... and if every forum around the world has a thread about it, why not down here? I believe it is a blow directed to the mind. Nintendo is always surprising, but I think nobody was expecting this.

I was thinking something along the lines, but one handed controller seems odd.

Marcello

Our new controller will be a remote control!
Applause
Well, ok, you won't be able to press an action button and a dpad control at the same time, but - who needs that?

Which will require that you move both hands if if you wave the main controller around, since the cable is really, really short.

And as a marketing stunt, we won't hint at the fact that the remote control has a motion detection feature, so that everybody on his brother can simply look at the image, get a "this sucks opinion" and leave the site immediatly.
We call this "destroying all hope".

More applause

Looks very enticing, be great for using it as a DVD/Video player, though I was hoping DVD support would come out of the box, but sadly it seems you'll have to get an addon "dongle"

Well, I see people listening to mp3s with a remote con^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H ipod, so why not? ;-)

The games won't need that anymore. One game did this before, Dragon Lair. You needed only one button and a joystick to do everything. To play a soccer game, I don't need a long and short pass, strong and weak kick, jumping and sliding. Just one button to kick, and let me decide by pressing hard or weakly how strong I want it (remember Heroes/Samurai Spirit games?).

You can guess, Spellcaster, that this is a demo, and that having a three meter long cable wouldn't work as well. I don't think Miyamoto will just throw away all he has achieved because of lack of testing.

I just don't understand how people can play (in example) Half-Life using WASD for movement and the mouse to aim and shoot, and won't be able to use Nintendo controller.

As I said, this is a blow to the mind. Nintendo isn't aiming at being the best console, just to be a step ahead and continue being profitable. People teased Nintendo when they previewed the N64 pad, and now every pad has an analog joystick, even though it was taboo since Atari times.

I am excited (you can tell!) because I own a DS, and I have an open mind to know what you can do with it. Of course, Sony and Microsoft have already written down today's lesson, and will be incorporating them in their next generation.

I'll just stick to old, good keyboard and mouse.

OMG! I love this controller!!! It looks totally awesome and comfortable to use! I was wavering before, but now I'm totally getting a Revolution now.

What next? A one handed mouse?

Since both the one-handed controller and the two-handed controllers have been done, I propose make 3-handed controllers! Now you can play all your favorite games with a friend, or two!

I thought the N64 controller was for 3 handed people

I actually liked the N64 controller a lot . Except for how fast the joystick wore out... this controller looks weird, and I'm almost disappointed ... but I'm a pretty rabid Nintendo fan, so I'll probably end up liking it, heh.

Check this video filmed during the presentation.

I don't have the controller, nobody has it. But the reviews in all the magazines that tried the control, after the initial mistrusting, was quite good (Gamespot/Gamespy, 1up, Eurogamer). If you can do half what the video shows, I may buy a Revolution after all.

Looks fascinating! Can't wait to see it used

I don't care if this is by Nintendo, it looks extreemly stupid to me. We've all used remote controls, how are they easy to use in any way with just pressing a few buttons, never mind trying to manipulate a d-pad at the same time?

I've never used one like this one

Did you read about how it works?

It's a one handed controller. The only thing I can think of is they have a trackball underneath. Otherwise if you have to move it around everywhere like in that video then I can only see it working for short novely games.

That really clarifies things

At first glance, I thought it was stupid. After watching that video, it looks like it could be a lot of fun.

This is definitely a different style of gaming. It reminds me of the EyeToy for the PS2 -- but much better.

I probably wont be buying a Revolution, but I will definitely be trying it out at local video game stores.

Um.. I have used these multi media presentation trackball thingies before. They are quite similar to this controller besides th fact that they don't have positioning. And believe me... after some time you feel that you're holding something in your hand.

Imagine playing with that controller for an hour. Your hand has to be floating all the time. How do you play games?
From time to time I like playing laying on my front, weight on the ellbows. Which won't be possible using this device.

Don't get me wrong, I'm think this is a neat idea. I'm sure we'll see some nice games for it. But I see the one or other problem. Like playing with friends in a crowded living room and punching each others eyes out.

