More Nintendo rumours quashed

By Ellie Gibson Published 9 January, 2006

Regarding the Rev remote.

Following the emergence of yet more rumours regarding the Revolution's unique "freestyle" remote controller and what you'll be able to do with it, Nintendo has informed Eurogamer that it's all just more speculation.

The rumours surfaced after Joystiq.com published excerpts from an article in National Geographic Kids magazine. NGK claimed you'll be able to play old games with the remote controller - using it as a sword, shield or fising pole in Legend of Zelda, for example, or to punch enemies in Super Smash Bros. The magazine also suggested that two controllers could be used as drumsticks or maracas in Donkey Konga.

But this is all just wishful thinking, according to Nintendo. "What the magazine has done is imagine how existing franchises would work with the Revolution controller, rather than actually seeing anything," a spokesperson told Eurogamer, adding: "It's all still speculation."

So there you have it - we've still got a while to wait before Nintendo officially reveals just what the freestyle remote can do. The possibility of playing old favourites in new ways is certainly an interesting one, though...

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Salaman #1 6 years ago

    F
    I
    R
    S
    T

    \0/


    Nothing to add besides that I'm afraid

  • alimokrane #2 6 years ago

    wasnt this news item published before ?

  • Blerk #3 6 years ago

    The possibility of playing old favourites in new ways is certainly an interesting one, though...

    Not really.

    /shrugs

  • Carlo #4 6 years ago

    I personally didn't think it was going to happen... After all, they'd have to re-program the old games to use the new interfaces... Might as well spend the time making new games insted.

    (IMO).

    So, when are they likely to show some games for this system? Some event in Japan or something wasn't it?

  • #5 6 years ago

    Technologically it would be extremely complicated to do that I think, as the new games will mostly be trying to get the balance of the control just right, in the same way as tight control for a game has always been the holy grail of a good reflex game.

    The sooner Nintendo tell us the truth, the less rumour qushing they'll have to do, and the less disappointment we'll all have to suffer... (Not that I'm suffering at all)...

  • Furbs #6 6 years ago

    Nah.

  • oerhoert #7 6 years ago

    <em>The possibility of playing old favourites in new ways is certainly an interesting one, though...</em>

    No, it's the <em>absolutely daftest way anyone could even imagine</em> using the new controller. Bring on newness, Nintendo!

  • alpha-0ne #8 6 years ago

    i worry that the majority of games will be the short party type games that are fine for a few hours to get out at a party and have fun but long term 20+ jours of gameplay is something totally different, we will see i guess

  • Eldritch #9 6 years ago

    What about this then?

    Isn't this an official Ninty video?

  • #10 6 years ago

    Yes Eldritch, but this was only to showboat the type of games we might be playing on the Revolution when it arrives. This is not necessarily old games being revised, or even the new Zelda game (although this seems tantalisingly possible)...

  • Grunk #11 6 years ago

    It's probably just a ball bearing in a tube, so can detect up and down and that's it.

  • Eldritch #12 6 years ago

    Surely, they wouldn't come up with such a controller and produce such a video, only to produce games, that don't use that controller.

    As far as I can see, the major point of that console is that controller and the games it makes possible, right?

  • abigsmurf #13 6 years ago

    ball bearings in tubes are pretty useless for measuring angle and movement.

    if you tip a tube with a BB, even at a low angle the ball will eventually hit the end and stop. How's the sensor supposed to know if you then tip the controller further over? It can't. You can use the BB method for digital motion detection but that's pretty useless for using it as a controller mechanism

    Then there're richochet type problems when the ball hits the end at speed, a thing which also make a "weight on a spring" solution and fluid systems flawed.

    gyroscopes offer the best solution because when you tip them over, they exert a force until they're at 90degrees to the direction in which gravity is acting. It's then easy to measure the force which the gyrocope is inducing and use it to work out angle and acceleration.

    I wish Nintendo would comment on the rumour that the controller has gyroscopic feedback. They've said they've one more big suprise to come up. Imagine if you're playing a sword game and the controller actively resists you when you hit something or you get actual recoil when firing a gun...

  • Psi #14 6 years ago

    i dont think playing old games on the new controller would be that hard to do, it would just depend on how the hardware handles the controllers responses.

    in the video you hear what sounds like max brothers on the nes and the controller flipping up to make him jump.

    doesn't require too much changing re-assigning joypad action...

