The Final Nintendo Revolution Secret ? Touch-Screen Controller...

[Zeus]

Rumours are floating around that the Nintendo Revolution controller will incorporate a touch-screen window.

<center><a href="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/revo_touch_screen_mock.jpg" target="_blank"><img height="125" width="400" src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/revo_touch_screen_mock.jpg" border="0"></center></a>
<Center><i>This is just a mock-up of what could be coming.</i></center></a>


Buried within our EA interview yesterday, EA spokesperson, Trudy Muller made an interesting comment regarding the Nintendo Revolution controller

“The beauty of the new Revolution controller is that the possibilities for new game ideas are limitless. I'm sure that Nintendo already has a number of phenomenal design concepts built around 3D Pointing or Touch Sensitivity for their 1st party games. Our developers are inspired and excited by the new controller's features.”

Initially we thought she might have been referring to the Nintendo DS touch screen, but after clarification, Muller said she was referring to a function of the Nintendo Revolution controller.

“[touch sensitivity] is related to what Nintendo may have in development for use around their Revolution controller.” Explained Muller.

So what does touch sensitivity actually mean? One theory is that the controller well have a panel similar to that of the DS. By using this touch panel on the controller, you can move the cursor item on the television screen in almost the same way the Nintendo DS functions.


News Source: <a href="http://www.nintendorevolution.ca/02242006/19/touch_sensitivity_the_final_nintendo_revolution_se cret" target="_blank">nintendorevolution.ca</a>

[peppers]

nah it probubley is just press button softley it knows the differince that when you press it hard that would seem a strange use considering be already know it will have a light gun like pointer bult in

[byteworkz]

nice photoshop.... LOL. Okai I can make that in 5minuits with photoshop. I really don't think this will ever go in production.

[Jarua]

Ok, to put this rumour to bed:

What "touch sensitivity" is
People say that the DS has a "touch sensitive" screen. What does that mean with regards to both the DS, and the Revolution?

Nintendo DS - the location of your finger/stylus is detected by the console, relative to the screen.
Nintendo Revolution - the location of your hand is detected by the console, relative to the screen.

By the DS definition, they are both "touch sensitive".

Why putting a touch screen in a controller is a f*cking stupid idea
1. You already have the main screen to look at. If you want to play a handheld game, you might as well play your DS.
2. The cost of the controller soars.
3. Battery life in the controller would be horrendous.
4. You can't just display N64 button layouts on a touch screen and expect an N64 game to be playable. Touch screen "buttons" have no sense of touch, feeling where buttons are on the contoller is an important part of playing a game. Not to mention the stupidity of having to manipulate the analog stick with the other hand, and needing to press the virtual buttons with the other.
5. The DS touch screen doesn't know how hard you're pressing on it. It doesn't detect more than one source on the screen. It doesn't know whether you're using a stylus or your finger. It's a single coordinate pointing device, JUST LIKE THE REVOLUTION CONTROLLER.
6. Dual input touch screens (that detect two pressure points on the screen) are a hell of a lot more expensive than single input screens. Not to mention completely unnecessary, as you could just use two standard Rev controllers instead.

It's such a lazy rumour to start, completely devoid of any intelligent thought. Not to mention the fact that we already know what the Rev controller looks like, and there isn't a touch screen on it.

[WeSiDe]

nice photoshop.... LOL. Okai I can make that in 5minuits with photoshop. I really don't think this will ever go in production.

"This is just a mock-up of what could be coming."

a-guh.

[Al3xand3r]

The good news if it does have a touch screen is that, as the mock-up picture indicates, they could add several more buttons on the controller, and in fact every developer could customise the number and position of them therefor making everyone who thinks it has too few buttons shut up.

For people who still don't get it: The touch screen would display the buttons and you'd press them by touching the screen on the appropriate position which would be right where the button you want to press is displayed. After a few times of playing the game you'd know the exact placement of the buttons by heart and so wouldn't have a problem using it like a normal buttoned controller.

I think it's a good possibility that it can happen and if it does happen it would make the main controller even more limitless...

Nintendo did say they have one more big secret to reveal about the controller sometime ago, perhaps this is it. Even if it's not this I'm sure it'll be something great.

