Major Video Game Companies...ftl

[Brasel]

Man! I was so impressed with WotLK! I haven't even played it yet! I've been trying to install it for an entire day now and I'm just now at 88% complete because I had to download the client installer thing from your website after your DVD decided that it didn't want to install on my system.

I'm really getting sick of spending tons of cash on games and systems these days and having to worry about whether or not they'll even work. I think with new games I've bought within the past three months, I've done more troubleshooting than playing. My PS3's controller sync issues that force me to do a hard shut down any time my controller drops out. Oh wow, I'm really looking forward to sending it off for three weeks and spending $150 to get it fixed. All you XBOX 360 owners out there can't say much either, I mean, red ring of death?

Now I buy Wrath of the Lich King and the dvd doesn't work? Where did that Blizzard quality go? I wanted to play it when I bought it last night, and here I am, almost 24 hours later still trying to install the damn thing on a computer that exceeds the recommended specs and is well taken care of to boot.

Where did the days of Nintendo go? Oh, thats right, developers decided that they'd rather make fat cash on cheaper and poorer quality game systems so they jumped ship back in the 90s. My Wii hasn't had any issues at all! I just wish there was something I wanted to play on the damn thing.

[Beldaran]

If companies put the kind of effort into a game necessary for it to be reliable 99.9% of the time, each game would cost $500.

[Cloral]

Developer =\= Console Manufacturer btw.

[Banon]

For the record, the Wii does have its problems as well...

Sometimes, discs just plain don't load, and you have to restart the console.

It's nothing compared to the problems with the other consoles, but still...

[Revfan9]

Man! I was so impressed with WotLK! I haven't even played it yet! I've been trying to install it for an entire day now and I'm just now at 88% complete because I had to download the client installer thing from your website after your DVD decided that it didn't want to install on my system.

I'm really getting sick of spending tons of cash on games and systems these days and having to worry about whether or not they'll even work. I think with new games I've bought within the past three months, I've done more troubleshooting than playing. My PS3's controller sync issues that force me to do a hard shut down any time my controller drops out. Oh wow, I'm really looking forward to sending it off for three weeks and spending $150 to get it fixed. All you XBOX 360 owners out there can't say much either, I mean, red ring of death?

Now I buy Wrath of the Lich King and the dvd doesn't work? Where did that Blizzard quality go? I wanted to play it when I bought it last night, and here I am, almost 24 hours later still trying to install the damn thing on a computer that exceeds the recommended specs and is well taken care of to boot.

Where did the days of Nintendo go? Oh, thats right, developers decided that they'd rather make fat cash on cheaper and poorer quality game systems so they jumped ship back in the 90s. My Wii hasn't had any issues at all! I just wish there was something I wanted to play on the damn thing.

...It's too bad things like Torrent sites don't exist, and they're completely morally unethical and there's absolutely no practical justification for them at all!

</obligatory>

[ctrl-alt-delete]

For the record, the Wii does have its problems as well...

Sometimes, discs just plain don't load, and you have to restart the console.

It's nothing compared to the problems with the other consoles, but still...

Never once had an issue like that with my Wii.

[Nicholas Steel]

take the disc back and say it doesn't work. I've encountered a bad batch of Tekken 5 games before, just gotta return it and if possible, verify the replacement disc works in the store... not sure if you can do that with an online game like WotLK though.

[erm2003]

I have had the disc loading issue with the Wii. I think it just needs to be cleaned out, but if I restart the system and then eject/reload the disc is usually works fine after that. Once it reads it right then there are no problems while it's being used, just maybe an issue next time I start it up again.

[rock_nog]

I've never had any problems with discs, but I have very occasionally experienced my Wii hanging up loading a Wiiware title. Personally, I miss the good old days of the NES, where all problems could be fixed by taking the game out and blowing on it.

Other than that, I understand that as games and systems get more complex, you're going to run into more problems. Back in the day, we didn't have to worry as much about software errors and the like, but that was because games were simpler.

