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[MYE]

I think the illusion of an apple-ish product is lost once you add a shit-tonne of buttons and analogue sticks. That mockup looks like a controller, trying to be a tablet, ultimately failing at both.

Thats were the marketing department steps in and does its job

 

[Joey Fox]

Not sure it would be an improvement. A diagonal relative positioning would make the D-pad and right analog stick easier to reach without changing the way you hold the controller. It's not a coincidence if all the home console controllers use that sort of setup.

If that is true, and I have to say it feels true if you sit with your fingers stationary and try to move your thumbs up and down vertically, then I think the mockup would be better served to expand horizontally instead of vertically. That screen needs to be the highlight of the controller.

 

[Refreshment.01]

In my case, it would probably duplicate the amount of playtime i usually spend on a homeconsole.

When i get pissed at a game, i usually turn the system off and watch TV.
When i'm split between watching a movie or show that interests me and playing something, movie/show usually wins.
When someone's hanging around and doesnt really wanna play, game system usually goes off to watch movies or whatever.
When i dont feel like sitting in my bean couch, i'l stream it to the controller and throw myself in bed or walk around the house.
etc, etc...

But the idea to substitute the TV doesn't fly with me. Use the touch screen complement it would be great though.

On the contrary, it worked perfectly for Wii after all, and it's kinda mandatory for BC anyway.
MSFT wasn't interested in anything but the camera for Kinect anyway
.

You didn't understand my post. Was talking about something modular but like this:

This is a great concept, thats hasn't been grabbed by any of the 3 companies.

 

[MYE]

But the idea to substitute the TV doesn't fly with me. Use the touch screen complement it would be great though.

I'm sure it can and will do both.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I wouldn't mind a cartridge based system again. I don't know if they work similarly like a memory card, but those are getting to be pretty big now? 16gigs? Maybe even bigger than that. Then have a standard dvd drive for Wii games?

 

[From The Dust]

I wouldn't mind a cartridge based system again. I don't know if they work similarly like a memory card, but those are getting to be pretty big now? 16gigs? Maybe even bigger than that. Then have a standard dvd drive for Wii games?

cost to third parties would still be high. and they go much higher than 16GB.

 

[radcliff]

I'm with you. I'll have to stick with PC only for shooters if this is true. I'm holding out a faint hope for E3, but I'm not real optimistic. I take an Amir0x like entrenchment on this issue. If something is so broken you have to design auto-aim into the game to compensate, then the controller is broken and not worth my time (Obviously Amir0x holds a different view on what's broken and what's not). I still think the controller will be pretty cool, but unless there's a drastic surprise, I'll never play a single FPS game on the system in my life. I don't do broken. I don't mind having to make adjustments to adapt to something, but I don't do broken. And games requiring auto-aim = broken.

What if where you aim/shoot on screen directly corresponds to where you are pointing on the touchscreen? They may eliminate IR pointing, but they could add a sort of mousepad/mouse with the screen/stylus(you thumb).

 

[1-D_FTW]

Not sure it would be an improvement. A diagonal relative positioning would make the D-pad and right analog stick easier to reach without changing the way you hold the controller. It's not a coincidence if all the home console controllers use that sort of setup.
On the 3DS Nintendo probably had to put the D-pad below the circle pad because of size/form factor limitations leaving them with no choice, and it shows. Switching between them is not exactly comfortable.


I'd say it's actually pretty likely.

It's not a coincidence all home controllers are also comfortable. The original mock up sucks from an ergonomics POV (sorry). It's form over function.

It's either going to be on top (especially since not only is it the most comfortable way to hold a brick, but this allows you to naturally hit triggers on the underside), or the middle.

The one reason the left analog stick would be in the middle is this way you could flip the screen if using as Nunchuk 2.0. It makes it neutral and accessible for left or right handers. This would assume Nintendo released a Stream Wiimote that then mirrors the button layout found on the right side of the controller. This would allow FPS games to be played with a pointer function assuming developers supported it.

What if where you aim/shoot on screen directly corresponds to where you are pointing on the touchscreen? They may eliminate IR pointing, but they could add a sort of mousepad/mouse with the screen/stylus(you thumb).

