Control issues -
April 26, 2001 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed
within this column are those of the participants and the
moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the
GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive
material afoot.
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Don't say we didn't warn you.
Thinking about the Game Cube made me realize there's certain features I'd like to see implemented as far as interface with the GBA - mainly the ability to play GBA games on a tv via the console. It's my understanding that the GBA's multiplayer setup works with only one cart of a certain game (in other words, 1 F-Zero cart + 4 GBAs equals 4 GBAs playing multiplayer F-Zero) and if that's the case, I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to set something like that up for the Game Cube. I plan to get a GBA, and I may even play it during short trips or waiting in line, but by and large, I'd rather play games on a big screen, and the GBA looks to have a slew of quality 2D titles that it'd be a shame to keep just on the handheld.
Onward.
| Pure digital, baby |
| What do I like in controllers? A simple question with a simple one word answer: Saturn. The Japanese Saturn controller was simple, lightweight, and could very well be described as the final evolution of the basic digital controller.
Modern controllers tend to be boomerang-shaped, clunky, have buttons and pads in places they don't belong, and generally... well, suck. Analog control and vibration are absolutely unnecessary and would not be missed in my household. (Then again, I usually only play RPGs and fighting games, so I suppose my use for either is less than the average consumer)
Now, if you could make an analog pad that was as comfy and natural as the Saturn pad... maybe I wouldn't bitch. The Dual Shock does come close. If only it had 6 buttons on the face instead of four. <sigh>
Oh yeah... and joysticks designed for fighting games on home consoles blow, plain and simple. ('Cept for MAS Systems ones, but that's another story for another time)
Griffin, playing his Saturn more than his DC + PS2 combined. Sad, really.
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You pretty well said it when you said the overseas Saturn controller was the last evolution of the digital game pad... but games aren't really set up with digital controls in mind anymore. Digital pads are better for menu-driven RPGs, but a lot of 3D fighters these days play better with more of a free-flowing motion. And 2D fighters, while a very popular niche genre, are still that - a niche genre.
And I'd just as soon stay away from controllers with lots of buttons on their face, just because it's hard to tell which are which if your eyes are on the screen. The SNES did a great job in making the X and Y buttons concave, but unfortunately most other controllers haven't seen fit to follow through on that.
| Pronged for your pleasure! |
| Chris -
I tend to think that all other concerns aside, the controller is one area where Nintendo dominates.
My experience with the N64 controller in Mario 64 and Zelda: OoT are two of the most rewarding control experiences I have ever had. Whether this should be chalked up to great controller design, or great game design, I'm not sure, but it's probably both. The tri-pronged device is complex and flexible yet intuitive and efficient. Nearly every game on the much-maligned console effectively utilizes the layout, if not to the near perfect extent of the flagship titles.
The Dual Shock, while adequate, seems like a refined and updated (but derivative) SNES controller. Sony took what worked, and threw on some extra buttons, and then an analog stick when Mario showed everybody what it could do. It really isn't anything special. Sure, it works for any game out there, but that's all it does. The fact that Sony decided that it needed relatively little tweaking (I'll respect the analog buttons when they find their killer app) tells me they were afraid of being too different and scaring away players.
Back to Nintendo, the Gamecube controller, while similar in appearance to the Dual Shock, upon closer analysis looks like a refined N64 controller. The "C" buttons have been put on a stick, and the location changed. But if the integration with the games is as well executed as its predecessor, it can only be good.
Dreamcast? I like my Dreamcast. But I was too busy playing the Nintendo whore to come up with a discussion about its controller. At least they did something different.
- MeekayD
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Problem is, much as the N64 was a console designed with one game in mind (Mario 64) the N64 controllers were also primarily geared towards Mario. I'll admit that it also doubled pretty well for first person shooters (short of a keyboard and mouse, it's about as good as I've seen) but I didn't feel well served by the controller on other titles. Add in the Rumble Pak, with batteries that needed replacing and that took up a slot originally designed for memory cards, necessitating on-cart storage, and you've got a real mess of a design.
| Speaking of prongs... |
| Personally, I'd like to see a return to "joystick" controllers. In recent
times all the major companies seem to be jumping onto the wagon of "thumb
sticks" and I'm not pleased with the results. Though somewhat more intuitive
than a pad or joystick, the control suffers, especially when it comes to
performing special techniques in fighting games, at least in my experience.
