If any of you haven't really been paying attention to Nintendo-related news, it comes to find out that the prototype of the Nintendo Wii's remote controller was shown during an auction in Japan. the prototype Wii Remote was sold for 74,000 yen (which is us$663). The year is unknown when this prototype was created, but definitely before E3 2006 (where the Nintendo Wii was officially reveled), but more in likely sometime in 2004-2005.
The difference is that this was originally going to be an add-on to the Nintendo GameCube (basically something similar to SEGA's 32x/CD add-on), where you can only play certain titles that uses motion controls on the GameCube (which those games were later scrapped and made for the Nintendo Wii later on down the line), but Nintendo decided to scrap the whole idea of having the add-on for the GameCube and decided to have it as it's own console, and thus, the Nintendo Wii was officially announced just before E3 2006, and the rest is, well, history.
The "Revolution" prototype add-on for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo Wii's Remote's final design vs the Remote's prototype design
Nintendo Wii's Nunchuck's Final design vs the Nunchuck prototype designThis is a twitter link that shows the prototype of the Wii ControllerNote, it's all in Japanese, so, if you don't know Japanese and too lazy to use a translator, you're going to have a really bad time with read on what it says.
Based on the photos, they almost look like the final design, except that the speaker on the final design (which the prototype lacked), and the lights on the bottom (which the prototype also lacks), and the prototype was a wired controller that you had to plug into the GameCube (where the final design is a wireless controller, as long as you have it charged or have batteries, then you're good), and not sure on how motion controls would work if it isn't wireless, and we had wireless controllers for a really long time.
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Anyways, what are your thoughts about this prototype Wii/Revolution Remote/Nunchucks?
Personally to me, I never knew that the Nintendo Wii was going to be a simple add-on for the GameCube, but then the idea was scrapped in favor for it's own console, but I am in a way glad that Nintendo went that route, or otherwise, Nintendo might have ended up making the same mistake SEGA did and added that add-on and ruin their reputation. Also, I think if they did that, we won't even have the Nintendo Switch today because the Nintendo Wii wouldn't be made, and if the Wii wasn't made, the Wii-U wouldn't of exist, and without the Wii-U cabbaging-up, we wouldn't have the Nintendo Switch today, so I think it was smart for Nintendo to scrap the idea and just use the prototype controllers on a new console (the Wii) instead of having it as an add-on on the GameCube