[BloodShed]

I think this is just another stupid rumor like the mock-up "Revolution controller plugging into a Gamecube-like controller adaptor". Won't happen.

Why putting a touch screen in a controller is a f*cking stupid idea
1. You already have the main screen to look at. If you want to play a handheld game, you might as well play your DS.
2. The cost of the controller soars.
3. Battery life in the controller would be horrendous.
4. You can't just display N64 button layouts on a touch screen and expect an N64 game to be playable. Touch screen "buttons" have no sense of touch, feeling where buttons are on the contoller is an important part of playing a game. Not to mention the stupidity of having to manipulate the analog stick with the other hand, and needing to press the virtual buttons with the other.
5. The DS touch screen doesn't know how hard you're pressing on it. It doesn't detect more than one source on the screen. It doesn't know whether you're using a stylus or your finger. It's a single coordinate pointing device, JUST LIKE THE REVOLUTION CONTROLLER.
6. Dual input touch screens (that detect two pressure points on the screen) are a hell of a lot more expensive than single input screens. Not to mention completely unnecessary, as you could just use two standard Rev controllers instead.
Agreed with all points; especially #4. Every gamer depends on their sense of touch to know what buttons they're pressing for fast response. This is completely impossible to simulate on a touch screen. You'd have to be constantly looking at the controller hunting for just the "right spot". Anyone who thinks they can play by "placement memory" alone is fooling themselves.

Lets face it, Nintendo is so hell-bent on being "original" that they throw out everything that has ever been established in the industry. Yes; that's a bad thing when the industry has spent over 20 years refining control and game interaction. I'm sure the new Revolution controller will work wonderfully with "Super Mario Homo Party Happy Day Sunshine 128". My problem is that it won't work at all with any 3rd-party games. Oh I'll bet games like Capcom vs. SNK 2 will be even MORE "fun" on the Revolution controller than with that stupid Gamecube button layout. I can't wait to wave my arms around wildly like I'm directing traffic and be unsuccessful in anything more than making my fighter jump up and down. Maybe Capcom can come up with another "great" solution like mapping every single super to the D-pad; thereby removing any required skill for the game what-so-ever.

The whole thing gives me nightmarish flashbacks of the Power Glove.

they could add several more buttons on the controller, and in fact every developer could customise the number and position of them therefor making everyone who thinks it has too few buttons shut up.But that would negate everything Nintendo is trying to destroy!

Nintendo did say they have one more big secret to reveal about the controller sometime ago, perhaps this is it. Even if it's not this I'm sure it'll be something great.Perhaps the "new secret" Nintendo is hiding will be touch sensitivity of the controller itself to detect how hard I throw it at the wall in frustration.

[chukz]

touchscreen on teh controller makes no sense
nintendo say they want to simplify controlls in games while introducing something new

touch screen isn't new
and it's not really simplistic in design if you have a screen with varying buttons all the time...this feature just seems like it would complicate things

[dreary79]

Yep this is confirmed to be real!!!!! Just like the new gameboy that plays gamecube games!!!! But who needs the NRV when you can emulate its games with windows vista and on the 360. Even the Xbox emulated PS2 and GC games.

[smudgeone]

I think everyone takes a quote like that a little too literally. By touch sensitivity, they are refering to how accurate the controller actually is. I believe (through my super-fanboy powers) that the controller is not the jump-from-behind-the-couch-and-pwn-the-noobs, and that instead it will be a simple flick of the wrist. Read IGN articles, read Gamespot articles, heck, read 1-UP articles. The controller at TGS 2005 is 90% of the final product. Stop even bothering looking into this crap.

But I will give this story some credit, it gives people something on the Revolution side to talk about.

[Al3xand3r]

It wouldn't destroy anything. It would be just another tool for developers to exploit the hardware further and extend its usability. Nintendo and everyone could still make their games handle simply, while others could use extra functions like that and/or the extra controller parts (which already have extra buttons).

At the very least, for Nintendo it would be able to make NES, Snes and possibly N64 games playable without buying an extra controller/attachment as it could be programmed to make up for the lack of extra actual buttons with that.

