Poll: Nintendo has the key the future

[KazeAizen]

Of RTS gaming. I know that title is baiting but hey how else am I supposed to draw attention to my thread? Anyway the last topic I posted was a bit heavy so I decided to do a gaming topic that might not be as heavy as my last. This time I'm going to talk about RTS gaming and how Nintendo unwittingly just created the key to control it, at least for the consoles.

I'm no stranger to the RTS genre. I've played command and conquer on the Playstation and I play League of Legends on the computer and yes that game is part RTS so I count it. I also know about Starcraft but who doesn't know about Starcraft. While the Command and Conquer series seems to me to be the one major RTS that kind of took off on the consoles the RTS genre has always been much more at home on a PC. Mostly for the hot keys and ability to click like you are freaking Sonic the Hedgehog on a million different things within a short time. Still the other night I was mulling over the interesting development of Diablo 3 and Final Fantasy XIV: a Realm Reborn being ported to consoles. Two very major MMOs. I think they have done this in the past but I've never seen it. Except for maybe that other Final Fantasy MMO. Anyway this got me to thinking what other online PC games could make a jump to consoles? The first one that came to my mind was League of Legends. I spent and hour just before going to bed porting the control scheme from the computer to the console and I came to a conclusion. The Wii U is the only viable console to put these kinds of games on.

Now in a world where PC gamers looks down on console gamers and vice versa I don't want anyone getting pissed off at me. With the Wii U gamepad Nintendo has the tools necessary to actually control the RTS market in consoles. The one snag I kept hitting was how to do the pings on the map? I couldn't come up with a viable solution using a "standard" controller. Then I took a look at the game pad and realized with its stylus interface the touch screen was the key. You could ping the map just as fast as a hot key and when accessing the shop you could select and buy items just as easily as you could with a mouse. The rest of the controls such as movement and the attacks can be mapped to the d-pad and such. So with that in mind I began thinking that with as fast as the game pad is I see no reason why other RTS games couldn't move to the Wii U and enjoy the same fast paced interface that a PC offers.

So wrapping up what do you guys think? I know Nintendo probably won't try to put RTS games on the console and I know that hardcore players will never switch to a console but do you think like I do that Nintendo has access to a new market and in gaming and could corner it better then Microsoft or Sony? I just want to end by saying this. If they did put League of Legends on the Wii U I would download that in a heartbeat. That just sounds like a roaring good time.

 

[Weaver]

League of Legends isn't really a RTS to me. It could arguably be controlled on the WiiU just fine, but I still don't see Starcraft, Command and Conquer, Company of Heroes, etc; being controlled as well.

The WiiU would severely lack hotkeys. That's one of the ways competitive RTS players do everything so fast. Basically, the following keys are usually mapped to build commands. Essentially the left hand of your keyboard (things in brackets are unusual, but I've seen games do it):

qwer(t)
asdf(g)
zxcv(v)

Then we have the control groups which are the 1 - 0 number keys.
That's 22 keys so far
then we have left and right mouse clicks which would be difficult to translate, then we also have spacebar for center on last event.

It's just, basically, too many keys to translate more old style RTS games over properly.

Simpler games could work though and I'd like to see Nintendo give it a shot.

 

[skywolfblue]

League of Legends isn't really a RTS to me. It could arguably be controlled on the WiiU just fine, but I still don't see Starcraft, Command and Conquer, Company of Heroes, etc; being controlled as well.

The WiiU would severely lack hotkeys. That's one of the ways competitive RTS players do everything so fast. Basically, the following keys are usually mapped to build commands. Essentially the left hand of your keyboard (things in brackets are unusual, but I've seen games do it):

Well, if you separate the console players from the PC players in the multiplayer, there's no real reason for everything to need to be that fast. The campaigns aren't really that micro intensive, and they could be tuned down (oh the inhumanity!).

---

The big problem is that Nintendo and RTS developers don't really seem to care. So I doubt it will happen.

