Feature: Nintendo's Revolution is On! - Controller Revealed at TGS Subscribe to this RSS feed

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata unveils a TV remote-like controller for its next-generation console.

On the first day of the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata unveiled the controller for the company's next-generation system, code-named Revolution. An innovative TV remote-like device that utilizes a motion sensor to track movement relative to a television screen, the controller is truly unlike anything the industry has ever seen.

Iwata revealed the controller during his keynote speech at the TGS and elaborated on, "The company's aim and proven ability to broaden the population of video game players." He stated that the growing popularity of Nintendogs and the Nintendo DS illustrate this point, and that the Revolution's controller will be central to this development strategy for the next generation.

At first glance, the controller looks like a DVD remote. It sports a directional-pad at the top, a handful of face buttons on the front, and a trigger on the back that can be accessed by using the index finger. But the most important feature, according to Iwata, is the controller's sensor that makes it a "pointing device."

"When picked up and pointed at the screen," explains Iwata, "the controller gives a lightning-quick element of interaction, sensing motion, depth, positioning and targeting dictated by movement of the controller itself."

The Revolution controller will also enable for a range of expansions including a more traditional analog stick unit. According to Nintendo, developer response has been "extremely positive." The different controller options and add-ons will also let NES, SNES, N64, and GameCube games to be controlled in old and/or new ways.

"The feeling is so natural and real, as soon as players use the controller, their minds will spin with the possibilities of how this will change gaming as we know it today," says Iwata. "This is an extremely exciting innovation - one that will thrill current players and entice new ones."

There's no doubt Iwata is excited, but is the Revolution controller innovative for the sake of innovation, or will it actually contribute to new and exciting gameplay? And while Nintendo is breaking away from decades of two-handed gaming, is present technology even good enough to aptly support such a motion-sensing device? To these questions, we have no answer...yet. It seems as if the controller is capable of creating inventive, yet simplistic gaming experiences that utilize the simple hand movements in activities like fishing and baseball, but whether or not it can really prove better for next-generation shooters and actions games, is iffy.

What we do know is that Nintendo is taking a risk -- a big one at that. It's hard not to think "Virtual Boy" at first look, but hey, many of us pegged the DS for failure and look what happened. A quirky little sim called Nintendogs turned the whole operation around, boosting worldwide popularity of the DS and even outselling the PSP.

The gaming audience yearns for innovation, yet when something unexpected comes along that's completely different from the norm, they can't help but shun it. It's human nature...avoid the unknown, and all that garbage. I say give it a chance. At this point, there's not even enough information (gameplay footage, etc) to make a cohesive judgment about the controller's performance. All we really know is that it looks pretty freakin' slick, especially in Apple iPod white, which is certainly a good first step.