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[Like the hat?]

What about an analog slider, instead of an analog stick? So it slides around, instead of tilting like a joystick.

 

[yurinka]

But how would you play it in 3D? would the touch screen be a 3D touch screens? (dual touch screens finally?

PC version can be played in 3D

 

[MomoPufflet]

anything but that fucking nub

Agreed. I really hate the nub. It's like controlling games with a rubber band and a penny.

What about an analog slider, instead of an analog stick? So it slides around, instead of tilting like a joystick.

SOUNDS LIKE A NUB

 

[Jme]

What about an analog slider, instead of an analog stick? So it slides around, instead of tilting like a joystick.

Like on the NES MAX?

That thing gives no feedback and does not self center. If it did, it would be as bad as the PSP nub :/

 

[Naked Prime]

3DS should just rip off the Neo Geo Pocket Colors' D-pad

Also I hope Capcom puts some fighters on 3DS cause the DS is the ONLY gaming system without a Capcom fighter. Imagine a 3DS PowerStone

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Agreed. I really hate the nub. It's like controlling games with a rubber band and a penny.

Finally an apt description of how horrible it is.

 

[Like the hat?]

3DS should just rip off the Neo Geo Pocket Colors' D-pad

that's what I had in mind

 

[KevinCow]

But how would you play it in 3D? would the touch screen be a 3D touch screens? (dual touch screens finally?

You would use the buttons to move the character on screen, and then use your depth perception to perceive depth.

No, really, I don't get the issue. Why would playing in 3D be any different from playing in 2D?

 

[deadmuffin]

don't really care...3D is one of the lowest on my list of what needs to be in a game

 

[MomoPufflet]

Like on the NES MAX?
http://a33.idata.over-blog.com/1/27/40/16/joypad/Nes-max.jpg[/ig]

[B]That thing gives no feedback and does not self center.[/B] If it did, it would be as bad as the PSP nub :/[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I remember trying one a million years ago-- it felt really awkward and untactile. It sounds good on paper (like the nub) but just doesn't work.

 

[jarosh]

You would use the buttons to move the character on screen, and then use your depth perception to perceive depth.

No, really, I don't get the issue. Why would playing in 3D be any different from playing in 2D?

you'd have to make sure not to move your head though so the camera doesn't tilt

 

[rollingstart]

Few people know of it and fewer actually own one, but the Tapwave Zodiac had a nice analog stick (more ball) on a handheld.

(hard to find a good picture showing it off and this was the closest on google

It's more like a circle with a rubber grip on it and felt like a mix between what you'd find on PS3/360 and the Saturn 3D pad. Very smooth feeling and had a lot of resistance to make up for the short movement range. It could even click in (L3) unlike the nub, but I believe it was only eight directions. It came out before the original DS or PSP, so I'm sure they can do something similar but better today.

 

[paranoidfortean]

This is going to be the first system I actually preorder.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

don't really care...3D is one of the lowest on my list of what needs to be in a game

Yeah, the easily missed part of the PR is where Nintendo announced that all games will only use 3D and will in fact feature nothing else.

They really snuck it in there.

 

[Chittagong]

I love these Nintendo's out-of-the-blue announcements. Absolute PR genius to release minimal details now. They'll get people speculating all the way until E3. Timeline seems to follow the DS announcement -> Reveal timeline.

I would bet almost anything that this will be out for this Christmas in US (November) and EU (December). Japan might follow later. Both Wii and DS came out in Nov/Dec in these territories. They are not slipping past the holidays for just two months sake. And it's not unprecedented that Japan comes later, Nintendo has been doing this for a while. Giving the "by March" launch window provides them with just one more "positive surprise".

All of this is pretty well in line with my long time speculation that Nintendo's internal teams are preparing for a new console because of their low output in the last year and a half.

Can't wait to see it. You can bet it resembles an iPod touch in terms of aesthetics.

 

[ThanksVision]

So is it really possible for a handheld to have Gamecube graphics?

I'm not doubting it, I really just don't know.

 

[civilstrife]

Hey guys, if we post the "Hidden Picture" video enough times, maybe Nintendo will get fed up with all the misinformation and reveal the actual device.