Seems impractical. Not only do most people not like this control method, but if you support it, you have to completely eliminate any touch screen use for all users. You couldn't have inventory/map/social functions on it (since touch control users wouldn't be able to easily access this). Considering the majority would still probably use dual sticks, it wouldn't make much sense to not support these things and make them look at a blank screen.

 

[Effect]

The rumors say the screen is 6 inches. 6 inches by what? What if it's just a scroll going across the top of the controller to show status updates or something? Or just a bar with touchcreen options that interact with the OS (open message icon, eShop icon, launch game icon, etc)? Wonder if someone could do a mockup of a gamecube controller with something like that. Think the icons at the top of the 3DS OS or the ones at the bottom of the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.

Why do people assume it's actual screen like shown up above? Perhaps I'm missing a rumor that says that but don't think so.

 

[FoneBone]

Anyone thought it could actually be something like a wiimote attaching to a tablet with a nunchuck attaching on the other side?

I'm hoping so (this is really the only way the screen can be included without abandoning the core Wiimote functionality, which I maintain to be an absolutely abysmal idea), but none of the rumors are indicating this.

 

[agrajag]

What if where you aim/shoot on screen directly corresponds to where you are pointing on the touchscreen? They may eliminate IR pointing, but they could add a sort of mousepad/mouse with the screen/stylus(you thumb).

The screen could be used just like a trackpad on your laptop. *shrug*

 

[manueldelalas]

The rumors say the screen is 6 inches. 6 inches by what? What if it's just a scroll going across the top of the controller to show status updates or something? Or just a bar with touchcreen options that interact with the OS (open message icon, eShop icon, launch game icon, etc)? Wonder if someone could do a mockup of a gamecube controller with something like that. Think the icons at the top of the 3DS OS or the ones at the bottom of the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.

Why do people assume it's actual screen? Perhaps I'm missing a rumor that says that but don't think so.

It's an 800x500 6'' screen.

 

[VerTiGo]

Could the Stream push the images onto the 3DS for Stream games in 3D?

 

[Vinci]

You need fast internet but it's nothing crazy. They have a proprietary algorithm that compresses the frames that is both very fast and resistant to errors. They also do a lot of packet modification to make sure it doesn't get hung up and will not re-request data, instead opting to let it error out and the decompression algorithm to handle those situations. I think they also have special hardware at their data centers that does all this compression. People still complain about input lag and it does depend a little bit on how close you are to a datacenter but it's definitely playable.

Yeah, I was going to say... If OnLive works at all, then how is it possible that the controllers for Cafe couldn't do something similar given they'd be within 30 feet of the source (at the furthest) and not tens or hundreds of miles?

 

[From The Dust]

The rumors say the screen is 6 inches. 6 inches by what? What if it's just a scroll going across the top of the controller to show status updates or something? Or just a bar with touchcreen options that interact with the OS (open message icon, eShop icon, launch game icon, etc)? Wonder if someone could do a mockup of a gamecube controller with something like that. Think the icons at the top of the 3DS OS or the ones at the bottom of the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.

Why do people assume it's actual screen like shown up above? Perhaps I'm missing a rumor that says that but don't think so.

apparently you don't know how screens are measured. it's 6" diagonal. thats 4.83"x 3.55" (4:3) or 5.23"x2.94" (16:9)

 

[Refreshment.01]

What if where you aim/shoot on screen directly corresponds to where you are pointing on the touchscreen? They may eliminate IR pointing, but they could add a sort of mousepad/mouse with the screen/stylus(you thumb).

I already tought about that, but using it as a track pad is not so great in comparison to a Wiimote. If they could track finger positions withouth touching the screen it would be more useful. But nintendo won't do that.

 

[KAL2006]

The rumors say the screen is 6 inches. 6 inches by what? What if it's just a scroll going across the top of the controller to show status updates or something? Or just a bar with touchcreen options that interact with the OS (open message icon, eShop icon, launch game icon, etc)? Wonder if someone could do a mockup of a gamecube controller with something like that. Think the icons at the top of the 3DS OS or the ones at the bottom of the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.

