Reggie: 'Nintendo Revolution controller shown to key third-parties'

Old news is now Spong news.

i think it will be a customizable touchscreen,although the problem with this will be that the gamer will lose the phyisical sensation of touching the button.i also think nintendo will incorperate gyroscopes.

Guess right and win a Revolution you say? You sure know how to tempt n00bs :)

OK. I reckon the controller will have snap-on fascias with different controls on each fascia. One for each old platform, and maybe one default one, with games designers encouraged to build their own (to be supplied with each game).

Maybe the 'interface' on each pad will be an analogue touch-sensitive screen, so the pad could conceivably be used without a fascia at all.

Reasons this guess is kind of dumb: Extra development / distribution costs for the control fascias, especially for multiplayer games...

Secretly I'm hoping the pad reshapes itself for each game, like the T-1000. This is the 21st century, damn it, we were all supposed to be wearing Bacofoil suits and owning flying cars by now.

Good Lord, Spong!

How about you spill the beans of the whole EGM interview at once, instead of spacing these individual snippets around while most of us think you've actually got something NEW to inform us about?

I think most of us who visit your site do so because you're famous for revealing interesting information before anyone else; please stick to that and try to avoid making 5 news stories about one single magazine issue. One news article is MORE THAN ENOUGH.

I can tell you that the controller will feature gyroscope mechanics but the key innovation will be a "sqeezable" unit.

I don't think it will have any gyroscope jazz (GBA used it ages ago). I'd say it's a wireless pad similar to the GC/SNES hybrid pad. The big difference will be that the pad will come in two halves (kind of like a DS or SP but in a GC pad shape. Once opened up the bottom half will have SNES config buttons either mobile phone style buttons or re-enforced touch sensitive ones.

The underside of the top half flipped up will have a colour LCD screen (similar to a DC VGAs but colour)with which you can access the Rev memory card data, bios etc and also play your downloaded NES/SNES/N64 roms on this screen too via wifi if you stray from your REV too far. When the two halves are closed you have what looks like a modified GC Wavebird pad. In effect having two pads in one lets you play all those 20 years games with ease. The GC/Rev anaolgue half for 3D games and the SNES half for NES and SNES games. This analogue/digital combo would also be easy for newbie or veteran gamers to use. Rumble features will still be supported too.

I'm estimating the pad will need at least 8-10 buttons since the N64 has that many.

That's my guess anyway (either that or one pad that splits into two).

I reckon that the controller is gonna be similar to the N64 controller in that it can be held in a variety of different ways. Like with the N64 controller, different button and stick combinations can be used.

Whereas the n64 controler could only be held at one orientation, I believe the new controller can be held at a variety of 3 dimensional orientations. So whereas the N64 controller was fork shaped with the prongs always facing the user, the revolution controller might be a sphere or a tripod shape that can be rotated in 3 dimensions for different button configurations. The controller will be wireless so you don't have to worry about the wire getting tangled up. Gyroscopes will be used to determine what orientation it is being held in, and additionaly can be used for "tilting" games.

It may feature a touch screen display. I'm not sure.

The "Revolution" part of the name refers to the fact that the controler can be held at different orientations.

This sounds like a touch screen.

Nintendo really need to start hyping games rather than dragging everyone along with the controller while they finish the rest of the their console. It's never going to meet expectations.

SPoNG have it perfectly: the Revolution will be a box that has a controller and plugs into the TV, pretty much the same as every other console (in similar words).

I think it will not be snap-on components, but the configuration of the controller buttons will be set by the game. There will be tactile feedback so you can feel the buttons and push them, and some sort of visual feedback as to where the buttons are (probably not a screen, maybe LEDs).

To get a free Revolution? It's worth a shot.
I'm not sure what exactly the shape will be of the controller (that is nearly impossible to guess), but I do think that the controller itself will be a type of touch-screen controller that allows you to customize the buttons to be wherever you want them to be. Thus, the use for the touch screen. For example, to be able to play games from the other systems, how do you do it? Allow for the controller to be touch-screen customizeable, so you can put the layout for any controller's buttons onto the controller's interface. If you downloaded a super nintendo game, the controller can put the a, b, x, and y buttons onto the right side of the controller where they would have been on the regular controller, except that they would be touch-screen buttions. same for the nes and the n64. Then, how they want parents to play games with ease for the revolution titles,each game could come with its own default set of specific touch buttons that appear on the interface of the controller. If the parents or whoever find the way they are arranged too difficult, they can customize the buttons how they want on the controller to provide them with utmost ease for playing. I also think they probably will have a joystick on the controller, because it would be very hard to control characters by tilting a controller because they have to be able to go so many different ways in the game (resident evil 4) and if you get mad and tilt the controller a wrong way from frustration, you will get even more frustrated! So I think they will still have a joystick or some type of more controlled way of moving characters. I do believe that the gyroscopic technology will be built into the controller for certain games, but I don't think it will be used for all games, so it will have the technology, but it will be for certain types of games. They probably will have L, R, and maybe the Z button, on both tops of the controller, because every controller had and L and R button in those spots. It will also, of course, be a wireless controller. That is all I can think about now for the controller, if I forgot anything, but still got this stuff right, I better get a free system. LOL. Anyway, that's my best guess!

Do you guys even know how touch screens work? Touch screens can only register one touch at a time, which would mean that even if you had all your buttons customized on the Revolution's controller, you still wouldn't be able to play your games. Even a simple NES game like Super Mario Bros. 3 wouldn't be possible because you need to hold down the run button and jump at the same time in certain parts of the game.