[Majora]

Now I buy Wrath of the Lich King and the dvd doesn't work? Where did that Blizzard quality go? I wanted to play it when I bought it last night, and here I am, almost 24 hours later still trying to install the damn thing on a computer that exceeds the recommended specs and is well taken care of to boot.

take the disc back and say it doesn't work. I've encountered a bad batch of Tekken 5 games before, just gotta return it and if possible, verify the replacement disc works in the store... not sure if you can do that with an online game like WotLK though.


Just download the frickin' game. (http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_mirrors) I got WoW + TBC for free. From what I've heard Lich King sucks so I don't plan on downloading it.

[MottZilla]

Hardware issues can be linked to everything being made in China now. Software issues can be linked to the high development costs and probably an increasing amount of developers that don't really know some basic procedures.

If you want a game that will just work you will need to go back to retro consoles. The worst you might have to do is clean a cartridge's contacts.

[AtmaWeapon]

Welcome to the world of PC gaming. It has been and will always be this way, due to the ridiculous number of combinations of hardware that the software must support. Consoles have a standard configuration and generally use the same components from the same manufacturers with the same level of quality. PCs only provide a standard interface through software abstraction layers; the hardware can come from one of hundreds of different vendors of varying quality. If one piece of the puzzle implements a standard wrong, it will cause a problem in the abstraction.

What's worse, the developers can release a 90% complete game and provide the rest of the 10% (which is usually quality upgrades) through patches. PC owners have paid for broken games for at least a decade now, and they continue to do it. Consoles get a taste of this lately, since downloadable patches give the developers an excuse to force the game out without proper QA. The only way to stop this cycle is to refuse to buy the games. You and I both know this won't happen on a significant scale, because the games are sweet, sweet candy even when flawed.

However, I'm going to apply Occam's Razor and say you probably got a bad disc and should have returned it. If 2 discs failed, I'd start looking for a friend with the disc to see if theirs worked in my machine. If not, I'd look to blaming my DVD drive and look for updated drivers followed by a replacment drive (If so, I'd try my disc in their machine to see if it was a disc problem.) If it fails then, I'd probably set up a VM and see if it installs on that; if so then something's borked in my OS. Only after ruling out the disc, the drive, and the system would I start considering complaining about the manufacturer's quality. The final check would be to search the web for complaints about the disc not working. If there's lots of complaints it's time for pitchforks and torches; if not then I'd assume I'm the unlucky recipient of a manufacturing defect.

It's better to reserve hatred for the truly stupid; one time I bought my 3-year-old (at the time) brother a sweet looking Tonka game for the computer. I put it in the drive, then found out there wasn't a single executable file on the disc; just data files. That's incompetence.

*edit* Also I think Mott's right; hardware quality isn't what it used to be due to strong downward pressure on prices. In general, it takes a fantastic programmer to be a video game developer, but judging from some of the bugs in big-ticket games these days I think there's more demand for employees than good bodies to fill the positions. Talented developers want stable work, which is something the video game industry has not demonstrated in this recession. The net result is too many people who don't know what they're doing are in the video game industry by merit of being the only people to take the position. (This is actually a problem in the industry as a whole; I blame the promise of quick riches and the lack of managers that understand how to judge a programmer's worth. A degree is not a guarantee of talent.)

[MottZilla]

Didn't you read the box that said, Some Programming Required? :p

[Brasel]

However, I'm going to apply Occam's Razor and say you probably got a bad disc and should have returned it. If 2 discs failed, I'd start looking for a friend with the disc to see if theirs worked in my machine. If not, I'd look to blaming my DVD drive and look for updated drivers followed by a replacment drive (If so, I'd try my disc in their machine to see if it was a disc problem.) If it fails then, I'd probably set up a VM and see if it installs on that; if so then something's borked in my OS. Only after ruling out the disc, the drive, and the system would I start considering complaining about the manufacturer's quality. The final check would be to search the web for complaints about the disc not working. If there's lots of complaints it's time for pitchforks and torches; if not then I'd assume I'm the unlucky recipient of a manufacturing defect.

