After months of waiting, the "big deal" about the new Nintendo console - codenamed Revolution - was finally revealed this week.  Making a drastic shift from the conventional video game controller, the revolution uses a small one-handed controller that's reminiscent of a remote control, which the system can sense the position of in three dimensions, as well as its own tilt.

What this means is that with the Revolution, how you move the controller through the air - the speed, direction, even the controller's incline - can all be carried through into gameplay.

Imagine a tennis game where how you handle and swing the "racquet" actually carries through into gameplay.  Or a Zelda game where you control the swing of the sword, or a stick-poking game where you poke things with a virtual stick (ok that last one doesn't sound so much fun).

While I doubt that such a system will make Nintendo the top-game console in this first generation, it certainly sounds like an opportunity to play some fun, unique games.  They've also announced some controller add-ons, one of which is a thumbstick (used for movement in one hand while the other moves the main controller - think using the thumbstick in a Zelda game to move Link while the main controller is the sword or shield) and a controller that looks more like a standard game controller which the main unit plugs into the back of to make it wireless and still sense positioning.  This would allow more traditional games coming out on the other systems to still be ported to the Rev.

The teaser video shown by Nintendo featuring the Revolution controller. It doesn't show any actual games, but it gives a good idea of the possibilities. It looks like the grandfather is teaching the kid how to shoot a phaser in the photo, though...

IGN's Nintendo Revolution FAQ