Not only is it physically impossible to multitask on a controller made up of touch screen buttons, but do you have any idea how much touch screen controllers would cost? Not to mention the durability of the controller is significantly lowered. When you crack your screen by accidentally kicking your controller on the ground, no one's going to want to pay $60 or $70 for a brand new one over that.

I'm fairly confident the Revolution controller will NOT feature a touch screen. Touch pads and pressure sensitivity makes a little more sense, but there's way more bad to come out of a customizable touch screen interface than good.

I think that if there is a touch-anything, it'll be a touchpad in place of the analog stick; a circular pad on the controller for precise thumb movements.

do you have any idea how much touch screen controllers would cost

yes. about the price of a DS!

I still can't see the point of having a touchscreen controller for a console that you play on the tv, unless that's why it has no HD support and needs an add on to watch dvds as you'd play the whole thing looking at your controller. but then if that was the case, then it'd be better bearing the name GameBoy Revolution!
I think if people really want to guess what it is then they should think about what sort of games they'll be playing, a mario platformer of some description, metroid, smash bros. how are you going to play those with a touch screen controller full of gyroscopes?
So what do I think it'll be?
A funky snes controller...
..a pen...
or something they haven't yet used
or failing that
...a konix speedking

Allright, here are some basic Revolution controller's functionality and features i think will be there.

-First there are propellers,jetpacks or wheels(most likely) on its sides.So he can fly or ride to you.That's very user friendly don't you think?

-Next is a screen,wireless,(movement) sensor, and mic, plus all old stuff.Microphone(voice recognition) is important for automatic shape change.Too lazy to get up?No problem, just clap your hands, and Nintendog will come to ya.

-Will be transformable, 3(4) in 1 controller which means,shout:"Super Nintendo Entertainment System!" and voila SNES it is. Now if you happen to have a bad relation with him, manual adjustment won't be possible, so you'll have to stick to your SNES shape for playing RE4 until things get better or punish him if you want.

-And last:the AI, yes, finally we'll be able to pet an controller that truly understands our gaming needs!Unless you take good care of him, first he'll refuse to respond in critical moments leading you to a certain death in a last boss fight and eventually he'll stop all completely...how nice!

My uncle saw it, he emailed me 3 days ago I just didn't check my email. All he said was LCD screen, gyroscopes, force grip (I don't know wtf that means) and very few buttons, plus you can use the DS as the controler and that would give you a second screen (minimap) Holy s**tizle!!!

Traditionally a touch screen could work using beams of laser, although I believe that now they're made using capacitaive overlays.

If you use the traditional grid of lasers approach, where one set repreasents X and one set Y, it would be be possible to track several breakages of laser beams.

Also, Nintendo has the R&D clout to overcome problems with touch screens.

Actually, I believe I read about this. I heard that while it's possible, it's also unreliable and could cause some problems.

And, while the researchers over at Nintendo are undoubtably good at what they do, new technology that actually makes reliable use of multiple touches will be very expensive. This expensive technology would have to be encorporated not into a handheld, where such prices could be jusitified, but a controller.

Also a consideration: Nintendo have stated that they are looking at different things to encorporate into the controller, meaning that there will be more than one feature. To include a touchscreen AND other features into the handheld will probably cause your wallet to spontaneously combust.

I totally agree. However, I also don't think Nintendo would look at this as an problem should they set their heart on putting a touch screen in. Let's face it, Nintendo rarely listen to their customers.



LOL. Boom!

My problem with the Revolution is that Nintendo themselves don't seem to know what's going on with it. They've announced a console but still haven't finalised anything - if they haven't even decided on the controller, how are third parties going to start planning games?

I still think my idea would be cool. And besides, how else can you play games from soo many different systems, with very few actual buttons on the controller? I don't think they would charge too much for a controller like that anyway because the DS may have had touch screens, but they were for displaying the actual game, not just buttons and the handheld system also was designed to be able to actually play games, so it had a lot more technology in it to up the cost of the system. A controller with a touch-screen for customizing buttons would not cost as much as the DS or even close to it. Besides, the touch screen would be on the controller for button customization, not for maps or displaying a game. A touch screen can't cost too much because look how expensive the psp was, and it didn't even have touch screens, although it can play movies...Anyway, nintendo hasn't ever charged too much for anything. the production of a gamecube probably costs a lot more than $200, but that is how much they charged for the system. I don't know, maybe I'm just some guy with an expensive imagination and a wallet that doesn't easily combust from high prices, but I still would like to see a controller like this.

That's the funny thing. Apparently they haven't even finalized it, and Reggie is already showing it off to developers whose "eyes are lighting up at it?"

I don't even know what to think with Nintendo anymore. I wonder if they just say stuff to purposly throw us off.



Yeah, but Josh you're forgetting the fact that normal, relatively inexpensive touch screens cannot register more than one touch at a time, making it literally impossible to play games with. If new technology was to be developed allowing multiple touches, that new technology does NOT come cheaply.

It's true that the controller wouldn't have to process gameplay or even have a high resolution, making it much less expensive than the DS, but the controller will apparently have (better have, anyway) more than one feature for it, upping the price that much more.

I remember somebody posting an idea they had for the Revolution. Something about having retractable pins inside the controller that will physically raise and lower themselves to your customization to act as buttons. That's a lot more believable (not to mention way more user friendly) than a customizable touch screen. Even pressure sensitivity would be more user friendly and easier to accomplish.

I don't think i could cope with a squeezable controller. You need buttons that press. I

n the same way it's not pleasent to type on a laser-projected keyboard, I don't think this type of controller would work.