The Nintendo 64 gamepad. The Wiimote. The Joy-Cons. When it comes to controllers, Nintendo has never shied away from devising wild and unique ideas for their devices. That's why it got rather interesting during the latest shareholder's meeting, where Nintendo was asked about their thoughts for the future of gaming controllers.

Looking at this year's E3, it seems like the mainstream for video games is the same as it has been for the past 30 years, namely, looking at the screen and playing with controller in hand. How do developers regard this, and do they think it will continue?

Nintendo's supervisor of business development, Shinya Takahashi, responded by saying Nintendo has been innovating how people play games, with titles like 1-2-Switch, and the Nintendo Labo VR kits.

We are always dreaming up new things. For example, for 1-2-Switch, the first game released for Nintendo Switch, we suggested that people play by looking at each other and not at the screen. And for VR, we thought about how we could change not just the controller but also the gameplay itself, and came up with the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit. The software exhibited at this year's E3 just happened to be mostly the type that is played with controller in hand, looking at the screen. However, I think you can see from the software we've created that we are always trying out new ideas.

Shigeru Miyamoto then took the opportunity to reply, stating that Nintendo has set industry trends for decades, with the advent of the original D-pad and analog stick for the NES and N64 respectively. He also says that Nintendo is in the process of creating a controller that surpasses the current design of the Joy-Cons, and can be used with ease, making for something to set the standard for the next generation of systems.

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.

Source (Q13)

 

[HarveyHouston]

So, Miyamoto is thinking of a full-body controller? Hmmm... Sounds like he should incorporate something like this in the next-gen controller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Glove

 

[pedro702]

So, Miyamoto is thinking of a full-body controller? Hmmm... Sounds like he should incorporate something like this in the next-gen controller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Glove

more like labo robot kit i bet lol

 

[RedBlueGreen]

Woah, someone's salty... Well first of all, the GCN controller. The octagon shape was actually pretty nice. You always knew which direction you were going. It was very handy on some games. The Wiimote. I don't see why you're calling it bad when it was designed for motion in mind. That's why there's the classic controller or using the GCN controllers for games that didn't require the Wiimote. The Wii U Gamepad. Yeah, that was... Meh. Didn't mind it much but they could've done better. The Switch Joycons. Nothing is wrong with them. Are you looking after them properly? I always put them in my Switch once I'm done with them. You could've saved a lot of money just by getting the parts that are faulty. (Analog sticks mostly being the culprit.) I'm still using the joy-cons that came with the console. Which was on launch day. March 3rd 2017 and I've only had to replace my analog sticks once. Never had a problem with attaching them.

I've gone through two pairs myself, and my Switch is in a case when it's not in use.

 

[pedro702]

I've gone through two pairs myself, and my Switch is in a case when it's not in use.

i have my switch since launch day and i awlways use my switch in handheld mode and my joycons are fine lol.

 

[zoogie]

Don't they always say this?
It's about as much of a surprise as them saying they're planning their next console.

 

[WiiJeys2DS]

The WiiU Pro controller was the best controller they did imo.

 

[pedro702]

The WiiU Pro controller was the best controller they did imo.

wiiu pro or switch pro are both good, the switch pro get an advantage of having the sticks not being both upward, but hey for me an updated gc controller with 4 shoulder buttons, , 2 real analog sticks and wireless batery of the wiiu pro i would be golden.

 

[regnad]

Oh great. Does that mean everyone will start making drifting analog sticks and shitty d-pads?

 

[The Frenchman]

Actually they do if you have used joker commands when using GameSharks or Exploder/Explorer 64 cheat device .

Haha!

 

[Bobbyjones45]

I don't know about this, I've been pretty much a lifetime fan of nintendo, and haven't bought an microsoft or sony console, and I would still say that microsoft's elite 2 controller looks a lot better (despite its price) then any controller nintendo has put out for the switch.