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Revolution Controller Still Has Secrets

by Steven Rodriguez - December 2, 2005, 4:33 pm EST
Total comments: 60 Source: Kotaku

Nintendo is still hiding something about the remote controller from us.

Today, at the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, the Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference was held. Speakers at the one-day event included Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Robin Walker of Valve, and Konami's Hideo Kojima, among others.

Nintendo had a presence at the conference too, in the form of Shigeru Miyamoto. Gaming blog Kotaku was there to see what Miyamoto had to say, and what he did will pique the interest of those looking forward to the Revolution, which is probably just about everyone that's reading this.

According to Shiggy, "there’s another secret" pertaining to the Revolution controller. What might that secret be? "...I’m not going to go into that here. That’ll be for a later date."

This secret may be anything from a small cosmetic change to the design of the controller to a feature just as revolutionary as the concept of the controller itself. Whatever it is, we're just going to have to speculate and salivate until Nintendo shows up at E3 in 2006, when all the details about Revolution will finally and completely be shown off.

Talkback

ShyGuyDecember 02, 2005

Hmm, what else could they hide in that thing? microphone?

BlackGriffenDecember 02, 2005

The controller either transforms into a giant robot that rampages through Tokyo

-or-

it's something like the click on the GC controller - an interesting idea with some potential that few if any developers will use.

BG

31 FlavasDecember 02, 2005

I think i'm going w/ the former. Tokyo hasn't been destroyed enough times.

WindyManSteven Rodriguez, Staff AlumnusDecember 02, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: 31 Flavas
I think i'm going w/ the former. Tokyo hasn't been destroyed enough times.


Actually, it's been destroyed countless times. Japan's disaster recovery system is so well implemented that any natural or unnatural disasters that occur can be recovered from within 3 hours, and no one outside of the affected areas will know about it.

NimbusDecember 02, 2005

It's an auto pizza order button. Once clicked four Ninja Turtles hurl from the nearest hole and feed you to death while some kind of hot women tell you how much you're sexy (the dream of a gamer).
No, it must be something else.

31 FlavasDecember 02, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: WindyMan

Actually, it's been destroyed countless times. Japan's disaster recovery system is so well implemented that any natural or unnatural disasters that occur can be recovered from within 3 hours, and no one outside of the affected areas will know about it.
Well, that's my point, I guess. What better way to add realizim to games then to let you actually destory Tokyo yourself! I mean its not like they have any trouble rebuilding it....

ArbokDecember 02, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: 31 Flavas
Well, that's my point, I guess. What better way to add realizim to games then to let you actually destory Tokyo yourself!


Been there, done that.

melee9yw.jpg

NephilimDecember 02, 2005

i would like to pretend godzilla was never made and that i didnt buy it face-icon-small-sad.gif

The A button is probably just pressure sensitive or something similarly meh. A built-in mic or mic-plug would be good news for the online games.

Bill AurionDecember 02, 2005

Yeah, I'm sure it'll be something fairly useless...You know, like when the final secret revealed for the DS was the touch screen...Oh wait, that wasn't useless at all!

EdisimDecember 02, 2005

maybe it's got directional force feedback...

MarioDecember 02, 2005

The controller projects images!

Either that, or it unfolds into an automobile.

Wait, I KNOW! It doesn't just move objects in games... it moves REAL THINGS!

BlackGriffenDecember 02, 2005

That's brilliant! The controller has a built in analog thing mover! Just put the controller against anything you want to move, push, and it moves! The controller is so well designed that it provides exactly the same amount of force feedback as if you were trying to push the object yourself!*

BlackGriffen

*Nintendo is not liable for damage to either the Nintendo Revolution Controller or whatever Thing you are using the controller to move.

KDR_11kDecember 02, 2005

maybe it's got directional force feedback...

Maybe it can travel faster than light.

Actio = Reactio. A force always causes a counterforce which means the rod cannot push to the right without pushing to the left at the same time unless you added some heavy object that could magnetically interact with the rod and create forces strong enough to move it (obviously wiping any credit cards nearby).

WuTangTurtleDecember 02, 2005

forget a mic, how about a webcam......................lawsuits here we come!

Nile BoogieDecember 02, 2005

It's "Light Sensitive". It reacts to the amount of light in the room.
It's "Sound Sensitive". Like the DS

-or-


It has laser pointer on it so you can see what you're pointing at on the screen.

IceColdDecember 02, 2005

Heh that can probably be easily done in game..

ruby_onixDecember 02, 2005

Quote

It has laser pointer on it so you can see what you're pointing at on the screen.

Win.

Hideo Kojima's game will come with a complimentary pack of cigarettes, to enhance the functionality.

Shiggy's new-franchise game will come with "that other kind" of cigarettes, to enhance the functionality even further.