Why do people assume it's actual screen like shown up above? Perhaps I'm missing a rumor that says that but don't think so.

well if the controller can actually stream whole games on it, I sure hope the screen is 6", for games with advanced graphics I find it hard to appreciate the visuals of such a small screen, for example I don't think I could play a game like COD on the 3DS or iPhone screen, but on the NGP screen or the rumored Project Caffae screen I would have no problem.

 

[manueldelalas]

apparently you don't know how screens are measured. it's 6" diagonal. thats 4.83"x 3.55" (4:3) or 5.23"x2.94" (16:9)

Actually, the rumored resolution suggests a (16:10) ratio.

 

[agrajag]

I already tought about that, but using it as a track pad is not so great in comparison to a Wiimote. If they could track finger positions withouth touching the screen it would be more useful. But nintendo won't do that.

Why? Ever play FPS on a laptop? Works as well as a mouse.

 

[Jocchan]

It's not a coincidence all home controllers are also comfortable. The original mock up sucks from an ergonomics POV (sorry). It's form over function.

It's either going to be on top (especially since not only is it the most comfortable way to hold a brick, but this allows you to naturally hit triggers on the underside), or the middle.

The one reason the left analog stick would be in the middle is this way you could flip the screen if using as Nunchuk 2.0. It makes it neutral and accessible for left or right handers. This would assume Nintendo released a Stream Wiimote that then mirrors the button layout found on the right side of the controller. This would allow FPS games to be played with a pointer function assuming developers supported it.

We haven't seen the actual design, only mockups. I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if the final controller was actually a flat tablet with buttons on each side. Bumpers and triggers need to go somewhere, after all.

It's an 800x500 6'' screen.

Incorrect. It's AROUND 800x600, not EXACTLY 800x600.

 

[Graphics Horse]

That screen needs to be the highlight of the controller.

Yep. Think iphone 4 dimensions, around a 2:1 ratio for the unit.

Something 8.6 inch x 4.3 inch would work, and give you a bit more width at the edges than a DSi XL.

 

[brochiller]

I'm really getting excited with this whole screen on the controller thing. I was pretty skeptical about the whole concept at first. But the more I think about it the more awesome I think this will be.

Seeing that concept of a person actually playing SMG on their controller and not being tethered to a TV makes me even more excited for this thing. Somebody earlier asked if they will market this thing by showing people playing it. I think they're missing out on a big opportunity if they don't.

 

[mentalfloss]

Why? Ever play FPS on a laptop? Works as well as a mouse.

 

[SephCast]

I just hope the controller has the right thickness. My hands and thumbs get tired while holding my DS or 3DS. Home controllers should never sacrifice ergonomics.

 

[manueldelalas]

Incorrect. It's AROUND 800x600, not EXACTLY 800x600.

(800 x 500)

I will wait for a third party that releases an actual tablet (Honeycomb Android and shit) that also works as a Stream controller, that would be the ultimate tablet.

 

[From The Dust]

Actually, the rumored resolution suggests a (16:10) ratio.

wat. 16:10 monitors are dying off even. that's really fucking weird

 

[KAL2006]

One thing I thought of is how in Japan they have Caffae's where people come together and game, such as the Monster Hunter caffae where people bring their PSP's to play multiplayer Monster Hunter. What if this Project Caffae name stands for this, so a Caffae can hold a Mario Kart multiplayer session where they have the new WiiHD console, people can just bring their controllers to the Caffae to play a multiplayer session.

They could start doing this in the western market, places such as Mcdonalds can sponsor this.

 

[brochiller]

Actually, the rumored resolution suggests a (16:10) ratio.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't people taking the 800x500 resolution a bit out of context? I believe that number first came from a 01net article, which stated the resolution will be about 800x500. In fact I just checked their article and it reports the resolution as being "8**x5**," implying that the exact number of pixels aren't yet known. The aspect ratio could very well be 16:9.

 

[Graphics Horse]

wat. 16:10 monitors are dying off even. that's really fucking weird

3DS is 16:10 top screen, it's not weird.

