Waggle: The Future of Gaming

Rageometer:  (1.5/5)

PC gaming controls have, in my opinion, always moved forward.  I believe that is due to it’s audience.  PC gamers are always willing to give up convenience for functionality.  Case in point?

Meet the Razer Naga.  Yes, those are 12 extra buttons on the side of the mouse.  This is an MMO players delight and mine is in the mail.  All told, this mouse has 19 bindable inputs.  Now, keep in mind, this is only half of the equation or, rather, the right hand for most gamers.  On the left we usually have a keyboard and, well, lets just say there are a lot of buttons on a keyboard.  Now, if I ever handed this mouse to my mother to use, I think her head would explode.  A PC gamer, on the other hand, may actually find it helpful.

This is the general direction of PC gaming input control.  More power.  We want so much power that we don’t know what to do with it.  It’s a common PC gamer mindset, actually.  Get more power and control than you need now because you might need it later.  I think it comes from PC upgrading.  We’re less concerned with having a rig that will run the games of today and more concerned with the next big thing coming down the pipes.

So, console gaming has gotta be the same right?  Lets take a look where the industry is heading, shall we?

Ah yes, the “Wiimote” and “Wiichucklet”.  One of those terms was made up on the spot.  You obviously know which one it is but only because you’ve heard of the other.  Trust me.  Just because you’ve heard of the term “Wiimote” doesn’t mean it’s any less ridiculous then “Wiichucklet”.

Anyway, these two devices represent the “one step forward, two steps back” situation of input devices on consoles these days.  It seems there is no understanding of moderation.  Yes, motion control for many different types of games is a good thing when implemented correctly.  Does it work for all game types?  No.  Due to the outrageous Wii popularity it’s very easy for me to pick on the system for having horrid content but the shovelware is only due to it’s popularity.  In reality, the system should be a niche console.  When you don’t want to play the kind of games you usually would play on your TV, you can turn on the Wii to enjoy some tennis.  Just ignore any attempts by game developers to shoehorn certain genres like FPS and RTS into the  systems library.  When you want to play “hardcore” games (aka: not wii sports and wii fit), you can always just fire up your Xbox or PS3 right? Lets see what kind of user input devices these console designers have for us down the road. PS3?

Okay… Well, we’ve got some interesting stuff still with PS3′s new untitled peripheral they showed off at 2009′s E3.  It’s not terrible.  I would have liked to see more info in regards to Keyboard/Mouse use since the system has the functionality but game developers refuse to implement it.  Still, could be worse.  It’s 1:1 (regards range of motion tracked) and there is absolutely no delay.  This is a step up from the Wiimote even with its recent add-on to create 1:1.  Even with that fix, the delay of the Wiimote still exists and it really pulls you out of the experience.  In summation, though, I don’t blame Sony for jumping on the band wagon.  Nintendo has shown that simplicity is the order of the day from console gaming.  I just hope they don’t abandon their basic control scheme once this is introduced.

So, Sony you’re a Follower but at least you’re also an innovator.  You get 2 kicks in the balls…

Lets see if Microsoft can do any better. Xbox360, what do you have in the works?

Mother of god…

No 1:1 from what demo has shown.  Huge time delay.  This is a step backwards from the Wiimote.  For shame, Microsoft.

PC boys, best watch out.  Expect such wonderful “innovation” and “ease-of-use” in your future.  You have a leg up, though, as no one entity has the power to decide how you play.  If you don’t buy it, no one will develop for it.  Fight the good fight.

- Squiddy D.