Nintendo has revealed an in-development project that could give them a big advantage in the next-gen console wars.
At the moment the House of Mario are enjoying huge success with the Nintendo Switch which has sold like hot cakes ever since launching in 2017.
The advent of the Switch marked a big turn of fortunes for Ninty, who during the Wii U era experienced their lowest ever home console sales.
But while the Switch is Nintendo’s hottest commodity right now, attention at the Kyoto-based firm has also turned towards what the future holds.
With the Xbox Two launching next year, and the PS5 also rumoured to release then, the next-gen looks set to start in 2020.
And Nintendo could be holding a secret trump card that will give them a major advantage over the PS5 and Xbox Two.
During their recent 79th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Nintendo revealed they are working on a brand new controller for the next-gen.
And Ninty hopes this secretive controller “will become the standard for the next generation”, according to a post by Nintendo Everything.
During the meeting Shigeru Miyamoto, Shinya Takahashi, and Ko Shiota all commented on Nintendo’s future vision for the controller.
Industry legend Miyamoto-san said: “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.”
As Miyamoto-san pointed out, controller innovations that Nintendo introduced later become industry standards.
For instance, the N64 was the first controller that used an analogue stick and the first controller that adopted force feedback via the Rumble Pak.
These have since become industry standards, while the motion controls of the Wii were widely imitated in the aftermath of its release.
The Switch also, which offers console-quality gaming on the go, also shown Nintendo at its innovative and ground-breaking best.
If Nintendo once again create a similar proposition with their next hardware, it could give them a unique selling point compared to the PS5 and Xbox Two.
And, as history has shown, when Nintendo innovates often times other players in the industry have to follow suit.
So whatever controller Ninty is cooking could end up having a big impact on the next-gen console wars.
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