EdisimDecember 02, 2005

hey, imagine if the controller had a glowing color changing LED on it. You could dim or turn off the lights and make trails with the LED while swinging away... or if it could extend a la thunder, thunder, thundercats! ha.

i'm not sure what you mean, kdr, but what i meant by directional force feedback wasn't that the analog stick would move--though that's not impossible, either. what i meant was that the remote could rotate about any axis. This is not difficult to achieve because because of an effect called counter-rotation. Helicopter propellers spin one way, and the body would spin the opposite way if not for the tail rotor... and, yes, it could and would work even on a small scale.

about force feedback for the analog stick: this is possible, too. you would simply need something on the underside of the stick (the side inside the body of the controller) in contact with it to move it. this could be achieved with to motors so there can be motion in two planes, or it can be done with piezoelectrics that would pull or push the controller in any direction.

mac<censored>December 02, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: ruby_onix
Shiggy's new-franchise game will come with "that other kind" of cigarettes, to enhance the functionality even further.

Now that's how you win the console war...

mac<censored>December 03, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: ruby_onix
Shiggy's new-franchise game will come with "that other kind" of cigarettes, to enhance the functionality even further.

Now that's how you win the console war...

nickmitchDecember 03, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: WindyMan
Quote

Originally posted by: 31 Flavas
I think i'm going w/ the former. Tokyo hasn't been destroyed enough times.


Actually, it's been destroyed countless times. Japan's disaster recovery system is so well implemented that any natural or unnatural disasters that occur can be recovered from within 3 hours, and no one outside of the affected areas will know about it.


I wish we would've had that here! face-icon-small-sad.gif

Oh, and the feature probably has something to do with the battery.

steveyDecember 03, 2005

"Nintendo is still hiding something about the remote controller from us."

Well duh, it's the top secret shell.

trip1eXDecember 03, 2005

Maybe the controller turns into a phone which allows you to chat with friends over wi-fi.

ssj4_androidDecember 03, 2005

Of course they say it has secrets. They don't want to let the hype die down amongst Nintendo fans. It's probably the shell that makes it like a traditional controller though. Either that, or that extra controllers will cost $30 or less. That would be nice.

Hostile CreationDecember 03, 2005

Well, since they sorta, y'know, already revealed that, I'm kind of doubting that's the secret.

BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusDecember 03, 2005

The reason people assume the shell is the secret is that a number of gaming publications reported it as a "rumored" attachment. Apparently reporters either can't remember anything unless someone shows them a picture of it or didn't even listen to Iwata's TGS speech.

Michael8983December 03, 2005

I'm pretty confident Nintendo will add an actual microphone to the already somewhat microphone shaped controller. Besides, it will be necessary for the Nintendogs of the next generation.

ThePermDecember 03, 2005

i always wanted pokemon with use of a mike

CalibanDecember 03, 2005

The "other secret" is that the controller has a voice recognition chip, well I really don't know but that's what I thought anyway.

nickmitchDecember 03, 2005

I think that the mic should just be a big ball that you put on the end of the controller. That way you can turn it upside down and enjoy some Karaoke Revolution Rev.

ThePermDecember 03, 2005

the controller can be switched onto auto-vibrate for the ladies

KDR_11kDecember 03, 2005

It works as a garage door opener.

EpitaphDecember 03, 2005

It has artificial inteligence and can destroy both the xbox 360 and ps3.

Stimutacs AddictDecember 03, 2005

it can be used to play xbox360 and ps3 games!

It slices, dices...AND CHOPS!

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

KDR_11kDecember 04, 2005

Someone on Slashdot said it doubles as a Fleshlight (don't google that at work!).

MarioDecember 04, 2005

If it was a mic why would they keep it a secret?

ViperVisorDecember 04, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: Mario
If it was a mic why would they keep it a secret?


Nintendo likes to keep secrets from us.

A MIC makes the most sense. Nintendo and others are already working on stuff using it for the DS and adding it to Rev increases its worth on the DS and Rev.

Bill AurionDecember 04, 2005

Ugh, it's not a freaking mic...

steveyDecember 04, 2005

Nintendo said that there are going to use the mario party 6/7/8(don't know which one) mic for the rev

Sir_StabbalotDecember 04, 2005

The controller can interact with R.O.B. the robot to TAKE OVER ZE WURLD!!!

wanderingDecember 04, 2005

Nintendo (Iwata, I think it was) shrugged off a mike when questioned about it. He didn't say they wouldn't include one, but he did note that including a mike wouldn't be any big deal/secret/revolutionary feature.

Oh, and curse this split discussion. As I said in the other thread, I think there's a good possibiliuty that one of the hidden features of the controller will be the ability to download games to it, and the ability to plug it directly into a tv to play.

trip1eXDecember 04, 2005

You aren't going to plug the controller into a tv either. What's the point of that? The controller is already wireless.



They have talked about not using a tv. Maybe they'll have some kind of virtual goggles like the virtual boy.

After all it's something they've worked on before. 10 years later or so the tech should be better.

Iremember a comment about how the Revolution is more like a handheld.

Oh yeah it's not a mic. That's really not something new. Nothing to keep secret there.

It's going to be along the lines of the touchscreen feature on the DS. Something new and innovative for videogames.




mantidorDecember 04, 2005

whatever it is I dont think it will be as big as what they revealed about the controller at TGS.

