Forgotten Innovations

[DrNick]

I was thinking recently about a great idea that was integrated into the Super Nintendo controller, that I haven't seen since. This was the first controller (that I know of) to have the four action buttons in a diamond pattern, a solid innovation that stuck around.

But the SNES buttons were also differentiated by shape: X & Y were concave (curved inwards), like the original NES buttons, while A & B were convex (curved outwards), like the original Game Boy. This was a really, really good idea, especially for people new to gaming, since it makes it easier to develop a sense memory when touch is involved. Its a shame that consoles don't do that anymore - all buttons are the same now.

So what I was wondering is, what great ideas from the past (hardware or gameplay) did you like that have since been abandoned?

 

[Racecarlock]

Starflight was a game where you could create your crew, customize your ship, negotiate with aliens, and explore any planet surface you want.

It was available on the sega genesis. So what's the fuckin' excuse now? Consoles can't handle it? If the genesis could handle starflight, then I think even the 360 could have a game like that nowadays. And don't say mass effect because that game had a limited universe and a very linear plot and the only thing you do on the ground is combat whether or not you're in a vehicle. In starflight, you had mining and combat. There is no reason a game like that can't exist today.

 

[Flammablezeus]

I was thinking recently about a great idea that was integrated into the Super Nintendo controller, that I haven't seen since. This was the first controller (that I know of) to have the four action buttons in a diamond pattern, a solid innovation that stuck around.

But the SNES buttons were also differentiated by shape: X & Y were concave (curved inwards), like the original NES buttons, while A & B were convex (curved outwards), like the original Game Boy. This was a really, really good idea, especially for people new to gaming, since it makes it easier to develop a sense memory when touch is involved. Its a shame that consoles don't do that anymore - all buttons are the same now.

So what I was wondering is, what great ideas from the past (hardware or gameplay) did you like that have since been abandoned?

Are you looking at a first or third party controller? Because my SNES controllers have always had convex buttons. None of them are concave unless you count that little circle in the middle of the d-pad.

One thing that seems to be getting abandoned in recent consoles is dedicated power buttons. The "power" buttons on my Wii, PS3 and Wii U do nothing but put the console on standby. You can't actually turn them completely off without unplugging them.

 

[Bad Jim]

Loading screen minigames. Back in the eighties, when loading meant putting a cassete into a tape deck and waiting for five minutes or more, a few games had simple minigames that would keep you entertained while you were waiting. Then in the mid 90s, Namco somehow got a patent on the concept, and no-one wanted to challenge them in court over it.

Fortunately, that patent will expire in a year or two.

 

[BlackJesus]

Well, this isn't video games, but there were electric trams in every city in America at one point in the early 1900's. They were phased out for fossil fueled buses and cars though, because back then, there was plenty of oil, so much that it seemed limitless.

 

[shrekfan246]

One thing that seems to be getting abandoned in recent consoles is dedicated power buttons. The "power" buttons on my Wii, PS3 and Wii U do nothing but put the console on standby. You can't actually turn them completely off without unplugging them.

Hold the button on the PS3 for a few seconds.

Unless you even want the little red light to go off, in which case... I don't know what to tell you, because that means the console is "off", and the amount of power it's using would be directly proportional to however much a Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, Playstation, etc. used.

I think you might be right about the Wii U, though. I haven't paid enough attention to it, but it does seem like it'll occasionally download updates even while it's supposedly "off".

OT: I'm not really good at remembering this kind of stuff, and I only woke up a short while ago so my brain is still a bit slow. So I'm going to go for something easy that it's really too early to tell if it'll be abandoned or picked up.

Hearthstone's solo Adventure mode.

Admittedly, there's only a single "campaign" at the moment and it does require money (or an obscene amount of in-game currency) to unlock the entirety of it, but as an actual set of mechanics and encounters it's something I've never seen another card game do, and I absolutely love it. Not just because of how Blizzard managed to take the raid mechanics of Naxxramas from WoW and translate them into card-game form (though that's impressive in itself), but also because of how different it makes every single encounter within the adventure update, and how wildly varied it means you have to try being in response.

That's the type of thing I wanted from Hearthstone even back when I first heard about it and it was in the beta. I'm really glad Blizzard decided to do a solo mode, and I really hope they continue to add more and more as the game's life goes on. And if other digital card games look to it and start deciding they can make their own highly unique and interesting single-player encounters? Well, that's all the better.

 

[Seishisha]

If you want a better or different example of controller with identifiable buttons, look at the gamecube, some buttons on that controller were bigger others different shapes or simply turned sideways, very easy to learn which is which by holding it.

But we all know well i asume most of us know anyway, what happened to the gamecube, sad times.

Off topic i guess but personaly i still own my gamecube, last console i ever bought.

I kind of miss the old memory card's just because of you could easily transfer your game data to a mates house without having to take the whole console, though i do admit they had limmited storage capacity compared to a hard drive of later generations of consoles or pc's still i i wish they would make a comeback in some form.