Absolutely. Sega are kings when it comes to D-pad. Saturn, Dreamcast, etc... they are all leagues ahead of everything else - except maybe those NeoGeo pads... but even so, I'd still prefer a saturn D-pad over anything.
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Wii U Speculation Thread of Brains Beware: Wii U Re-Unveiling At E3 2012
- Thread starter bgassassin
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Absolutely. Sega are kings when it comes to D-pad. Saturn, Dreamcast, etc... they are all leagues ahead of everything else - except maybe those NeoGeo pads... but even so, I'd still prefer a saturn D-pad over anything.
I highly recommend you do. I didn't at first and left it at home, however, after Christmas I brought it with me (university) because it just makes the whole charging process so much smoother. No finding A and plugging it into B. B just sits into A. So so good. I keep mine on charge in my DVD cupboard and it all looks so neat.
Skiesofwonder
Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
I highly recommend you do. I didn't at first and left it at home, however, after Christmas I brought it with me (university) because it just makes the whole charging process so much smoother. No finding A and plugging it into B. B just sits into A. So so good. I keep mine on charge in my DVD cupboard and it all looks so neat.
Not to mention if you play Mario Kart 7 while holding the 3DS inside the charge craddle, two things happen:
1. Your 3DS never dies
2. Your hands don't cramp (as much) because it makes the 3DS much thicker.
The problem with things like Home is that, as cool as they look, they're basically just incredibly slow ways to do things that can be done with menus. After a short period of finding it impressive, people revert back to just using the standard menus to get to what they want. It happened to Home, it happened to the old Packard Bell Navigator that was installed on a PC I had in the mid-90s, and it would happen to any sort of Animal Crossing-style setup Nintendo would go with.
There are basically three things Nintendo need to do to get online right, by my reckoning:
- Account-based online service
- Unified friends list
- OS-level communities
With the 3DS they've managed to get the second one, at least, and OS-level communities would seem like an obvious step after the success of the feature in MK7. It really just depends on them getting a proper account-based service instead of the console-based service we've got on the 3DS (which is at least a step-up from the game-based service we got on the Wii). Hopefully the realisation that more than one person might want to play a given Wii U online, each with their own friends list and communities, will force them into the conclusion that an account-based service is the way to go.
On a slightly separate matter, they really need to get the eShop right. The Wii's shop was slow and cumbersome, and (apart from the awesome music) just didn't have one good thing about it. I wouldn't be surprised if the gradual dwindling of VC releases was largely down to low sales of all but the top titles, which itself was because it takes so damn long to even find a game on the service. With a HD screen in front of them, they have no excuse not to completely overhaul the eShop, combine it with the Nintendo channel to give a single entry per game, with Buy, Download Demo, Show Trailer, Show Screenshots, etc., etc. all right there on one page that loads quickly. The 3DS made a decent stride in this direction, but it's still far from perfect.
Also sales. In fact, if there was one thing I'd emphasise in "What Nintendo could learn from Valve" it'd be sales. Sales, sales and more sales. I've only been buying games on Steam for about 6 months, since I got my newest computer, and I've already spent literally 20 times as much as I've spent on Wii shop and XBox360 downloadables put together. Virtually every one of those purchases was a game on sale, but added together they've got an awful lot more of my money than if they never had sales. I've also gotten into the habit of logging onto Steam every day to check the daily deal, which I wouldn't if they only had deals sporadically.
Nintendo need to emulate this to a tee. Every day there should be a daily deal, visible on the main screen right after you log on to the console, with a VC/WiiUware game at least 50-75% off for the day. There should be a box saying "Waverace 64 - 75% off - 2.50 - Today only", right there, begging to be bought. Not to mention twice-yearly mega-sales with lots of daily deals for a week or two. Smaller developers often talk about how much extra revenue Steam sales bring in, and Nintendo could do the same with steep discounts for less popular VC games, and maybe only 25% off games like Mario 64/Zelda/etc. that are going to sell pretty well anyway.
Jorok Goldblade
Member
Hire up the fired staff, add in a few more outside hires and transplants from Japan, and basically do with them what they did to shape Retro. Start a new UK dev from the ashes of Rare.
Graphics Horse
Member
Huh, I never realised that was even possible, maybe I'll try it.
The reason I didn't bother unwrapping it is I have a shortage of sockets where I'd like to keep it, so it wouldn't make things any simpler as I need to swap it out for other chargers. I'll have to do something about that eventually...
Another one? I lost count at Otterly.
Dreamcast had a shiiiiiiiiiiIt d-pad.
It extruded too far and was far too sharp on the edges. If you enjoy blisters then that d-pad was king.
That d-pad SUCKED.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Rare's culture was such that they really didn't get along with simply furthering the agendas of a console manufacturer. I know a lot of the people during the Nintendo era didn't think that they should be treated as a a second-tier to Nintendo's own developers when they felt their games were the best on the N64.
I don't think they realized this until after Microsoft bought them, though. They likely thought Nintendo was the problem, but they just wanted more freedom to make what they wanted.
