Assignment 9 - Master of Puppets Pulling Your Strings (Now with Nunchuk Attachment)
Erganomics...The concept of a controller being "erganomic" always amuses me because I feel that you cannot define something as erganomic but rather a level of comfort.
Although it is expected for a company to market their product in a 'roundabout' way that confuses the consumer just enough that they don't bother trying to understand what the company is talking about (revolusionising technology in beauty products...pentapeptides...etc. etc. etc.) so when reading through THIS article I can't help but smile at a controller being "erganomic".
Personally I find this comment laughable because it's like describing a chocolate bar as edible. While I will agree to the Xbox360's controller being relatively comfortable to hold, unlike it's bulky and Frankenstein-like predecessor, when using a word like erganomic my personal perceptions tell me that this product is THE ULTIMATE in comfortable gaming when it simply is not true.
Unfortunately, as shallow as some may see it, a controller can make or break a console even if said console has a catalogue of games that rival Mozart's 'classics'. However I wouldn't go as far as to discriminate a controller just for the way it looks - otherwise I would be poking three pages of fun at Nintendo's N64 controller - because while N64's 3-pronged plaything may look like it fell from the proverbial 'ugly-tree' and hit most of the big branches on it's dimwitted descent the controller was a God-send for games such as Goldeneye 007 which made beautiful use of the revamped arcarde style stick and the 'trigger' Z button located snuggly beneath your left index finger (providing you follow controller-holding etiquette accordingly).
Despite my praise for Nintendo's pre-proposed 'revolution' in controllers I do not agree with the notion that the D-Pad was kept incase users could not become accustomed to this new method of directional input (reference here) as most games FORCED the player to use the analog stick rather than be given the choice to use the D-Pad (for example, Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and even Mario Kart 64). In my personal (and evidence lacking) opinion I believe that the controller was intentionally misshapen and kept the D-Pad because it seperated itself from competitors - as any good businessman knows it's differentiation that sells - a controller that is eyecatching (be it a 'weird' looking one) will no doubt intrigue consumers.
The evolution of consoles has no doubt spawned some eyesores but the gaming market is simply adapting to changing popular trends (look at mobile phones 10-15 years ago compared to now) and it is obvious to see to attract your average media consumer your product has to be aesthetically pleasing as well as 'erganomic'. For instance, Sony's PlayStation2 is often referred to as a brick and Sony's PlayStationTwo (while offering no updates or advancements from it's bulky counterpart) has continued to build up a nice hefty money-pool for Sony execs to roll around and play in. Why would someone buy a PSTwo for £115-£150 when they could simply buy the bulkier older model for less money? While that question may be rhetorical I'll still give you the answer; that's eyecandy...I can't count the number of times i've had both male and females compliment my sexy sleek Station of Play.
We are very appearance-conscious and that is reflected in most of the world around us - and moreso now in videogaming than before since companies tend to market their product on how 'good' it looks graphically or how 'powerful' it's processors are (Geez, have these people never heard the term it's not the size it's what you do with it that counts). While we're on that subject Nintendo have taken this literally with their Wii (OK..that time, no pun intended) as it's openly the 'weakest' of the three Next Gen consoles.
What seperates it from competitors once again is it's "innovative" controller (which resembles a TV remote with an attachable 'nunchuk' which houses the analog stick) which has impressed both industry-types and consumers since it's day of release. Using a PC-style point n click type of gameplay it's both 'fun' and accessible which in this day and age is important for the games industry - it's simply not enough to appeal to hardcore gamers (otherwise videogaming will continue to be a 'niche' culture outside of Japan like Anime and Cosplay).
Also featuring motion technology similar to the GameBoy's Yoshi Touch & Go and Warioware games the controller can be shaken and even stirred to cause visual disruption. One could say it's added a new dimension to playing games and even Sony are attentive (slyly adding a 'sixaxis' system to it's own controller to compete with Nintendo's innovation) however I do not see it as the be-all-and-end-all of controllers as Nintendo's competitors have stuck with traditional controller methods and it has not stunted their success significantly.
Personally I found the SNES and PlayStation Dual Shock controllers to be the most fun to use - appropriate button placements and minimal cramps (unlike the NES rectangular controller which probably forebode a long and painful arthritic old-age for at me). I don't see a future of "virtual reality" just yet but with the high success of Nintendo's DS and Wii I see controllers possibly being replaced by the oldest controller type known to man - your hands.
