The start of a revolution
Well it has finally happened and I don’t
think anyone will feel disappointed; Nintendo has now unveiled exact details of
its highly anticipated control pad for its next-gen console, the Revolution,
and also rather stolen the show at the Tokyo Games Show 2005 (TGS). Satoru Iwata,
President of Nintendo, had the honour of revealing the particulars of this
highly innovative take on a console control pad, which promises to be little
short of, well, revolutionary. What we’re seeing is a TV remote style system,
designed for one handed operation and covered with ports for peripheral
additions. The main feature is the ‘Direct Pointing Device’ sensor which
measures factors such as distance from screen, the angle which it is pointed in
and where exactly on screen it is aimed.
There followed a demonstration of how all
this technology can be implemented in playing terms and showed gamers using it
like a trigger on a light gun, swinging it like a tennis racquet, cracking it like a whip, fishing,
cooking (?), swatting flies and so on. Expansion units can be attached to main
device, including a control, stick that attached in a “nunchuk” style from a
cable at the bottom. And all this control is boasted to be achieved with unparalleled
precision and responsiveness
The speech made clear that Nintendo intends
to continue to make its mark on the videogaming industry not by competing with
those whose philosophy revolves around retaining the original formula and seeking
only to make the same games “more complex and photorealistic”. Instead Nintendo
has whole heartedly committed itself to expanding the scope of videogaming by reaching
new markets; “so that those who do not play games can say, ‘I can do it’ and,
‘I want to touch it.’"
More info on this and updates as we get them on the essential Games Digest.