I don't think they realized this until after Microsoft bought them, though. They likely thought Nintendo was the problem, but they just wanted more freedom to make what they wanted.
Lupin the Third
Member
Beat me to it. Yes, Dreamcast was horrible for playing with the D-pad.
Also, I defy anyone who says the 3-button Genesis controller's D-pad is great. The 6-button was improved, but that original ...not so much.
I kind of liked the square Master System pad, but I didn't really play much Master System....
A thought:
Angry Birds 3D
Like Angry Birds, but with 3D structures to throw the birds at. Use the Wii U pad as the slingshot, by aiming with the pad itself, and pulling back and releasing an image of the slingshot on the touch screen.
Also a 3DS version.
'Twould sell like the proverbial hotcakes.
Angry Birds 3D
Like Angry Birds, but with 3D structures to throw the birds at. Use the Wii U pad as the slingshot, by aiming with the pad itself, and pulling back and releasing an image of the slingshot on the touch screen.
Also a 3DS version.
'Twould sell like the proverbial hotcakes.
PigSpeakers
Member
Dualshock D-pad always kind of hurt my thumb on more intense action games like Mega Man X. I tried playing the collection on PS2, and I didn't enjoy myself as much as when I was using the SNES D-pad.
jump_button
Banned
Angry Birds is a fad they need to keep that off the Wii U
I would but Angry Birds in with Crazy frog
Fourth Storm
Member
You got me thinking. Here are some of my guesses.
EAD Group 1: Mario Kart HD (2013)
EAD Group 2: New IP (Battle Mii?) (1st quarter 2013)
EAD Group 3: Zelda HD w/ Retro (2014)
EAD Group 4: New Super Mario Bros Mii (launch)
EAD Group 5: Wii Fit HD (holiday 2012)
NST: Wii Sports HD (launch)
Monster: Wave Race HD (launch)
EAD Tokyo Group 1: Pikmin 3 (1st quarter 2013)
EAD Tokyo Group 2: 3D Mario (holiday 2013)
Retro: New IP (2013)
Other franchises which may show up include WarioWare by IntSys and Endless Ocean by Arika. I'd also be surprised if they don't launch some type of creativity software. At the very least, I'm expecting the new Mii channel to be a huge upgrade allowing more custom design w/ the stylus
Yes, please.
bgassassin
Member
Interesting concept. Would this take on a first-person view? Or at least maybe the view from the controller is first-person. That's kind of how I'm envisioning it.
-WindYoshi-
Banned
Best D-Pad is SNES. Perfect size, and comfort.
AceBandage
Banned
My KeyBoard has the best D-Pad.
By far.
EricDiesel
Member
Best D-Pad: Virtual Boy because it had TWO. So it was twice as good.
Fourth Storm
Member
The dpad on the DSPhat what pretty damn awesome.
I agree.
ReyVGM
Member
Nintendo got rid of RARE for a reason. They are not going to re-hire the guys after that.
The only person Nintendo needs to hire is David Wise. I want this guy to make the music for everything.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
I just hope Nintendo has an ongoing relationship with Sakaguchi and that Reggie gets the stick out of his ass and hooks us up whenever necessary. Anything else would be bonus
Whatever you think of Angry Birds, it's still the number one selling app on iOS after two years. That's a heck of a successful fad.
Also, the PS2 had a Crazy Frog game. The PS2 sold 150 million units. If anything, the correlation between fad games and successful hardware is a positive one.
I was thinking something like this:
You pull back and release the bird to launch it, just like on the phone game. Of course in the real game the stuff you're shooting at is in 3D (think Havok physics) and the whole thing doesn't look like a shoddy photoshop job.
Hero of Legend
Member
Which team do you think will help with Pikmin 3?
Entersphere?
Anyway, this is my prefered line-up (not nessesarily at launch) by team:
EAD: MK, Animal Crossing, Pikmin 3
NST: Project HAMMER (if only, it looked pretty cool IMO)
Monster Games: New realistic arcade racer IP ala Excite Truck, or just Excite Truck 2/Super Excite Truck (Bots isn't ET2), maybe even F-Zero
Retro Studios: New IP or Star Fox
EAD Tokyo 1: 3D DK complete with Kremlings. Show Rare how to do Banjo with a DK platformer.
EAD Tokyo 2 (3D Land): 3D Mario
Next Level Games: Strikers 3, revival of another dormant IP ala Punch-Out, maybe a new IP, or how about for fellow Canadians; Super Mario Slapshot! XD
Monolithsoft: New RPG IP (they are making a game for Wii U, so it's likely, WOOT!)
Mistwalker: The Last Story 2 or a new RPG IP
Arzest: New mascot platformer IP, mayjor bonus points if Prope got on board with them for a Ohshima and Naka double whammy of platforming greatness!
Arika: Endless Ocean 3
Noise Games: Custom Robo
Ambrella: Hey U Pikachu 2 (the original was fun damnit!)
EAD team that made Stadium: 5th Gen Pokemon Battle game
Chun Soft: Mystery Dungeon with actual Pokemon models, not the crappy toys in the WiiWare game (how did Nintendo never bring those over?!)