 

[KazeAizen]

SNIP

I don't think Nintendo could ever build a proper, full PC-style RTS for the Wii U. But a lack of hotkeys doesn't necessarily preclude them from making a general RTS. Remember, before Goldeneye, Halo and Timesplitters, FPS games were almost exclusively PC, and one of the main reasons for that was the controls. Gamers were convinced that controllers would never match the options available with KB+M. And while that is still true to an extent today, FPS games have still managed to find incredible success on consoles by adapting their design to controllers.

I imagine it would be possible to create an intuitive RTS using the Gamepad. You've still got a host of buttons, after all, so whatever functions you can't do with the touchscreen, you could do with the buttons instead. Let's say you use the touchscreen to scroll through the map, select units, designate where bases/buildings are built, and to set waypoints and destinations, you could then use the face buttons to act as quick hotkeys, the triggers as a way to bring up various menus (left trigger- general stats overview, right trigger- buyable units and buildings) and the D-pad as a quick command feautre (up- All units on alert, left- reinforcements to this spot, etc etc).

It'd be weird at first, but I'm sure you could pull it off. The problem is whether Nintendo themselves would be the ones to make such a game. RTS games, from what I hear, aren't all that big over in Japan, and Nintendo already have the Pikmin franchise as their nod in the general direction of the genre. Unless Retro pitch the idea for an RTS after DKTF, I reckon we'd have to see an external studio either pitch the idea to Nintendo or simply bring it to the console themselves.

That's what I was trying to say in the OP. That they have made a controller that could be pretty intuitive and make a great RTS a viable thing on consoles. I never thought for a second that Nintendo themselves would try and make one. I figured it would be an outside company saying "Hey let me make this game for your console." Or something like that. Thing is to me this is just one of the things that the Gamepad could be a great thing for. Like you said the FPS genre used to be dominated by PC almost exclusively until the Xbox came along essentially. Who's to say that the Wii U can't kick that door down for the RTS? It was just an interesting thought experiment for me and I'm actually sad that people don't think Nintendo could corner the console RTS market.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

No.

Partly because of Nintendo, its Japanese roots and traditionalism mean that a first party title wouldn't be made and if it was it would be along the lines of Pilkmin and not something that could launch the concept of RTS into everyone's eye.

Partly because third party devs won't touch the WiiU with a barge-poll. This is party Nintendo's fault, but the misnaming, lack of power, and lack of console sales don't help the WiiU's case.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

While I do think that the WiiU probably has the best interface for an RTS out of all the new consoles, I really don't think that RTS games will take off on it. Why? Because for some reason the games that would be most aided by the touch screen of the WiiU seem to entirely forget to use it.

Take a look at Pikmin 3, it could have had a very precise and refined control scheme had it used the touch screen controller better, but it didn't, essentially all it used the touchscreen for was to allow people to play the game away from their TV. Actually, I think that's a big problem with the WiiU right there. That was such a big feature for them, being able to play the games straight from the controller without needing the TV, that that's the primary thing that the controller is being used for by a lot of developers, so all the really interesting things that COULD be done with the controller are all completely under-utilized.

So yeah, like I said, while RTS games COULD probably do really well on the WiiU I don't see any developers with the balls to actually do an RTS game correctly on it. Then again, most people who are into RTS games already have PCs that they play on, and I don't think there are any dedicated console RTS enthusiasts, so I don't think people would come out in droves to play an RTS on the WiiU, regardless of how refined its control scheme might be in comparison to the other consoles.

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

Nintendo doesn't really have anything special with the Wii U game pad, those that want to fork out extra for a Vita will have a far superior multi purpose product and just about anyone else will own a phone or tablet.