Edit: sorry, 3DS is 5:3, which I thought was the presumed tablet aspect ratio. (800x480)

 

[From The Dust]

One thing I thought of is how in Japan they have Caffae's where people come together and game, such as the Monster Hunter caffae where people bring their PSP's to play multiplayer Monster Hunter. What if this Project Caffae name stands for this, so a Caffae can hold a Mario Kart multiplayer session where they have the new WiiHD console, people can just bring their controllers to the Caffae to play a multiplayer session.

They could start doing this in the western market, places such as Mcdonalds can sponsor this.

what about Maid Cafes? or Tsundere Cafes? (do those even exist)

3DS is 16:10 top screen, it's not weird.

really? fucking hell

 

[Jocchan]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't people taking the 800x500 resolution a bit out of context? I believe that number first came from a 01net article, which stated the resolution will be about 800x500. In fact I just checked their article and it reports the resolution as being "8**x5**," implying that the exact number of pixels aren't yet known. The aspect ratio could very well be 16:9.

Exactly. 854x480 is 16:9, and it's still around 800x500. We don't know the aspect ratio for sure.

 

[KrawlMan]

I'd personally rather have something akin to the gamecube keyboard:

Obviously it would only be as wide as is needed to accommodate the 6" diagonal screen. Why are so many of the examples trying to look just like a tablet? I'm really hoping it feels like I'm holding a wide controller, not some variant of a tablet / ipad.

 

[Interfectum]

I'm thinking it's going to be along the lines of something like this

 

[brochiller]

Exactly. 854x480 is 16:9, and it's still around 800x500. We don't know the aspect ratio for sure.

I really can't think of a reason why Nintendo wouldn't make the screen 16x9. Regardless of what the make the screen on the controller, these games are still going to be programmed to primarily run on 16x9 TV's, so there's no reason for them to make the process of streaming content to the controller even more complicated by changing the aspect ratio.

Unless of course they're going to use that little bit of extra screen real estate for like a status bar or something.

 

[Refreshment.01]

Why? Ever play FPS on a laptop? Works as well as a mouse.

Using it as a pad you limit the touch screen interactions to just dragging a pointer in the screen. Tapping, holding, dragging and gesture recognition go to waste this way. Other thing, dragging the thumb while another finger is in a button, is not as pricize as using the middle or index finger to aim. Using one area of the screen as a pad and populating the remaining part with buttons would force the user to watch the touch screen to control the game.

With the Wiiremote you are aiming, but have fingers always accesing two buttons so its more efficient than just using the screen as a track pad.

If Nintendo tracked finger position above the screen withouth touching, the user retains all the screen interactions plus it doesnt need to watch the screen.

 

[Jocchan]

I really can't think of a reason why Nintendo wouldn't make the screen 16x9. Regardless of what the make the screen on the controller, these games are still going to be programmed to primarily run on 16x9 TV's, so there's no reason for them to make the process of streaming content to the controller even more complicated by changing the aspect ratio.

Unless of course they're going to use that little bit of extra screen real estate for like a status bar or something.

Yup. Keeping the same aspect ratio as the TV, unless they want to keep a status bar visible all the time (I doubt that, doesn't happen on the 3DS after all), would make much more sense.

 

[Effect]

Ah. Forgot about the game streaming idea. Still not sure of this overall.

 

[manueldelalas]

3DS is 16:10 top screen, it's not weird.

Edit: sorry, 3DS is 5:3, which I thought was the presumed tablet aspect ratio. (800x480)

800x480 sounds about right, there are tons of devices that uses that resolution, so the screens would be cheap.

 

[brochiller]

Using it as a pad you limit the touch screen interactions to just dragging a pointer in the screen. Tapping, holding and dragging go to waste. Other thing dragging the thumb while another finger is in a button, is not as pricize as using the middle or index finger. Using one area of the screen as a pad and populating the remaining part with buttons would force the user to watch the touch screen to control the game.

With the Wiiremote you are aiming, but have fingers always accesing two buttons so its more efficient than just using the screen as a track pad.

If Nintendo tracked finger position above the screen withouth touching, the user retains all the screen interactions plus it doesnt need to watch the screen.

