I got to thinking about this today. Video games seem to get better graphics and sound and become a little more complex, but that’s about it. I can’t think of any big steps that have been taken, just a bunch of baby steps. I thought of the controller for the Nintendo Wii and how it might be a step in a completely new direction, but then I realized it’s hardly different than the NES Power Glove from 20 years ago. I’m sure it works better and is more sensitive to motion, but it’s the same concept.
I think the controls are what’s holding video games back though. Every generation, they just add a couple of buttons to it and that’s it. If you want to pay big bucks, you can get a steering wheel for the racing games. I think the guitar game had a good idea. We need more things like that and the NES track mat. Something that gets us involved in games other than just pushing buttons. Maybe some electronic gloves for boxing games. Things to that effect.
Have you even played with the Wii? Because the following paragaraph essentially contadicts the one I just quoted.
The aforementioned Wii seems to address these concerns. Not only did it not “just add a couple of buttons,” it actually took most of them away! And the motion-senseing technology is unlike anything in gaming before - the Power Glove is absoltley nothing like it, as in hands-on time with both of them would indicate.
Or you can turn the Wii Remote like a steering wheel, as every racing racing game on the Wii has done thus far. In fact, there’s even a free “wheel” attachment packed in with several racing games to make it even more realistic.
Isn’t this completely impractical? Purchasing a new accessory for each game that comes out?
Wii Sports
There’s even a boxing game that uses the controllers as “virtual gloves.”
Check out this video:
Then there’s WarioWare: Smooth Moves which looks to be more exhausting than an aerobics class.
I think what you’re looking for is already out there, you just haven’t looked hard enough.
The only issue I see with new styles of controllers is that their use is pretty limited.
Sure, a steering wheel might be great for racing games, but what percentage of all games is that? Ditto the plastic guitar, the drum, the dance pad (of which I have two only because I like DDR and I meant to use it for exercise, oops), etc.
The Wii-mote does has a bit more potential, but I suspect that once the novelty wears off people will find using it far too silly. (As a lazy couch potato, I don’t even like games that require me to mash buttons on a constant basis!)
The controller hasn’t evolved much from its original design because it is something that works.
(I wouldn’t mind a mouse, though, for strategy and sim games. Having to scroll by arrowpad is a pain in the butt!)
I’d like to see some better AI in console RPGs. All I’ve really got to go on is an assortment of Final Fantasies, but it seems that the random encounters and bosses are much the same as they were back in the 16-bit days. I want to see some intelligence, more moves, and even attack patterns that change as the party levels up and gains new abilities. FFVIII had the extended attacks, but the AI didn’t increase at all.
Admittedly I’ve never played with the Powerglove or the Wii controller. I’ve only read and heard about them. Sure, the Powerglove didn’t do its job very well. The analog controller of the Atari 5200 was a piece of crap too, but we wouldn’t say later analog controllers were original. Or is there actually a fundamental difference in how the Wii controller and the Power Glove work? Everything I’ve seen suggests the Wii controller is simply motion sensitive like the Power Glove. Obviously it fits in your hand instead of around it, but that’s not revolutionary.
I’m not suggesting every game have its own type of controller. Obviously many games will use the same type of controller. A set of motion-sensitive gloves could be used for so many different things. Steering wheels are already used for many games. Older systems had light guns which were pretty adaptable. The Atari 2600 had the rotating “paddle” controller for Breakout, driving games, and a few others. I think there was a lot more creativity with controller designs in the first three generations of consoles than there are now, yet we have the technology now to implement it so much more easily.
Well don’t get me wrong. I do think the Wii controller is a step in the right direction, whether or not it has the same goal as the Power Glove. It’s more significant than a vibrating controller. (I’m talking about the Dual Shock, not the Rez.) I’m simply surprised it took this long to take that step, and that we haven’t already taken other steps. Games are limited in their variety with present controllers. Computers have keyboards, mice, trackballs, tablets, and other input devices. Why can’t consoles have a few?
That’s a good one. AI has come a long way since the old days, but it’s still kind of simple and predictable with nothing resembling complex thought. It irritates me when I play Gran Turismo 4 and the computer drivers just try to take the same line even if you’re in their way. We’re getting there, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.
Following the links it doesn’t look like much of a sex toy. It could not be inserted (ok it probably could). It just looks like a computer mouse that vibrates.
Most seem to consider the Nintendo 64 the true advent of analog sticks - not just because the N64’s was superior in every way from a design standpoint, but because the software made excellent use of it. The control stick went hand-in-hand with Super Mario 64, which most people consider to be the game that truly ushered in the era of 3D gaming.
The situation isn’t much different with the Power-Glove and Wii Remote situation. While the Power Glove may have preceded it, the actual product did not come anywhere close to what the developers may have lead consumers to believe. In addition, even on a theoretical level, the Power Glove still wasn’t capable of anywhere near what the Wiimote can do.
As an example, the PG could only detect “roll” as opposed to the Wii Remote can detect yaw, pitch and roll, in addition to the sensor bar which adds further functionality. Then you add the motion-sensing nun-chuck into the equation and you truly do have a different beast, one that can mimic almost anything to some degree.
A more nonlinear, “sandbox” approach to all games, regardless of genre. People really, truly love that sort of freedom, and since the Grand Theft Auto series got so huge, it’s started to turn up in places as disparate as sports games and RPG’s.
The next paradigm shift in gaming, which will be as great as the jump from 2D side-scrollers to 3D and polygons, will be fully, truly immersive 3D games that require some sort of helmet or headset to play. The time for virtual reality is here, even for games that aren’t from a first-person perspective. Imagine playing a traditional third-person game like Grand Theft Auto or Tomb Raider, but with a real visible field of depth and the ability to move the camera by slightly turning your head. Imaging a baseball game that plays much like current ones, but where you feel like you’re actually crouching behind home place. Not to mention actual first-person games like FPS’s…
Yeah, I’m talking about something completely refined, simplified, streamlined, and incorporated as the primary interface for games rather than as an expensive add-on that will only be supported by a few games. Imagine one with the elegance of the Wii controller.
first, break away from Hollywood and franchised sports. We want new games to be new ideas, not just new versions of last years’ installment. (I loved Katamari, for example)
second, break from the graphics race. Cell shaded games would probably look a lot better and be more fun while being a lot less stressing for the developers. Even if 3D rendered, abandon photorealism and go for new palettes and textures (Look at any Mario Kart game)
third, invent Wii. (done)
the AI point is critical. I hate playing multiplayer games. I want to play safe in my bubble and need better opponents (that don’t cheat to make up for the failure to compete intelligently)
I am extremely worried about the new console generation being as glitch-bug-virus-crash prone as PC’s. The only reason I moved from PC to console was to be able to play without having to mess with the weird.ini and the doesntwork.sys. Now that the consoles are online, the need to publish only perfect games is gone. I don’t want to be downloading patches every week!
I read somewhere–I think it was Slashdot in the comments on a story about the Wii–that the PowerGlove was really overbuilt for what it was needed to do. Not as much as the more advanced glove it was based on, but still so in being able to report the curve of each finger for instance.