New Nintendo 3DS PAX Aus Hands On: Unimpressive Upgrades

[The Apple BOOM]

I don't understand what you and others are saying about this claw issue. Do you find yourself able to use the right stick and press buttons on the Wii U, PS4, or XB1? I never have.

I can, and have since around 2001.

On the previous gen controllers (or at least, anything that's like the dual-shock design; PS1->PS4, Xbone/360, & Gamecube) I have these marvelous little things called "shoulder buttons" that I can use my index and middle fingers to press while using the analog pads. That's up to four simultaneous inputs that my thumbs will NEVER have to worry about.

Now, there are obviously other buttons on the face of those controllers for your thumbs to press, but smart game design (at least, where 3D camera controls are involved) will place important/timely functions on the shoulder buttons rather than the face buttons; or at least, those functions you're most likely to use while using the analog sticks.

The problem arises when you're missing one of those sticks and have to use other controls to make up for it.

On the 3DS, this means either sacrificing the ABXY buttons to use as a surrogate D-pad , OR using the touchscreen and stylus. The latter is exceptionally awkward, because it doesn't just alter how you input commands, but how you hold the entire unit. (and the awkwardness applies to left or right-handed folks, but lefties have it especially rough since the circle pad is on the left side of the 3DS)

Since you have to dedicate at least a finger and thumb to holding the stylus, this negates both the advantage of the shoulder button, and comfortable usage of ABXY buttons (which become EXCEPTIONALLY awkward to press).

Kid Icarus: Uprising showcases this design failure completely. It's possible to learn how to "claw" the buttons you need, but your hands pay for it.

Without some automation of the camera system (which isn't possible in all 3D games), those control concessions limits game design options, which is why handhelds need to stick to 2D games or slower, turn based games (Pokemon works great on handhelds for this reason).

I encourage you to at least try something like Kid Icarus Uprising, or any PSP-original port of Monster Hunter and then compare it to a contemporary 3D-camera console game. If you still don't notice the difference, well, allow me to officially welcome you to Earth on behalf of humanity, lizard-folk. ;p

I meant face buttons, but still, I don't completely understand your issue with the c-nub. I play Warriors games, spectacle fighters, and MH3U just fine with a right stick for camera and then taking my thumb off of that and pressing face buttons to do attacks.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I'm playing Metroid Prime Hunters' campaign mode and I've experienced everything you described.

No joke, no exaggeration, I actually cracked my knuckles reflexively when I read "Metroid Prime Hunters".
That is how much my brain associated that control scheme with cramped (and sweaty; ugh) hands. And I hadn't even touched that game in something like 8 years.

I avoided Uprising because the only control options were poor compromises to each other, just like Hunters. (In fact, I never played Hunters until now after playing the demo and finding the controls to be horrid.) Nintendo apparently knows they have human customers, because they made a stand just for playing Kid Icarus.

Yeah, the stand is weird, and largely useless. I have no idea what it was supposed to do in the first place.
But even if I did divine how it was meant to be used, it seems that its inclusion just goes against the purpose of portable gaming anyway.

Our only hope now is devs don't treat this as the console equivalent of a second analog, unless there is no choice in their game's design, until (and if) Ninty fixes the pain issue.

The nub is...technically, a step up from the stylus-surrogate or solo-C-pad; but it's still going to hurt to use compared to a proper control. I'm guessing the volume constraints in design greatly limit its size, which is why it isn't another C-pad.

In any case, I'm thinking that developers will ignore the nub as a hard control entirely; treating it as a "left-hand C-pad" option. That's actually my fear, because gimped controls are just as big of a design hurdle as gimpled processing power. If the developer feels pain playtesting their own game, what hope does it have on the market?

In fact, I'm starting to think the dual-screen design itself is now more gimmick than benefit for hardware and game design alike; especially in an era with smart phones packing quad core CPUs and at least 1GB of RAM into the same volume as a 3DS (with triple the battery life to boot; lest I forget).

Call me crazy, but I think that designing a handheld more around the shape of a controller instead of making it a folding-unit would offer something superior. (though it would lack backwards-compatibility for 3/DS games)

Or don't, because I actually have an example in the Vita; I actually think has a great control scheme for portable games; FAR superior to the 3DS certainly. Mores the pity that it lacks real developer support.

I meant face buttons, but still, I don't completely understand your issue with the c-nub. I play Warriors games, spectacle fighters, and MH3U just fine with a right stick for camera and then taking my thumb off of that and pressing face buttons to do attacks.

I'm not being snarky here, but I don't know how you manage that*.

I literally crippled my index fingers playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP 5 years ago; as in, blood, blisters and pain. I couldn't even curl my fingers for a solid 2 weeks while they healed.
In 20+ years of gaming, I'd NEVER had that problem outside of handheld games like that.

(*well, Warriors I get, but the secret with Warriors-games: It's 2D gameplay hiding in a 3D world. The camera is centered by the block button and the player rarely, if ever has to aim anything up or down since all battle takes place on foot in melee range anyway)

 

[Souplex]

Remember those old-school laptops, that had a little nub in the middle of the keyboard to control the mouse? Remember how much you hated those and how inaccurate they were?

Trackpads aren't nearly as accurate in my experience. I actually miss these things...

Remember those old-school laptops, that had a little nub in the middle of the keyboard to control the mouse? Remember how much you hated those and how inaccurate they were? Well, that's what the New 3DS's c-stick is. Using it is not fun: It's not accurate, it feels weird, and it actually starts to hurt your thumb after a while.

I remember those! They did exactly what I wanted them to, touching them didn't cause clicks where you didn't want, and they were all-around wonderful.
I miss them. Stupid dominance of touchpad due to everyone trying to be like Apple...

Wait... Did we just agree about something?

Fun fact: If you agree with someone who's always right, that makes you right.
Being right is a wonderful sensation. That's why I always do it.

 

[truckspond]

Is nintendo starting to take the iPhone approach to the 3DS? If so then I'll just wait for the New 3DS-S before replacing my original 3DS unit

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Fun fact: If you agree with someone who's always right, that makes you right.
Being right is a wonderful sensation. That's why I always do it.

Thanks for reaffirming my status as the man with the answers Soup. Can't let my ego deflate for even an instant, how else can I prop up my head and watch forum shenanigans with smugness?