 

[pvpness]

I've been secretly hoping that they would put an ext. port on their next handheld so that we could plug the Wii remote (etc) into it. I don't know what for, or how, or why but I think it could be neat given the right software idea to accompany it.

I'm skeptical of 3D because I'm struggling to come up with creative, practical uses for it on a handheld. Some type of avatar manipulation through camera use could be cool though. The kids would love "petting" their nintendogs I'm sure. I'm sure Nintendo will show something interesting but this is gonna be the first handheld of theirs that I wait on unless they really blow me away at the start.

 

[Somnid]

So is it really possible for a handheld to have Gamecube graphics?

I'm not doubting it, I really just don't know.

Very possible. However I'm expecting more PSP-ish myself for cost containment. If DS and Wii weren't powerhouses and proved that graphics aren't everything then why expect them to suddenly change their mind? I think 3D is enough to elicit the wows.

 

[civilstrife]

I've been secretly hoping that they would put an ext. port on their next handheld so that we could plug the Wii remote (etc) into it. I don't know what for, or how, or why but I think it could be neat given the right software idea to accompany it.

Why would it need a port?
The wii remote communicates by bluetooth.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

I've been secretly hoping that they would put an ext. port on their next handheld so that we could plug the Wii remote (etc) into it. I don't know what for, or how, or why but I think it could be neat given the right software idea to accompany it.

Or they could use bluetooth.

Edit: Crap.

 

[Freshmaker]

Like on the NES MAX?
http://a33.idata.over-blog.com/1/27/40/16/joypad/Nes-max.jpg

That thing gives no feedback and does not self center. If it did, it would be as bad as the PSP nub :/

??? The NES Max was basically just a slider on a regular D-pad. If you got no feedback from pressing it down, nothing would happen because you wouldn't have pressed it down hard enough for it to register. It didn't need to recenter because you still needed to slide it over and actually press down in the requisite direction for it to work at all.

 

[pvpness]

Why would it need a port?
The wii remote communicates by bluetooth.

Would it work backwards too? As in, could you replace say a nunchuck with the 3DS using bluetooth?

 

[WillyFive]

So is it really possible for a handheld to have Gamecube graphics?

I'm not doubting it, I really just don't know.

It's possible to have a 360 or PS3 the size of an iPod Shuffle. But it's prohivitely expensive and kinda dumb to do it.

The Gamecube should be no hard feat to pull off at a decent price point in 2011.

 

[Jme]

??? The NES Max was basically just a slider on a regular D-pad. If you got no feedback from pressing it down, nothing would happen because you wouldn't have pressed it down hard enough for it to register. It didn't need to recenter because you still needed to slide it over and actually press down in the requisite direction for it to work at all.

I meant resistance.

 

[silverbullet1080]

Would it work backwards too? As in, could you replace say a nunchuck with the 3DS using bluetooth?

No.

 

[Fourth Storm]

I'm gonna go on record and say that Nintendo is just gonna put in a plain old dpad. It's their trademark and very accessible to young, old, and everything in between. They have never released a console without it!

We had the same amount of speculation with the Wii and look at what happened. Analog sticks are overrated. I've said it before: many games nowadays still require you to hold a button to run, making the stick completely pointless.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

Would it work backwards too? As in, could you replace say a nunchuck with the 3DS using bluetooth?

If they released a bluetooth nunchuk.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

Would it be possible to make a temporary analog stick? What if the center of the d-pad had a hole and the back end of the stylus could unscrew. You could unscrew the back end of the stylus and screw it into the d-pad hole to act as an analog stick.

As far a the screen goes, what if they made one big screen that could swivel like some cell phones do. The screen could be set vertically for DS games and horizontally for new games.

 

[beelzebozo]

Would it be possible to make a temporary analog stick? What if the center of the d-pad had a hole and the back end of the stylus could unscrew. You could unscrew the back end of the stylus and screw it into the d-pad hole to act as an analog stick.

