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Now second screen gaming is dead, can we agree it was a bad idea in the first place?

M

moltonasty

Member
E_Darkness said:
Just because you didn't like it doesn't make it a bad idea.
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This. OP obviously you know that the DS and 3DS have sold many millions of units, so clearly they were a great idea from a business perspective. From a gameplay perspective there's a lot to offer as well, even if you ignore "gimmicky" uses. Moving maps and other UI to the bottom screen while not essential, absolutely made for a better experience in games that used it well.
 
B

bobbychalkers

Member
It was great when it first came out and it influenced some of the mechanics of some of my favorite games ever (TWEWY for example) but as the years went on I got tired of the low quality of the screens themselves. Now that HD handheld gaming is possible, I'd rather stick with that than go another generation of dual screens.
 
dcx4610

dcx4610

Member
Never liked the idea of having to look at separate screens. The concept was interesting but it didn't translate well in practice. I would have preferred one screen.

The only game it was kind of cool on was Hotel Dusk since it was like reading a book.
 
S

Steel

Banned
I mean, in theory it can be used for some mildly cool things, but it's not really worth the investment.
 
M

MegaManTrigger

Banned
It was great on the 3/DS, but the problem starts when you do it on the Wii U. Dual screen play in that scenario is not seamless and is actually pretty immersion-breaking, and IMO didn't contribute much to the experience.
 
L

lord_of_flood

Member
No. A lot of games on DS and 3DS used the second screen to great effect. Some games, like Pokemon, Castlevania, Metroid, and Fire Emblem, will be significantly worse off without it. The second screen enabled more functionality without clogging up screen real estate or having to manually go into menus. The argument is less convincing on Wii U but as an example, I'll still prefer the Wii U version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the second screen functionality.
 
M

mullet2000

Member
It's a good idea when in handheld form with screens directly beside each other.

On Wii U it was a terrible, cumbersome idea. It's confusing and uncomfortable to shift your gaze between the gameplay and the TV.
 
T

TwistedFreeze

Member
Jackstin said:
It made backwards compatability and game development much harder. So yes it was a terrible idea.
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Oh yes, it made game development so difficult that 3rd party developers didn't want to support the DS or 3DS /s

It was definitely a bad idea for the Wii U but not for their handhelds as their handhelds were still relatively cheap and QoL improvements they offered alongside a handful of unique games, such as TWEWY and Brain Age, made it more than worth it, IMHO
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
oni-link said:
I know, and I don't dislike it, I just don't think we have many great games that are great because of second screen gaming

A lot of great games used the screen for maps and inventory screens, and those did make the experience smoother, but they didn't really push the medium in the way I imagine Nintendo would have hoped
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Nah, I'd argue that a lot of the best and most forward-thinking DS games were enabled *because* of that second screen. Even the most trivial ones like the games that used the second screen as a touch surface for the stylus (Metroid Prime Hunters etc.)

Think about book mode enabling Brain Training/Brain Age or Hotel Dusk. Think about The World Ends With You. Think about how Layton's puzzles were set up across two screens, the bottom screen used to scribble notes while reading the prose and puzzle on the top screen. Think about how Nintendogs worked, and how the two screens set a standard in people's heads that bottom screen = touch interaction.

At its best (in the DS era), the second screen worked in a natural way that meant it basically became invisible to the player. You might have been using it as a blank canvas to perform touch gestures in Rhythm Heaven, for example. Doing said flick gestures on the screen itself wouldn't have worked.
 
O

oni-link

Member
Type40 said:
Nope. Mario Maker wouldn't have been possible without it.

News at 11: OP's thread backfires on him.
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Funnily enough I didn't like Mario Maker

Discussion is always good, the thread would be dull if it was just a page of people saying "yes" or "no" and it's not as one sided as you think

A lot of people so far also seem to be talking about specific systems they like (DS/3DS) and not the idea as a concept, and other than "It's nice to have my inventory on the second screen" no one is really posting about all the amazing gameplay innovations the concept has produced
 
T

Tensketch

Member
Battlefield 4 was greatly enhanced by this feature. Being able to use my tablet or 2nd monitor to view the map in a full screen helped my games and gave my friends and I a good idea of where we were needed.

Jackbox is also one of the best purchases I've made in a long time, playing quiplash after a few drinks with my friends has become one of the main attractions when I have friends over.

I think it's a fantastic concept. The only problem was a lot of people jumped onto the bandwagon and implemented it poorly. The Wii U tried to make an entire console off the idea and not every game can use it so plenty of games just tacked the feature on and it just didn't work.

It either needs to be the basis of the game (jackbox) or optional but super valuable (Battlefield 4), if it doesn't fit into either, then it shouldn't even be attempted.
 
F

Fancolors

Member
It was great, specially for games with exploration that make use of it as a navigation tool.

I'm still salty Blaster Master Zero didn't have a map on the second screen despite having a 3DS release.
 
G

Gotdatmoney

Member
As far as the WiiU is concerned it just of limited value in most games. Mostly just keeps your hud clean. But for shit like Mario Maker its god tier.

Not going to miss it personally but it was not bad. Just had limited appeal.
 
F

Famassu

Member
It worked on DSs reeeeally well in a lot of games and it was good for inventory management/menu stuff on Wii U (less good for shit like Star Fox Zero where it's an active part of more action-y gameplay) + "remote" playing on the bed. Not super-sad that Switch kind of melded Wii U's ideas together, sad about no DS-like dual screen handheld.
 
