One of the longest-standing rumors about the Revolution's controller is that it will have gyroscopic motion sensors, similar to the one found in the excellent Wario Ware: Twisted! for the GBA. If for some reason you are unfamilar with the technology, the basic premise of it is that controller tilting can be used for game input, without the need to press buttons or move analog thumbsticks.
I've really been thinking about this for a while, and have come to the conclusion that if the Rev does use gyro-capable controllers, and if some of the launch titles use it properly, it won't matter how under-powered or otherwise "inferior" the system may me labeled, as we all might need to buy one due to the innovative control setup. (If you've played WW Twisted at all, you might have an idea of what I mean.)
Anyway, here are some of the things I've been thinking of that be really friggin' awesome if future games did take advantage of the technology:
- Racing games - Pretty obvious if you think about it. Instead of using a stick to turn left and right, you could use the actual controller as if it were a steering wheel. You would definitely have more precision than using a stick in tight situations, but having a center point for reference and a very quick and easy way to recalibrate on the fly if necessary would be extremely useful.
Also, since people are clamoring for a Revolution version of Wave Race, here's a practical example of what could be done in a game of that nature. You turn a jet ski in two ways: by turning the handlebars, and by leaning. For the purpose of the game, if you wanted to make small straight-line turns, all you would need to do is move the stick left or right. If you really needed to make a hard left, though, you could tilt the controller to that side to lean, in addition to needing to turn to the left. You would have a lot more control over the watercraft in this case.
- First-person shooters - Instead of using the right thumbstick to look around exclusively, you could maybe incorporate head and cursor movement into the controller's gyros system. Imagine walking down a hallway in a game, and all of a sudden, enemies appear both above and below you. If you were using a stick, you would need to look down first, then move the targeting cursor all the way to the top of the screen. If you don't like a fast-moving cursor, it might take you too long.
Yeah, that's probably a poor example. But think of it, instead of moving the stick to look, you could just tilt the controller up or down to look. I believe this is a much more natural movement for the FPS genre. All of us that play Time Crisis or any other light gun game in the arcades usually go by instinct shooting rather than looking down the barrel of the gun. In the case of gyro movements, you may be able to cover the exact distance from one point on the screen to another in one quick snap motion, rather than waiting for the cursor and your movement in tandem to get there. This would make for faster and more realistic gunplay, if the implementation is done correctly.
And hey, if there's a decently powerful rumble feature in the controller as well, any vibration that the controller causes will shake the controller, and therefore move the on-screen targeting cursor due to gyro movements. This would make for a natural weapon recoil and kickback, making aiming bigger guns more diffucult, making the game more realistic in a way.
- Table games - Super Monkey Ball? Katamari? Mercury? You'd better believe gyro controllers would make games like that a blast. In SMB for instance, it might be possible to quickly "flick" the table around and cause the ball to be hit into the air, which could open up some crazy puzzle opportunities. Also, if you get nervous and your hands start to shake, you lose!
So, those are some of the ideas I've been thinking up. If you have ideas of your own or want to add to what I've got, go for it. I realize that the technology might not be perfect yet (there are some minor issues in Wario Ware), but if Nintendo does put it on the Rev and nails it great, it's going to be something special, I think.
(Oh, and for the Sony and MS fanboys out there, you're welcome to ridicule the idea, but the least you could do is give your reasons why you think it's a bad concept, instead of just saying "Nintendo sux lol" and leaving without adding anything to the conversation. I would think you're all smarter than that.)
I've really been thinking about this for a while, and have come to the conclusion that if the Rev does use gyro-capable controllers, and if some of the launch titles use it properly, it won't matter how under-powered or otherwise "inferior" the system may me labeled, as we all might need to buy one due to the innovative control setup. (If you've played WW Twisted at all, you might have an idea of what I mean.)
Anyway, here are some of the things I've been thinking of that be really friggin' awesome if future games did take advantage of the technology:
- Racing games - Pretty obvious if you think about it. Instead of using a stick to turn left and right, you could use the actual controller as if it were a steering wheel. You would definitely have more precision than using a stick in tight situations, but having a center point for reference and a very quick and easy way to recalibrate on the fly if necessary would be extremely useful.
Also, since people are clamoring for a Revolution version of Wave Race, here's a practical example of what could be done in a game of that nature. You turn a jet ski in two ways: by turning the handlebars, and by leaning. For the purpose of the game, if you wanted to make small straight-line turns, all you would need to do is move the stick left or right. If you really needed to make a hard left, though, you could tilt the controller to that side to lean, in addition to needing to turn to the left. You would have a lot more control over the watercraft in this case.
- First-person shooters - Instead of using the right thumbstick to look around exclusively, you could maybe incorporate head and cursor movement into the controller's gyros system. Imagine walking down a hallway in a game, and all of a sudden, enemies appear both above and below you. If you were using a stick, you would need to look down first, then move the targeting cursor all the way to the top of the screen. If you don't like a fast-moving cursor, it might take you too long.
Yeah, that's probably a poor example. But think of it, instead of moving the stick to look, you could just tilt the controller up or down to look. I believe this is a much more natural movement for the FPS genre. All of us that play Time Crisis or any other light gun game in the arcades usually go by instinct shooting rather than looking down the barrel of the gun. In the case of gyro movements, you may be able to cover the exact distance from one point on the screen to another in one quick snap motion, rather than waiting for the cursor and your movement in tandem to get there. This would make for faster and more realistic gunplay, if the implementation is done correctly.
And hey, if there's a decently powerful rumble feature in the controller as well, any vibration that the controller causes will shake the controller, and therefore move the on-screen targeting cursor due to gyro movements. This would make for a natural weapon recoil and kickback, making aiming bigger guns more diffucult, making the game more realistic in a way.
- Table games - Super Monkey Ball? Katamari? Mercury? You'd better believe gyro controllers would make games like that a blast. In SMB for instance, it might be possible to quickly "flick" the table around and cause the ball to be hit into the air, which could open up some crazy puzzle opportunities. Also, if you get nervous and your hands start to shake, you lose!
So, those are some of the ideas I've been thinking up. If you have ideas of your own or want to add to what I've got, go for it. I realize that the technology might not be perfect yet (there are some minor issues in Wario Ware), but if Nintendo does put it on the Rev and nails it great, it's going to be something special, I think.
(Oh, and for the Sony and MS fanboys out there, you're welcome to ridicule the idea, but the least you could do is give your reasons why you think it's a bad concept, instead of just saying "Nintendo sux lol" and leaving without adding anything to the conversation. I would think you're all smarter than that.)