Gives a whole new meaning to fighting games

I wonder how strong is the connecting wire between those two controller thingies? From the video it seemed like the cable length was just about OK for average for these people. The problem is that other people tend to be physically larger with longer hands.

Why is everyone so skeptical? Just look at how popular the Power Glove was for NES.

Hehehehe, that power glove was really useful! :-P

This thing is NEVER going to be a success.

What did the video show? All I saw was an animatino of the remote coming out of water or something and a bunch of fools waving them around. It didndt show that anything was actually happening with it

I can take my TV remote control and wave it around like them, doesnt mean it did anything though

It does look cool though.

I have been checking forums during most of the night. I find funny that people ask how they will be playing their Madden games.

In twenty years, when Nintendo is no more and Microsoft dominates unchallenged the game show room, you will ask where innovation was left. With some luck, you will find this thread back ;-)

I could see potential interest for DDR fans. Not only would you have to tap your feet in the right spots, but move your arms in the right direction also. FPS's are going to have new depth, too (tilt the controller up/down/left/right, your view aims up/down/left/right, and the joystick in your other hand moves you forward/back/left/right). Here's another link about it:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143782
My first reaction to seeing the controller was 'wtf?' ..then I read these articles, and now its OMG!

The 1up article was very enlightening. Read it in its entirety before commenting! I'm extremely surprised (as I'm sure we all are) but after careful deliberation I'm delighted to see game control finally moving in a different direction.

I personally will definitely avoid a Revolution for this reason. Besides being restricted to one button, the thing that worries me most is the red cross taped to the floor so that users stood in the right place. I'm sure it'll be lots of fun being punished by the games machine for having moved a little too much during play.

This feels more Virtua Boy than DS to me.

Anybody who owned a PC already had an analogue joystick port, I expect many had analogue joysticks - apparently undeterred that they hadn't surfaced on other computers for about 10 years.

The X was there because what was shown was a demo, and it showed the maximun distance, not the exact point. That is, you were able to go nearer, but not farther than that cross, according to reviews.

For your next statement, I quote myself ;-)

You can still rotate your wrist from this position, so I imagine it would work for most games. The 1up article even mentioned that a calmer, resting position was more effective for the metroid prime demo.

It isn't ...

The N64 pseudo-analog joystick was quite different in usage from anything I think existed for the PC, so it is still something I would call innovative.

At the end of the day, a good interface is one that stops feeling like an interface so that from that point on you don't think "I want to move left - that means... the A key - I'll press the A key" but instead just "I want to move left - I am moving left". The means of communication stops entering your conscious mind. The true test of the Nintendo controller will be how well it is able to do that but the test the market will apply is whether it looks stupid. Which it does.

For my money, I see it becoming uncomfortable for more than short periods of play. Which will completely defeat any control transparency. The market is also usually hostile to this sort of thing - for example towards the Sega Activator or almost any of the various fishing controllers. How many people do you know that have one?

Of course it is nonsensical to ask how the games we are used to will be adapted to the thing because that really isn't what it is for. With that in mind I don't see the Revolution as a gaming device as we currently understand them. Consider trying to play International Superstar Soccer on it, or even any existing Mario game. As that isn't going to happen, the Revolution is simply not a product targetted at me or at most of the existing game market.

I expect Nintendo will open up their own unique little market for this and continue being what they are now - a profitable but unimportant little company remembered for being a bully when it used to be a giant.

Well it wasn't innovative in that nothing like it had been seen before, but it's fair enough to say that the earlier efforts had not caught a mass market audience - so it was an innovative application of an existing idea. See, e.g. the Voltmace sticks for the Acorn computers - which even included a proper ADC converter for their joystick rather than a PC style quick, but incredibly clever, hack.

What's probably more interesting is how quickly Nintendo's quick idea appeared on the other consoles. No doubt if the Revolution controller works then it's general ethic won't be a Nintendo exclusive idea for long.

Of course, as a developer, if you're uncomfortable crafting your game to take advantage of the rev controller, you can always take the banal route and use the gamecube ports on the top of the console. It's not like you're locked into using the funky nunchaku controller.

