The Revolution Controller!

[Switch]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143782

 

Sometimes I seriously wonder if Nintendo are trying to sabotage their own sales efforts. :laugh2:

 

Impractical, ugly, and guaranteed to make you look like a twit. Way to go guys!

 

Part of me hopes this is some sort of joke by 1up.com...

[Akrid]

ROFLMAO!!! what the hell? looks liek it may actually be kind of fun tho. If they can work the bugs out.

[Marxist ßastard]

I can just imagine how idiotic people would look when they're losing in a particularly frustrating sort of game -- to the casual observer, they're changing channels quite angrily. Besides the obvious aesthetic violation, it also makes you dedicate an entire hand to the analog stick, depriving you of your very, very useful fingers.

 

Just makes you appreciate all the more the one true controller -- the IBM Model M.

[ShinJiOh]

WEll according to them, it is some kind of wireless sensor. Like if you swing your arm left, the car drives left, or you can point and shoot. I really hope they are not serious... the extra analogue add-on looks okay.

 

Even so I'm sure there will be the option of using two controllers at once. (Like in goldeneye on n64). I won't knock it 'till I've tried it.

[Marxist ßastard]

...If you swing your arm left, the car drives left, or you can point and shoot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

...So then you're encouraged to work all controls with only your thumbs -- with the vast majority of the controls being accessible to only the right thumb -- and hold the controller in such an awkward angle that you can't even see the buttons?

[Slaiv]

You guys have it all wrong. First off, let me just say that when I saw it, I almost died of laughter at how ridiculous it seemed. Now, however, I have a different opinion.

 

Lets start with the left hand. You'll use the accessory with this hand, most notably the analog stick. This will allow you what is near a Mouse-Keyboard setup, only instead of having WASD, you'll have full analog control. The analog stick ALSO HAS 2 TRIGGER BUTTONS ON IT. So no, you won't be using only your thumbs.

 

Moving on the the right hand. You'll use the completely sensitive "DVD remote." This also has a trigger button on the bottom. The A button will be used for primary actions, like jumping or opening doors.

 

And best of all:

This add-on makes it possible to play Revolution games in a more traditional manner. The shell is designed to look and function like accepted "regular" controllers, such as the Wave Bird. After its bottom casing is removed, the Revolution's free-hand-style remote is inserted into a gap in the middle of the controller shell. Gamers can then use the shell as they would a traditional controller, with a notable difference: the pointer remote's sensory functionality remains active. As a result, gamers get the best of both worlds: more buttons and two analog sticks along with motion-sensing operations. In a Revolution version of Madden Football, gamers might be able to use the combo to control players with the shell's analog sticks and execute pinpoint passes with the pointer's improved accuracy.

 

http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/article/651/651559/understanding-the-revolution-controller-20050916041026412-000.jpg

 

Nintendo has not yet released official imagery of what the controller shell might look like. However, we've created a mock-up (above) based on what we know of its functionality. The real controller shell is likely to connect to the free-hand-style pointer in a very similar fashion. Please note that we realize our model is not entirely to scale, but this is the best we could do on short notice.

 

I suggest you don't bash it before you've experienced it. Check out these articles for more info:

Understanding the Revolution Controller

Revolution Controller: The Possibilities

Hands-On with the Revolution Controller

Developer Commentary

[Switch]

Ohh. Thanks for the info Slaiv. :D

 

I didn't know about the controller shell part. That's much better...

[Marxist ßastard]

...So then the Revolution will ship with the suckiest of all controllers since Pong, and Nintendo will be selling a half-decent controller for extra money? That's downright malicious.

 

...As for the "best of both worlds" bit:

• It could be completely redundant and unnecessary -- what could be done using gestures just might be duplicatable on those 24+ buttons and dual analog sticks, although it's a longshot. So then let's say that you're lulled into a sense of false security and familiarity, with this looking so much like a sane controller and having a control scheme that's just the least bit sane. What would happen if you just casually tip the controller slightly to the left at that moment? Would your charachter fire at a friendly NPC? Would it commit seppuku? The possibilities are endless for the people who are known for traditionally frustrating control schemes.
   
  
• What if it isn't redundant? What if people make their games dependent on this control? This isn't cheap to duplicate; third-party controllers will be significantly lacking. Also think of the point that I made earlier -- forcing people to hold their controllers in an awkward way can kill any control scheme by obliterating muscle memory (on a PC, I know where the "move forward" key is, relative to my "move backward" and "inventory" keys -- on a Revolution, thanks to the awkward and ever-changing angles, these could be completely level or with two inches of vertical seperation) and making it so that you can't even fall back on hunt-and-peck immediately. Worse yet, referring back the the point I made just a few seconds ago, what would happen if you tilt the controller to check? Something horrible, I'd bet my life.
  

[Peregrine]

In a daring raid on Nintendo's headquarters, I captured the following advertisement for their next-generation system. I have a feeling in 10 years we'll be looking back at the revolution and calling it the good old days when games actually had features.

 

 

http://www.habasanfleet.com/purepwnage.png

[Stampede]

As if gamers were not lazy enough. Now they will have a shrivelled up arm to add to their slowly atrophying legs. (Concealed by their ever growing guts)

 

I'm sure the next thing to go will be the remaining fingers on the one fuctional arm, turning the limb into some sort of stiff gaming wand.

 

BTW, great pic Peregrine.