The Controller

Of ultimate importance, however, is the Revolution’s controller. Nintendo made it, they probably have some ideas of what you can do with it, but the key point is that it’s out there. “OK devs, you’ve got this new toy – now do something with it!” It’s like the Soundblaster being released for the first time, with the actual possibility of voice synthesization! Or the first 3D game engines – imagine no more running side to side across a flat screen, but fighting in a 3D world! Enemies that don’t just jump up and down, but side to side!

That’s what the Revolution controller is. Now you may be inclined to say “pheh, what’s the point? I doubt it can do much more than the DualShock.” You may be right. Potential is hard to see and understand, so I’ll use the reverse analogy – the loss of ability, rather than what you can gain with it. As a loyal FiringSquad reader, you’ve no doubt played Quake and CS and other shooters for years now, with your trusty mouse and keyboard. You can get rail shots on fast-moving Quake marines in less time than the average drag racer needs to launch his car off the line. You can do the AK double-tap chest/headshot clear across the CT exit on de_dust, against a moving target at that. Now imagine someone told you to unbind your mouse and play those games with nothing but keyboard. The possibility still exists, just about every shooter still has the option of binding view directions to keys. Imagine if someone does something really cool that works great on the Revolution controller, but will be difficult – or worse, boring - to replicate on a DualShock.

Do you doubt that a controller can make a game exciting? Then you haven’t played enough flight sims. Il-2 is an interesting game with good flight models and nice graphics. It plays well enough with a standard joystick and keyboard combination. Buy a HOTAS, however, like the Saitek X-52 or CH FighterStick/Pro Throttle combo, when your hands never have to leave the controls to touch a mere keyboard, and you’ve got a whole new experience. Top it off with a TrackIR unit, which translates your real-world head movements into in-game movements that permit you to look around your virtual cockpit, to track your target without resorting to anything so crude as a hat switch or keyboard, and the immersion factor goes through the roof. Trust me, as someone who has recently rediscovered his love of flight simulators, controllers matter so much more in games than we’re prepared to believe until we actually experience it.

Conclusion

Nintendo is poised for a coup. As someone who not so long ago was dismissive of what the company can accomplish, I today firmly believe that they’re capable of taking the #1 position from Sony. Slumping game sales, unimaginative games, expensive consoles and expensive games, consoles that will have features (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD) that we’re not sure we’ll need. In comes Nintendo, with the promise and the tools to let developers create cool games again. It’s guaranteed that we’ll see Castlevania, Zelda, Metroid, and Mario on the Revolution – but this time there’s the potential for so much more.

What Nintendo is, or at least should be angling for, is the thought that Revolution games should be judged solely against Revolution games. Just like you don’t judge wines by comparing them to beer, or handheld games to consoles, Revolution aims to be its own market. It’s important for Nintendo to establish itself as significantly cheaper than the competition, with a unique controller and that all-important Nintendo game library and image. As long as Revolution offers a unique experience, it won’t matter to gamers that Generic Sequel #168 or NFL Roster Update 2009 look better on the PS3.

The cheapness of the console will help it sell and it’s unlikely that Nintendo will face production shortages since it won’t use exotic and difficult-to-make components. With a large installed owner base, more developers will be inclined to take a shot at it, publishers will feel pressured to release key titles (like Madden) for the Revolution regardless of their past GameCube experience. The controller is standard enough to work for most titles – so Xbox and PlayStation games will most likely work on the Revolution without major trouble, yet that same controller offers unique features that will be difficult to replicate for Microsoft’s and Sony’s consoles.

Sony is vulnerable on three fronts. First, they’re late and they’re feeling the pressure. DreamCast was Sega’s and Sega didn’t have the financial muscle to keep it going. The Xbox 360 has no such problems. Second, Sony’s marketing cannot get away with another “Emotion Engine” claim. The media called Sony on their CGI presentations this E3 and quite frankly, we smell blood and there’s nothing anyone enjoys more than seeing the top dog go down. Third, Sony is betting heavily on Blu-Ray. If Blu-Ray fails to take off, PS3 owners will be stuck with this generation’s Betamax players (and Betamax, if you remember, was a Sony initiative – like the 8-track before it). Sony may offer an HD-DVD add-on in case of that eventuality, but the point is that someone – either customers or Sony itself – will have paid for the extra costs of Blu-Ray. Fourth, while the majority of Sony’s revenue is still from consumer electronics, its games division is the one that’s driving company growth. The only other section of the company to grow is its financial services division – all others have seen reduced sales in recent quarters. Microsoft is deliberately hitting Sony where it hurts, and Nintendo can tiptoe in between the battling giants and steal the prize.