Edit,

Forget that the standard PS4 controller comes with a touch pad too, with a bit of player practice it would be easy to execute simple click, select and drag functions. If its multitouch it will be superior to the Wii U control pads antiquated screen.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

 

[sanquin]

I only see one problem with LoL being on consoles. And it's a major one at that. Targeting. On the PC you can easily click on your target right away. With a console you'd have to...what, use the touch screen? But then the entire game might as well be on a touch screen. Which doesn't work as well as your fingers would constantly be obstructing your view. All controls can be ported to the Wii U console, except for easy targeting of the target you want.

What I do see working on a console is a game like Smite. It doesn't work with click targeting. Instead it just hits whatever is in front of you.

------------------------------

As for "you should have a tablet" argument. No. No you don't. A tablet is basically just a large, more powerful smartphone without the phone part. It doesn't do anything that a smartphone can't do apart from maybe some games. A tablet is for travel and casual gaming. Not for console/proper gaming. So not nearly every gamer sees the need to have one. I have one, but only because I got one for free with my internet/TV subscription plan.

I also have a smartphone, but it's a smaller, older model as I don't need the larger, newer ones. I want my phone to be able to call, have internet capabilities for 'emergencies', and nothing more. I didn't buy one with gaming in mind, as you shouldn't imo.

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together (50m in just Q2 this year for example). The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

A strategy game or god game is far more playable on a tablet than a controller though, period. Ergonomics are not as important so you can simulate an infinite combination of hotkeys (that can change situationaly) with on screen buttons and select, drag and "click" units and groups of units.

It would be a niche game sure, triple A box releases would be out but I can see PSN store and XBLA games doing ok for themselves. I already mentioned how the PS4 will have some options built in, no reason a RTS style game would be any less playable with the PS4s touchpad than say a laptop.

Competitive play would probably be out but how many serious online RTS players would want to play console RTS games anyway?

My real point though is that the Wii U has nothing special with its touchpad, certainly not as limited as it is. Not even the controls attached to it either, there will almost certainly be 3rd party XBone and PS4 controllers that you can click a tablet into/onto (Nvidia Shield style maybe). Maybe even official ones too, the Vita already has Dualshock grips you can buy etc.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

A strategy game or god game is far more playable on a tablet than a controller though, period. Ergonomics are not as important so you can simulate an infinite combination of hotkeys (that can change situationaly) with on screen buttons and select, drag and "click" units and groups of units.

It would be a niche game sure, triple A box releases would be out but I can see PSN store and XBLA games doing ok for themselves.

I think it would be fairly clunky with just the touch interface and no buttons. What would stop you from accidentally selecting units when you're trying to look around the map, or ordering units to a location while you're trying to select a specific group? Either the game would have to play rather slowly, or you need actual buttons for some of the tasks.

Of course an RTS game would work better on a tablet than on a standard controller, I don't think anyone in this thread has disputed that, but an RTS game on an iPad still wouldn't play as well as one on the Wii, because of a more limiting control scheme (just like an RTS on the WiiU wouldn't play as well as one on PC).

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

A strategy game or god game is far more playable on a tablet than a controller though, period. Ergonomics are not as important so you can simulate an infinite combination of hotkeys (that can change situationaly) with on screen buttons and select, drag and "click" units and groups of units.

It would be a niche game sure, triple A box releases would be out but I can see PSN store and XBLA games doing ok for themselves.

I think it would be fairly clunky with just the touch interface and no buttons. What would stop you from accidentally selecting units when you're trying to look around the map, or ordering units to a location while you're trying to select a specific group? Either the game would have to play rather slowly, or you need actual buttons for some of the tasks.

Of course an RTS game would work better on a tablet than on a standard controller, I don't think anyone in this thread has disputed that, but an RTS game on an iPad still wouldn't play as well as one on the Wii, because of a more limiting control scheme (just like an RTS on the WiiU wouldn't play as well as one on PC).