I could see using the touch-screen as a sniper scope of sorts in an FPS. Say you pull up your scope on the big screen, and instead of trying to aim with dual-analogues on the TV, you look down at the controller, tap the enemy on the head, and boom, headshot.

 

[Vinci]

Ah. Forgot about the game streaming idea. Still not sure if this overall.

I'm not sure of it either, since I have no idea what Nintendo plans to do with it. But if they're able to shift the game to the controller - if that's possible - then I think it could be adopted by developers in an absolutely huge number of clever ways. Actually, uses could be more readily interpreted for something like this than for the Wiimote.

 

[agrajag]

Using it as a pad you limit the touch screen interactions to just dragging a pointer in the screen. Tapping, holding, dragging and gesture recognition go to waste this way. Other thing, dragging the thumb while another finger is in a button, is not as pricize as using the middle or index finger to aim. Using one area of the screen as a pad and populating the remaining part with buttons would force the user to watch the touch screen to control the game.

With the Wiiremote you are aiming, but have fingers always accesing two buttons so its more efficient than just using the screen as a track pad.

You're correct that using it as a trackpad limits other functionality, but it doesn't have to be used the same way for every game. That's the beauty of it. For an FPS, I would want the screen to be used as a trackpad, maybe as a hud screen as well. Nothing more.

If Nintendo tracked finger position above the screen withouth touching, the user retains all the screen interactions plus it doesnt need to watch the screen.

I'm not sure how that's even possible, and if it is it'd be super expensive tech.

 

[MrBelmontvedere]

Why? Ever play FPS on a laptop? Works as a mouse.

fixed

 

[Graphics Horse]

I'm not sure how that's even possible, and if it is it'd be super expensive tech.

It's possible with a stylus, that's how graphics tablets, and even uDraw work.

 

[wsippel]

I'm not sure how that's even possible, and if it is it'd be super expensive tech.

Sharp offers such displays. They use sensors to detect light reflected by the fingertips or pens. It also doubles as a scanner and ambient light sensor.

 

[agrajag]

Ah, ok. Never used a tablet before. In that case, that's not a bad idea at all.

 

[AndyMoogle]

They better have real analog sticks and not shitty analog slide pads.

 

[JohnTinker]

They better have real analog sticks and not shitty analog slide pads.

Right on. Seeing all these mockups with sliders terrifies me

 

[Ickman3400]

They better have real analog sticks and not shitty analog slide pads.

Yeah that's a big one to me. If they have slide pads or nubs or whatever then I won't even consider buying it. I want a console controller not a handheld one.

 

[JohnTinker]

The thing that disappointed me the most about the Classic Controller was the sticks, they felt floaty to me compared to the GC's main stick, which IMO is still the best ever

 

[Refreshment.01]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't people taking the 800x500 resolution a bit out of context? I believe that number first came from a 01net article, which stated the resolution will be about 800x500. In fact I just checked their article and it reports the resolution as being "8**x5**," implying that the exact number of pixels aren't yet known. The aspect ratio could very well be 16:9.

Hold on where the 800*500 comes from?

If thats the case i just got a possible scenario

Just take your normal 2 handed controller with a vertical screen in the middle, so it wont make it as wide as the mock ups with the panoramic screen. So the controller has 2 operational modes. You turn the controller and holded it with your left hand, and now the screen is in panoramic format, but you have less buttons to use with your right hand so the touch screen for input method becomes more central. So it'll be like a wonderswam.

In the sense that it has 2 ways of holding it.

Sharp offers such displays. They use sensors to detect light reflected by the fingertips or pens. It also doubles as a scanner and ambient light sensor.

Very interested in this, do you have any informative links?

Ah, ok. Never used a tablet before. In that case, that's not a bad idea at all.

The idea of finger tracking is super cool, because it transforms any TV, no matter size, in a touch screen. But Nintendo won't do it.

"- Nintendo feels that gaming is better with buttons, so you won’t see a machine without them"

I really, really love nintendo.

Only a fool would expect Nintendo to abandon buttons in this stage of time. Maybe when mind controlling games is a viable option.