I'll be honest, I was hot when I posted that earlier. I'm playing it now and enjoying it. It kind of gets to you when you have several new pieces of gaming technology that don't want to work right requiring more time, work, and money to get them working when they should have been working right from the start.

Oh, and yes Mott, I believe I'll be dusting off the old SNES here in a day or so.

[MANDRAG GANON]

I was thinking about this awhile ago, I miss the days when I could get a game, come home and pop it in with no guff. I'd be so pissed if I was a kid now a days with a PS3. Go and rent or buy a new game and come home hoping to play it for an hour before bed time only to find out its going to take you almost and hour to install the piece of shit. I always forget when I buy a new game too, I get so excited and I have to sit around waiting for installation and patching. Or the 360 I'd feel like I was walking on egg shells, like if I breathed I might have to send it back to get it fixed. Working at a game rental store probably %60 of our income is people renting our X-box because theirs got the red ring.

This is why I've always preferred consoles to computers, instant functionality and reliability. The chances of a console game corrupting, freezing or shutting down was little to nil unless you were jumping or pissing on it. Even then both my NES and Genesis have survived a number of floods (my genesis has been completely submerged for hours twice) and drops down stairs and both work like a dream.

[rock_nog]

I do sometimes wonder - I've got my NES which is upwards of 20 years old, and it still works. What are the odds of a 360 working 20 years from now? Also, kinda makes me think - given the changes between the NES and now, I can't imagine what gaming will be like in 20 years.

[Banon]

I do sometimes wonder - I've got my NES which is upwards of 20 years old, and it still works. What are the odds of a 360 working 20 years from now? Also, kinda makes me think - given the changes between the NES and now, I can't imagine what gaming will be like in 20 years.

Easy, Nintendo will die, because EVERYONE feels like suing them.

Sony will die, because even when people buy their products they lose money.

Microsoft will... ummm... Have a red hollow sphere of death...? Maybe...?

Wait, never mind, that's just the next generations agenda...

[Modus Ponens]

Rock_nog, good point, but to be fair, I must point out that an NES is a lot simpler than an XBOX 360—it has less complicated hardware and less, if any, software to get fucked up. As for your second point, I can't help but think that there's going to be some kind of awesomeness asymptote. Things will keep getting better, but only a little bit at a time. Eventually any scalar improvement over the previous generation will be negligible, and developers will spend more time working on innovation instead.

[Yoshiman]

On the note of consoles being less reliable, also keep in mind that disc-based consoles have moving parts, where cartridge-based ones didn't. With the NES, the connectors just had to match up. But now with the newer consoles, you have a disc drive that has to spin, a laser that has to be aligned perfectly, and fans that should be cooling everything.

[Dechipher]

What if we just had a huge ass lens, and you put the CD disc on top of it, and that was that? No spinning, no anything. Just a big fucking lens, and the top of the cd connects to the lid, thus holding it in place.

Someone tell me why that wouldn't work.

[MottZilla]

The lens of the laser emits a beam that has to hit a Pit or Land (1 or 0) on the disc surface. A huge lens wouldn't help at all. In theory though, you could devise an optical disc reader that doesn't require spinning of the disc. But that would require R&D costs. The current method is fine.

[Shazza Dani]

Why can't they just print all the ones and zeros on a piece of paper, and stick a midget in a box, the midget reads the paper, ????, profit? It will work, I'm telling ya.

[Masamune]

Then you'd have to pay the midget. Midgets are a callous people. ;(


you'd undoubtedly get step 2 from putting a midget in a box, but not so much profit.

[Nicholas Steel]

Things will keep getting better, but only a little bit at a time. Eventually any scalar improvement over the previous generation will be negligible, and developers will spend more time working on innovation instead.
Once scalers and resolutions stop affecting things by notable amounts, they will move to true 3d. We already have true 3d computer monitors and TV's.

[Brasel]

Why can't they just print all the ones and zeros on a piece of paper, and stick a midget in a box, the midget reads the paper, ????, profit? It will work, I'm telling ya.

That might actually make the PS3 smaller.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

That might actually make the PS3 smaller.

Game over. New thread.

There is a theory that is actually what they did with the original XBox controller...