Genius Sonority (if they ever make console games again): New RPG IP (seemingly they were underway with just that on Wii, but it went kaput underwraps)
Brownie Brown (a stretch): New HD 2D RPG IP
Sandlot: Zangeki 2 (damn awesome and gorgeous in concept that we never got to play, imagine that on Wii U)
Paon: Glory of Heracles, or with Namco; Klonoa 2 HD!
Camelot: Mario Golf and Tennis (NOT PORTS), Golden Sun
Namco and NOW PRO: Mario Baseball 3
Big list, but that would make my gen so far as far as Nintendo published games go.
Smiles and Cries
Member
do you guys even know what we are talking about in this thread anymore?
you guys are just bumping it to make the wait harder for me right?
The U stands for Underpants <--- here new news new thread!
you guys are just bumping it to make the wait harder for me right?
The U stands for Underpants <--- here new news new thread!
Graphics Horse
Member
Unsurprisingly, there's already a 2D version of what you're describing called Siege Hero. Saw some woman playing it on the train the other day.
Hero of Legend
Member
I'd say Wikipedia. but the template looks wrong.
Here's the list from the top of my head:
1st: Retro, EAD, IntSys, SPD, Monolith, Project Sora, NST, NdCube
2nd: HAL, GameFreak, Creatures, Ambrella, Noise, Camelot (debatable since they tried to make a PC game a few years back), Genius Sonority, Alpha Dream, possibly Skip (but didn't their own teams make iPhone games?), Alpha Dream
Monster Games and Good-Feel could be second-party due to their Nintendo-exclusive nature, Next Level certainly isn't as their recent history has shown. Not sure about Greezo, could be! Considering they've worked on the recent Zelda ports for fuck sake, I doubt Miyamoto would let some 3rd-party do that without a close partnership being made, well, was Flagship second-party?
Hey Shikamaru, do you know which ones are officially second-party?
Yeah, looking at Boom Blox now, it's pretty similar. I'm not claiming it's a particularly innovative idea, just that Angry Birds suitably 3Dified could sell quite a bit, and the Wii U pad provides the perfect way to do so, as it effectively keeps the same control scheme.
That's strange, I thought the 2D version of what I described was called Angry Birds
JoshuaJSlone
Member
It's interesting that Virtual Boy had the dual d-pads before dual analogs became a thing; might be interesting to see how it got used in a universe where it didn't sell like crap.
For $0-1, absolutely.Thraktor said:
Naked Prime
Member
as long as some one gives me a mech game where i have to preform real-time repairs on the Wii U controller during fights, I'll be happy.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Fourth Storm
Member
I was reading an investor Q&A from last year and Iwata seemed adamant about not selling an expensive controller to consumers if there are not enough compelling uses for two tablets. I hate to say it, but I don't think Madden alone will cut it. If anything, you can hide plays by having the player w/ the tablet turn around as the other player chooses their play on the tv.
But still they'll need a control option which incorporates all traditional controls plus tilt and possibly swipes. That's where I think that patent which turns a Wii Remote's IR sensor into a touch pad comes into play...
AceBandage
Banned
It's worrisome that Reggie won't comment on something before Nintendo has officially announced it?
Most likely Reggie just doesn't know himself.
My original prediction was that they'll allow multiple Upads to be used on a single Wii U but they wont actually sell the controllers themselves at launch. They'll have a bit of marketing around the whole "bring your Upad to a friend's house! Make it your own!" concept, sort of like storing Miis in your wiimote but a bit more fleshed out. Then, about a year form launch, they're going to start selling the actual controller bundled with "Wii U Play" designed around multiple tablets. The bundled software will help people swallow the high price ($70-80?)
It sounds convoluted, I know, but I wouldn't put it past nintendo.
It sounds convoluted, I know, but I wouldn't put it past nintendo.
Fourth Storm
Member
I had something similar in mind at one point, but there are so many ways Nintendo could approach it, it's all up for grabs. But I do believe this a somewhat acceptable solution.
How much storage do you see being on the controller? Is less than a gig even possible? Gotta be at least that...
Edit: And they're going to need a damn efficient replacement program.
Fourth Storm
Member
It's not actually official, but we have good word that 2 at a time is possible. How that cuts into performance will most likely be up to devs. But it's all based off the presumption of "bringing your own controller to a friend's" and not that they intend to sell the controller separately.
Exterminieren
Banned
Nah. Not being announced is a different thing to not actually happening, and Reggie plainly hasn't been about announcing things this week.
This NEEDS to happen. Preferably with 3DS connectivity to look at your photos in 3D.
AceBandage
Banned
Nah, I think an AR game on the 3DS would be better for that.
Fourth Storm
Member
What if someone is lucky enough to have 3 friends w/ a Wii U and they come over w/ their controllers? Even if streaming an image to 4 screens is not possible, shouldn't they be able to function at least as traditional controllers, have their memory accessed, and perhaps even use the screen as a touch pad?
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