
Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
My first thought when I read about the wand controller was gestures! (I'm an Opera user =P)
Think about casting spells by drawing designs in the air, or stringing combos with gestures. That would be way cool.
And it'd bring some of the fun of competing on physical stamina too.
I strongly suspect this was designed by someone who habitually types one-handed.
What about those of us with girlfriends, will our grip be strong enough?
On the other hand, I can finally proceed in developing my masterpiece: "Sim Beat Your Wife"
1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
I think developers will figure it out pretty quickly. Most game developers tend to be pretty clever, and figuring out a new input device isn't a big deal. Learning how to make it shine sounds like a lot of fun; I would think developers would look forward to it more than they'd say "Man, I hope I don't have to figure out how to do gesture recognition with that." I mean, wouldn't you like to write a game using the Revolution controller as input? I certainly would.
I think the challenge will be getting publishers interested in Revolution games and what the system can do so that they'll pay developers to make the games.
Like the AC sibling said ... If you aren't Shooting, Driving, or Sportsing, what are you doing. What do you play on your Playstation that isn't sports, fps, or mmo. And while your at it -- which of those are your friends playing with you?
(I had written a very long post about what I play and why and on what platform -- but it's irrelevant. What are you playing in the 35+ demographic -- I'm not quite there -- that's not the genres above? And even more relevant to the NES/PS debate, do you have kids?)
Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
...how do i play Street Fighter with it?
All I know is that I finally had something funny to say and you SCREWED ME! I will hunt you down and give you noogies until you cry "Bill Gates"! :D
It's really cool that it can work like a mouse in the air. Having played plenty of FPSs using exactly that setup, I can affirm that it works great. The only thing my air-mouse and keyboard lacked was an analog stick for my left hand to control movement, and they've provided exactly that.
Huh?
:-D
Are you talking about the "orientation sensor" or the contrller with built in display? I can't tell, because the GC/GBA hookup does not involve an orientation sensor in any way, and game controllers with built in screens hardly debuted on the GameCube (vis. Dreamcast vmu, probably the first widely availabe).
Final Fantasy: Chrystal Chronicles used the feature to great effect.
Nearly all Dreamcast games supported the vmu display in some aspect.
So I guess it was Sega who visitted Atari Idea Land. How much did a Lynx cost again, right it was something like $50 more than the GB.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Lynx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Game_Gear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Dreamcast
(full disclosure: I loved the Dreamcast and own a few GBAs and a GC)
Sadly, none of these links include the initial shipping price. They only mention they cost 'more'. I bought by first Gameboy for $113 saved up over weeks of allowance.
Anyhow, I don't see how Atari thought the Lynx would be relevant 4 years later when the Jaguar came out (again at a price much higher than Nintendo's already shipping SNES). And even if a Lynx successor could have improved battery-life and and come out in a meaningful time frame after the Jag, could it have completed with the PS-one?
Also-rans are hardly ever considered revolutionary, so calling a Lynx-Jaguar link-up revolution is dishonest. You seem kinda bitter about it though.
Anyhow, nothing personal. Cheers.
Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
While perhaps not of the magnitude of the D-pad, Sega was first with analog triggers (Saturn controller). They've since been copied by the xbox and the Gamecube. In some games shoulder buttons are just as good, but in other games nothing beats triggers.
I just stumbled upon this page which has a "family tree" of game controllers. Interesting to browse and somewhat nostalgic.
The Revolution controller intrigues me, but I'm undecided if it's going to be that great. I'll have to try it to see. I really hope it feels better than the Gamecube controller. Button-layout opinions aside, Nintendo's controllers have felt cheap to me ever since N64. Holding a PS or xbox controller, they feel more substantial... better made, to me. My Dreamcast controllers feel rather cheap as well.
Back when I was in high school, my brother had a Nintendo 64 and Crusin' USA. We used to smoke pot and play one handed. One hand on the controller, driving the car, the other hand taking puffs off the pipe. I remember how great the design of that game was, because it was really easy to play. I have always had an informal rule of thumb that if something's easy enough for me to do while stoned, it is designed well. I'm definitely picking up one of these Revolutions. Now can anyone else recommend to me some video games that can be played one handed? Cue the masturbation jokes...
If I want to shoot at the screen, I'll use a gun controller, which has a very comfortable grip and placement of controls for said purpose.
If I want to swing a sword or bat, I'll want a sword/bat-controller, which has a very comfortable grip and placement of controls for said purpose.
Incidentally, for driving games I want a steering wheel controller and some pedals because that has a good grip and control placement for those sorts of games as well.
For a general purpose controller, my personal favorite is the dual shock controller Sony came up with and has stuck with. My only fault with it is not enough feedback on the analog buttons for my taste. It's not perfect, but for a general purpose controller, it's perfectly fine.
"Ah, finally some good RTSs on a console, or a shooter more akin to mouse+keyboard."
