Features// Tokyo Game Show: Nintendo - Revolution, more...

Only a d-pad, trigger (in the style of the N64 controller's z-trigger), one large face button and two smaller buttons are on the main controller. But that is only the 'main' controller, since at its base is an expansion connector that enables other parts to be added on. Iwata held the "nunchuk" expansion, which basically provides the middle prong of the N64's controller (analog stick and triggers) for the player's second hand.

Interestingly, Iwata pointed to the "nunchuk" expansion's potential in the FPS field: "This connector is the gateway to enormous possibilities for expansion. Today I have shown what we call the "nunchuk" style expansion controller. We are planning to include this controller as standard with the Revolution. In the FPS market, we believe the nunchuk controller will set the new standard. Using this controller, you can intuitively control a flashlight in the dark." The use of a 'flashlight' was also shown in that movie, as two players were seen to sneak through an FPS together. The potential uses in the Resident Evil and Metroid series are apparent.

So, why did Nintendo opt for this approach? Iwata revealed that Nintendo "faced the reality that within one family, there are people who will pick up a remote control but not a game controller. We thought it was the notion of moving right and left fingers separately and nimbly that was creating a [psychological] barrier. So we made [the Revolution controller] compact. Also, just like a TV remote, it can be manipulated with just one hand. Just as the touch pen did for the DS, the Revolution controller will enable all players to start from the same point. And with the nunchuk expansion, you can of course use two hands. It will provide you with a brand new feeling and fresh excitement for FPS and racing games."

Finally, Iwata focused on how to combat ever-rising game development expenses and increasing team sizes, highlighting recent DS hit Gentle Brain Exercises - which took four months to develop with a team of ten people - as a good example. Referring back to the Revolution controller, Iwata concluded: "With this new interface, even those teams with limited budget and few people will have great opportunities to create innovative software. Nintendo is willing to help bring these ideas to life. If seeing the controller today sparks any great ideas, Nintendo is waiting for your proposals. We are not only going to offer small and simple games with great ideas. We need to satisfy the novice gamers and the veteran gamers who are looking for big, deep game ideas. But it is the job of creators to continue to surprise people." And Nintendo certainly has done that today.

On the show floor, however, games for current Nintendo formats were in extreme scarcity. Sonic Riders showed some promise of replicating Snowboard Kids' unusual charms, but Shadow the Hedgehog was an utter mess. Okay, it's not due till December, yet sever frame-rate issues and periodic crashes gave Sonic a bad name, which he doesn't really deserve.

Slightly more uplifting were Sega's new GameCube-exclusive 3D beat 'em up, based on the popular Bleach Manga license. It played and looked like Samurai Shodown 3D, only with more extreme specials and less balanced gameplay. The stand-out DS title was also found on Sega's stand: Monkey Ball DS. But even this, with all its promise, didn't give us much of a kick. In fact, guiding our monkeys was hampered by a control scheme nicked from DS Kirby and (mis)translated to the 3D world of Monkey Ball DS. Guiding a monkey into a screen automatically blocks the player's view of action on the touchscreen. Weird. And that was Nintendo for another TGS. Weird and wonderful.