There is not limit to the amount of "buttons" you can have, well there is but you still have as many as a controller has. Remember modern touch screens are multitouch, you can have buttons on screen that can be moved and change situationally and press them at the same time as you manipulate other areas of the screen unlike Nintendo garbage where you have to dab away with one gesture at a time. Simple commands like tracing a clockwise circle could be set to "attack" and a counter clockwise circle for "retreat" and well known actions like pinch to zoom etc, you admit to not owning one so you don't understand how well they work. They are not as tactile so they are poor foe shooters and racing games (yet, expect that to change over the next few years) but for strategy games is not as important.

Hell the multi touch/multi gesture alone puts them light years ahead of Nintendo control wise.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

A strategy game or god game is far more playable on a tablet than a controller though, period. Ergonomics are not as important so you can simulate an infinite combination of hotkeys (that can change situationaly) with on screen buttons and select, drag and "click" units and groups of units.

It would be a niche game sure, triple A box releases would be out but I can see PSN store and XBLA games doing ok for themselves.

I think it would be fairly clunky with just the touch interface and no buttons. What would stop you from accidentally selecting units when you're trying to look around the map, or ordering units to a location while you're trying to select a specific group? Either the game would have to play rather slowly, or you need actual buttons for some of the tasks.

Of course an RTS game would work better on a tablet than on a standard controller, I don't think anyone in this thread has disputed that, but an RTS game on an iPad still wouldn't play as well as one on the Wii, because of a more limiting control scheme (just like an RTS on the WiiU wouldn't play as well as one on PC).

There is not limit to the amount of "buttons" you can have, well there is but you still have as many as a controller has. Remember modern touch screens are multitouch, you can have buttons on screen that can be moved and change situationally and press them at the same time as you manipulate other areas of the screen unlike Nintendo garbage where you have to dab away with one gesture at a time. Simple commands like tracing a clockwise circle could be set to "attack" and a counter clockwise circle for "retreat" and well known actions like pinch to zoom etc, you admit to not owning one so you don't understand how well they work. They are not as tactile so they are poor foe shooters and racing games (yet, expect that to change over the next few years) but for strategy games is not as important.

Hell the multi touch/multi gesture alone puts them light years ahead of Nintendo control wise.

The fact that I don't own a tablet doesn't mean I've never used one before. I've just never encountered a single game for a touch screen that worked as well, or better than it would with actual buttons. Hell, even something as simple as typing, which doesn't really need tactile input still works MUCH better with buttons than it does with a virtual keyboard. Now considering how often people mistype things on their tablets and their phones, what makes you think that they'll be any more precise when playing an RTS game, where the inputs would have to be much faster and more precise?

You can say that the touch screen can support as many "buttons" as you want, and this is absolutely true, but considering those touch buttons are difficult to be accurate with, they'll make any real time RTS game sluggish. And really, drawing a clockwise or counter clockwise circle for attack or retreat? How is that in any way better, faster, or more efficient than a single button press? Oh wait, it's not, it's much less efficient, especially when you need to command multiple groups to do different things.

 

[Dimitriov]

No because RTS games will never sell really well on any console. They are a predominately PC game genre for a reason.

 

[J Tyran]

The PS Vita will be a better Wii U controller than the Wii U controller (better screen, better battery life, better touch screen and better graphical fidelity), Xbox has Xbox glass. The Vita is kinda expensive for an addon but is anyone really going to suggest that most people buying a £450 console won't own a tablet or a phone with a 4.5" or bigger screen to use Xbox glass?

Anyone who honestly cannot afford one are not really being considered by either Sony or Microsoft this gen, anyone unable to get a £150 tablet doesn't have the spending power to buy too many £50 games.

This guy right here will suggest it.

I don't own a tablet or a phone with a large screen on it, nor do I have any gamer friends who do. Why don't I own a tablet? Let me tell you, it's not from lack of available funds, I just don't need one and wouldn't have a use for one, and most of my friends are the same way. I'm still planning on buying a PS4, and I have a good gaming PC (and I'll be upgrading to a new one within the next year or two), and I probably buy more games than 90% of the gamer population.

Whether or not someone has a tablet has nothing to do with their buying power. Not everyone needs or wants a tablet.

