Nintendo's Revolution controller revealed. Is it innovation or insanity?

It was love at first sight anyway, but call me a hopeless romantic when it comes to video games. The minute the first pictures and writeups of the Revolution controller hit the Web, I was sold. Sure, the Xbox 360 is first out of the gate, and Sony’s going to break its arm patting itself on the back about the PS3’s graphical prowess, but my NES was like that first kiss—awkward, sweet, memorable—and it opened the door to years of great gaming experiences.

I’ll admit, my first impression of the Revolution controller was one of cautious hope, but after watching the demo and keynote, I’m now excited about video games in a way I haven’t been since I first picked up that blocky rectangle of gray plastic. To recap:

It’s a cordless, remote control-like device meant to be used with just one hand, although you can turn it lengthwise and use it like you would a regular gamepad.
Attachments, which connect through the bottom of the controller, are held in the other hand. An analog stick
will be included in the package.

The controller acts like a mouse in real-space 3D, thanks to an internal gyroscope which allows the Revolution to pick up the exact location, pitch, yaw, and tilt of the controller.
Yes, it has built-in rumble.
There’s a power button on the controller—and about time, too.

There are also plenty of third parties on board with the Revolution’s "freehand" method of interacting with games, as evinced by the fact that Hideo Kojima, the former vice president of Konami, was on hand to help introduce the controller. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the game development studios pledging their support.

"We enthusiastically support Nintendo’s next console because we believe their approach of continual innovation is very much in line with our own strategy of creating unique and innovative games for the next generation of hardware." Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ.

"What we’re seeing from this controller is the same thing we saw with Nintendo DS. It’s a system that’s designed with an eye on enticing new players to the video game industry, and that’s something we firmly support." Chuck Huebner, Head of Worldwide Studios, Activision

"While our portfolio represents a full array of titles across all genres, I think our sports titles might be the first to immediately take advantage of what this novel ‘freehand’ type of control has to offer." John Schappert, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Electronic Arts Canada.

"We were among the first publishers to see the control design in action. We’re excited about the new controller and are looking forward to taking advantage of its innovative aspects." Serge Hascoet, Chief Creative Officer of Ubisoft.

Still not convinced of the possibilities? 1Up, who sat down with Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto for a hands-on preview, had this to say when all was said and done.

At first, I was standing up and swinging my hand all around to aim – and my arms got really tired really quick. But once I sat down and relaxed, resting my hands on my legs as I would with a normal controller, everything clicked. It wasn’t perfect yet – the Revolution controller functionality had just been added recently and wasn’t bug tested or polished, so every so often the view would "spaz out" for a couple seconds – but it was enough to get me excited. As odd as it may look holding the two separate controller pieces, one in each hand, looking around felt incredibly natural, even more than my preferred PC-style keyboard-and-mouse setup. I have to wonder about precision and speed in multiplayer games, but for a more deliberate single-player game like Metroid Prime – and the series is already confirmed for an appearance on the Revolution – this setup already has huge potential.

Yes, we got the memo about the Revolution being just a code name for Nintendo’s next-gen console, but if you can’t make people do a double-take when they see it in action for the first time, then Miyamoto may as well call the whole thing off. Maybe it will succeed beyond all our wildest dreams, or maybe it will be a rehash of the Virtua Boy, but different is good, folks. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll be there to pick up my Xbox 360 and PS3 on their launch days, but there hasn’t been a single thing reported about either console that’s come as a surprise to me. On the other hand, Nintendo isn’t just revolutionizing games. It’s revolutionizing gaming.