But will the thing ship with a Gamecube controller, or will you simply be cutting off 90% of Nintendo's already terminally declining market share?

A funny quote from Nintendo, courtesy of the BBC: "If we can't [convert new users to gaming who were scared off by the fast pace of existing games], we might as well stand back and watch the market die off" - Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata. Typical Nintendo, confusing their fiefdom for the entire market!

I don't know you, but from experience:

• If Microsoft becomes the leader, you would probably use the same XBox360 for 6 years until a little company creates their FireBox console and they are forced to update it. I hope you enjoy stagnation!

• If Sony becomes the leader, you will end up with a couple of thousand console that can play videos, connect to internet, play mp3s, refrigerate your bedroom and wash your dishes. Games? Who needs games, you would have plenty of Blu-ray movies to watch, like Hulk, Spider-Man and Lord of the Rings. From time to time Sony will launch new versions of its PS3, like the PS3 Shuffle and the PSP3. I hope you enjoy old movies!

Like it or not, Nintendo is the only one that takes risks. NES, Game Boy and SNES worked. Virtual Boy and N64 didn't. Nintendo knew they were not going to lead the market with GC, but instead they developed a console to have profit, and it worked. The GBA SP worked, the GB Micro seems to be working quite fine in Japan. Nintendogs worked, with over 1.5m copies sold around the world (and without European and Australian releases). The DS, like it or not, worked.

For the health of the game industry, I hope Revolution will work. I don't want, as I see now, that all the games GC, PS2 and XBOX get have also a PC port.

Well, if you want a more old school type gameplay:

My initial reaction was "WTF!?" too. But then I read the articel and now I think I'll have to start saving... no, start getting a job is more like it!

And stopping by a shop to pick up a controller is some sort of herculean task? For some reason that didn't stop the millions of PS2/Xbox/Cube owners who happily went out and grabbed another controller (or three) when they needed one.

Is this an oblique reference to Nintendo's 1991 pronouncment that they didn't intend to bring the SNES to Europe for a few years because they thought the 8bit market still had a lot of life in it? Of course they quickly reversed that little idea, surprising as it was given that they probably never made a profit with the NES in Europe anyway.

NES: didn't work in Europe. Well known for maintaining dominance using illegal measures, such as locking third party companies into not producing the same titles for other consoles for two years and for tight control over who was allowed to produce how many copies of what and how many titles they could bring to the market in a year.

Game boy: came to market after the Atari Lynx. The Lynx design was complete and ready to be shipped in 1987 at which point it was shown to various industry insiders and bought by Atari who cleverly sat on it for two years.

SNES: Sega had a 16bit console. NEC claimed to have one. Nintendo made one. Which was good, because otherwise who would have been innovative enough to remove the blood from Mortal Kombat or cleverly sign deals for a CD addon with two separate big multinationals then release neither?

No it's not. But if a console comes with one particular controller and is marketed around that controller with most of the first party titles (which are all that really matter on Nintendo consoles now anyway) being designed exclusively for that controller do you suppose that controller or the legacy support for the old style controller will be more prevalent amongst users?

I wonder if they will release a wireless version of the analog joystick addition... that would reduce a lot of the "strain" potentially caused by that dinky cord. Also, I was wondering, there is a power button in the upper left of the controller. When you rotated it to play old-style games, wouldn't that be kinda err... dangerous? (as in, you might hit the power button accidently?)

I think the power button is indented in the controller so you would probably just slide over it.

I was thinking the same thing about the analogue stick.

Irrelevant.

The point I made was that developers have the option to use the more conventional gamecube controller if they so desire, and I've gone so far as to suggest that rev owners would be happy to acquire a cube controller (assuming they don't already have one) if they need one. The ball is entirely in the third party court as to which controller they go with, but the choice is there.

Well, I think that the console will require you to confirm the shutdown if you do that in the middle of a game (i.e. not in idle mode). At least that would be a good decision in my opinion.

With all due respect, my arguments concerning how readily Revolution owners are likely to buy Gamecube controllers sounds entirely relevant to your discussion which includes the concept of how happily Revolution owners will feel buying Gamecube controllers. I don't know, maybe it's a language barrier thing.

