Well, today, Tokyo Game Show, the president of Nintendo: Satoru Iwata revealed for the first time what many have been considering the essential part of their upcoming Revolution: the controller.

Nintendo have always been insisting that they are going to re-revolutionise gaming like they did 20 years ago with the original NES, so that veteran gamers, and potential new gamers, can have a fresh start with video games, and a new, fresh experience, to do this, they have decided that the input methods should be revised and rewritten. This has been the secret behind the revolution for so long and many have wondered what it is gonna be, what is so revolutionary about it, and how it will run in the long term against it's competitors.

Here is IGN's own coverage of the new Revolution controller, as well as some exclusive playtests with the new toy. PLEASE read this first of all with a very open mind before any of you start replying right now with your flame bait...

I for one am very excited about this, at first I was very VERY unsure about this, and I'm the biggest Nintendo fanboy you'll find! But after reading more on this, and all of the possibilities this new interface opens up, it seems as if this could just redefine the standards of how games should be played.

The controller features a full 3D motion sensor, you hold it in one hand, and how you move the controller can affect what happens on your TV Screen. It also features an expansion device which is simply an anologue stick on a small device held in your other hand. After reading IGN's article on this, this opens up the potential for First Person Shooters on consoles to be just as great as their PC counterparts, as the new controller can allow for a full kind of '3D mouse' enabling you to look and precisely aim where you want to, something your 'conventional' twin analogue stick setup has been unable to do unlike your keyboard and mouse setup.

The potential for this is endless, and I feel that all Nintendo need to do now is to just grab a bigger handful of third party developers who are brave enough to experiment with the new interface, and this certainly is looking like the revolution it should be now. They already have Square Enix, Konami and Capcom on their side who are already working up ideas as I type on how this new method of play can be brought into new and exciting ideas for games.

Well played Nintendo, you have my vote once again!

Wow, it...looks like a DVD remote. Interesting. Heading to read more about it.

Jason

Well one of Nintendo's key aims is to attract a new generation of gamers with the revolution, people who may have been imitated by the complexity of modern controllers.

You're completely right in saying it looks like a dvd, or a tv or whatever remote, but think about it. If you were brand new to video gaming and picked up an XBox or PS2 controller, the buttons are all layed out, you have two analogue sticks, shoulder buttons etc, the analogs press down, I bet for new users something like that can be very confusing. To us obviously we know what they're all about and what to do with them, but I bet for an older person who remembers old arcade games or whatever they could simply be overwhelming...

Back to the remote thing, everyone uses a TV or a DVD player and yet there are more manufacturers for them than consoles, all with their own remotes, takes on them and whatnot. Yet still, we can pick up a remote and know what to do with it, its not really explainable, but its true.

Its naturally easily intuitive, and I think thats going to be one of the highlights of the revolution's controller, while at the same time, being able to do so much more than just react to buttons being pressed. Again I advise everyone to read the IGN article I linked to earlier and check out all the possibilities and new doors this opens up. This really could set a new standard in videogaming

I think you may be pretty much exactly right. After reading and watching some videos this morning, I have to say that I'm excited about this controller and its technology. I don't know what the mass market will do (the hardcore will p*** and moan, just like they did with the graphically gorgeous Zelda: The Wind Waker) but I can't wait for E3 '06 just so I can (hopefully) try this controller out with some real software.

When I think of all teh times I or others have wrenched our bodies all over the place, as if it would make any difference with your standard controller, I have to laugh about it. The cool thing is that now, it really *will* make a difference how I move and what I do. VERY cool.

I'd say Revolution is definitely shaping up to be, well, revolutionary. Chalk me up for a pre-order!

Jason

I didn't see it at first, but if you turn the remote 90 degrees counter-clock wise, it's very similar to the old school NES controllers...D-Pad and two buttons...sweet!

And I can't wait to slice-n-dice with this bad boy...lightsaber/sword battles are gonna friggin rule!

Only downfall I can see is calibration and all the issues that come with that.

Hey, if anyone can make it easy and friendly to use, Nintendo can I can't wait to get to E3 '06 now!

Jason

Thats how they plan on supporting controlling for the NES games you'll be able to download for it

As for the SNES and N64 games, Nintendo are still working on creating an expansion to plug in to the bottom of the controller which will allow those respective games to be played like they used to be

Good job Big N, now i hope that it is easy to use But i must admit that it looks better then the PS3 controller.

True, if you get frustrated with this one you can throw it without worry that it will fly back and knock your a** out

Jason

Well with a controller like that, the PS3 is sure to be a HUUUGE success in Australia.

I think it's best to reserve proper judgement on The Revolution's new controller until it can be seen used in actual applications. Although the sheer scope it can encompass is very promising. FPS games may actually become truly playable on consoles. I could never get to grips with 99% of them, because using 2 analog stiks felt clunky and unwieldy, although the 1% that I could play were all courtesy of Nintendo: Goldeneye and Metroid Prime 1 & 2. But that was down to the excellent layout of the joypads.

but we would never know how it feels exactly on how to hold it until release. sure microsoft and sony have alot of their "m" rated games but nintendo has still got their creativity!

Very interesting... It'll definately bring out a little more realism to the situation if you were to play a scary game like D3... some big monster jumps out at you and you get scared... raise your arms in shock, the person in the game gets "shocked" as well.

I'll definately be checking this out in stores when it comes out. Nintendo may have something here.

I just love the idea of being able to be in the sword fights in say a Zelda game, or hell, if Square bring some awesome ideas for their next Final Fantasy game on the revolution, imagine being able to wave your arms around and use the controller as some kind of magic wand lol.

The only limit that this controller can hit is that of the imagination behind the game developers... This has endless fun potential

I dont like it alot. But I think its cool because its very diffrent. I wonder if it will realy attracked older generations?