Nintendo just kicked my ass. Shortly after Microsoft's presentation, CEO Satoru Iwata delivered his keynote this morning at 11:00 a.m. Japan time. There were headphones to hear the translated version of his speech so that foreign journalists wouldn't just nod their heads and smile.

The presentation began as Iwata-san discussed how brain games and Nintendogs have gotten the attention of females. The inevitable PowerPoint presentation followed with data and charts supplied by Club Nintendo. He went on to say that the shelf life of games was shrinking. However, GameCube software still sells better and longer than PS2's. Nintendogs trumps them all, though.

Nintendo's theme, "Touch Generation," was repeatedly touched upon. Iwata-san pointed out that the big N is trying to get non-gamers into gaming. More specifically, he wants to get folks that don't game to feel like they want to try gaming or feel that they want to play. With their brain games and Nintendogs, they have succeeded. Next step, home console.

The lights went down, and everybody in the auditorium leaned forward. A video presentation, which looked more like an ad campaign, followed.

It was what the gaming world had been waiting for.

The controller seemed to owe more to a TV remote than a traditional controller. The body was slim and could be held like a remote. That was no accident. In order to make a stronger connection with users, Nintendo patterned the design after a remote control.

After the clip, Iwata held up the controller. I could hear a nearby photographer mutter, "It's tiny" under his breath. He's right. It was.

Like our TV remote, this is something that you put on your coffee table. Nintendo wants this to be part of our lives. At the tip, there was an infrared pointer, and at the bottom, it could be connected to another small controller. Players used the controllers in a variety of ways: cooking games, drumming, shooters and even flicking it to make Mario jump.

The company's CEO then went on to explain that this "free-style" controller would change the way we play old games and revolutionize the way we play new games. He's right. It will.

Revolution Phony

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