As far a the screen goes, what if they made one big screen that could swivel like some cell phones do. The screen could be set vertically for DS games and horizontally for new games.

i thought about this. i had an old pc gamepad that had an analog stick that popped out of the bottom and screwed into the d-pad. i'm not sure the analog movement would be very good for something like that, though--it's not just the stick that makes an analog stick useful, accurate, or cool for a game. it'd still just be clicky d-pad movement.

 

[Vinterbird]

I'm gonna go on record and say that Nintendo is just gonna put in a plain old dpad. It's their trademark and very accessible to young, old, and everything in between. They have never released a console without it!

We had the same amount of speculation with the Wii and look at what happened. Analog sticks are overrated. I've said it before: many games nowadays still require you to hold a button to run, making the stick completely pointless.

Nikkei (which should be fully trusted on this) says there will be a analog stick, so it will be there in some form.

 

[rollingstart]

i thought about this. i had an old pc gamepad that had an analog stick that popped out of the bottom and screwed into the d-pad. i'm not sure the analog movement would be very good for something like that, though--it's not just the stick that makes an analog stick useful, accurate, or cool for a game. it'd still just be clicky d-pad movement.

Well they could make it an analog d-pad like on the PS2/PS3, though, that still defeats the entire purpose of an analog stick.

 

[KevinCow]

I'm gonna go on record and say that Nintendo is just gonna put in a plain old dpad. It's their trademark and very accessible to young, old, and everything in between. They have never released a console without it!

We had the same amount of speculation with the Wii and look at what happened. Analog sticks are overrated. I've said it before: many games nowadays still require you to hold a button to run, making the stick completely pointless.

But pretty much every game uses the full 360 degrees or movement, which I think is the more important feature of the analog stick.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Nikkei (which should be fully trusted on this) says there will be a analog stick, so it will be there in some form.

I'm of the opinion that the meaning was obscured in translation and they were actually speaking of a patent for a vibrating stylus. I fully acknowledge that I may be wrong, however.

Edit:

But pretty much every game uses the full 360 degrees or movement, which I think is the more important feature of the analog stick.

This can also be accomplished with the stylus in a FPS-like setup. Nintendo already released Mario 64 without analog support and that game was the flagship title for the device.

 

[Grampa Simpson]

We had the same amount of speculation with the Wii and look at what happened. Analog sticks are overrated. I've said it before: many games nowadays still require you to hold a button to run, making the stick completely pointless.

Ever hear of a 49 direction stick? They're used in a few arcade games.
Here's a Link:

http://urebelscum.speedhost.com/49waySticks.html

Analog itself is overrated, but may be the cheapest way of creating the desired effect.

Whatever it is, I hope that they include an 8-way shroud.

EDIT: A new type of digital stick might make sense. move from 8 to 16 directions, and have some sort of sensitivity built in. I just think that if it's going to be analog(ish) it should have a long throw. The analog face buttons on the PS2 did nothing for me, but the analog triggers on the 360 controller are kind of awesome. Didn't like the slider analog triggers on the GC controller.

 

[Diglet]

I guess Im excited.
The 3d better be good.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

You would use the buttons to move the character on screen, and then use your depth perception to perceive depth.

No, really, I don't get the issue. Why would playing in 3D be any different from playing in 2D?

Oh, I guess I find it odd, sticking an stylus on a screen thats supposed to be 3D (if there were depth perception type stuff).

 

[Doorman]

Would it be possible to make a temporary analog stick? What if the center of the d-pad had a hole and the back end of the stylus could unscrew. You could unscrew the back end of the stylus and screw it into the d-pad hole to act as an analog stick.

It's not a bad idea for practical purposes, but I have a hard time believing that Nintendo would go with implementing something even that complicated for playing any of their analog-control games. Plus then you run the risk of tiny stylus-nubs getting dropped or lost or other bad things. The fewer small removable parts they have to deal with, the better.

Right now I imagine something basically like a smushed-down gamecube analog stick, complete with the 8-directional cut-ins so that it could still deal with the old digital controls of previous DS games. I really don't know about going with a second stick on the other side though...on one hand it seems like it would be a bad idea, but if they intend to make more 3-D games this time around compared to the DS, it might be necessary for some kind of camera controls at the least.