I just hope that standby isn't akin to standby on existing televisions/videos, i.e. still using something like 70% of the power of being fully switched on. We're already heading for an oil crisis, you know.

Oh, I suppose that's a distinct possibility. Go figure.

It's also possible that the GameCube ports (including memory card slots) are not available for use with Revolution games. We just don't know.

The test the ,aerket will aplly is not really "does it look stupid". The market will take a look at the controll say "ooooooooooah?" then look at the graphics and puy the PS3 which they wanted to bu anyway, because the advertisment told them so.

That's true. Who could have guessed that a PS2 would require a PS1 memory card for saving from PS1 games?

EDIT:

Yeah, like that time they embraced New Coke, it having had a strong media launch.

True... but still, that would be dang annoying, especially if it was relativly easy to push. Perhaps there will be a way to tell the revoltion not to respond to "remote" shutdown commands during a game?

Remember, it is a prototype, the final version, as Mr Iwata said, may change. The control will have a Power switch, but it may be hidden below a small slider. Or, most likely, you will need to keep it pressed for a couple of seconds.

Remember, Nintendo controls are known to be reliable. Even the GC control, which at first may scare, is considered one of the best of all times.

Indeed, but that seems highly doubtful. Doing so would instantly negate a major selling point to third party developers: control options. Although Nintendo has done some rather idiotic things in the past... we'll just have to see.

Don't drink and type, kids! Sorry, I had to say that.

No, you might spill some. Also remember: it's only binge drinking if you don't do it every day.

The power button is indented. In a resting state, the top of the button is about the same level of the face around it.

Best quality pictures I seen of it. Just click on them to view the full image (and maybe use that show in actual size if your browser is configured to reduce the size of an image if it's too big.

And for those that haven't seen it, here is the controller from the Philips CDI, another "not traditional gaming" system with a controller based on a remote control:

{"name":"DVC02205.JPG","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/b\/a\/ba5c241da63d4b0490e2a5ab59edee75.jpg","w":243,"h":534,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/b\/a\/ba5c241da63d4b0490e2a5ab59edee75"}

Here's the one from the Commodore CDTV:

{"name":"joypad2.jpg","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/3\/a\/3a115814a226caab1dc6449de66f6c51.jpg","w":432,"h":143,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/3\/a\/3a115814a226caab1dc6449de66f6c51"}

I just wonder if Nintendo will ever be able to achieve the same mass market penetration as those machines.

.

Yes, I remember walking into game shops and oogling all those wonderful CD-I gam... wait, nevermind.

The point really is the control by free movement of the controller. I don't know anything quite like the announced Revolution controller. There was a Sidewinder gamepad with a gyroscope built in to control movement by tilting the thing, but it was rather sluggish, few games were designed for it and not precise enough for most things. I hope that this works much better.

Yeah, and what about the CDTV? I mean, what decent games ever came out for the Commodore Amiga?

It's going to be great for Mario Party and Wario Ware. But for other games imagine people are going to have to use it it's NES position because otherwise they'll get tired.

It also only seems to have A and B firebuttons and I'm wondering if this is a mistake? I would say 4 would be a good number for games now.

Even though I don't like the idea, I think the design is not very different from remote controls now, which is a big negative for me..

But two is the same number as the GBA and DS!

The most recent Powerbooks have a gyroscope type thing that detects two angles of rotation from the horizontal and downward velocity, which is designed to quickly take the data heads off the hard drive in the event of someone dropping the thing so as to prevent data loss.

Instead many have written code to use that feature as a control device for games. This page describes Neverball (the GPL Super Monkey Ball alike) as particularly good for it.

The little extension thing has more buttons on it, so that should help a little.

Why?

The DS has a SNES feel to it's button controls (A,B,X,Y,L,R,START,SELECT,D-pad)

You're right, bothering to fact check reveals that while the GBA has two primary buttons the DS has four. I was wrong about that.

You should read Mr. Iwata speech to understand the whys.

• Nintendo cannot beat Microsoft and Sony machines hardware-wise. They cannot afford to lose the money MS and sony will.

