Nintendo Revolution

[Burn]

Somehow I doubt I will go "My god! The controller!" then rush out to buy there console.... but we will see I guess.

 

[KagePrototype]

They don't want to show off their controller because they don't want to reveal it to the competitors too soon, in case they steal it before the Revolution is out. It's happened before with analogue controllers and vibration, after all. I doubt it will change gaming forever, but I'm betting it will be something pretty damn spiffy.

 

[Warbie]

whereas graphics capabilities are very high on people's lists and Revolution is reportedly trailing the competition by quite some way...

That never stopped the PS2

Take all this specification willy waving by Microsoft and Sony with a massive pinch of salt. I very much doubt the power of the next gen consoles will vary by much. Let the games do the talking - not the no.s

 

[kupocake]

That never stopped the PS2

But the PS2 was out some considerable time before the X-Box and GC. In this case, Revolution will likely be releasing after the higher tech consoles. Plus, Sony circa PS2 launch > Nintendo circa Revolution launch in the eyes of the market. PS2 was sold off the back of PS1's Market lead. GC is not a Market leader by any stretch of the imagination...

But you're right about the PS3 "Willy Waving". I still don't believe we'll actually have playable games looking that good just yet...

 

[Warbie]

Sure, I agree. But it wasn't the power of the PS2 that gave it the lead, and neither will it be with the PS3.

 

[Noobulon]

It's going to have to be one hell of a controller though. When has a controller ever single-handedly made a console successful?

What do you think's the sole reason the DS has sold, and is still selling, many millions of units? What's the one element which has prevented it from being rendered obsolete by the PSP? The control input. That's the only thing.

On a related note: I believe Super Mario 64 defines the N64 era. But what was it that made SM64 exclusive to N64 - why could it have never have been imitated, or bettered, on PS1? The analogue stick.

It does seem unlikely that Nintendo could bring something as revolutionary as the analogue stick again.
But it's a fool who dismisses the importance of control inputs.

Somehow I doubt I will go "My god! The controller!" then rush out to buy there console.

Of course, nobody will do that.

But then nobody did it with the N64 either. People didn't look at the controller, they looked at SM64 - and recognised a type of gameplay they'd never seen before, and couldn't get anywhere else.

The same will be true of Revolution. All the controller does is facilitate new games - and new games are what gives a console its place.
Some official Nintendo bod recently said (in an interview I think) that it wouldn't have made sense to show the Rev controller at E3 without a game to demo it. Patience.
:cheers:

 

[A True Canadian]

There's a lot of truth to that Noobulon. Games are meant to be played, and if you have a controller that isn't suited to the games being made for your system, then it makes it quite difficult to play those games now, does it?

Akward controls can make any game unfun.

 

[kupocake]

What do you think's the sole reason the DS has sold, and is still selling, many millions of units? What's the one element which has prevented it from being rendered obsolete by the PSP? The control input. That's the only thing.

And there I was thinking that it may have something to do with the fact that Nintendo have been the undisputed Market Leaders for Handheld consoles since... forever. People don't buy a DS for its Double Screens or its stylus: they buy it because it's the Gameboy's ancestor. Or in Europe's case, because the PSP isn't here for another two months anyway. AND because it costs considerably less than the PSP.

I think you greatly overestimate how many people are buying or will buy a DS anyway, especially when it's controller system hasn't faciliated any particular notable "new" games.

 

[Noobulon]

You're probably right about the DS kupoartsist. But the point I was making still stands.

If the N64 pad had stuck with the digital conventions of the time, would anyone have given a shit? It would've been indistinguishable from the competition - identical to PS1 - and I doubt anyone would remember it now. Very few of the games the console is remembered for would have been possible.
It's a similar story for the DS. If it had launched with conventional inputs (ie single screen and no touch) it would just be a "PSP -1", and there'd be no reason to buy one over the competition.

Control systems clearly played a huge part in the success of these consoles, and they might do again for Revolution.