As for saying the touch screen technology isn't new so it wouldn't be used, well, buttons aren't new either but naturally they use them.

The dreamcast had the VMU which offered some usability when stuck in the contoller (such as showing the health status in resident evil so you didn't have to go in the inventory) so this wouldn't be the first time a screen appears on a controller and being a touch screen it would offer many more possibilities than the little use the VMU screen ever got.

Again, I don't know if this is their last surprise, but if it is it's good. And if it's not, I'm sure it's something good anyway.

In reply to the last post:
Reading a few game examples and judging by them that it's all the controller can do is silly. Especially when you don't read all of the articles and just stick to a few of the things they say.

It's true that many games will only require slight wrist motions to work. And that is how it should be. Not all games will be just about the FUN factor, an average "serious" FPS or RTS should only require a few motions because you want to focus on the game and playing it for long periods of time and not waving the controller around wildly.

But it is also true that they can make games that require much more than that, such as sword fighting games, cooking games, fishing games, drumming games, lightgun games, flight sims, lightgun/fps blends (my favorite possibility), and pretty much anything you can imagine which would require a lot more movement as it would be the whole point of the game to offer a more in your face experience than usual. Not to mention that it would be a bit silly to incorporate all the motion, tilting and rotating sensing if they ended up only using the pointer functions (which they have also added on top of the other stuff).

I don't really see why you brought the motion sensing stuff in this discussion on first place but oh well.

[thaddius]

Yep this is confirmed to be real!!!!! Just like the new gameboy that plays gamecube games!!!! But who needs the NRV when you can emulate its games with windows vista and on the 360. Even the Xbox emulated PS2 and GC games.

Why do you spread such open handed lies?

[dreary79]

Why do you spread such open handed lies? Why do people spread "open handed" rumors about the NRV?

[thaddius]

Why do people spread "open handed" rumors about the NRV?

Most other rumours are speculation, you're spreading rumours disguised as fact.

[dreary79]

Most other rumours are speculation, you're spreading rumours disguised as fact.

How dare you? I wasn't disguising them as fact. My rumours are speculation, just like all rumours.

[thaddius]

I'm not trying to insult you.

Sarcasm is hard to detect in text, people use this site as a source of news, and there are no GC on Xbox emulators.

I know it's hard to believe, but some people atcually believe what they read onilne.

[Azariel]

I think things are simple like " if you dont like dont buy it ", so doesn't need to be fired up for two extra buttons, or less buttons. Consoles and options are so many today.
Let the console go out , analyse 't, do some drive tests and so then complain about ...:rolleyes: And by the way, some people still stucks on button and stick only games, and can t imagine other possibilities, thinking their average games "won t work " with the NRV controller, I think Nintendo already think of that, and some 3rd party and Nitnendo itself will have an opton to assure the compatibilty with those titles with " conventional digital-analog-buttons control " support only ( my...my...), like a Pad sold separately, adaptors etc.
But the idea on first sight is to focuse on new NRV titles and difffent ways to play, as NDS did, some third party games are crap on DS, but some "only DS" games developed to work under that system only are just great.
For example RE5 on PS3 will have a standard interface, great graphics, nice, but you wont actually point a gun on zombies faces and press the trigger ;) , like you do when explaining to your pal how the game actually is( He will see you lying on the ground, and listening your comments while the HD TV is showing what your doing, maybe never having a feedback of what is automatic and what is not ), on the other side, Capcom could create a different aproach on NRV, where you actually MUST aim the screen , with one hand while the other cotnrold movement, jumps,turns, and right hand can shot and cut, and who knows waht else.
Things could be more deep, and some developers release NRV only games , with exclusive features ( not possible for other consoles , unless they release thrid-party hardware ), and not only a Port. What if you are a Demonic-half-dead-wizard, need to conjure commands to attack enemies, with different combination of moves ( ala harry potter perhaps? Or warlock ?).
There are many interactive interfaces out there, other than buttons on a pad, those people complaining should try someone or another, like Dancing Pads, Donkey konga Drummers, karaoke microphone, beatmania , guitar , Nintedo DS touch screen games , etc. They are fun, just to open your mind. Nirvana is just ahead.