Nile BoogieDecember 04, 2005


Do you think that in a first person shooter, using the NRC, a developer would bother to show the weapon on the screen if you're actually holding it? What do you think is better, the character on screen mimicking your actions or you actions dictating what goes on around you. Do you really need to see Samus's Arm Canon on screen if it's in your hands?

ThePermDecember 04, 2005

err..id like both..and the option to turn it off

RABicleDecember 04, 2005

Why would you need to see your gun in an FPS? uh because that way you'll know what weapon you're using perhaps? If it's all about immersion these days, we need to see the things we would see in real life.

couchmonkeyDecember 05, 2005

The controller can tell if you're behind something, hence, "cover".

KDR_11kDecember 05, 2005

The gun needs to be shown since you might be pointing at something of-screen and the gun on the screen should reflect that. Plus you couldn't give someone a facefull of gun butt without a visible gun.

Nile BoogieDecember 05, 2005

Quote

Originally posted by: RABicle
Why would you need to see your gun in an FPS? uh because that way you'll know what weapon you're using perhaps? If it's all about immersion these days, we need to see the things we would see in real life.



What if you can tell what weapon you have just by looking at the controller? Or perhaps the controller will be able to transmit some sort of visual signal that can change based on the weapon you have in use? Lasers yo can see and junk like that.

Hostile CreationDecember 05, 2005

I imagine with the Rev controller, the gun would show up on the screen depending on where you held the controller. For example, if you let your arm down while walking around it might drop out of view, but it'd show up in an appropriate place on-screen while you shot.

Ian SaneDecember 05, 2005

Technically the shell isn't a secret since we know about it but we still haven't SEEN it and that might count as a "secret" in Nintendo's eyes. They do tend to think pretty highly of their own ideas and something as simple as that might considered a big deal to them.

I think at the very least it's an attachment and it probably relates to exactly what comes with each controller since we don't know that yet. We've been told about the shell and we've seen the nunchuk but we don't know exactly what we get as part of the standard yet.

We don't know the details about the batteries yet either. It might just be related to those.

I don't think it's a mic because there's really no need to have a mic on every controller. The DS has a mic but the DS is played by yourself. Yes you can play online and such but everyone playing has their own system. The Rev, being a console, is designed to accomodate having several people in a room at once playing on the same system. Having four mics that close to each other wouldn't work very well. They would be picking up sounds from the other players. Now a mic still is useful but I think it would work best if the console came with one mic to be passed around to others which is normal for microphone games. Each controller doesn't need one.

wanderingDecember 06, 2005

Quote

Technically the shell isn't a secret since we know about it but we still haven't SEEN it and that might count as a "secret" in Nintendo's eyes. They do tend to think pretty highly of their own ideas and something as simple as that might considered a big deal to them.

Well, the layout of the shell will be a surprise. Or at least it should be....because if it's just a wavebird I'd be pretty dissapointed. For those of you who don't have the zelda collecter's disc, the cube controller SUCKS when it comes to playing 2D games.

I have a feeling Nintendo'll return to a 3-pronged layout with this one.

KDR_11kDecember 06, 2005

I liked it for Four Swords. And Viewtiful Joe and Smash Bros and ...

I just don't see where all this "analogs suck for 2d, d-pad forevah!" talk is coming from.

ShyGuyDecember 06, 2005

I think control calibration has a lot to do with a game playing well on the d-pad or the analog stick.

Mario Kart DS controls about the same as Mario Kart Double Dash! but one uses the analog and one use the d-pad.

Ian SaneDecember 06, 2005

"I just don't see where all this 'analogs suck for 2d, d-pad forevah!' talk is coming from."

Two of your examples are for games designed to exclusively use the analog stick. If you play games designed for digital movement like the NES Zeldas or Tony Hawk or a 2D Capcom fighting game with the analog stick you notice the difference. And with the Rev download service a LOT of games designed for a d-pad are going to be playable so you want something functional.

Personally I don't even need the three prong approach though I do like it. I just want the d-pad to be the same size that the N64 d-pad was. The Cube one was way too small and it was even indented a bit to make even harder to use. You can tell that the d-pad was only added because third parties wanted it because Nintendo put no effort into it at all (just like the Z button which was also a third party request).

ThePermDecember 14, 2005

the d-pad wasn't so much bad on the gamecube as it was badly placed. It doesnt matter if the d-pad is small or not....but if it is small and its in a weird place its going to be wierd to use. Itr was greatfor spells in eternal darkness, and maps in windwaker, and commands in starwars...secondary features were nice.
as a methoud of movement it was however not too great.

Hostile CreationDecember 14, 2005

"For those of you who don't have the zelda collecter's disc, the cube controller SUCKS when it comes to playing 2D games."

I have a Gameboy Player and find that more comfortable than using a Gameboy (which is part of the reason I never got one, god bless the DS).

Stimutacs AddictDecember 15, 2005

if the controllers and the system use bluetooth, I'd kill if the rev supported those blue-tooth earpieces every businessman and his mother have on their ears nowadays.

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