Thats OK but you are well in the minority because tablets are more ubiquitous than consoles, globally more tablets have been sold in the last few years than Xbox 360s, PS3s and Wiis all put together. The Growth this year in sales is being estimated at a whopping 60%, by the end of next year if that growth either holds or increases more tablets will have been sold than all game consoles ever.

And your point is? Not everyone is going to want to play an Xbox One game with their iPad. In fact, that's one of the reasons that the WiiU is doing so poorly in sales, most gamers can't see the point of playing a game using a tablet.

And the fact that such a large amount of people are buying tablets means nothing to gaming. The Kinect was one of the fastest selling consumer electronics ever, but how many people actually like playing games with their Kinect? It's basically a joke to gamers.

Even more than that, an iPad, or any other tablet isn't going to be as integrated into gaming as a WiiU controller just because of the basic fact that the WiiU controller is a controller, and a tablet isn't. How many people are going to want to use an iPad for anything in a game when they have to us a controller separately?

Like you said, the most analogous thing to a WiiU controller would be using a PS Vita to play games on a PS4, but even then, like you already said, considering its price it's not really going to be a valid alternative to a normal controller for the vast majority of people, and no one is going to buy a PS Vita just to use it exclusively with a PS4.

My point is that most households will either have a tablet or will soon have one, if a game has some additonal features that could be used by a tablet it could be a good thing. I am not suggesting people would play Watchdogs or Forza with the bloody thing, not every game will use it or need it just certain ones where touch gestures are needed. Its much better for control over the media and streaming and internet features of modern consoles too, no longer do you need to tab through a storefront with a D-pad.

Lost in the Xbone DRM kerfuffle was a pretty powerful demonstration of Smartglass and it looked very good, with exceptional control over media features instead of messing about with a controller and a live demonstration of a god type game where the multi touch features of a tablet enabled quick manipulation over an environment and terrain.

I am well aware that "gamers" will look down on it, they do anything new but most households will find a lot of use for it if they already own a tablet.

If Sony pull the same with the Vita which I expect they will (the Vita is a good multi media device woeful memory aside) the Vita will make superb controller for the PS4s media features.

"Gamers" don't have to like it, they don't have to buy anything but I wish they would go and cuddle their PS2s and let the rest of us enjoy what modern technology can offer.

As for "noone would buy a Vita" its kicking the Wii Us arse at the moment, so more people are interested in one of those than they are a Wii U.

I may be wrong here, but this thread was about the potential for consoles, specifically the WiiU, playing RTS games. Now like it or not, an iPad really isn't going to be useful in any regard here. Like I said before, it's basically useless for any kind of gaming beyond Plants versus Zombies, because it isn't attached to a controller, and you'd have to put down your controller to switch to any "gaming" features that it would have. Therefore regardless of how many households own a tablet, they just aren't going to be used for gaming in any real way because they can't be used concurrently with a controller, outside of the WiiU, where the tablet is built into the controller, and the Vita, which is too expensive to be a stand alone controller (I'm sure people who want both a Vita and PS4 will have tons of fun using them together, but no one is going to buy a Vita just to use it with their PS4).

As far as the tablets being used for the consoles' multimedia functions, I agree with you, their useability looks really good. That has no bearing on what was being discussed in the thread, but I agree with you. At the same time however, considering the fact that each Xbox One is being bundled with a Kinect, it seems kind of redundant to use a tablet with it when you can use voice commands (or at least for the 5 or 10, or however many countries where voice commands will actually work).

A strategy game or god game is far more playable on a tablet than a controller though, period. Ergonomics are not as important so you can simulate an infinite combination of hotkeys (that can change situationaly) with on screen buttons and select, drag and "click" units and groups of units.

It would be a niche game sure, triple A box releases would be out but I can see PSN store and XBLA games doing ok for themselves.

