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your mother on 01 August 2007
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cringer8 said:
your mother said:

True, but then that kind of negates the inherent flexibility of a touchscreen, doesn't it?

With raised bumps, you essentially are assigning button areas to the touchscreen when the beauty of having a touchscreen is its ability to adapt to whatever use the application needs it for. If the surface of the touchscreen needs to be raised in order provide tactile feedback, then what's wrong with having buttons in the first place, since it accomplishes exactly the same?

Also, while any control mechanism can be learned and mastered, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.


Good point. Maybe a touch screen isn't the best solution. Perhaps face buttons aren't really an issue at all.

But what do you think about a track ball in place of the primary thumb stick?

Trackballs vs mice vs thumbsticks is more a preference issue than anything else.  Some people swear by them, some people loathe them.

I got my missus a notebook with one of those rubber eraser thingies and a tactile slider thingy (hope you know what I'm talking about) and the first comment was: "Where's the mouse? I can't use these things!"

Having said that, there are companies like this that are using trackballs (and I'm very interested in picking up a set of these controllers to test them out):

http://www.splitfish.com/

But again, a lot of this is preference-based, especially if it is not required. For instance, it took me a while to adjust to a thumbstick when they first came out, but that was the only way to play Mario 64, so I had to bite the bullet (and don't regret it either!). But if I weren't forced to play with thumbstick, I might still be using a D-pad. Kinda like my missus - she doesn't want to "learn" a new input device if she doesn't have to - and she won't. 

Actually, from what I've seen this generation, I believe that manufacturers have decided it's time for not just the consoles to evolve, but the input devices as well.  Just to take a gander:

  • Nintendo have never released the same controller twice for their consoles.
  • Nintendo took a major gamle with the DS's touchscreen - and it paid off. 
  • Sony adds motion sensing with the Sixaxis.
  • Nintendo comes out with a console that is largely dependent on motion sensing; in addition to that, they come out with the Nunchuk.
  • Nintendo comes out with a Wii Fitness board.
  • Sony comes out with the Playstation Eye.
  • Sony comes out with the "new and improved" Playstation Eye (v2 I believe)
  • Konami releases a few games that are largely dependent on unique aftermarket control devices:
    • Dance Dance Revolution - dance mat
    • DJ Beat - turntables
    • DrumMania - drum kit
  • Other developers are releasing game-specific controllers:
    • Guitar Hero
    • Rock Band
  • Singstar requires a microphone.
  • Steel Batallions was released with a 200$ controller - and sold decently in Japan (a place where such a large device would literally occupy 1/2 your living room).
  • DK Bongo game - Bongos!

Peripherals like racing wheels, flight yokes and flight sticks have existed in PC gaming for ages.

I think this all points to a trend: The days of using just a gamepad to play all your games are numbered. Console manufacturers are aware of this. Game developers feel that they are no longer limited to developing games as there is a large market for peripherals to tap into. We are just seeing the start. I don't know what the future may have in store, but I do think it's going to be an exciting ride.