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greenmedic88 on 31 January 2011
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MaxwellGT2000 said:
greenmedic88 said:

The PSP nub had a lot less to do with the placement and a whole lot more to do with the "sliding disk" design, which was just bad.

If anyone wanted to bring ergnomics into a handheld discussion, they should probably start with the DS line and its hard edges and block-like form.

Seeing as how no one has used the NGP for any extended period of time, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until I do in terms of ergonomics. As for the thumbsticks, they look like thumbsticks that pivot off one axis like a regular stick and early reports from those who used them have already gone on record as saying they feel great to use.

Ergonomically, the NGP will likely be the most comfortable handheld as it was designed contoured with smooth edges to conform to the hand, complete down to finger wells on the back for grip.


Eh ergonomics are more than just shape but placement too, the PSP nub wasn't bad on your hands because it slid or because the system wasn't curvy enough, it was the placement, and that's the same place they decided to put these sticks at, and still without something to stabilize your whole hand.

See the hand placement?  Alright when you use the analog on the PSP you have to angle your hand or else it hurts your thumb, that requires your palm and back fingers to be angled out as well, something that happens when you play with the PS1/2/3 controllers as well but they stabilize your hand with grips.

Without these grips your hands eventually cramp up a bit and it's also hard to stabilize your stick... no a normal person will not notice nor care, but when I'm sitting there trying to play a racing game on PSP with the stick it's frustrating as hell when it causes cramps and you might fidget thus ruining a good drift. 

The reason the DS doesn't have such issues is the same reason the NES controller didn't have the issue which is the D pad was closer to center and you were at least gripping something. 

Also I want to know what is up with that concave D pad... so odd...

I give you an "A for effort" for the elaborate post and explanation, but as someone who's used the DSl over extended periods of time when I was stuck in the field, it is not what I consider to be ergonomic, natural, or comfortable to use.

Compact packaging came first with just about zero regard given in the design process to ergonomics. If I were to bother with case mods, I probably would have shaved both lower corners off and sanded them to smooth contours, which still wouldn't have addressed the "crab claw" hand position when using the shoulder buttons.

In short, the DS practically gives me hand cramps when I use it for any decent length of time. I like it for what it is, but ergomoic it ain't.

The analog sticks on the NGP are positioned much higher up than the "nub" on the PSP. Just below the central axis. In fact, given the size of the device, I'm willing to bet that they're positioned higher up than the D pad on the DS you consider to be ideally placed.