• Nintendo public is the family. In a standard family (father, mother, two children), it is most likely both children play, while the parents watch.

• Nintendo wants to expand the amount of players. Right now they have two. They want to have the four, including father and mother, playing. Half it is already achieved: a child don't call his dads to show how he is f***ing a woman in a car in GTA, or how he just snipped the head of a soldier in [insert your FPS game here], but he may call him to play a soccer, american football, or hockey game with him. Currently, most parents don't do that.

• One of the reasons Nintendo discovered through feedback and studies is that grown ups cannot control the joystick. Too many buttons.

• However, a similar control like the remote control is used by all the family without complain. They are used to it, know how to handle it, how to pick it up, choose, move, and throw into the table without fearing.

• A controller that fits the "remote control" paradigm, that is, that anyone can pick and use without being afraid, would bring a lot of public who right now cannot understand why there are so many buttons in the controls.

• Who hasn't moved to a side when playing a simulator trying to dodge an asteroid? Or pressed the buttons hard to get a better punch, or imagined using a weapon to shoot the NPCs?

It is fine some people cannot understand what this means to the game industry. Some are just too "classic" and afraid of changes, while others are more open. Not everyone goes for a Linux or OSX, people prefer using the classic Windows. They may have tried and rejected the change for several reasons, that is fine. But most don't because they are just used to it. That is not right, you should try and test it yourself. I see people in these forums encouraging to try Linux, Firefox and so many other free stuff. This is the same. It is a completely new way of playing games, of interacting with games.

Sure, the CD-I had a similar control. When was that? 10 years ago? Changes don't happen anytime, they need a time, a place, an environment. I believe this is the right time, place and environment. Gamers want new sensations. They want new games, not the same cricket, soccer or american football rebranded again and again. Why you think people buy DSs (never mind if it is selling better or worse or similar to the PSP), because it is "cool"? PSP is "cool", DS isn't. It is heavy, big, with small screens. Why people buy it anyways, why it gets so many good reviews? Because it brings innovation at the right time. People want new games, Nintendogs, Brain Exercises and Adult Training show that.

That is why I think Nintendo will succeed, not in being the best selling company, but instead in marking where the path leads. And no doubt, Sony and Microsoft will follow.

All I'm saying Rey is that the design of the controller may restrict the type of games that can be played with it. Or at least played with it in its one handed position..

I can see it being good for party games or simpler family games, but not for games such as Mario or Zelda.

Zaphos: I would have liked the design to look more stylish than what they have come up with. But this is only my personal opinion of course.

I am interested to know why you feel that the time, place and environment conditions are now fulfilled when they weren't 14 years ago.

Given that Nintendo had quite a lot to do with the CDI and it's almost certain that most of the significant people there used one on several occasions, they obviously agree but that is beside the point.

Perhaps someone could locate and dust off Hotel Mario or Zelda's Adventure and tell us?

It just seems that people think it's Nintendo therefore it must be good. I'm uncomfortable with that kind of blind faith, having experienced the opposite with several companies (Atari, Commodore, etc..)

Thomas: Ok, I phrased that too loosely. I was refering to the platform style of Mario games and the 3D adventure style of Zelda games.

You have a point, but their idea (as I see it) is not to fit into the ubiquitous genres we're restricted to now, but to create new ones. Sure, some of the old ones won't fit very well, but that's a risk they are willing to take.

This happens with Sony and MS as well.

Don't bad mouth the Amiga! There were a huge wast number of excellent games.

Do not fear: I was being sarcastic! All the higher forms of wit eluded me.

The Zelda game plays in the style of the SNES equivalent. Unfortunately the CDI Mario game that would have been equivalent to the SNES Marios was cancelled, despite looking really great. Perhaps it is telling that the developers recommended players go out and buy the plug in console style controller for it.

Personally I would have much prefered to see something similar to the Speedking Joystick (IMHO the best one button joystick made..)