[Beldaran]

I loved the original xbox controller, but then again I'm not a small handed mentally incompetent whine-o-matic.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I loved the original xbox controller, but then again I'm not a small handed mentally incompetent whine-o-matic.

I never owned an original XBox controller...I was just trying to make a clever joke. :(

I failed. I'm sorry.

[Modus Ponens]

I loved the original xbox controller, but then again I'm not a small handed mentally incompetent whine-o-matic.

Neither am I, and I disliked it.

[Shazza Dani]

I never held an original Xbox controller, but I imagine I wouldn't like it since the 360 controller is perfect for me.

http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/14581/duke_360_hybrid_cg.jpg

That thing is a monster.

[AtmaWeapon]

What if we just had a huge ass lens, and you put the CD disc on top of it, and that was that? No spinning, no anything. Just a big fucking lens, and the top of the cd connects to the lid, thus holding it in place.

Someone tell me why that wouldn't work.I... are you serious? I mean maybe you just never paid any attention but do you have any idea how lasers work?

[Beldaran]

I never held an original Xbox controller, but I imagine I wouldn't like it since the 360 controller is perfect for me.

http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/14581/duke_360_hybrid_cg.jpg

That thing is a monster.

It's just slightly larger, hardly a "monster".

[Masamune]

The xbox logo took up like a fucking 5th of the controller. xD

[Russ]

I think the Xbox controller is about is big as the Wii itself. Sad.

[Beldaran]

The xbox logo took up like a fucking 5th of the controller. xD

Unless you'r using your right thumb to operate the left thumbstick, this has no relevance at all. The controller was the result of ergonomics research, and the logo was put there to take up unused space.


I think the Xbox controller is about is big as the Wii itself. Sad.

Not everyone has spindly little girl hands and needs a fisher price controller the size of a keychain in order to play video games. Some of us have big manly hands that feel very comfortable when wrapped around the xbox controller. FYI the average gamer is an adult male, not a school girl.

[Shazza Dani]

Unless you'r using your right thumb to operate the left thumbstick, this has no relevance at all. The controller was the result of ergonomics research, and the logo was put there to take up unused space.

More like unnecessary space. The controller didn't need to be as wide as four football fields.


Not everyone has spindly little girl hands and needs a fisher price controller the size of a keychain in order to play video games. Some of us have big manly hands that feel very comfortable when wrapped around the xbox controller. FYI the average gamer is an adult male, not a school girl.

Not everyone has big manly hands that feel very comfortable when wrapped around the xbox controller. Some of us have spindly little girl hands and need a fisher price controller the size of a keychain in order to play video games. ;]

[Beldaran]

The controller didn't need to be as wide as four football fields.

1 inch = 4 football fields?

[ctrl-alt-delete]

1 inch = 4 football fields?

0.002 cents = 0.002 dollars

[Gleeok]

Unless you'r using your right thumb to operate the left thumbstick, this has no relevance at all. The controller was the result of ergonomics research, and the logo was put there to take up unused space.


Yeah, but some people like to have access to all the buttons without having to leave the time zone they're in. ;) Plus I always hated how the left analogue stick is so fucking high up on the X-Box 360 controllers.

PS3 = fail.
PS3 controller = win.
therefore PS3 controller = fail also. :(

[Shazza Dani]

1 inch = 4 football fields?

I speak in hyperbole. It's a very prevalent part of my idiolect. Now you've gone and made me explain it… =[

[Beldaran]

Yeah, but some people like to have access to all the buttons without having to leave the time zone they're in.

I have played video games for 20 years. I have never had to use my left hand to push buttons that are on the right side of the controller. Ever.

The Xbox controller is perfectly convenient and usable. Anyone who hates it is displaying irrational bias. I have never seen anyone make a reasoned argument against the xbox controller without using gross overstatements of proportions that defy reality, making a philosophical statement about Microsoft, or claiming the controller makes it difficult do things that no one in the history of games has ever had to do.

[Shazza Dani]

It's too big. There, that's not a gross overstatement.

