Why bother changing things up so much?
We could argue until the PlayStation 7 launches about where video games are headed and if standard controllers are up to the task. More than ten years ago, people thought virtual reality would be the next big thing, as evidenced by dozens of Sci-Fi B-movies devoted to the topic. The Revolution may not immerse your eyes and mind in the game world, but it will force you to move your body and think about space.
And isn't that the point of gaming? To escape into another world and convince yourself you just sniped that dude's head off or leapt across three skyscrapers with a crushed car in your hands. This could be the first step towards bringing games into reality. It's a small step, yeah, but it's also the first thing in years to come along and totally shake the way people play video games, unless you count the Nintendo DS.
And as with the DS, Nintendo needs this differentiation from its competition. Over the past five years, Nintendo has failed to pull in gamers the same way Sony has. It has retained its reputation for catering to kids, and lost out on massive titles like the Grand Theft Auto series. Now, Nintendo has a chance to break free of that stigma by appealing to just about anyone.
It may sound surprising if you're used to playing PS2 or Xbox, but modern controllers turn away countless people because of the sheer number of colored and numbered buttons; people who never played games, or used to play games in the NES days, Nintendo's heyday. The Revolution pointer could turn out to be the great gaming equalizer Nintendo is hoping for by pulling in an entirely new audience. And judging from the stunning sales of the Nintendo DS, they may just be on the right track after all these years.