Although I honestly doubt the hardware companies will make such a "backward"
step. Joysticks probably seem too retrograde, and today's companies want to
appear as cutting edge as possible. Pity.
Super Saiya-jin.
I still use my SNES Advantage when I play Super Nintendo. That is my favorite
controller of all.
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I once heard an interesting theory regarding the original Nintendo game pads and why joysticks aren't around much anymore. Back in the early days of arcades and the Atari 2600, everything was a joystick and every joystick was for your right hand - since most people have more dexterity with their right hand, this led to games that required skillful manipulation of the joystick, as far as moving through mazes and past monsters without bumping into anything.
Then the crash of the early 80's happened, and nothing much changed until the NES, with two buttons for the right hand, and a thumb pad for the left. From a design standpoint, this wasn't that big a deal, since controlling a thumb pad with either thumb isn't that hard. But when the design was translated into a joystick, like the original Advantage, you had a lefthanded joystick, which most people couldn't operate as smoothly as a righthanded one. This changed the whole nature of gaming, since games weren't about skillfull joystick manipulation as much as they were about precisely timed button pushes with the right hand - think of the role jumping plays in most 2D platformers, or the different weapons that need to be used at just the right time in a side scroller. But since these kind of button-centric games still dominate the market, there's not as much call for left-handed joysticks.
Ironically, considering the fairly precise digital movements most 2D fighting games require, a right handed joystick would be a lot easier for most people. That's also why you sometimes see people at arcade Street Fighter machines cross their hands, so that their right hand's running the joystick and their left hand's taking care of the buttons.
| Now you're playing with generic gray mock-futuristic power |
| Is it just me, or does anyone else miss the old tried and true NES controller? You know, the one with the square edges that could fatally wound someone if thrown properly? I miss the feeling of my thumbs chafing on it's unwieldy surfaces. Players nowadays are too soft - it's time to get back to basics!! Old Skool!!
Negative Creep
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Ah, the original NES controller... if you look at it today and compare it to, say, the Dual Shock 2 or the Dreamcast controller, it looks like a Sopwith Camel standing next to an F-18, but it looked pretty damn cool when I opened up my first NES. It's weird to say, but it felt different, less toy-like, than the Atari because of the way it labeled the buttons. The thumb pad looked less like a game control than like a cheap mouse, and the whole system looked a lot more computer-like than it had any right to. Of course, according to most histories of the NES, that was the whole point, but it's still interesting to go back and see how we were manipulated at the time.
| Analog Trigger, sequel to... well, you know |
| Chris,
The Dreamcast controller is great, save one major ergonomic flaw. The way
the controller is set up, you have to align your hands in a parallel
fashion. This means you have to either bring your elbows in front of your
body, or bend your wrists outward. Neither solution is confortable for long
play sessions.
However, I love the analog triggers. That's how analog buttons are supposed
to feel. The main problem I have with the Dual Shock 2 is that its buttons
feel digital, on-off, all-or-nothing, with none of the gentle give of the
Dreamcast's triggers. Consequently, analog button presses are difficult to
gage.
Among upcoming systems, the X-Box controller looks too bulky, but I'm
optimistic about the Gamecube pad. It seems to meld the best parts of the
Dreamcast controller and the Dual Shock. I'm concerned about the odd
face-button pattern, but I'll give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. After
all, this is the company that pioneered the directional pad, the start
button, shoulder triggers, the analog stick, and force-feedback, so maybe
they're onto something with that gigantic A-button.
One other thing: with next-gen systems all boasting internet connectivity,
console makers should look into developing a mouse/keyboard combo that sits
comfortably on the lap. Navigating the web with the Dreamcast pad is a pain.
Regards,
Nick
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Most people agree that the DC controllers work best if you have large hands, but beyond that I don't think they're supposed to be held in the same way as a PSX controller. As long as you hold the DC controller further away from yourself, maybe resting on your lap (and a fully-loaded DC controller's pretty heavy, over a long period of time) then you don't have to hold your hands unnaturally. And I agree about the triggers - that's really the only way to accurately make an analog button. It's also probably the reason why analog button presses haven't been a big part of most of the PS2 games I've seen so far.
| The rundown |
| You sure do love coming up with topics that can inspire the most opinionated
responses that are based on no experience at all, don't you? ;-)
That being said, I'll try to address this issue as best I can with the little
to no experience I do have with the current and coming crop of gaming
consoles. Let's start with oldest to newest:
The Dreamcast Controller: I've held one of these in my hands and played with
it. I didn't like the feel of it to well overall (comfort and design wise)
and the buttons were awkward. Aesthetically, it's kinda cute. The size is
alright with me, I just had problems with the feel of it.
PS2 Controller: The DualShock 2. Perhaps it should be called DualShock 1.5,
colored Black. There's nothing to warrant a full number increase, and if
you're familiar with software upgrade practices, you'd be inclined to agree.
Button sensitivity is nice, but not enough for a next-gen system on it's own.
Sure there's the If it Aint Broke Don't Fix It argument, but how about some
significant innovation? And do not claim that the original had much in the
way of innovation itself. Anyways, I have used the DualShock2 and it's comfy,
has acceptable buttons and such, and looks good.
GAMECUBE Controller: First time I saw this I thought it was nice looking if
wild, and what the hardware industry should be leaning towards: innovation
with gamers in mind. I have read Miyamoto's own comments on the controller,
which I believe he helped design. Strange though the button layout may seem,
it makes sense when you think about it. In most games, one button is often
used more so than others, follwed by a second most used button, etc. In RPGs,
it's whatever the "Confirm Button" is, followed by the Menu button. So the
large A button idea is not a platformer only idea, as people have stated.
It's a great design, if developers take advantage of it. The sticks look
good, though I hear the D-pad might get your thumb a little sore after
extnded use. That comes from people who have actual used it. By all accounts,
people who have actually held these puppies love them. The GCN Controller is
not so much similar to the PS2s as it is a great improvemnt on the N64
controller, seeing as how some of the best features of the DualShock1 were
implemented from Nintendo's.
XBox Controller: This looks alot like the Dreamcast's, with some nasty
looking buttons (thin ovals? come on!). If they focused on better layout over
bigger logo, it might work better. Nice primary color though. Having heard no
reports of hands-on experience, I can't say anymore.
So those are my thoughts on the controllers of the next-gen. If anyone has
the right idea, it's Nintendo. If, perhaps, Sony had added some DVD remote
features on it's controller, it would have fit in with their Home
Entertaintment system claims. Hmm...better go get that copyrighted...;-)
-Lord Byron
|
I guess I'm just behind in my reading, since I hadn't heard that theory about the GC's controller, but it makes sense now that I'm looking at some of the product shots. It's somewhat interesting how the Game Cube's shaping up relative to the PS2 - in a lot of respects, the PS2's just more (a lot more) of the same, while the Gamecube's taking some experimental steps that could pay off well in the end... or crash the company for good. Still, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one of those systems at E3.
| You knew somebody had to bring it up... |
| Chris,
Actually, I've always liked the cordless controllers. I wish they'd make more of those, and analog too. That would be sweet.
Also, what ever happened to the Power Glove. I just loved that thing. Not only was it bulky and useless, it gave you carpal-tunnel syndrome in about half an hour. Of course, I only wore it durring sex, so who knows....
-Banjax. Now your f@$#ing with power!
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Ok, I'll make the obligatory reference about how impossible it was for that kid in The Wizard to play Mario Bros. with a Power Glove, and leave it at that.
You're a sick, sick man, Banjax.
Closing Comments:
Nothing left to say. Send in random stuff tomorrow. Later.
-Chris Jones, used to want a Power Glove for nostalgia reasons, but not anymore
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