That's exactly what we thought when the DS came out, and Nintendo hasn't really delivered. Metroid Prime Hunters is still months away, with no news of any other good FPSes (Goldeneye: Rogue Agent DS is supposed to be pretty bad). I've only heard of 1 RTS early in development, and that's not by a major studio.
This is not to day that there aren't good games, just that Nintendo seem to be avoiding replicating the PC style of play and going for new, and more interesting stuff. They will no doubt do the same with the Revolution. I really like all the innovation, but I also want them to settle down for a minute and produce something boring like Quake DS. I sometimes like to have fun without reinventing gaming.
im sure there are game like this already but the new controler would be perfect for it. first person fighters, instead of platform fighter like soul caliber. you move around with the analog stick and use the wand to control your sword or other weapon. use a button to block and a button to jump and it would be pretty sweet. it would make for better control than button mashing, and every combo would be unique to an extent. the camera would be cooler as over the shoulder instead of actual first person. i herd people complain about how to control fighters with it but this would make perfect sense.
Like it or not, and regardless of what you think of their consoles, Nintendo has been responsible for every single important controller innovation for the last 25 years.
Bullshit
The original Nintendo Entertainment System dispensed with the single joystick/button and came out with the direction pad (D-Pad) - something that's still included on every single controller design today, including Sony's and Microsoft's.
The intellivision had a D-pad controller. And the intellivision D-pad controller was better. It had 16 directional control as opposed to the NES's 8 directions.
For the N64 Nintendo came out with the analog control stick - which ushered in the age of true 3D gaming. Once again, everyone immediately copied their design. And once again, the analog control stick is still being used today.
The Atari 5XXX had an analog stick. Not just a joystick, there was an analog stick controller for the Atari.
Finally, for the Gamecube they came out with the "Wavebird" - the first truly well-designed wireless controller. And guess what?
No. It was not the first RF (as opposed to IR) controller. I'm not sure what was first, but it wasn't
Also I would add one important controller innovation from Sony. The PS has almost total left-right symmetry, making the controller easier to use for lefties. Gravis used to make an up-down symmetric that could be flipped upside down and toggled to act as a left handed controller.
I think ";)" was my first clue, and "jokes aside" was my second.
You can't translate something like this to a PC.. The software can't support the features offered by it.
How are you going to translate the 3 axis movement involed in casting a fishing rod onto software built for a mouse and keyboard? Yes - you probably will be able to hack it to work - but if nintendo do this right - they need to adopt apple's mantra "it just works" (TM). And I think (and fervently hope) they will.
Nintendo CAN win the "hardcore" game market - but it requires one company to do it. And that's LucasArts.
A DECENT star wars game with the ability to swing a lightsaber - who HASN'T though about how good that would be at some point.
This system is going to be the first console I'll own. I've been playing on computers since I was 2 (18 years now) - but I think Nintendo have finally done it (the fact I have a job/income/disposable cash also helps)
I agree, and I think the thing that will make or break them is the question: Is it easy for 3rd parties to develop for?
Ask any PS1 or PS2 developer: as long as there's a ton of money at stake, the publishers just don't care what an abominable nightmare job the thing is to work with.
StoneCypher is Full of BS
Hopefully your pets don't knock over the system and cause the sensors that are in the system to cause Mario to do some crazy breakdance moves when your system is flying across the floor relative to your controller.
They are the beginning. I've read a lot of people's comments about how Nintendo is screwing over game companies by making it impossible to port games across platforms. I think people are missing a key insight, which 1up briefly mentions in their article on the controller: "When the two controller pieces are attached, the so-called 'Nunchaku' configuration (the two bits are connected by a short cord) can work similarly to current controllers, just with the second analog stick replaced by actual movement of the Revolution controller." Think about it. In your left hand, you've got an analogue stick with two trigger buttons. In your right hand, you've got an analogue controller (more precise, and sensitive along an extra axis), 5-7 face buttons and a trigger button. How is that so impossibly different from the standard controllers of today? It certainly allows for software companies to do *more*, since the control will be much more precise if implemented properly and there's an extra axis to work with, but it won't prevent them from continuing to use today's 3D control paradigm. Think about TimeSplitters. On PS3 and XBox360, it will work exactly like it does today, but look prettier. On the Revolution, you'll be pointing your "gun" (controller) at characters on the screen, but from a software standpoint the control paradigm is the same. It's just another analogue stick. You control forwar/backward and strafing movement with your left thumbstick, and direction/firing with your right hand. This depends a lot on Nintendo implementing a good developer interface that allows for easy mapping of current analogue-stick functions onto the remote control wand. But assuming they do that (and I'm betting they do--I'm guessing that's how Metroid Prime 2 was updated for the demonstration) then TimeSplitters could easily work on all platforms will just a bit of tweaking. The only real difference would be that the Revolution version will kick ass and the others will be the same as every other console FPS we've played for the last nine years.
When someone comes up with a way for me to think my character into acting out my thoughts, then I will be impressed.
I'll concede that Nintendo has designed a lot of really good controllers that have been widely imitated. But until now, each new design has been a simple refinement of previous designs.