More fun Revolution controller comments...

[A Black Falcon]

Oh, I completely agree... I think this is ridiculous and does not work. People don't not get consoles because they're intimidated by 12-button, three-control-pad controllers. If anything that seems to have helped, if you go by how much the PSX and PS2 have expanded the videogaming market... so Nintendo is definitely in the wrong here (the Apple analogy is a good one, Apple continues to insist its stupid one-button mice are good, but does anyone actually believe them? Yeah, though so...). Let's hope that the result isn't quite as bad as this suggests... the Cube is already at the bare minimum of the requirements for buttons and analog sticks and stuff, and it'd be incredibly stupid to cut it back from there. And it won't help expand their market either, obviously. It'll just hurt.

Nintendo on Revolution Controller
Fewer buttons and analog sticks than the norm are a near certainty, according to new comments.
by Matt Casamassina

July 11, 2005 - Nintendo pulled back the curtain on the design of its next-generation console, codenamed Revolution, at the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2005 last May in Los Angeles. However, the publisher chose not to reveal the self-described revolutionary aspect of the new platform, which is its still top-secret controller. Nintendo executives at the event offered vague hints about the device, saying that it would need to be compatible with several generations of Nintendo systems, and then promised more details before the end of the year.

In a recent article published by London's The Guardian, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata offered further hints that Revolution's controller -- like the console itself -- may be simplified in order to appeal to consumers traditionally uninterested in complex, male-dominated videogames.

"There are too many buttons and sticks on controllers for novice players, which is likely to discourage them from ever playing games at all," Iwata told The Guardian. "We want the Revolution's controller to be relevant to everybody and we really want people to feel like they want to touch and play with it."

Although both Microsoft and Sony announced specs and games for their next-generation systems at E3 2005, Nintendo decided against doing the same. As a result, it is not yet known how powerful the Revolution is or how well it stacks up against its competitors. The Big N has indicated that it doesn't want to be lumped into the same category as the competition, preferring to explore "another planet" of videogame opportunities with its new console.

"Nintendo is very good at creating games that can appeal to the whole family," Iwata reiterated to the London paper. "There have been a lot of games created around excessive violence in the past few years and it seems to be escalating. From the business point of view, it doesn't make sense for us to follow suit. We cherish our hardcore gamers, but we always try to attract as many people as possible and expand the existing gaming population."

More as it develops.