Nintendo hopes it has the answer for people put off by the complexity of video-game controllers.

It has come up with a simpler device that looks like a TV remote control and can be waved like a wand or a baseball bat. It is meant to be held with one hand most of the time.

Nintendo began promoting the wireless controller Friday at the Tokyo Game Show. The event amounts to a battleground for gaming rivals Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

A Nintendo executive said video games must appeal to wider audiences, including novices.

Equipped with a sensor at the end, the new wireless controller for the upcoming Revolution system can be used as a virtual bat, sword, fishing rod or racket.

It has one main button underneath the typical cross-shaped directional control. It also has a secondary button on the bottom, like a trigger.

Some online reviews say that the device can also be turned sideways and used more like a traditional controller.

The device has a port on the bottom for attaching accessories, which could include a traditional joystick.

In a demonstration video, an elderly couple pretended to conduct an orchestra, while a younger person appeared to play a musical instrument or fire a gun.