  • Eldritch #15 6 years ago

    "Imagine if you're playing a sword game and the controller actively resists you when you hit something or you get actual recoil when firing a gun..."

    Sure, that'd be great, but I wonder whether that's actually possible, and even if it is, how much would such a controller cost?

  • #16 6 years ago

    Retro titles on Rev's virtual console have to be re-programmed anyway. I don't think it would be anymore difficult than programming the retro games in the first place.

    Personally, I would love to have the option of controlling past titles with the new controller with also the possibility, as hinted by Satoru Iwata, of enhanced graphics for said games.

  • Blerk #17 6 years ago

    Retro titles on Rev's virtual console have to be re-programmed anyway.

    Where did you get that idea? Of course they won't - that would be stupid and pointless when it's so easy to emulate them.

  • abigsmurf #18 6 years ago

    Eldritch : the patents Nintendo licenced for the controller were from a company who had invented a gyroscopic feedback system.

  • smelly #19 6 years ago

    Retro titles on Rev's virtual console have to be re-programmed anyway.

    Lol.. do u really think nintendo is going to go back and reprogram every single game?

    Get real!

  • #20 6 years ago

    Eldritch, aBigSmurf is absolutely right, this is essentially the same principle as the existing rumble pack with a different alignment of the spinners. Gyroscopic feedback would be possible, and if they do it I'll be sporting a wood 'til the day the damned thing is available at retail...

    Might be a bitch on the batteries though :-(

  • Khab #21 6 years ago

    Durn it.

  • #22 6 years ago

    What's that with reference to Khab???

  • mr_steve100 #23 6 years ago

    Ah ya see - The National Geographic Kids magazine, being for kids, is probably a good way to hype up the little 'uns, who already own a GC, into buying the Rev. with the prospect of being able to play their old favourites in a new way. Possibly, a nice marketing scheme to get the little buggers interested and getting their parents to buy a Rev. I wouldn't blame them, mind. I want a Rev to.

  • #24 6 years ago

    Where did you get that idea? Of course they won't - that would be stupid and pointless when it's so easy to emulate them. --Blerk

    Lol.. do u really think nintendo is going to go back and reprogram every single game?

    Get real!     --Smelly

    I didn't really explain that very well (had to rush lunch) - I meant programming / coding the emulation program.

    Now how about if I emulate my fist into your face suckers!

    Or knock both your heads together!

    :-o

  • Feanor #25 6 years ago

    "The possibility of playing old favourites in new ways is certainly an interesting one, though...

    Therin lies Nintendo's biggest problem."

    Surely Blerk isn't Nintendo's biggest problem? ;)

  • firefly #26 6 years ago

    I'm not sure that this would be such a brilliant idea if it were true. Personally I think that the true beauty of Nintendo's Virtual Console is the fact that it's pretty much the closest thing to a truly comprehensive games archive that we're ever likely to see - I'd be more than happy if it were to simply preserve the classic titles of years gone by as they were then as a reference to all of us who were not around for those days (technically I was around since the 8-bit era but my brother and I never had a home console until the N64) and I don't see why Nintendo would even need to tweak the gameplay by changing control methods (for that matter I wasn't too impressed by the use of the GCN's C-stick in the Zelda ports so I'd be curious to see how they handle the control methods on the N64 games).

    As many have said the Revolution controller has it's place and that's in brand new games.

  • #27 6 years ago

    Hey Firefly, I take it you are another die-hard fan of Firefly the series (and therefore, by extension, Serenity the movie). If so, I take my hat off to you... Kudos!

    I'd also like to take this opportunity to tell any FOX TV-executives to eat shit and die!

  • Shyvah #28 6 years ago

    He might just like those insects which glow...you know, fireflies ;)

    But I agree, great series and movie. :)

  • #29 6 years ago

    I'd better quell my fanboy instincts, and not turn this into a Firefly thread. Got..to...fight...it!

  • Jimmymd2 #30 6 years ago

    Microsoft Eats Cash...munch munch munch munch munch.

    Sony Eats Cash ...munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch.

    Nintendo Eats Cash...munch munch munch.