Nintendo Is Working on An Ambitious Next-Gen Controller

Nintendo is currently working on a new controller that it hopes will be the standard for the next generation of controllers, and that will be super easy to use. The update was shared during Nintendo's 79th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, when one investor brought up how recently we've been seeing the same things for games. Further, the shareholder noted that the way we play games hasn't evolved much either.

According to Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi, the Japanese company is always looking at ways to innovate, which prompted the executive to point at 1-2 Switch and Labo.

"We are always dreaming up new things," said Takahashi. "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."

Meanwhile, Shigeru Miyamoto pointed out that it's been Nintendo more often than not evolving controllers, citing the plus-shaped d-pad.

"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," added Miyamoto. "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."

Lastly, Nintendo's Ko Shiota pointed out that the company is constantly working on new things, including new hardware. However, most of this work never sees the light of day, because most of it never graduates to consumer products.

It's interesting to hear that Nintendo is specifically looking at new ways for games to be played, and is aware that motion controls aren't the future. Whether we will see this work come to fruition with the Switch, probably not, but it sounds like Nintendo may possibly have something new and exciting after the hybrid console.

Thanks, Nintendo Everything.