I can't get that video link to work, but here's some stuff off IGN:
"At a glance" - general controller info for lazy people
"The Possibilities" - taking existing game genres and seeing how this controller could apply to them
Teaser video - shown in japan
Keynote video - includes same teaser video, and has Satoru Iwata explaining why, and whatnot.
ign editors' responses - much the same of what has been discussed here, but sometimes more intelligent
third party supporters - their 'official' opinions on revolution

Marcello

Strange, I do But then, you need to twist your mind a little more: What is the pad in the main control? Basically buttons. So, what if the final design of the controller, instead of being a pad like it is now, it is four buttons, like the PSP or the right side of the DS? Out of nowhere, you just got four buttons for a fighting game, plus a big A button for a special power, and another button on the bottom for blocking.

I could begin pointing that Nintendo DS is selling [at least] as good as the PSP. It does not offer [for now] movie playback, internet browsing, mp3 playing, but people buy it. I guess it is because they are looking for something innovative, and the touch screen and the games written for it are innovative.

[Detractors say] Nintendogs isn't a game, and that people can fetch a real puppy and not a Tamagotchi clone, but yet it is selling well enough. 1.5m copies around the world. Sure, GTA may probably sell much more, but then, GTA is a game, and Nintendogs isn't.

Work your Brain and Gentle Exercises aren't games, just exercises, and yet they are selling very well in Japan. In fact, industry observers barely remember games that have been in the weekly chart for that long (between 3 and 4 months now).

Technology advanced enough to be useable. It is cheap, and it may be limited but it works. You have a restriction of 3 meters, but I have yet to see someone playing a console game more than one meter away. And, as I read in another forum, technology is peaking. Adding more polygons to a face won't make it look much better than now. Having more speakers around won't make you listen better. However, it is still possible to make the control simpler and better.

Nintendo waited until PS3 and XBox360 showed more of the same. Better graphic quality, less lag, but basically the same games, the same controllers, the same ideas. And once they made sure the gamers were wondering which was better to buy, they presented a new alternative. As I read in another comment, it is not whether you get an XBox360, PS3 or Revolution, it is whether you get an XBox360 or PS3, and a Revolution or not.

Not necessary, download The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess trailer for GC, notice how action passes, and imagine now how you could control what you are seeing there.

I could just see people looking goofy with this thing, using it like a wand or steering wheel in games, but that makes them more fun I guess. However I'm sure regular "oldschool" controllers will be released as well for those who aren't used to the new controller, though you'd have to buy them separately it looks. Well it looks better than the PS3 controller... it looks like a boomerang

Somewhere I read it is better to have nunchakus than boomerangs

We should have a 'next generation controller mockup' competition!

RP: my thoughts exactly, mine would be a photoshoped controller covered entirely by buttons or various controller parts (buttons, joysticks, analog thumb, triggers, etc).

Anyway, they are all wrong.
The true gaming devices of tomorrow shall be mind controlled or shall not be. And thus if we're quick enough the first of those new generation console will be Allegro 5 powered.

I personally cannot wait for Madden NFL on the Revolution. I hope I have to throw the wand against the TV to simulate a pass, and then catch it off the bounce in order for my receiver to make the grab.

Kicking field goals will be fun. I suppose I'll have have someone hold the wand up on the floor, while I kick it across the room. I never have been good at kicking.

What would be very slick is if the Revolution had backward compatibility for NES joysticks. Imagine the possibilities....

You could be running on the power pad, with the right hand equipped with the power glove and light gun, and the left hand with the magic wand... Games like Metroid and Megaman would come to life.

Not to mention the possibility of football rioting!

Leisure Suit Larry will never be the same again..

Aren't Leisure Suit Larry and various "Adult Japanese Dating Entertainment Experience" games more suitible for the Nintendo DS? wink

I saw the teaser video, and the swordfighting won me over! <3

Anyone got a link that isn't from IGN... their javascript seems broked in both IE and Firefox here, I can't view either video, IE basically stopped responding and FF just didn't do a thing when clicking the links. Argh!!!

All the links and the video worked fine with FF1.06/Gentoo for me

Gamespy has the full unveiling presentation.

