The 79th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders question and answer session has been published online in Japanese. One of the wacky questions asked by shareholders was that the next generation of systems sound very similar to what has been done before and that’s staring at the TV screen and controlling the action via a traditional controller. Nintendo employees answered by saying that they are looking to create what they deem to be the perfect controller to control the action for their next generation device.
Miyamoto:
Nintendo was the first to create the style of playing video games with a plus-shaped directional pad and additional buttons, which has now become the industry standard. It was also Nintendo that changed the original plus-shaped directional pad, which operated digitally in eight directions, into the first analog input device that moves freely in all directions for Nintendo 64. This, too, is now common. We are proud to have created a variety of user interfaces that have now become industry standards.
And, as of now, in terms of accuracy and reliability, I believe this style is the clear winner.
At the same time, I also believe that we should quickly graduate from the current controller, and we are attempting all kinds of things. Our objective is to achieve an interface that surpasses the current controller, where what the player does is directly reflected on the screen, and the user can clearly feel the result. This has not been achieved yet. We have tried all kinds of motion controllers, but none seem to work for all people. As the company that knows the most about controllers, we have been striving to create a controller that can be used with ease, and that will become the standard for the next generation.
Shiota:
The hardware development team is also taking on this challenge related to controllers, but from all the devices born from this effort, only a handful will reach the consumer as products. We will only release a product into the world if it can be successfully used to control software well. We have not yet invented an all-purpose controller that is unlike any of the current devices. Then again, the conventional controller has slowly evolved from the traditional setup of a plus-shaped directional pad with A and B buttons. For example, when you take aim in Splatoon, the action may seem conventional, but the motion sensor gives a wonderful feel to the operation. So even if things may look the same, we are steadily embedding new technologies and finding good ways to use them. One of Nintendo’s strengths is that we do not just think about hardware, but are constantly thinking about it in conjunction with software. We will continue to put in our best efforts in this area.
I’m listening
1. It’s good to know Nintendo is thinking about the next generation.
2. Why not a Gamecube controller? That’s all people seem to want these days.
How about a headset jack and analog triggers? That would be super next gen!
I never like the gamecube controller it’s looks ugly and plays weird I prefer the pro controllers from wii and wii u and switch
Have you seen the N64 controller?
Gawd thats even more worse
Well the GameCube controller looks really fun but I bet it will be much simlier to the PS4 controller.
I love the GCN controller – it’s one of my all-time favourites (along with the Switch Pro and Xbox One controllers).
With that said, Nintendo can’t be stuck in the past. Whilst I think traditional videogame controllers will have a place in the foreseeable future, I still want Nintendo to continue with wacky ideas and innovations – if only to keep the industry from stagnating.
After all, those innovations (D-Pad, thumbsticks, shoulder buttons, diamond button layout) were all new, crazy ideas once upon a time too.
Yep, make a next gen controller and charge 200 bucks for it. Not gonna lie, Xbox Elite is an exceptional controller, but honestly, I’d just rather buy another Switch with that money.
Here’s to hoping gyro aiming is the next Nintendo invention that becomes standard.
The Wii U Pro Controller is still my all time favorite video game controller. Just bring that back.
Plot twist, it’s the power glove
Bigger plot twist, it’s the SNES mouse.
Massive Plot Twist, it’s Atari Jaguar Controller
If they were bigger (for people like me because the Joy-Cons don’t have enough plump to them) & cheaper, I’d argue that the Joy-Cons ARE the perfect controller. They got gyro/motion controls, can be attached to some add-ons like a steering wheel, a regular controller if you don’t like holding two separate controllers that work in tandem, etc.
Other than needing to be bigger & cheaper, they need to improve on certain things like the motion controls. (Playing Targets in BotW while on horseback was a pain in the ass.)
No D-pad.
Mr. Miyamoto, you forgot to mention that Nintendo also invented the rumble feature.
