TGS 2005

The annual Tokyo Game Show began this morning and has already proven to be a big event. Nintendo's head honcho, Satoru Iwata, kicked it off with his keynote speech. Aside from announcing the forthcoming Nintendo wi-fi online service, he also revealed Nintendo's big secret: the controller for Revolution, their next generation console. No, that's not some new iPod he's holding (above), it's a wireless controller that strongly resembles a common remote control. We all knew Revolution's controller would be different, but this is really different.

The basic controller is held in one hand, like a remote, with the d-pad at your thumb, a large "A" button below it and a "B" button trigger on the underside for your index finger. The revolutionary part is that the whole unit is motion sensitive. The Revolution console can sense the position, alignment and motion of the controller in 3D space. You can tilt, turn, raise, lower, swing, point or otherwise move the controller as input. The controller also allows for additional control modules to be attached, such as the analog stick and twin trigger attachment shown today (below). With a cord between the two parts, the Revolution controller takes on a distinctive nunchaku appearance. I choose to call them "Ninchuks".




The last time we saw the Revolution (at E3 in May), the prototypes were mainly black. Apparently black is like so last generation. White is the new black. Nintendo's Revolution, Microsoft's XBox360, and even Sony's PSP and PS3 are now being seen in white varieties. Apple's iPod certainly has set a trend...but I digress. Nintendo showed off a wide range of basic tech demos using the Revolution's motion sensing capabilities. The potential uses for this controller, like flying a plane, fishing, aiming and shooting, sword fighting etc. are near limitless. One of the demos shown was a retrofitted version of the first level from their current Gamecube hit, Metroid Prime: Echoes. This was an effective demonstration of how the new control scheme can be put to use in conventional games. The analog stick and buttons were used as usual, but the motion sensing feature allowed users to look around freely and aim precisely just by moving their hand.

One of the oft-stated goals of Nintendo's strategy with Revolution was to broaden the audience, providing a method of control that is as simple and intuitive as possible, so that people who have never played videogames before can just pick up the controller and play, without having to worry about convoluted control schemes or complex button layouts. I'd say they've hit the mark with this controller, but whether Revolution will prove to be a success is still very much in doubt. Hopefully third party software developers will get behind the console and make the most of it's unique possibilities. When you're competing with world powers like Microsoft and Sony, being radically different is a big gamble. I hope for Nintendo's sake that it pays off.




Speaking of the competition, Microsoft chose their pre-TGS show yesterday to announce firm dates for the XBox360 launch. It's hitting retail on November 22nd 2005 in North America; just in time for the all-important holiday season. Europe will follow on December 2nd, and Japan a week later on the 10th of December. While Microsoft previously confirmed that the 360 would be available in two versions (the full version or a cheaper, cut-down "core" system) for the US and Europe, it's now clear that only the full version will be sold in Japan. It was announced that it would go on sale for 37,900 yen, making it slightly cheaper than the US full version's US$399 price.



In Sony's camp, Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series has stolen the show so far. The showing of a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots running on PS3 hardware was a real eye-opener. Solid Snake has never looked so real...or old. Some years have passed since MGS2 and Snake (below) is no spring chicken.




Even Otacon (above) is showing his age. Fear not, tactical espionage fans, as Snake is still kickin' it in a battlezone somewhere and still enjoying a crafty cigarette when he can (though he's hacking his guts up a bit more than he used to). Kojima's quirky humour is evident in the trailer and the visuals are second to none. The MGS4 trailer really highlighted the power of PS3 to create richly detailed cinematic graphics. Hopefully a higher quality version of the trailer will be leaked to the net soon. The prospect of playing this game in true high-definition leaves me breathless. Forget Killzone. MGS4 is Playstation3's new killer app.




Returning to the current generation, Kojima is also readying "Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence" for release on PS2. This is an expansion on MGS3, much like "Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance" was to MGS2. The biggest single addition to the game is an online componenent. The MGS series has never offered an online multiplayer experience before, and Subsistence looks set to deliver both quality and quantity on that front. The latest footage shown at TGS revealed more multiplayer maps and cameos from an unlikely source: Rumble Roses. Yes, the provocative lasses from Konami's all-female wrestling game (which is currently being remade for XBox360) are playable in MGS3:Subsistence. First it was the monkeys from Ape Escape, and now it's scantily-clad female wrestlers. No-one can say Kojima takes his games too seriously.





Finally, Kojima had another surprise in store for the next installment of the Metal Gear Ac!d series on PSP. Metal Gear Ac!d 2 will apparently support a new peripheral that transforms the PSP into something that looks more like a set of binoculars. This will allow players to see portions of the game in true stereoscopic 3D! Few details have been revealed at this stage. I somehow can't see too many people using this peripheral in public, but it's interesting nonetheless.