News
September 22nd, 2005, 02:02 AM
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With the anticipation of the wave of Next-Gen consoles, many gamers are wondering what kind of peripherals are going to come with the game systems at launch. Nintendo has released some information about their controller for their console the Revolution. This controller is going to be so radically different from any controllers that are available right now that the types of games that are developed for the Revolution are going to seem endless.
The first thing that is going to be totally different is the look. The Revolution Controller looks like a remote that would come with your television. The controller is described to be a “free hand style” controller and a “pointer”. The pointer interacts with a sensor bar that is placed somewhere near your television, whether it be above or below it. Because of the two sensors that are located in the bar, it communicates with the controller via Bluetooth technology. Because of this, a player can move objects and characters with the wave of their hand. The sensors will be able to distinguish up, down, left, and right movements. It will also detect depth as well. Basically anything you can do with your hands, it’s a good chance it will recognize the movement.
The free hand unit has an on/off button, a D-pad and three gameplay face buttons. One of them being a huge A button placed right below the D-pad which will function as the main action button. Along with those buttons are three menu type buttons which are select, home, and start. The function of the home button is not known yet, but it will probably act as a link to a dashboard similar to the one on the PSP. There is also a B trigger button located on its underbelly underneath the D-pad. The B trigger will also function as a main action button such as to fire a weapon in a first person shooter. Plus the bottom of the unit can be removed exposing slots for any add-on peripherals that it may have. Blue LED indicator lights are placed near the bottom to show what port the controller is using. The controller will also have force feedback and can be turned on its side so gamers can play NES games like from back in the day on the Revolution.
The controller is going to run on batteries. There has been talk of having rechargeable batteries and a charging dock which may be in development. Add-ons will connect using cables instead of wirelessly, so there isn’t an overabundance of battery usage. It is also likely that gamers will be able to use two pointers to do detailed gameplay functions such as playing drums. Even though the Revolution supports up two four players, all the players cannot have dual controllers.
There are many add-ons that Nintendo has planned for the new controller, but only two of them are known. One is a nun chuck style peripheral. The other is a like a regular controller shell. The nun chuck add-on attaches to the bottom of the free hand unit with a cable and can be held in one hand. The stick has an analog stick on its top and two Z triggers on its bottom. The stick will enhance the function of the pointer and would be good for use with first person shooters. The analog stick will move the player around the environment while the pointer acts as a gun. This will make movement so smooth and accurate; it will be like using a mouse.
As for the controller shell, it will be designed to look and function like the traditional controllers that are still around. The Revolution controller will be placed into the shell so gamers can still have the old school experience but with a twist. The sensors are still working. Gamers will have more buttons and two analogs sticks and still have the motion sensing functionality. Nintendo hasn’t officially shown a design for the shell yet. Donkey Kong bongo and a light gun may also be projected as some other expansion peripherals.
The sky’s the limit for the types of games that can use the functionality of this type of controller. The pointer may be used as a tennis racquet or a baseball bat. In a sequel to Luigi’s Mansion the pointer may act as a flashlight. You could even use two controllers as the handles of a jump rope. Even though Nintendo hasn’t released all the features of this controller, you still can’t beat the functionality. If you include all the compatible expansions for this controller, there is no telling how much fun gamers will have.
By: Mike Gallegos
With the anticipation of the wave of Next-Gen consoles, many gamers are wondering what kind of peripherals are going to come with the game systems at launch. Nintendo has released some information about their controller for their console the Revolution. This controller is going to be so radically different from any controllers that are available right now that the types of games that are developed for the Revolution are going to seem endless.
The first thing that is going to be totally different is the look. The Revolution Controller looks like a remote that would come with your television. The controller is described to be a “free hand style” controller and a “pointer”. The pointer interacts with a sensor bar that is placed somewhere near your television, whether it be above or below it. Because of the two sensors that are located in the bar, it communicates with the controller via Bluetooth technology. Because of this, a player can move objects and characters with the wave of their hand. The sensors will be able to distinguish up, down, left, and right movements. It will also detect depth as well. Basically anything you can do with your hands, it’s a good chance it will recognize the movement.
The free hand unit has an on/off button, a D-pad and three gameplay face buttons. One of them being a huge A button placed right below the D-pad which will function as the main action button. Along with those buttons are three menu type buttons which are select, home, and start. The function of the home button is not known yet, but it will probably act as a link to a dashboard similar to the one on the PSP. There is also a B trigger button located on its underbelly underneath the D-pad. The B trigger will also function as a main action button such as to fire a weapon in a first person shooter. Plus the bottom of the unit can be removed exposing slots for any add-on peripherals that it may have. Blue LED indicator lights are placed near the bottom to show what port the controller is using. The controller will also have force feedback and can be turned on its side so gamers can play NES games like from back in the day on the Revolution.
The controller is going to run on batteries. There has been talk of having rechargeable batteries and a charging dock which may be in development. Add-ons will connect using cables instead of wirelessly, so there isn’t an overabundance of battery usage. It is also likely that gamers will be able to use two pointers to do detailed gameplay functions such as playing drums. Even though the Revolution supports up two four players, all the players cannot have dual controllers.
There are many add-ons that Nintendo has planned for the new controller, but only two of them are known. One is a nun chuck style peripheral. The other is a like a regular controller shell. The nun chuck add-on attaches to the bottom of the free hand unit with a cable and can be held in one hand. The stick has an analog stick on its top and two Z triggers on its bottom. The stick will enhance the function of the pointer and would be good for use with first person shooters. The analog stick will move the player around the environment while the pointer acts as a gun. This will make movement so smooth and accurate; it will be like using a mouse.
As for the controller shell, it will be designed to look and function like the traditional controllers that are still around. The Revolution controller will be placed into the shell so gamers can still have the old school experience but with a twist. The sensors are still working. Gamers will have more buttons and two analogs sticks and still have the motion sensing functionality. Nintendo hasn’t officially shown a design for the shell yet. Donkey Kong bongo and a light gun may also be projected as some other expansion peripherals.
The sky’s the limit for the types of games that can use the functionality of this type of controller. The pointer may be used as a tennis racquet or a baseball bat. In a sequel to Luigi’s Mansion the pointer may act as a flashlight. You could even use two controllers as the handles of a jump rope. Even though Nintendo hasn’t released all the features of this controller, you still can’t beat the functionality. If you include all the compatible expansions for this controller, there is no telling how much fun gamers will have.
By: Mike Gallegos