Sounds to me that the next generation controller might actually be more unique than the recent invention Nintendo has shown us. I honestly loved the Wii U gamepad and playing games like Call of Duty Black Ops 2 on it felt so much better than on the other systems.
What is peaking my interest is that it seems they want to go back to traditional styles of controllers but push the evolution of the controllers to a whole new level! Could this possibly mean the next generation Nintendo console could be on par or possibly above PS5 and NeXbox? If it releases in say 2023, no doubt they’ll utilize a RTX chip and 8GB RAM, but I feel like they could keep the Switch going as a handheld system that just so happens to be able to connect to the TV, that’d be neat!
But who knows, Nintendo are unpredictable bunch which is why I love them as a PC Gamer.
Sony and Microsoft are too predictable in my opinion.
“Could this possibly mean the next generation Nintendo console could be on par or possibly above PS5 and NeXbox?”
No.
Could you elaborate on that or are you going to just say “No” because you don’t like the thought of a Nintendo system being on par with the other companies whilst still maintaining their blue ocean strategy?
Also, I kind of saw your reply coming from a mile away, unlike Nintendo, Internet people can be predictable as ever especially when it’s about Nintendo and powerful hardware. And you might want to read the comment further next time before jumping to your cheeto crusted keyboard;
“But who knows, Nintendo are unpredictable bunch which is why I love them as a PC Gamer.
Sony and Microsoft are too predictable in my opinion.”
Your response was just as predictable as mine, so maybe get off your high horse.
You could call me a Nintendo fanboy, I’ll most likely buy every console they put out, but I simply doubt that Nintendo is gonna try to compete with the “top class” consoles again any time soon. That’s just not their market anymore and it’s also not what fans expect from them. Now you’re right, they love to come with ideas out of left field, but there are two power house consoles already, and adding a third doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. I’d find it much more likely that they’d put out another gimmicky controller with their next “underpowered” console.
My “No” was also against the general idea of you going from “talk about potential new controllers” to “maybe it’s gonna be _the_ power house console!?”, which I find a little weird.
Nintendo won’t compete with Sony and Microsoft in the hardware and power departments. That much is clear. People should accept this as fact instead of going with “could it be”.
There’s no advantage to Nintendo to make a console that is so powerful.
I do think Nintendo will maintain their tradition of releasing a new console every 5 years. And while i believe their next console will be a massive leap from the Switch, I doubt it will surpass the PS5 or Xbox Scarlet. My reasons are:
-I don’t think Nintendo will use GDDR6 RAM like Sony and Microsoft
-I don’t know what spec of processor Nvidia will offer Nintendo, but I’m thinking it will be less powerful than what the nextgen consoles will offer
But I think Nintendo has found a sweet spot with the Switch and they might maintain it… That sweet spot is Being less powerful than the competition so they can be cheaper and profitable, but being powerful enough to get decent ports of games from the competition.
I also think they will permanently merge home and portable gaming… So the Switch Pro might actually be a Next Gen Switch with more sophisticated JoyCons
“-I don’t think Nintendo will use GDDR6 RAM like Sony and Microsoft
-I don’t know what spec of processor Nvidia will offer Nintendo, but I’m thinking it will be less powerful than what the nextgen consoles will offer”
With respect, this is a silly way to predict gaming trends. It’s actually quite rare for the most powerful system on paper to be the best system overall.
“But I think Nintendo has found a sweet spot with the Switch and they might maintain it… That sweet spot is Being less powerful than the competition so they can be cheaper and profitable, but being powerful enough to get decent ports of games from the competition.”
This has been their “sweet spot” for 15 years. It wasn’t “found” with the switch.