And, yes, I do frequently use the opposite hand to press buttons on the controller. Sometimes I multitask, dammit. I can't have both hands tied to a videogame controller.

[Nicholas Steel]

1, the controller is thick and bulky

2, it is hard to "grip" the controller as you have less space to wrap remaining fingers around the bottom bumps or whatever you call them...

3, xbox 360 is the xbox controller except done correctly with both above issues resolved.

[Gleeok]

I have never seen anyone make a reasoned argument against the xbox controller without using gross overstatements of proportions that defy reality, making a philosophical statement about Microsoft, or claiming the controller makes it difficult do things that no one in the history of games has ever had to do.

The X Box controller is so big ...(how big is it?)... The X Box controller is so big that you need a separate controller just to control it. :P

http://www.wagonbutterworth.com/projects/xbox_controller/xbc-c-controller.JPG

[rock_nog]

I must admit - I have nothing against Microsoft, but I, too, found the Xbox controller to be a little large and unwieldy for my tastes. Did it directly interfere with my ability to play games? No, but it was a bit uncomfortable, and I did have a little trouble with the face buttons. Okay, to be fair, yes, my hands are a bit on the puny side, not everyone has big ol' beef slab hands, but I don't really have control over that.

[Beldaran]

I must just be a superior gamer then, since it never hindered my playing one bit.

[rock_nog]

Y'know, that's probably true. I didn't even like the change from the NES controller to the SNES controller, which I think is a cardinal sin among gamers.

[Russ]

Well, there's one good thing about the Xbox controller. It's nothing compared to the Nintendo 64 controller. I'm stil not quite sure how to hold it.

[Beldaran]

Yes, but in Nintendo's defense... wasn't the N64 controller like, the first ever controller like that? In other words, wasn't it the first console controller to feature a thumbstick and a d-pad, etc? So I think they were charting new territory there, and then Sony refined it with the PSX and PS2.

Anyway, I just hate all the rabid Xbox controller hating, because I really liked that controller I just think you'd have to be functionally retarded for it to hinder your gaming. It's extremely comfortable and "solid".

I like the Xbox controller 100x more than the GameCube controller. That thing was so small and awkward, and the buttons were smeared all over in a circle. I just did not like it at all. Very unintuitive.

[ShadowTiger]

Oddly, the GameCube controller is still my favorite controller of them all, by far. I won't even touch a Wii controller or nunchuck if I can use a GameCube controller instead, considering that all I really play is SSBM/SSBB when it comes down to it.

I didn't really like the N64 controller because I was never really sure where to hold it, initially, and then, when I thought I had found the correct holding stance, I had to reach over to flip some buttons I had hoped I would never have to tweak due to that configuration.


I never really had much of a problem with any XBox/360 controller. I'm sure it'd become a naturally accepted comfort configuration whenever you get used to it, of course. If it doesn't, well, I suppose it's a rare case.

[Cloral]

The 360 controller is just about perfect to me. It's just the right size to fit comfortably in my hands. The PS2/3 controller is too small and there isn't enough to hold on to. My only real complaint with the 360 controller is the location of the bumper buttons - I feel like I have to move my hand every time I press one. The dpad on it, which most people complain about, doesn't bother me as I never use it.

The one thing I like about the wiimote+nunchuck scheme is the fact that you don't have to have your hands together. When playing Mario Galaxy I sat with my arms slack at my sides, which I find a lot more comfortable than holding them forwards and together. I hope the next generation of consoles all have controllers that can be held apart like that.

[Russ]

To hold the Nintendo 64 controller, it varies from game to game, depending on whether or not you use the control stick or dpad. For instance, in Zelda, you hold the right and center handles. In Kirby, you hold the right and left handles.

As for new controllers, I personally like the Wii Remote and Nunchuck best. Even if you're not pointing at anything, it just feels more natural.

[MottZilla]

Yes, but in Nintendo's defense... wasn't the N64 controller like, the first ever controller like that? In other words, wasn't it the first console controller to feature a thumbstick and a d-pad, etc? So I think they were charting new territory there, and then Sony refined it with the PSX and PS2.

