E3 2005: NNOW Investigates: Information on Secret Revolution Unveiling?

Earlier today we posted our Damage Control rumor article, which opened the doors to Revolution speculation. We took it a step further and discussed the possibilities of Revolution being playable at E3 in our first part of NintendoNow Investigates. A couple hours later here we are back again with a handful of new speculations and revelations.

The Nintendo Revolution information was limited, but we definitely got enough to create some major hype. The console itself was present, but where was the controller? Nintendo has mentioned no word on the controller at all, and rumors suggest that the controller will be revealed at another time. Could the controllers be the revolutionary aspect behind the console? Even Aries was reluctant to share any information on the controller and vowed to keep silent on the subject. However, he did mention one thing:

“Like Brooke said, console ideas are nothing without good games. Once you see the games, you will understand. I would go as far to say that the Revolution isn’t as revolutionary as Nintendo is saying. It should be called the Nintendo Simplicity, because every aspect I mentioned greatly simplifies the gaming experience. For instance, the pressure sensitive grips on the controller make racing games much easier to control and play. Wave Race (yes, it will be at E3) is going to be very impressive because it will use this function. It will be sort of like controlling a game with one of those stress balls. You squeeze it and you go faster. It’s hard to explain though.”

Interesting, no doubt. But the situation becomes even more interesting when a mysterious Nintendo patent is put into place. The patent, called Tactile Feedback Device, was actually filed by Nintendo in 2001 and may possibly be the pressure sensitive grips Aries was talking about.

The patent description:

A mouse interface device and method for providing enhanced cursor control and indexing cursor control with force feedback. A force feedback interface device includes a manipulandum, such as a mouse, that is moveable in a local workspace. The device is coupled to a host computer that displays a cursor in a graphical environment, such as a GUI, on a display screen. A cursor position in the display frame is reported to the host computer derived from a reference position of the mouse in the local frame, and the host displays the cursor; for example, the cursor position may be scaled by a ballistics algorithm based on mouse velocity to allow fine positioning or coarse motion of the cursor. A force is output on the mouse based on interactions in the GUI, the force being determined based on mouse reference data or cursor ballistic data, depending on the type of force, to reduce distortion between visual and force outputs. Assistive forces can alternatively be output to achieve the enhanced cursor control. Indexing features allow control of the cursor when an offset between local and display frames exists, allow the user to reduce the offset, and reduce disconcerting collisions of the mouse with physical workspace limits.

Add to this the fact that a game called Wave Race: Feel the Storm has been rumored to be at E3, and the plot thickens. Feel the Storm, eh? The whole feeling aspect fits in perfectly with what Aries said about the pressure sensitive grips. Could the controller have squeezable buttons of some sort? Also, it was rumored that the controllers would change temperature depending on the situation of the game. For example, if you were in a hot lava temple in Zelda, the controller could become warm. Again, not totally revolutionary, but definitely something new in the world of videogames.

What about the May 19^th speculation? Check this out, the origin has been traced back to the Planet GameCube forums:

512,000,000 / 1000 = 512,000 (Millisec. -> Sec.)

512,000 / 60 = 8533.3 (Sec. -> Min.)

8533.3 / 60 = 142.2 (Min. -> Hours.)

142.2 / 24 = 5.9 (Hours -> Days)

So there we have 6 days and May 13 (the day this video was leaked) + 6 days = May 19

The 512, 000, 0000 comes from the mysterious Revolution “spoof” that was leaked a week ago. Could the trailer have been a hint from Nintendo?

Keep in mind Reggie’s last words before he skipped off the stage during Nintendo’s Pre-E3 conference. He told us to think with our “right” brain, why he chose to be so specific remains to be seen. Right brain? Interesting, it seems to connect to the mysterious helmet we saw in the Revolution “spoof” video, the same video that was immediately denounced by IGN/Gamespy, who are now in partnership with Nintendo.

Then there’s the Nintendo Now logo that’s mysteriously shown up on Nintendo’s home page. Could that be a sign that we, Nintendonow.com, have figured out the puzzle? Okay, so maybe not, but it’s always fun to speculate.

For full reference to everything Aries, be sure to check out our special thread over at the E-mpire forums.

Thanks to Andrew for contributing.