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Are the three central buttons on the controller as self-explanatory as they seem?
Well, 'Start' and 'Select' have preconceptions as to what they do - they've been around for years, so that's okay. What exactly the 'Home' button will do, well, we don't really know yet as we've never had one before, so we'll have to see.
Article continues belowHow will the controller be powered?
We don't have any specifics on it yet. There are always the pros and cons with the rechargeable batteries, yes they're nice, but then you have to dock it somewhere to charge it up. Disposable batteries are readily available, so… but I don't know, we haven't got there yet.
How will the controllers be bundled with the hardware?
What we call the 'freehand' controller - the basic controller that looks like a remote - and the 'nunchaku-style' controller will be packaged with the hardware and is really an amazing combination.
The third type of controller will be the 'classic-style' expansion controller, which Mr Iwata spoke about in his speech - but there was no visual to go with it because we haven't got the design finalised - we haven't decided how we'll market it.
Can you explain a bit about the classic controller?
It's effectively a shell like a standard controller with a hole in it and you slot in the freehand controller. So for games that are well suited for a traditional style controller, well, there you are.
The classic controller is important for us for our virtual console games. When I'm playing my favourite game - the N64 version of Goldeneye - it's built for that kind of controller.
How do you envisage people using the freehand controller - will it be a true one-handed device given the position of the d-pad and A button?
The problem is that in the past we spent years trying to figure out how to move forward, back and side-to-side using our thumbs. Now, I move the whole controller. If I want to bank my aeroplane - I bank the controller. Suddenly I don't need all the buttons that I needed before to approximate what I want to do - I simply do it. It's much more intuitive. I point just by pointing my hand at the screen. The problem with the analogue is that you're always trying to move it in an analogue fashion, not just slam it up against the edge. This is much more natural.
What can we expect in terms of additional peripherals that will plug into the controller?
We can envision all kinds of possibilities. We were joking the other day that bongo drums for Donkey Konga would've been great with a wireless controller. If you built a set of bongo drums with a slot in it and you just slot in the freehand controller and you're online - that would be great.
When we briefed the guys from Sega they immediately thought of Samba De Amigo. You could have a relatively inexpensive dance mat with a slot in it and you just slot in the freehand controller and you've got a wireless dance mat. So there are all kinds of ways you can go with it.
Will there be any proprietary technology that will eliminate third-party peripheral developers?
We haven't really decided what we're going to do working with third-parties on additional expansion controllers or other things, but it is fair to say that Nintendo will aggressively protect its intellectual property.