Yes, the N64 sparked Sony to develop their "Dualshock" gamepad. Basically they had to add rumble and analog in order to keep pace with Nintendo. Sega also developed an analog controller for Sega Saturn that was included with Nights into Dreams and branded as the 3D Controller.

[Nicholas Steel]

Y'know, that's probably true. I didn't even like the change from the NES controller to the SNES controller, which I think is a cardinal sin among gamers.
Gah, the SNES controller was awesome, so is the ps2 controller, xbox360 and gamecube one. The n64 was easy enough to use and was awesome :P only problem is the joystick wears out after like 6 months of good usage.

[Shazza Dani]

I still have my N64 controller that came with the system, from like nine years ago. The analogue stick still works. It's fairly worn, true, but I can still play games without it acting weird.

[Revfan9]

I do sometimes wonder - I've got my NES which is upwards of 20 years old, and it still works. What are the odds of a 360 working 20 years from now? Also, kinda makes me think - given the changes between the NES and now, I can't imagine what gaming will be like in 20 years.

It depends on who you ask.

Ray Kurzweil: Video games won't exist because humanity will have transferred to living inside of virtual worlds over which they have complete, god-like control. Technically, every moment of your life will be like playing a Video Game! Also we'll be immortal, and 20 years is a perfectly realistic target for this utopia. Singularity, Singularity, Transhumanism, Bill Joy, Relinquishment, blah blah blah.

Jack Thompson: Video games won't exist because I'll have banned them! *goes back to playing with his Barbie dolls*

[Archibaldo]

It's not like the N64 controller was so hard to figure out how to hold it. I got my N64 when I was like 10 and I knew how to hold it right out of the box. Besides, every one knows you never needed to use the d-pad or the L button.

[Nicholas Steel]

I still have my N64 controller that came with the system, from like nine years ago. The analogue stick still works. It's fairly worn, true, but I can still play games without it acting weird.
It's not that it stops working, its that you eventually can't run in games like zelda 64 etc. because it losses the pressure because the powder in the joystick part is grinded to a fine dust eventually....

the gamecube and ps2 controllers etc. i believe use a liquid in there joysticks.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Gah, the SNES controller was awesome, so is the ps2 controller, xbox360 and gamecube one. The n64 was easy enough to use and was awesome :P only problem is the joystick wears out after like 6 months of good usage.

I've had my original N64 controllers that came with the system at launch...never had this issue.

I don't understand. A lot of my friends joysticks broke, but they always threw them around, stepped on them, etc.

[ShadowTiger]

I know. :( I hate it when people abuse controllers. When I see people drop a controller upside down on the floor and just leave them there, upside down, I can't help but go over and turn them right-side up, at the very least. I mean that's just terrible. >.< Why abuse your stuff like that?

[Aegix Drakan]

Apparently, it's the law to smash your controllers when you lose... ;) Least that's according to your partner in Retro Game Challenge, anyway.

But honestly, I take good care of my gaming gear. I don't even snap my DS shut anymore, for fear of getting another hinge crack.

[Banon]

Really it's not the Major Companies making the controllers thats the problem. From what I've seen, the third party controllers suck ten times harder.

http://jonjandran.com/pics/jonjandran/DSC06819.JPG

I have the left N64 controller. You can't press "Z" without moving your hand. Ugh...

[ShadowTiger]

Indeed, I have a GameCube controller by a third party company that broke almost immediately in more ways than one.

[Shazza Dani]

Indeed, I have a GameCube controller by a third party company that broke almost immediately in more ways than one.

That makes me think you opened the package and a pile of dust fell out, then it exploded. xD

[ShadowTiger]

... Eh, closer than you think. >.<

[Nicholas Steel]

it is a wide spread issue that the n64 controller (official nintendo ones) had joysticks that had reduced functionality. You know how you tilt the joystick and there is an opposite force trying to center it again? that force weakens and your joysticks range of movement is reduced. IE: pushing your control stick all the way up will no longer register as 100% up.

