Nintendo's 'Revolutionary' Controller
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You say you want a Revolution in video game design? Well, you know, that’s just what Nintendo offered when they revealed the controller for their next console, code-named Revolution, at Japan’s Tokyo Game Show in September.
The Revolution controller is about as far from the traditional, dual-joystick, dozen-button modern video game controller as can be imagined. First of all, the wireless controller is designed to be held in one hand, like a TV remote. Second, it has very few buttons – one each for the thumb and index finger, a plus-sign shaped directional pad, and a few incidentals for navigating menus.
The reason Nintendo can afford such an empty faceplate is because the controller itself can be used as an input device. Sensors placed to the side of the TV can find the controller’s location in space, as well as the tilt of the controller in a player’s hand. In effect, these sensors turn the controller into a three-dimensional mouse and pointer that can be used to intuitively navigate a game space.
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Instead of pushing a button to make a character move left, for instance a player could make the move with a quick leftward flick of the wrist. Or the player can swivel the controller in their hand like a flashlight to look around a room. A video demo released by Nintendo showed players using the controller to mimic everyday actions such as swatting flies, conducting an orchestra or cutting food with accompanying sound effects. |
 Photo: Nintendo of America |
The controller is central to Nintendo’s stated strategy of making video games appeal to people who don’t usually play video games. Nintendo feels that a large segment of the potential market—specifically women and baby boomers—are put off by complex, button-filled controllers and games that require twitch reflexes and novel-sized instruction manuals. Nintendo seems determined to help bring these potential gamers into the fold by encouraging games that focus on simple, engrossing gameplay rather than high-end graphics.
Personally, I think this is a great idea. Video games have been caught for too long in a feedback loop where gamers weaned on early systems demand more complex, more difficult games in well-established genres. Risk-averse developers, in turn, deliver titles that have already been proven as big sellers for this established market, with improved graphics and sound to convince gamers to upgrade. To anyone who hasn’t been immersed in gaming culture since they were young, the result is a market full of overly-difficult young male power fantasies that can hard to penetrate.
Still, the strategy has caused some controversy in gaming circles. Some developers and players are worried that the new controller will make it hard to convert traditional best-sellers to Nintendo’s new system. Others worry that Revolution games will end up as gimmicky demos that won’t sustain players’ interests. Nintendo has promised casings that will make the remote function more like a traditional two-handed controller, but details on this are still vague.
Will the gambit work? Nintendo has already had some success with Nintendogs, a portable puppy simulator that lets players pet and play with their virtual dogs using a touchscreen and stylus. The game has quickly become a best-seller in Japan and the US and has made inroads with people who don’t often play games.
One thing is for sure—Nintendo has very little to lose by taking the risk. While Nintendo portable systems continue to dominate the market, their Gamecube has struggled with a kid-friendly image that has seen it lag in worldwide sales compared to systems from Sony and Microsoft. Despite this, Nintendo has remained consistently profitable while Sony and Microsoft have lost millions in their fight to create a living room entertainment hub.
We’ll know for sure how revolutionary Nintendo’s strategy really is when we see the system launch, currently planned for sometime in 2006.
Kyle Orland works on NPR's internal web network. In his free time, he writes snarky commentary about the gaming media on his blog, Video Game Media Watch.
Gamers are People Too. A look at the gaming industry and the people who play them.
Expo Expository. Kyle travels to Los Angeles to report on the unique sensory overload experience of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
