"The Nintendo launch for the Revolution, its next generation console, was disappointing to say the least. So many details were missing we wondered whether we were actually watching an announcement or a twisted game of charades? There were no specifications, no demonstrations and weirdest of all: no controllers. Well, at least one oddity has been answered… with an oddity.

To be honest, when I first saw this late last week I thought it was a wind up or at best some sort of multimedia add-on, but no. Nintendo is serious, darn serious. You see the logic behind the new controller I discovered is to appeal to non-gamers. Now what kind of crazy logic is this? Does BMW go after non-drivers or Angus Steak House try to tempt Vegans?

To be fair, there is some sense to this. Nintendo, like the rest of the world, knows the Revolution isn’t going to compete with the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Consequently, it has decided to give up on the hardcore element altogether and try and tempt those of us who’ve never once shown any interest in the market to give it a go. This group, it believes, is too alienated to pick up a gamepad, but knows its way around a TV remote. Bigwigs muttered, marketing men agreed and here we are. Yes, when I said “some” sense that's all I meant." [more]