Apparently, Gamepro's idea of an "ideal" controller is....

...the Wiimote:

http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/international/games/features/181788.shtml

Someone should tell them that this already exists.

1. Reduce the number of face and shoulder buttons (Yup, this is the Wiimote.)

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

3. Get rid of the d-pad once and for all(Ok, not the Wiimote, but it's used so rarely compared to the D-pad on the other controllers that it might as well be gone.)

4. Use motion controls(Already done.)

5. Add an attachment peripheral(*ahem*)

So basicly we return to the NES era controller with a Analog Stick instead of the D-Pad and motion sensing? Yeah sure why not. I would love to play a fps game where A button is shoot B is jump and the rest well dunno...haris12121212

Do you really need that many buttons? Honestly now, developers need to realize the benefits of contextual inputs.

Well then their idea of an "ideal" controller, isn't very "ideal" now is it?Relys

Oh, no, the Wiimote is definitely the closest we've come to an "ideal" controller yet. But a controller is only as good as its implementations, which haven't been so hot.

[QUOTE="haris12121212"]So basicly we return to the NES era controller with a Analog Stick instead of the D-Pad and motion sensing? Yeah sure why not. I would love to play a fps game where A button is shoot B is jump and the rest well dunno...mjarantilla

Do you really need that many buttons? Honestly now, developers need to realize the benefits of contextual inputs.

Contextual inputs = "button masher"/"adventure game".

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="haris12121212"]So basicly we return to the NES era controller with a Analog Stick instead of the D-Pad and motion sensing? Yeah sure why not. I would love to play a fps game where A button is shoot B is jump and the rest well dunno...Relys

Do you really need that many buttons? Honestly now, developers need to realize the benefits of contextual inputs.

Contextual inputs = "button masher"/"adventure game".

Tell that to Gears of War.

[QUOTE="Relys"]Well then their idea of an "ideal" controller, isn't very "ideal" now is it?mjarantilla

Oh, no, the Wiimote is definitely the closest we've come to an "ideal" controller yet. But a controller is only as good as its implementations, which haven't been so hot.

Really? The only game I liked the Wiimote for was Resident Evil 4. Sure, some games can be fun like the DS touch screen is for some games (Trauma Center, Mercury Meltdown), but when it comes to all around usefulness it's not even close.

The Wiimote was a big let down for me. When I first heard of it I thought it would calculate real time movements into in-game actions. So if you wanted to swing your sword in a heart shaped movement, it would do so.

I can't stand playing SSBB without my trusty gamecube controller.

Number one is not the Wii. Actually, the Wii has some very inconvenient face buttons. Only the A button is in comfortable reach. The 1, 2, - and + buttons are all poorly placed and the D pad should be set lower.

For number two, the plus and minus buttons always function as it's start and select.

the D-pad is on the Wiimote and getting rid of it a stupid idea. Espeacily for fighters.

and 5 goes with alot of controllers.

Really, the Wii only fits two of those descriptions, but who cares, GamePro sucks.

I really like the Sixaxis myself... I know people hate the triggers but I don't get why, they're not really a problem for anything (imo!). Plus, I love how light it is.

Number one is not the Wii. Actually, the Wii has some very inconvenient face buttons. Only the A button is in comfortable reach. The 1, 2, - and + plus buttons are all poorly placed and the D pad should be set lower.

For number two, the plus and minus buttons always function as it's start and select.

the D-pad is on the Wiimote and getting rid of it a stupid idea. Espeacily for fighters.

and 5 goes with alot of controllers.

Really, the Wii only fits two of those descriptions, but who cares, GamePro sucks.

vashkey

If you looked at GamePro's mockup, it basically only has two face buttons. The other four buttons were two shoulder buttons and two "clickable" analog buttons. So the Wii is lacking in one face button, but makes up for it with an extra shoulder button. And it lacks the clickable analog sticks (which, IMO, are a terrible idea and should never have been implemented anyway.)

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="Relys"]Well then their idea of an "ideal" controller, isn't very "ideal" now is it?Relys

Oh, no, the Wiimote is definitely the closest we've come to an "ideal" controller yet. But a controller is only as good as its implementations, which haven't been so hot.

Really? The only game I liked the Wiimote for was Resident Evil 4. Sure, some games can be fun like the DS touch screen is for some games (Trauma Center, Mercury Meltdown), but when it comes to all around usefulness it's not even close.

The Wiimote was a big let down for me. When I first heard of it I thought it would calculate real time movements into in-game actions. So if you wanted to swing your sword in a heart shaped movement, it would do so.

I can't stand playing SSBB without my trusty gamecube controller.

What's holding developers back right now is that NO ONE has studied the science of gesture control, so no one knows what people consider to be "intuitive" except for the most basic gestures. But with multi-touch and the Microsoft Table and stuff making headlines (in tech circles, at least), developers should begin hiring the talent they need to really design control systems for the Wiimote pretty soon.

Ironically, if Apple were to start developing games, they'd probably be in the best position to make a Wii game because of their experience in building user interfaces AND multi-touch gesture-based user interfaces.

I really like the Sixaxis myself... I know people hate the triggers but I don't get why, they're not really a problem for anything (imo!). Plus, I love how light it is.

the-very-best

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

mjarantilla

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

ThePlothole

You know, I never quite understood the purpose of the Select button.....

[QUOTE="ThePlothole"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

mjarantilla

You know, I never quite understood the purpose of the Select button.....

I've always felt that Select should bring up the in-game menu, and Start should pause the game.

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"][QUOTE="ThePlothole"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

Relys

You know, I never quite understood the purpose of the Select button.....

I've always felt that Select should bring up the in-game menu, and Start should pause the game.

Let me rephrase: I've never quite understood why they NAMED it the "Select" button.

