Playable Revolution & a “classic-style shell” at E3 2006?

If we’re lucky, Nintendo oughtta be bringing some playable titles for the Revolution (whether it ends up being called that or not) to E3 in May of 2006. Also of note is a “classic-style expansion controller” to be used with the “freehand-style controller” (the remote?) to play third-party ports and classic Nintendo game downloads.

The extra classic-style expansion being produced is described as “a shell with a hole in the top into which you slot the freehand-style controller.” Does this shell also interface with the analog-stick expansion we’ve seen already? And what did Jim Merrick, Nintendo Europe’s senior director of marketing, have to say to about when we’ll get to finally play some Revolution games? “Without making a commitment, if I went to E3 2006 and didn’t end up playing the Revolution, I’d be very disappointed…” No guarantees, but some fairly strong words concerning the future playable state of Revolution games, which makes sense considering the official 2006 launch date.

Mr. Merrick also claimed that the folks at Nintendo had “more surprises in store,” in addition to the controller just revealed. Whatever the case, we foresee the light-gun genre making a serious comeback on home consoles over the next few years. And for that, Iwata-san, we thank you.