Alright, now that I got your attention with my eye catching title that has very little to do with the actual topic apart from it being about the Wii U:
I was looking for more e3 coverage around the web and I saw a few comments on Kotaku, not to mention an article, and not only am I even more excited for the WiiU, I'm practically salivating at the thought of what it could do.
Here's 2 comments that I found on Kotaku that really make the whole thing seem way more appealing and versatile:
I think it has potential to make things more engaging.
Think Aliens, having the sonar/radar beeping on your controller warning you of aliens. Cool.
Think Fallout 3 and having your PIP boy on the screen all the time.
Think GTA and having this act as your cell phone, or a console when you're in a car.
Sure, you can just hit a button to bring these things up, but this could make it more immersive.
It's possible that there are certain actions that having the touch screen would make it quicker than opening a menu, meaning improved gameplay.
__________________________
Think of the controller's touchscreen as the ultimate reconfigurable UI.
In an action RPG, have your inventory and spell lists right there on the touchscreen. Tap the spell icons to fire 'em off instead of relying on some obtuse combination of "hold down the right bumper and tap up on the D-pad for a fireball" or other chording nonsense.
This makes MMOs like Warcraft which need more inputs than a standard controller possible -- and since it's a touchscreen they can be laid out in any way that makes the most sense.
On top of that, since it's a screen, that interface is dynamic; it can change depending on what's going on in the game. Display troop data in an strategy game when you select a unit, then change to show combat data during the action turn. Display your inventory when accessing a shop in an RPG and then switch back to being your spell list when fighting. Etc.
There's a LOT they could do with this... if developers have both imagination (to think of neat new approaches) and sensibility (to make it more than an intrusive gimmick, like "Rub the screen to shake off enemy attacks!" or other such crap).
I really really hope developers actually take time to look at the opportunities present with the new controller. I didn't see it as much more than a controller with a screen, but reading some of these comments leads me to believe that it could be so much more, and it has potential for tons of different types of genres.
Sorry if this is old news, but it was practically a revelation for me. I'm very eager to see what creative developers will do with this.
And I'm really really hoping they don't see this as a method of making more shovelware.
TL;DR: Read it dammit!
I was looking for more e3 coverage around the web and I saw a few comments on Kotaku, not to mention an article, and not only am I even more excited for the WiiU, I'm practically salivating at the thought of what it could do.
Here's 2 comments that I found on Kotaku that really make the whole thing seem way more appealing and versatile:
I think it has potential to make things more engaging.
Think Aliens, having the sonar/radar beeping on your controller warning you of aliens. Cool.
Think Fallout 3 and having your PIP boy on the screen all the time.
Think GTA and having this act as your cell phone, or a console when you're in a car.
Sure, you can just hit a button to bring these things up, but this could make it more immersive.
It's possible that there are certain actions that having the touch screen would make it quicker than opening a menu, meaning improved gameplay.
__________________________
Think of the controller's touchscreen as the ultimate reconfigurable UI.
In an action RPG, have your inventory and spell lists right there on the touchscreen. Tap the spell icons to fire 'em off instead of relying on some obtuse combination of "hold down the right bumper and tap up on the D-pad for a fireball" or other chording nonsense.
This makes MMOs like Warcraft which need more inputs than a standard controller possible -- and since it's a touchscreen they can be laid out in any way that makes the most sense.
On top of that, since it's a screen, that interface is dynamic; it can change depending on what's going on in the game. Display troop data in an strategy game when you select a unit, then change to show combat data during the action turn. Display your inventory when accessing a shop in an RPG and then switch back to being your spell list when fighting. Etc.
There's a LOT they could do with this... if developers have both imagination (to think of neat new approaches) and sensibility (to make it more than an intrusive gimmick, like "Rub the screen to shake off enemy attacks!" or other such crap).
I really really hope developers actually take time to look at the opportunities present with the new controller. I didn't see it as much more than a controller with a screen, but reading some of these comments leads me to believe that it could be so much more, and it has potential for tons of different types of genres.
Sorry if this is old news, but it was practically a revelation for me. I'm very eager to see what creative developers will do with this.
And I'm really really hoping they don't see this as a method of making more shovelware.
TL;DR: Read it dammit!