[QUOTE="ThePlothole"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

mjarantilla

You know, I never quite understood the purpose of the Select button.....

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"][QUOTE="ThePlothole"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

ThePlothole

You know, I never quite understood the purpose of the Select button.....

I don't remember the "Select" button being in many arcade cabinets.

Oh, and BTW, even simply renaming the buttons from Start/Select to +/- changes their use, e.g. IIRC, in at least one game they are used for zooming in and out of maps. They aren't "limited" to just opening menus and pausing games anymore. I guess you can see it as a move towards a more contextually-sensitive controller, but yeah, it doesn't quite fit Gamepro's description.

Then again, as people say, it's GamePro. :P

Why would people favor a controller with less buttons. :| Less buttons means less possibilities and less control of the ingame characters. It's what makes PC's mouse and keyboard so great. Theres endless possibilities with a keyboard knowing that each key would perform a different action in like say WoW or something.

Imagine games like Gears of War while it is a great game every single frikking action apart from aiming/shooting the gun is bound into the green button and it makes it annoying as hell and you can make some real clumzy mistakes. I sure as hell don't want a controller with 2 buttons. :| huge step backwards. Motion sensing doesn't actually help either. It's proven to be a load of crap in some games.

Well, I find myslef greatly agreeing with gamepro here. All 5 of those ideas go with the rules of universal design. What we need is a NES style controller with sholder buttons (just one set), an analog stick, and an IR pointer...plus a port for extra stuff like nunchuck controllers or guitars.goblaa

They actually do mention the principles of universal design in the first page of that linked article.

since when was the d-pad not used alotCyber-

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

[QUOTE="Cyber-"]since when was the d-pad not used alotmjarantilla

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

ya try not using it when your playing MoH: H2

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="Cyber-"]since when was the d-pad not used alotCyber-

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

ya try not using it when your playing MoH: H2

Never played it, never cared to. How is the D-pad used in MOHH2? If it's used to select weapons or equipment like in COD4, then as I said, a scroll wheel or toggle button would work better.

[QUOTE="Cyber-"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="Cyber-"]since when was the d-pad not used alotmjarantilla

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

ya try not using it when your playing MoH: H2

Never played it, never cared to. How is the D-pad used in MOHH2? If it's used to select weapons or equipment like in COD4, then as I said, a scroll wheel or toggle button would work better.

d-pad are important to any controller

if you have more than one weapon or grenade its esp important.

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="haris12121212"]So basicly we return to the NES era controller with a Analog Stick instead of the D-Pad and motion sensing? Yeah sure why not. I would love to play a fps game where A button is shoot B is jump and the rest well dunno...Relys

Do you really need that many buttons? Honestly now, developers need to realize the benefits of contextual inputs.

Contextual inputs = "button masher"/"adventure game".

not necessarily. Using the Wiimote as an example, instead of pressing a button to open a door, pushing/pulling on the remote can open and close doors. Just look at Metroid Prime 3 for an example.

quick edit, also check out Penumbra on the PC. everything is mouse movement based. manipulating the mouse to act as a hand.

[QUOTE="mjarantilla"][QUOTE="Cyber-"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="Cyber-"]since when was the d-pad not used alotCyber-

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

ya try not using it when your playing MoH: H2

Never played it, never cared to. How is the D-pad used in MOHH2? If it's used to select weapons or equipment like in COD4, then as I said, a scroll wheel or toggle button would work better.

d-pad are important to any controller

if you have more than one weapon or grenade its esp important.

No, because as I said, a scroll wheel or a toggle button is faster for selecting multiple weapons. Like in Half-Life 2, for example, where you have nine weapons, it's much easier to switch between them by just rolling the scroll wheel instead of choosing the number from the keyboard.

[QUOTE="Cyber-"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"][QUOTE="Cyber-"][QUOTE="mjarantilla"]

[QUOTE="Cyber-"]since when was the d-pad not used alotmjarantilla

A toggle or scroll button is more useful than the D-pad, IMO.

ya try not using it when your playing MoH: H2

Never played it, never cared to. How is the D-pad used in MOHH2? If it's used to select weapons or equipment like in COD4, then as I said, a scroll wheel or toggle button would work better.

d-pad are important to any controller

if you have more than one weapon or grenade its esp important.

No, because as I said, a scroll wheel or a toggle button is faster for selecting multiple weapons. Like in Half-Life 2, for example, where you have nine weapons, it's much easier to switch between them by just rolling the scroll wheel instead of choosing the number from the keyboard.

were talking about game pads (i thought). PC control scheme is still miles of ahead of most console control schemes.

Taking the D-pad out of a console controller would be idiotic.

No, because as I said, a scroll wheel or a toggle button is faster for selecting multiple weapons. Like in Half-Life 2, for example, where you have nine weapons, it's much easier to switch between them by just rolling the scroll wheel instead of choosing the number from the keyboard.

mjarantilla

I agree, scroll wheels are faster. Maybe nextgen someone will get the idea of putting one on their controller.

Although for fighters and sidescrollers, personally I still prefer to have a d-pad.

2. Ditch the Start and Select buttons in favor of a single "menu" button(One universal "menu" button? Yup, that's the Wiimote.)

Screw that, Kojima knows how to do it.

Select button for Communication commands? GENIUS

the wiimote is a good controller

sadly, most devs don't use it properly

play zelda TP, SMG, MP3 and RE4 to see how good the controller can be

Why is everyone obsessed with simplistic things, so much for the days when games were meant to challenge your mind, ability to multiask or show blatant skill.

Wtf is happening. fewer buttons? Thank god the PC platform isnt effected by this ****

This just in.. Best controller ever = 104-Key US Keyboard. :roll: