From a pure conceptual perspective, which is the better "Gimmick controller", Wii U Gamepad, or Joy-Con?

[GhaudePhaede010]

mutantsushi said:

GhaudePhaede010 said:

The conversation here is not about execution; rather, it was made clear this conversation is about concept. Both of your paragraphs are about execution . The first paragraph starts off talking about concept, "The Wii U gamepad had some nice ideas" but ultimately breaks down to a conversation about execution which, in this case, is off the topic.

What changes in technical detail/execution do you think avoid those issues?
I can't imagine any, which is why I frame those as pertaining to concept itself.
My comment re: Switch addresses 3in1 (or 2.5in1+portable) concept,
which is humble but that doesn't prevent it being successful, it's implementation just has to not get in way.

I do not understand or follow your line of logic. There is a distinct difference between execution of an idea and the idea itself. Not every good idea is executed well. Not every bad idea is poorly executed. The point of contention here is the amount of ideas themselves and not how those ideas were used. To answer your first question: more hardware horsepower. Switch works so well because it does not have to power two devices at once. It is using around the same amount of horsepower as Wii U but the power is being focused differently. With more horsepower, some of the ideas of Wii U could have become more feature complete. On the other hand, ignoring features Wii U gamepad has that joycons do not have, like a built in screen and microphone is kind of irresponsible. Both were used well but are features that you are ignoring for one reason or another - like the fact that they were not utilized to their fullest potential.

I could Skype with my children using the Wii U controller. Was it the best implementation of a Skype like program? No. But the idea is a good one. Can I do that with Switch's joycons? Most definitely not. Conversely, I can split the joycon into two separate controllers for out-of-the-box multiplayer. Is it the most ideal form of a two controller design? No. But the idea is phenomenal. The Switch as a whole is a better executed product (and better marketed), but the controllers and more specifically, the ideas that powered them, are what is being discussed in this topic. Despite the fact that I believe joycon are better implemented with Switch than the gamepad is implemented with Wii U, that does not mean their concept is better; rather, it could imply the execution of what is there was better. And you have to separate the two because right now, you are not speaking on concepts; rather, you are speaking on the execution of the concepts of each device which is off topic for this discussion.

Last edited by GhaudePhaede010 - on 03 December 2018