Nintendo has been bringing the Revolution demo setup (presumably the one seen at the Tokyo Game Show, where the Revolution's controller was revealed) to various US journalists as of late, no doubt to create some media interest to combat the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360.
The first writeup we spotted was MTV's "First Look", written by Stephen Totilo. Totilo had a look at the controller at a demo given by Reginald Fils-Aime in a Manhattan hotel room. Totilo writes:
After an hour with the controller it is easy to envision dozens of uses for the controller in existing games. It could be used to dribble a basketball, pull the reigns on a horse or get a soldier out of the line of fire.
But at the same time some motions, like moving a character forward in a 3-D game like "Zelda" or "Grand Theft Auto," would seem more challenging to commit with just the remote. Would players push the controller toward the screen to advance? Or use the controller's D-pad, which would seem to be less nuanced than using a standard analog stick? Or would they need to use the "Nunchuck," an add-on that Fils-Aime said was not yet confirmed to ship with every Revolution console?
CNNMoney's Chris Morris got some of his own hands-on time with the Revolution. He reported the controller is "smaller and lighter than you might think". Morris writes:
Shaped like a television remote control, the Revolution controller uses internal sensors to translate your wrist, arm and hand movements on screen. It's easy to use, but takes a few minutes to adjust your playing style. (I initially found myself waving my arms wildly, resulting in the onscreen pointer whizzing back and forth at blinding speeds.)
Nintendo wasn't kidding when it said it wanted to change the way people play, though. Once I figured out that subtle movements made for simple gameplay, I went through eight demos demonstrating a variety of features and possible uses.
Morris also notes the words of Jack Sorenson, executive VP of worldwide studios for THQ:
"When we first watched it, we thought, frankly, 'what the hell is this?' The main thing is getting it in your hands. Once you do that, it's pretty intuitive. It's not about more buttons. It's about ease of use for consumers. ... I'm surprised and happy with the direction Nintendo is going."
Revolution is still expected to launch sometime in 2006, though Nintendo has as of yet not pinned any timeframe beyond that down. With any luck, we'll be getting more definitive details soon, as 2006 is just weeks away.