With its oblong shape, downright odd button configuration and austere coloring, there's no doubt that it stands out among the current crop of dull, ergonomic controllers and Dual Shock wannabes. The question is: Is that necessarily a good thing? When it comes to controllers, is innovation more important than practical functionality? In their presentations at this years Tokyo Games Show, Nintendo prez Satoru Iwata and gaming god Shigeru Miyamoto promised a device that would change the way games are played, using terms like "ground-breaking," "pioneering" and "intuitive." This sounds an awful lot like marketing fluff, the same kind of spiel we heard from Sega when it trotted out its ill-fated Activator peripheral for Genesis and from Sony when it gave us the PS2's EyeToy. Unique devices, sure. But catalysts for a sea change in gaming? Not even close.

And while the Revolution controller appears to be the picture of simplicity, there's a lingering element of contradiction in its design. Miyamoto emphasized a desire to rid gamers of the hornet's nest of cables and cords that currently litter their living room floors and snake endlessly behind TV sets. Bravo. Yet, he later proclaimed that by placing a pair of satellite sensors on either side of their television, gamers would be able to use the controller as a pointing device, controlling their on-screen characters with a flick of the wrist. Furthermore, he promised an add-on analog stick and other peripherals that would connect directly to the controller. Two additional sensors? Plug-in peripherals? What happened to reducing clutter?

I have no doubt that the Revolution will sport more than its fair share of brilliant titles. This is, after all, Nintendo we're talking about. One need only look at the Big N's latest breakout hit, Nintendogs, for confirmation of the company's undying commitment to innovative software. But, just as the Gamecube's over-thought controller design hindered that system's performance at the cash register, so too will the Revolution suffer. In Japan – where gadget-obsessed gamers spare no expense to pick up the latest "it" device – the Revolution and its alien controller will surely do well. In Japan – the outmoded Gameboy Advance regularly outsells Microsoft's Xbox. In America – where gamers will be left wondering, "How am I supposed to play Madden with this thing?" – the outcome will almost certainly be different.

What matters most to gamers is innovative game design, not unusual hardware. And in the ultra-competitive, three-way horse race that is the next-gen console war, it appears that Nintendo may have stumbled out of the gate. An intriguing stumble, to be sure, but a stumble nonetheless.

Source: TheConsoleWars.net

Link: http://theconsolewars.blogspot.com/2005/09/revolution-or-revulsion-look-at.html