M

Mahonay

Banned
The only good use I ever experienced personally was Commander Mode for BF4. Being able to drop airstrikes and UAVs for my friends from my iPad was an awesome feeling. I usually did it when I was away from home and my PS4.

Even then DICE eventually discontinued support for Commander Mode on tablets because no one was really using it.
 
C

Crayolan

Member
No, lots of games on DS use the two screens very well.

Implementation on Wii U was usually just a convenience feature but it rarely ever hindered the experience.
 
B

Betty

Banned
Nope, it caught peoples attention, cleared up the main screen, provided a great way to access inventory or always have a map on screen.
 
M

Mill0

Neo Member
Not at all.
As many people brought up, we had several games that had great game mechanics built from the ground up for 2 screens.

I, for one, hope the next Switch has enough power to what the Wii-U did in mediocre fashion. Can you imagine?
 
T

talkingood

Member
I respectfully disagree. I think the Wii U is a more interesting console than say, the Switch (as much as I love mine). I think a big part of that is the two screen aspect.

That said I accept I seem to be in the minority as far as the market is concerned.
 
C

casiopao

Member
oni-link said:
I know, and I don't dislike it, I just don't think we have many great games that are great because of second screen gaming

A lot of great games used the screen for maps and inventory screens, and those did make the experience smoother, but they didn't really push the medium in the way I imagine Nintendo would have hoped
Click to expand...

........DS and 3DS had so many games which literally used that dual screen to its maximum potential.

Layton, Rhythm Heaven, Nintendogs, Etrian series all is better with dual screen and i am going to miss now.
 
A

Auxiliary Bro

Member
Bro, that one puzzle from Another Code still blows my mind. The World Ends With You is a good example as well, though I'm unsure if the mobile version captured an experience similar enough because I never tried it. Can't really imagine it's the same thing though, or better for that matter.

That said... OP, I wish I could tell you that I played games on the Wii U that convinced me it was a good idea. I think Splatoon was pretty handy with it, and I personally like a lot of the gamepad moments in The Wonderful 101, even if it had far too many and it was kinda sad that using the touch screen was the worst way to play that game. I have hopes that maybe the Switch can have the one odd game that'll do something great, but really I don't see a lot of use for it.

EDIT: just wanna briefly add that lowering the menu usage in OoT for the 3DS game was great. That game was slow as hell when you wanted to go into the inventory and that one change really made the difference.
 
J

James Scott

Banned
Second screen gaming is great.
Improved on the UI by quite a bit.
It's not worth the draw back of the Wii U gamepad a the time, but it was good
 
O

oni-link

Member
Carlius said:
dayum... op got wrecked lol. i agree that it was awesome.
Click to expand...

Yeah

mullet2000 said:
On Wii U it was a terrible, cumbersome idea. It's confusing and uncomfortable to shift your gaze between the gameplay and the TV.
Click to expand...

Steel said:
I mean, in theory it can be used for some mildly cool things, but it's not really worth the investment.
Click to expand...

dcx4610 said:
Never liked the idea of having to look at separate screens. The concept was interesting but it didn't translate well in practice. I would have preferred one screen.
Click to expand...

mindsale said:
Was an awful idea. Done poorly, it was like texting while driving.
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Stallion Dan said:
It was bad and the Wii U proved it. It was it's only feature and it bombed.

I know people will say "but DS" but that was another handheld in a line of them, like pretending 3D sold 3DS.
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SomedayTheFire said:
Agreed. Terrible idea. 3/DS had great games in spite of the dual screens, not because of them.
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Maedhros said:
It was only good for maps and point/click games. But the second one can be made on a single screen, so I don't really care. Good riddance.
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marmoka said:
As a Wii U owner... I agree with OP

Getting a Pro Controller was the best thing I could do.
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emb said:
I think the Wii U's implementation was rough; having to look away from the TV all the way down to the gamepad in your hands left it with almost no advantage over a snappy menu screen ready at the push of a button. In fact, I'd say using Wii U's second screen is usually more of a hassle than just pausing in normal games.
Click to expand...

1st Course said:
Yes. Waste of space and lead to inferior screens.

Glad that the Switch is back to the superior single screen form.
Click to expand...
 
S

Stallion Dan

Member
It was bad and the Wii U proved it. It was it's only feature and it bombed.

I know people will say "but DS" but that was another handheld in a line of them, like pretending 3D sold 3DS.
 
J

Jeff Freecss

Member
I think you are ignoring the fact that Nintendo DS and 3DS are one of the most successful gaming devices while relying heavily on second screen experiences.
 
G

Gotdatmoney

Member
oni-link said:
Funnily enough I didn't like Mario Maker

Discussion is always good, the thread would be dull if it was just a page of people saying "yes" or "no" and it's not as one sided as you think

A lot of people so far also seem to be talking about specific systems they like (DS/3DS) and not the idea as a concept, and other than "It's nice to have my inventory on the second screen" no one is really posting about all the amazing gameplay innovations the concept has produced
Click to expand...

Who cares about amazing gameplay innovations? Having a clean hud and an always accesible map or inventory with a quick glance down made a lot of those handheld games better with their limited screen space.

You also would never get something unique like The World Ends With You with out it.

Something doesnt have to be revolutionary to be a great feature. Sleep function introduced as standard on the DS was one of the best features ever brought to handhelds and it never "enchanced" games either.

Also, Mario Maker is god tier.
 
Voidwolf

Voidwolf

Member
The DS is one of the best gaming systems ever made imo so I wouldn't say it's a bad idea. It's just hardly ever implemented well.
 
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