N64 controller joysticks used a powder lubricant which eventually gets grinded into a fine dust and is less efficient. Sony and future nintendo products use a liquid lubricant which means that this issue never arises unless you er, remove the liquid.

[Gleeok]

I bought a supposedly new SNES controller a few years ago and the buttons were GLUED on!! I returned it to the store and the clerk stared at it for like a minute with a WFT look on his face...It was pretty funny.




.....And I'm still waiting for a controller with an R3/L3 button....

[Beldaran]

.....And I'm still waiting for a controller with an R3/L3 button....

http://www.ps3daily.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/ps3-controller-weird.jpg

[erm2003]

.....And I'm still waiting for a controller with an R3/L3 button....

I thought the PS2 already had this. Isn't it what they officially called it if you pressed in either the left or right joystick?

[CaRmAgE]

I thought the PS2 already had this. Isn't it what they officially called it if you pressed in either the left or right joystick?

Yes, the joysticks are your L3 and R3 when pressed as buttons. The original Playstation had it, too, when DualShock controllers were first released.

[Banon]

Actually, looking back, I remember having problems with the stiffness of my SNES controller. I'd stop playing it for about an hour because of this, come back, and find it worked perfectly... for the next half an hour. What's up with that, and did the NES controller have the same problem?

PS I never owned an NES...

[Yoshiman]

Really it's not the Major Companies making the controllers thats the problem. From what I've seen, the third party controllers suck ten times harder.

http://jonjandran.com/pics/jonjandran/DSC06819.JPG

I have the left N64 controller. You can't press "Z" without moving your hand. Ugh...
Huh, I have that same controller on the left, but I've never had any big problems with it. The control stick is loose, but it doesn't loose the pressure sensitivity like the first-party ones do. Instead, it's now really touchy. I could easily reach the Z button. Then again, I have some pretty big hands.

That green one on the right, though... That's some poor design there.

[Gleeok]

I thought the PS2 already had this. Isn't it what they officially called it if you pressed in either the left or right joystick?

Well technically yeah, but they're not really 'trigger' buttons. You know what I mean. My reason for this is simple; At any time you always have between 4-6 fingers you're not using, yet there's between 10 - 16 buttons and 0 - 2 analogue sticks on any given modern game pad. Let's put some buttons in there. If we're gonna design a better game pad then lets get serious people.






http://www.ps3daily.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/ps3-controller-weird.jpg

I would totally use that.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Well technically yeah, but they're not really 'trigger' buttons. You know what I mean. My reason for this is simple; At any time you always have between 4-6 fingers you're not using, yet there's between 10 - 16 buttons and 0 - 2 analogue sticks on any given modern game pad. Let's put some buttons in there. If we're gonna design a better game pad then lets get serious people.







I would totally use that.

I sincerely hope you're not serious.

[Modus Ponens]

http://www.ps3daily.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/ps3-controller-weird.jpg

This would be my ideal game controller if it were a little smaller than the existing Dualshock design. I'm thinking four inches across or so. (I hope there are buttons on the backside, too....)

[Beldaran]

Personally I don't find that controller very impressive. The controller I use to play games has many more buttons than that.

http://www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/store/images/Standard_Keyboard.jpg

[Shazza Dani]

For PC games I normally use my 360 controller, and the keyboard serves as extra buttons if I need them.

[Nicholas Steel]

Actually, looking back, I remember having problems with the stiffness of my SNES controller. I'd stop playing it for about an hour because of this, come back, and find it worked perfectly... for the next half an hour. What's up with that, and did the NES controller have the same problem?

PS I never owned an NES...
open it up and give the contacts a good whipe with some isopropyl alcohol stuff then let it dry, put it back together and it should be good as new :)

[ShadowTiger]

The reason I don't like to use Controllers for gaming lies in the precision that you can achieve with a mouse or trackball. I know it's something to get used to, using a controller's analog stick to aim, but so is using a mouse or trackball to do the same thing, and I just prefer the latter to the analog stick. I've played Halo 1 on the XBox and on the PC, and I'm just better on the PC than on the XBox for what I believe to be that exact reason. Aiming is just easier with a mouse/trackball.