THE Controller… and stress, stress, stress!

Well Nintendo have done it. They’ve final revealed their “Revolution” controller to the gaming community during Iwata’s keynote speech at the Tokyo game show.



The functions of this controller are as follows:

- 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. Analogue 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.

My initial reactions are both of surprise and bemusement – similar to my initial reaction to the DS. To be honest my first thought was “what the heck”. The controller really is a lot more unconventional than I had imagined. My belief was that it would look generally similar to a normal controller with either or both gyro and touch screen functions. Instead was have a controller that looks very much like a remote control with gyro like functions, with much more beyond that.

Not that FPS are my favourite gaming type, but this controller really does sound ideal for this type of game. It’s a shame that Nintendo didn’t have any actual games to show, only demonstrations (which I am yet to watch), but I really do think that Nintendo have brought something new (and truly revolutionary) to the table.
Iwata’s comments:

"Firstly, we face the reality that within one family there are people willing to pick up a game controller, and those who would never touch one," he said. "Anyone will pick up a TV remote control, but not necessarily a game controller. Why is this?"

"We are not only going to offer small and simple games. Rather, with this controller, we are going to establish a brand new standard for game control," he said. "We needed to satisfy both the novice gamers, and veteran gamers who want big, deep, highly complex new games."

"I believe that it is the job of all of us who are creators of great entertainment to continue to surprise people, and constant innovation is the key," he concluded.

I am relieved that Nintendo has finally released details about their controller and I’m also extremely pleased that it is truly as revolutionary as they have been promising. I’m intrigued to see what types of game they come up with for the revolution and to see how this new controller is put to use. I can imagine that a Metroid Prime 3 would be a complete blast with this controller and knowing Nintendo, they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Overall I’ve very excited at the prospect of playing games in a whole new way,

Also, like the DS, I think that Nintendo will be able to carve a significant slice of the gaming public and also non-gamers by offering something both simple to use and different from the norm.

Anyway, here are a few more pictures…

A had the afternoon off work this week, but strangely enough I spent a large portion of this doing nothing more than lying on the bed. The reason for this? The simple answer is stress, stress, stress (and a little pinch of depression). Yes we are still pondering and planning the flat below us and boy is it starting to give me a headache, what with mortgage applications, surveys and also keeping the peace with our neighbour. It’s gotten to the stage now when I just want it all over and done with.

At least I managed to get out of my slump, with both Roz and also the new Nintendo news helping considerably.