Unfortunately marsarkane, cubits12x, & cronotose are all technically right. You are setting yourself up for disappointment expecting Nintendo’s next system to be ahead of Sony & Microsoft’s next systems. While I’d love for Nintendo to do this, they haven’t done it for over 10 years. Why would they start now when they know they got a winning formula to release a cheaper, weaker system at this point (if they weren’t aware before?) (Wii U was a fluke while Wii & Switch have both been huge successes in the console sales department. I use to think Wii was the fluke but with the success of the Switch, it’s the Wii U that was the odd one out, not Wii. And this coming from the guy that isn’t too fond of the Wii these days, but I’m glad to admit I was wrong about the Wii being lightning in a bottle that was never gonna happen again. Well it still technically is as the Switch might not hit 100m in it’s lifetime like Wii did; it might hit 100m after Nintendo has already moved on to the next system but not during it.)
I’ve been wrong before in regards to Nintendo so they could do what you expect them to; I won’t hold my breath though.
You could also include their handhelds – Game Boy, DS and 3DS were all weaker than the competition, but they dominated.
Nintendo is smart to not play the power game with Sony and Microsoft. This is no longer the ’90s – software and hardware development is a massively expensive business, and financially, Nintendo just cannot compete with their competition.
Getting into an arms race with Sony (let alone Microsoft with its endless money pit) would be suicide, and now they have to worry about Google muscling in.
The only way Nintendo can survive is by making unique products that stand out from the rest. ‘Lateral thinking of withered technology’, and all that.
These companies are gonna hit a ceiling in the power & graphics department sooner or later. Once other systems stop getting stronger, Nintendo’s weaker systems will eventually catch up to them. Once they max out power, graphics, image quality, & FPS, the only thing left to improve then is space for data storage. They’ll have no choice if they really want digital to take over physical one day. Of course, it’ll never truly replace physical since microSD cards, SD cards, SSDs, & HDDs are physical storage devices, anyway. After all, we gotta store that digital data somewhere.
Sounds very exciting. Looks like Nintendo is already started on there next generation system already.
It’s perfectly normal for developers to start working on the next thing as soon as the previous one is finished.
How about fix the grinding issue for all future controllers
Sony and Microsoft have the same issue, what it could be is the plastic that’s being used to create the controllers isn’t as durable as previous consoles. I still have an Xbox 360 controller dating back from launch and it’s sticks are fine.
What is a grinding issue? is that really a problem?
tbh I read this as a non-story. This a corporate “we’re always thinking about the future” generic throwaway line, rather than actual news about projects in development.
As a side note, I’m not sure I’d be bragging about the N64’s analog stick…..
I think they’re really close with the joy-con. I’ve gotten very used to hold one in each hand, all relaxed with them at my side/in my lap. It’s actually a little hard for me to go back now.
I’ll always respect and admire Nintendo for always daring to be creative and disruptive – even against pushback.
I mean, I’m sure Scarlett and PS5 will be great – but, again, Microsoft and Sony seem to be playing it safe. All we hear about is SSDs, framerates, teraflops and ray tracing. It’s always graphics, graphics, graphics… OK, cool. But what about new ideas? Fresh experiences?
Again, I don’t want to be too judgemental – Microsoft’s streaming tech sounds cool, and I like that Sony hasn’t given up on VR yet. Even if they aren’t necessarily the most popular things, it at least shows that they have some desire to innovate.
Nintendo, however, still has that SEGA-esque attitude of crazy ideas – and I love them for it. Sometimes they bomb – and other times they’re a resounding success; but it keeps the industry on its toes, which is the most important thing.
I still maintain that gyro aiming is a genuine game-changer – and should be made a standard. It has a learning-curve, but once you master it, it’s hard to go back to thumbstick aiming.
I feel a bit uneasy when Nintendo talks about changing something that I feel is already pretty much perfect in most ways. Remember when they first revealed the Wii remote? Man, that was single-handedly the most weird controller they ever made. And while it worked great in a handful of games, it ruined many games by forcing unnecessary motion control onto games that shouldn’t have had motion controls. Like, in golf games. It’s HORRIBLE hitting the ball with motion controls. I can’t get nearly as accurate of shot as I can in games with standard controls like Mario Golf and Hot Shots Golf etc.