 

[jarosh]

coincidentally i found this in a book store today and immediately thought of this thread:

just in time for the 3ds, you can now finally do your shitty design in 3d

 

[felipeko]

Oh, I guess I find it odd, sticking an stylus on a screen thats supposed to be 3D (if there were depth perception type stuff).

That probably won't happen though, as it will break the illusion. Probably only the top screen will be 3D and the bottom will stay touch.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Ever hear of a 49 direction stick? They're used in a few arcade games.
Here's a Link:

http://urebelscum.speedhost.com/49waySticks.html

Analog itself is overrated, but may be the cheapest way of creating the desired effect.

Whatever it is, I hope that they include an 8-way shroud.

EDIT: A new type of digital stick might make sense. move from 8 to 16 directions, and have some sort of sensitivity built in. I just think that if it's going to be analog(ish) it should have a long throw. The analog face buttons on the PS2 did nothing for me, but the analog triggers on the 360 controller are kind of awesome. Didn't like the slider analog triggers on the GC controller.

That's pretty cool, but my argument is that there will not be a stick of any type, except for the stylus. If anything, Nintendo will continue to move in the direction of control exclusively using the stylus.

As others have also mentioned, if they include one analog stick, they would most likely have to include 2 in order to accommodate left-handed players. Then, you have a monstrosity of a configuration sure to scare away the casual audience Nintendo has worked so hard to entice.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

i thought about this. i had an old pc gamepad that had an analog stick that popped out of the bottom and screwed into the d-pad. i'm not sure the analog movement would be very good for something like that, though--it's not just the stick that makes an analog stick useful, accurate, or cool for a game. it'd still just be clicky d-pad movement.

This is exactly what I'm talking about except with rubber on the end and a little shorter.

 

[beelzebozo]

yeah, i'm not sure, but i think that might be really bad.

 

[WillyFive]

Would it be possible to make a temporary analog stick? What if the center of the d-pad had a hole and the back end of the stylus could unscrew. You could unscrew the back end of the stylus and screw it into the d-pad hole to act as an analog stick.

As far a the screen goes, what if they made one big screen that could swivel like some cell phones do. The screen could be set vertically for DS games and horizontally for new games.

But it would not be an analog stick. It would be a digital pad with a stick.

 

[Azure Dream]

This is exactly what I'm talking about except with rubber on the end and a little shorter.

I had one of those! It even came with an episode of Commander Keen.

yeah, i'm not sure, but i think that might be really bad.

With a shorter stick it might've been okay, but it still puts a screw well right where your thumb rests.

 

[Snytbaggen]

yeah, i'm not sure, but i think that might be really bad.

I've played with similar controller years ago and yeah, it sucked.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

yeah, i'm not sure, but i think that might be really bad.

It would still have a traditional Nintendo style d-pad.

With a shorter stick it might've been okay, but it still puts a screw well right where your thumb rests.

What if the screw hole was recessed or concave? Would that make it more comfortable? Anyway, it's just an idea, they probably won't do this anyway, but aside from the PSP nub not controlling well, it's also in a bad spot comfort wise. The only place to put it and maintain comfort is where the d-pad is.

 

[upandaway]

But it would not be an analog stick. It would be a digital pad with a stick.

How hard can it be to have both an analog stick and a d-pad on top of each other, where you can choose which one to use through software? At the very least, through a button press it should be easy. You just shut off one of them and use the other like two separate buttons.

It seems like a fair trade to sacrifice the ability to use both the analog and the d-pad at the same time, to gain the surface space on the handheld. It's not like a DS game will ever utilize them both at the same time, they're not console games.

 

[Father_Brain]

As others have also mentioned, if they include one analog stick, they would most likely have to include 2 in order to accommodate left-handed players. Then, you have a monstrosity of a configuration sure to scare away the casual audience Nintendo has worked so hard to entice.

A lot of GAFers also thought that DSi would "have to" retain the GBA slot before it was unveiled. Just saying.

 

[plank]

Just because its backwards compatible to the DS/DSlite/DSi doesn't mean it'll have two screens. It might just have one large screen that can mimic two displays at once, like the iphone.