Video Game Development at the University of Michigan

I have definately pondered their plan over the past few days. I am definately very happy that they're gonna make a controller for third party games, as much as the big N likes to screw third parties, they need them. If not, they're better off just becoming a third party that makes games. For this controller, though, I'm still worried, arcade games with all kinds of interactive interphases haven't been that fun to me. Can they make something great? Yes, as Andrew said, "All it takes is one game...". But moreso, I'm concerned about another attitude Nintendo has been taking that is just annoying and screws consumers. That being their peripheral plans as of late. Wanna play FF Crystal Chronicles? Sure! It's fun if you have 4 controllers and 4 GBA's! Wanna play Zelda, get 4 GBA's! Wanna play the revolution, okey doke, buy the peripheral to play third party games, also, we're gonna have all kinds of things that can plug into the remote controller, but you gotta pay! I'm not saying that they will do this, but with their track record, I am weary and tired of that strategy...

Yeah, I'm kind of thinking the same thing, I have to say. They want to lure you in with their fancy new technology and their relatively low entry fee. Then, later, it is time to buy hundreds of dollars of accessories that are mandatory for many games. After all, it is quite clear that "Mr. Potatamoto wants our money..."

VG Cats

It's interesting to note that a lot of the media seem to have had a similar reaction to the controller. Most of them saw it, and the first thought was that it wouldn't sell. Then, after letting it settle in, they decided that it could be a good idea after all, and that controller expansions should be able to accomodate more traditional games. I see Nintendo's biggest strength right now being that their controller has technology that others' don't. However, choosing to put that technology in a controller shaped like a TV remote may seem a bit patronizing. Nintendo has repeatedly said that they think that game controllers have become "too complicated" for some potential players. While making the shape of the Rev controller similar to a TV remote may invite those people to play, I think it is a bit patronizing to the rest of us. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll have fun with the Rev's controller, but I'm going to be feeling a bit insulted if Nintendo continues with this "people are too stupid to know how to play games with more than four buttons" attitude.

As Hussain, Pete and Hayden can probably tell you - I'm not a Nintendo fanboy... or at least I wasn't until thursday ;) . But I'm going to continue to defend the Revolution to a [logical] extent since I'm one of the few people on the dev-list that's particularly excited about it. In any case, the accessory stuff is a MAJOR concern for me. GBA Connectivity and DK Bongo Drums were ridiculous and the fact that Nintendo has "more surprises" in store actually scares me. I wish it'd be left at what we have now. If every controller you buy comes with a "classic shell" and analog stick for $30-$35 I'd be very happy. Regarding pins0wnz comments, I don't think they're making any comments about the hardcore gamer. Nintendo knows we are competent enough to play with 20 button control pads. I do think though, that people who don't play video games are more intimidated by these controls and not because they're "too stupid". These non-gamers could get used to a Controller-S eventually, but they're not willing to try and Nintendo is hoping a more intuitve interface will get them to want to. That said, I think a one-handed remote control works perfectly (as opposed to a two-handed control pad with gyroscope as some have suggested) because, personally, it seems harder to coordinate the movement of the pad along with the movement of an analog stick. In an FPS for example, moving with your left hand and aiming with your right is more intuitive than moving with ur left thumb and aiming with both hands. That's all - sorry for the second essay :-P Perhaps I should just make a Revolution column.

Yeah, Rich, you should definitely make a Revolution column. I'd love to see you try to come up with something to write about every week, considering that we probably won't hear anything else new about Revolution until next May.