I just think it's great that Nintendo actually have the courage to do something different! A move like this is risky at best, but if they just did what ever other company does (new console <-> faster processing + more memory, nothing else) then the gaming world would be in danger of becoming stale.
Nintendo are opening up new possibilities in gaming, while their competitors just look at their bank accounts and shake their heads at new ideas.
If I buy one of the next generation consoles, it will certainly be Nintendo's.

As for the controller itself, I reckon it should probably have 4 buttons on the bottom half instead of 2 - that way it would be more easily adapted to older games by using the sideways position. But we'll just have to wait and see. What they've shown us is not the final product, it is just a prototype.

Watch the video It explains that you'll beable to get "expansions" for the standard remote that can be in any shape, the "nunchuck" extenstion may come with the unit on release, but it wouldn't be a stretch to see more "normal" controller extensions that just plug into the revolution controller.

I watched the presentation video. Mr. Iwata said exactly that.

As stated, you should be able to use GC controllers, or maybe you could plug it into a shell.

(Edited:

I believe (if I heard correctly) that Mr. Iwata said the nunchuck controller will be included in the package. So, at the minimun, it will come with the console, and one full controller.)

(Edited 2: By the way, knowing that GB is an extremely "cool" country, it should be encouraging for Nintendo that the BBC poll shows a 50% virtual tie between hit and miss about the new control).

(Edited 3: By the way, read this story in full. I quote just one paragraph:

(Mark DeLoura, Manager, Developer Relations at Sony Computer Entertainment America)

It is me or just Nintendo did what they are just begining to plan?)

The translation (to me) made it sound like they were discussing it, its likely to happen, but not a final decision.

He did? Cool, I'm starting to like this guy.

Nintendo are doing all the ground breaking work, and meanwhile people like Microsoft and trying to muscle in on the money.
I wonder if Microsoft will ever start making money from the X-Box. I heard that they made a pretty heavy loss on the first one, and that it's quite likely that they'll still won't break even on the 360.

I don't think it's a totally alturistic approach from Nintendo. They have realised they cannot compete with Sony and Microsoft in terms of money, pricing and hardware, so they are attempting to make a new sub-market to compete in (and dominate).

Maybe true, but still it brings more benefits to gamers than what Sony and Microsoft are doing. So I say this: even if they are doing it for profit, I like what they are doing.

What you guys seem to forget is that innovation and good ideas - even good games doesn't actually equal success. Bad marekting will spoil the chances (see Dreamcast launch).
And the nintendo marketing wasn't that spectacular in the near past.

From the VGCats forums.
I just don't get it. Why would Nintendo make a controller like that?

I'm certainly not forgetting that. That's why I said that the whole thing was risky. In fact, I'd dare say that the Revolution won't be a smashing success story. But I do think that Nintendo will (probably) be offering the better product.
Yes, there have been many times in the past when a superior product has been beaten by superior marketing; I guess it's because people tend to buy what they are told to buy rather than taking the time to research and think. It's more than likely that Sony will beat Nintendo with marketing.

Actually, in his speech Mr. Iwata basically says that hardcore gamers will get tired of "common" games as presented by PS3 and XBox360, because each new version is just the same game with the same type of controls with just more non-interactive content (like different video animations) and just more polygons. I agree with him, who wouldn't?

Following the same approach they did with the Game Boy Micro and games like Nintendogs, they are trying to increase the gaming base. That is not something altruistic indeed. But the way they are trying to do it will benefit the whole industry. Since the begining the gaming industry wanted to give the player better sensations. Duck hunting, Nintendo bazooka, Genesis Menacer, Nintendo mouse, DS voice recognition, DS touch screen, controllers with the shape of a car or plane controller, rumbling, wireless controllers...

Nintendo new controller adds, does not substract. And I think it is the closer Nintendo decided to advance without trying virtual reality, something they know it is still not polished enough. As Sony representatives said in an interview, companies take less and less risk. Actually, there has been one company who always takes risk to make better games, not better hardware. It is costing them dearly indeed, they passed from 70m NES consoles to 50m SNES to 19m GC consoles, but they at least remember that gameplay is everything.

VG Cats rules

haha I was waiting for the web comics the instant I saw the first picture

I still don't think many people are going to buy it.