Although it is expected for a company to market their product in a 'roundabout' way that confuses the consumer just enough that they don't bother trying to understand what the company is talking about (revolusionising technology in beauty products...pentapeptides...etc. etc. etc.) so when reading through THIS article I can't help but smile at a controller being "erganomic".
Personally I find this comment laughable because it's like describing a chocolate bar as edible. While I will agree to the Xbox360's controller being relatively comfortable to hold, unlike it's bulky and Frankenstein-like predecessor, when using a word like erganomic my personal perceptions tell me that this product is THE ULTIMATE in comfortable gaming when it simply is not true.
Unfortunately, as shallow as some may see it, a controller can make or break a console even if said console has a catalogue of games that rival Mozart's 'classics'. However I wouldn't go as far as to discriminate a controller just for the way it looks - otherwise I would be poking three pages of fun at Nintendo's N64 controller - because while N64's 3-pronged plaything may look like it fell from the proverbial 'ugly-tree' and hit most of the big branches on it's dimwitted descent the controller was a God-send for games such as Goldeneye 007 which made beautiful use of the revamped arcarde style stick and the 'trigger' Z button located snuggly beneath your left index finger (providing you follow controller-holding etiquette accordingly).
Despite my praise for Nintendo's pre-proposed 'revolution' in controllers I do not agree with the notion that the D-Pad was kept incase users could not become accustomed to this new method of directional input (reference here) as most games FORCED the player to use the analog stick rather than be given the choice to use the D-Pad (for example, Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and even Mario Kart 64). In my personal (and evidence lacking) opinion I believe that the controller was intentionally misshapen and kept the D-Pad because it seperated itself from competitors - as any good businessman knows it's differentiation that sells - a controller that is eyecatching (be it a 'weird' looking one) will no doubt intrigue consumers.
The evolution of consoles has no doubt spawned some eyesores but the gaming market is simply adapting to changing popular trends (look at mobile phones 10-15 years ago compared to now) and it is obvious to see to attract your average media consumer your product has to be aesthetically pleasing as well as 'erganomic'. For instance, Sony's PlayStation2 is often referred to as a brick and Sony's PlayStationTwo (while offering no updates or advancements from it's bulky counterpart) has continued to build up a nice hefty money-pool for Sony execs to roll around and play in. Why would someone buy a PSTwo for £115-£150 when they could simply buy the bulkier older model for less money? While that question may be rhetorical I'll still give you the answer; that's eyecandy...I can't count the number of times i've had both male and females compliment my sexy sleek Station of Play.
We are very appearance-conscious and that is reflected in most of the world around us - and moreso now in videogaming than before since companies tend to market their product on how 'good' it looks graphically or how 'powerful' it's processors are (Geez, have these people never heard the term it's not the size it's what you do with it that counts). While we're on that subject Nintendo have taken this literally with their Wii (OK..that time, no pun intended) as it's openly the 'weakest' of the three Next Gen consoles.
What seperates it from competitors once again is it's "innovative" controller (which resembles a TV remote with an attachable 'nunchuk' which houses the analog stick) which has impressed both industry-types and consumers since it's day of release. Using a PC-style point n click type of gameplay it's both 'fun' and accessible which in this day and age is important for the games industry - it's simply not enough to appeal to hardcore gamers (otherwise videogaming will continue to be a 'niche' culture outside of Japan like Anime and Cosplay).
Also featuring motion technology similar to the GameBoy's Yoshi Touch & Go and Warioware games the controller can be shaken and even stirred to cause visual disruption. One could say it's added a new dimension to playing games and even Sony are attentive (slyly adding a 'sixaxis' system to it's own controller to compete with Nintendo's innovation) however I do not see it as the be-all-and-end-all of controllers as Nintendo's competitors have stuck with traditional controller methods and it has not stunted their success significantly.
Personally I found the SNES and PlayStation Dual Shock controllers to be the most fun to use - appropriate button placements and minimal cramps (unlike the NES rectangular controller which probably forebode a long and painful arthritic old-age for at me). I don't see a future of "virtual reality" just yet but with the high success of Nintendo's DS and Wii I see controllers possibly being replaced by the oldest controller type known to man - your hands.
posted by The Horror @ 3:13 pm
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