Nintendo reveal Revolution controller

one-handed game play from Nintendo

16 September 2005 14:35 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Nintendo has shown off its new controller for its next generation console, the revolution, today. However the games company shocked those expecting a conventional design used by other manufacturers Sony and Microsoft with a unit that requires only one-hand to use it.

Motion detector sensors in the controller, which resembles a TV remote, allows players to control the game by wielding it like a sword, waving it like a conductor's baton, or swinging it like a baseball bat depending on the game, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said in a keynote session at the Tokyo Game Show.

According to new agency Reuters, "It's designed like a TV remote because that's familiar to everyone including those who are intimidated by a two-handed controller," said Iwata. "Its intuitive form allows both experienced and new gamers to stand on the same starting line."

The company had kept its controller under careful wraps, fearing its rivals would copy its idea.

Nintendo's new controller is mainly operated by sensor, which it calls "a direct pointing device" even though it has a control pad and buttons. It also has an expansion to plug in a joystick-like second device.

"It's not a gimmick, and it's different," said Tokyo-based KBC Securities analyst Hiroshi Kamide. "It should get people interested," he said, although he added that he'd like to see the device in action in games.

Iwata said he was looking forward to seeing how developers will use the pointer, which could be used for both quick action or slow, precise motion. A Nintendo video during the keynote even showed one player using the controller as a dentists' drill.

Personally, we think it's a great idea. What other gaming console can you play a game and drink a beer or eat a pie at the same time.