Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has explained how the DS has paved the way for the looming Revolution, with the games firm now able to communicate non-traditional game system concepts to a mainstream and hardcore gamer audience.
"It's going to be a challenge to take something that's a new concept and new idea and convey to the public ... how to understand it, but honestly I think the Revolution controller is going to be a lot easier to convey to the public than the DS was as a system," Iwata told CNN this morning. "We've learned a lot in terms of how to communicate to people these new and different ideas and because of the experience we had with the DS, we're much more prepared."
Iwata moved on to underline his dream of (profitably) making every member of every able to jump into videogames. "Until now, within a single household, we've had family members who play video games and family members who don't play video games - and they've been very separate," he explained. "Gradually, the barriers between those two have gotten stronger. Today, if you don't understand the controller, you're not able to enjoy video games. We expect the Revolution controller to become the standard in video game controls," which is something of a bold claim given the 'joypad' is pretty well understood by everyone. It's just that they have too many buttons on them for grandma to comprehend.
Seriously, Nintendo could save itself loads of time in the expensive arena of hardware research and development if it released a cut down version of the NES pad with its next machine, featuring two buttons: one emblazoned with the word 'START' and the other with 'DO'. Grandma would get that in a flash.
Joking aside, Iwata did mention that the controller can open doors to those unhappy with controlling first-person shooters with standard gamepads. “I was a developer for many years before my current role, but I've never been a very good gamer," he said. "I've never been able to control a first-person shooter, but as soon as I used the Revolution controller, I found it very easy to control the game. So, I think that's a genre that's particularly well suited for the controller.”
"It's going to be a challenge to take something that's a new concept and new idea and convey to the public ... how to understand it, but honestly I think the Revolution controller is going to be a lot easier to convey to the public than the DS was as a system," Iwata told CNN this morning. "We've learned a lot in terms of how to communicate to people these new and different ideas and because of the experience we had with the DS, we're much more prepared."
Iwata moved on to underline his dream of (profitably) making every member of every able to jump into videogames. "Until now, within a single household, we've had family members who play video games and family members who don't play video games - and they've been very separate," he explained. "Gradually, the barriers between those two have gotten stronger. Today, if you don't understand the controller, you're not able to enjoy video games. We expect the Revolution controller to become the standard in video game controls," which is something of a bold claim given the 'joypad' is pretty well understood by everyone. It's just that they have too many buttons on them for grandma to comprehend.
Seriously, Nintendo could save itself loads of time in the expensive arena of hardware research and development if it released a cut down version of the NES pad with its next machine, featuring two buttons: one emblazoned with the word 'START' and the other with 'DO'. Grandma would get that in a flash.
Joking aside, Iwata did mention that the controller can open doors to those unhappy with controlling first-person shooters with standard gamepads. “I was a developer for many years before my current role, but I've never been a very good gamer," he said. "I've never been able to control a first-person shooter, but as soon as I used the Revolution controller, I found it very easy to control the game. So, I think that's a genre that's particularly well suited for the controller.”
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Comments
fluffstardx 16 Dec 2005 14:45
1/8
The big problem Ninty have next is getting FPS creators to get on board. Sure, the controller is perfect for the task; what about programming for it? Surely, that's the REAL difficulty of the Rev - programming for the sensors...
LUPOS 16 Dec 2005 15:10
2/8
i dont think it woudl be hard at all... just translate the input directly to movement with your standardish... get x of controller loop if x of controller is not = to previous x, change x of camera... yadda yadda. same as a joy stick really... the real trick will be seeign if they take advantage of the other axis' available... will i get to throw grenades? hold in the "a" button cock the controller back over your shoulder and lob it... releaseign "a" at just the right time... of course that coudl hurt actual gameplay by making the delay bewtween grnade throw and shooting to long... fast games liek quake wouldnt take wll to such a methode but slower goldeneye sorts might do well with it. and then the tilt sensing... peeking around a corner coudl now be done much more naturally than before as it will just require tipping the controller left or right instead of holding a button.
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Jay 16 Dec 2005 15:34
3/8
LUPOS wrote:
hold in the "a" button cock the controller back over your shoulder and lob it... releaseign "a" at just the right time... of course that coudl hurt actual gameplay by making the delay bewtween grnade throw and shooting to long...
Not to mention your TV, if you end up lobbing the controller at it by mistake.
Joji 16 Dec 2005 16:31
4/8
I'm sure Nintendo know what they are doing. Look forward to trying FPS on Rev with this new controller.
Only a couple of months to go til E3, bring it on.
Only a couple of months to go til E3, bring it on.
OptimusP 16 Dec 2005 18:22
5/8
Whats with everyone saying it ould be hard to incorporate the controller into a FPS. Retro Studio's applied it in a matter of weeks into MP2 and it worked perfect, hell... the general opinion of everyone who had the privilige to use it was "better then a mouse".
It's not hard to implement, what is hard is to create completly orginal gameplay with the controller.
It's not hard to implement, what is hard is to create completly orginal gameplay with the controller.
jodo4 17 Dec 2005 00:04
6/8
Actually, it'll be easier to make original titles with much more control, also we have to consider that the revolution is not done with what it can do....
Like ds, way new games, although Kirby's Canvas Curse was really diffrent didn't stop it from being fun, or how about Truama Center? New ways to play open more original (and life-like) ways of playing.
Like ds, way new games, although Kirby's Canvas Curse was really diffrent didn't stop it from being fun, or how about Truama Center? New ways to play open more original (and life-like) ways of playing.
BustyKrusty 17 Dec 2005 05:50
7/8
Everybody just wants to make a superb good looking game.sometimes i really get the feeling N will be left in the dark when all those next-gen games keep announcing and not a word for N.
Hopefully there's some significant 3rd party support backing up Nintendo with more than a few empty words
Hopefully there's some significant 3rd party support backing up Nintendo with more than a few empty words
jodo4 18 Dec 2005 15:12
8/8