I think it would be fairly clunky with just the touch interface and no buttons. What would stop you from accidentally selecting units when you're trying to look around the map, or ordering units to a location while you're trying to select a specific group? Either the game would have to play rather slowly, or you need actual buttons for some of the tasks.

Of course an RTS game would work better on a tablet than on a standard controller, I don't think anyone in this thread has disputed that, but an RTS game on an iPad still wouldn't play as well as one on the Wii, because of a more limiting control scheme (just like an RTS on the WiiU wouldn't play as well as one on PC).

There is not limit to the amount of "buttons" you can have, well there is but you still have as many as a controller has. Remember modern touch screens are multitouch, you can have buttons on screen that can be moved and change situationally and press them at the same time as you manipulate other areas of the screen unlike Nintendo garbage where you have to dab away with one gesture at a time. Simple commands like tracing a clockwise circle could be set to "attack" and a counter clockwise circle for "retreat" and well known actions like pinch to zoom etc, you admit to not owning one so you don't understand how well they work. They are not as tactile so they are poor foe shooters and racing games (yet, expect that to change over the next few years) but for strategy games is not as important.

Hell the multi touch/multi gesture alone puts them light years ahead of Nintendo control wise.

The fact that I don't own a tablet doesn't mean I've never used one before. I've just never encountered a single game for a touch screen that worked as well, or better than it would with actual buttons. Hell, even something as simple as typing, which doesn't really need tactile input still works MUCH better with buttons than it does with a virtual keyboard. Now considering how often people mistype things on their tablets and their phones, what makes you think that they'll be any more precise when playing an RTS game, where the inputs would have to be much faster and more precise?

You can say that the touch screen can support as many "buttons" as you want, and this is absolutely true, but considering those touch buttons are difficult to be accurate with, they'll make any real time RTS game sluggish. And really, drawing a clockwise or counter clockwise circle for attack or retreat? How is that in any way better, faster, or more efficient than a single button press? Oh wait, it's not, it's much less efficient, especially when you need to command multiple groups to do different things.

Occasionally use =/= competent or comfortable with using something. You obviously are not getting it, I cant help that but its obvious by the "command multiple groups to do different things" comment. You cannot do anything to groups of objects with a Wii U touch pad so how can anything be faster when you have to select things one at a time in the first place because you are limited to one press at a time? It is faster with a modern screen its as simple as that. You can select multiple groups and have many combinations of adaptable hotkeys and have any number of associated gestures.

Its not your only screen either, you could have it as the mini map unless zoomed for example. I think your experience with RTS games is limited too let alone tablet and phone RTS games. There are several clones of famous RTS like Starcraft for Android and iOS and the good ones play very well indeed, they are very controllable and play to all of the strengths I Have mentioned. Bad games are of course bad, when a dev puts the effort in the controls are fine. There are even growing casting/spectator scenes for some of them.

 

[viranimus]

Honestly the only "key" I see Nintendo having is to the door leading to chapter 11/13. Dont get me wrong I WANT Nintendo to do well. They are just as much a part of my childhood as anyone here. But honestly, despite a short term anomalous surge with the motion control fad that they did capitalize on very well, Nintendo has been in a long standing downward spiral limping along on a crutch of handheld hardware keeping them going. That simply cannot last for ever, and its surprising its lasted this long. The Wii just helped delay the inevitable.


I do however get the notion for console + RTS given using the tablet as a mouse-esque touch controller. Its not a bad idea at all. Yet RTS while a sizable demographic, is still not what would be deemed a major demographic. Certainly not one wide spread enough to keep the companies head above water.

Edit:

I've just never encountered a single game for a touch screen that worked as well, or better than it would with actual buttons.

Try Final Fantasy 3 for Android. It works ever bit as well and in many situations more effectively in touch screen format.

However that said, it IS still an old school turn based Final fantasy game that I cannot recount how many I personally played in grinding sessions 3/4ths the way asleep just spamming one button then switching to back and forth motions on direction once the music cues the change. So yeah, it does so, by technicality.