Starglider wrote:Embedding a screen in the controller was annoying and pointless on the Dreamcast, I expect it to be doubly so on the Wii. It forces you to look away from the screen and refocus just to look at the map/status, trying to use it for control entry forces you to remove your fingers from the main controls and hence fails for any serious game. Plus of course it's inherently less comfortable to hold. Though I'm sure there will be plenty of novelty shovelware that uses it.
It's expected that many games will use it as an alternative to the TV, so you can play the game with the main video output being the controller instead (so other people can use the TV, or you can play in bed or whatever).
I also question the notion that shifting focus back and forth is unpleasant or difficult; I routinely take my eyes off the screen while gaming to do all sorts of things, looking at objects in the real world, talking to people, checking my phone, looking at a clock, etc. I look straight back at the TV and I'm instantly back into it. The Nintendo DS uses dual screens quite effectively in many games, and the 3DS has this to an even bigger degree since the aspect ratio of the two screens is different and one is in 3D while the other isn't. I still don't experience any discomfort going back and forth between those screens (although I know some people who have problems with 3D generally do dislike it).
In terms of weight, since this is not actually rendering scenes and doing meaningful calculations, just video output and display input, the mass of the controller should be far lower than a tablet or handheld system of comparable size. If you are worried about the bulk of the thing, using a PSP is not really uncomfortable, and the likely inclusion of handles/grips on the controller will improve ergonomics.
I should ask you to at least wait until we have pictures and impressions before judging the concept; you may be pleasantly surprised by how it turns out.
I'm guessing that's actually the Wii 2's version of the Classic Controller, only this time it's being treated as a main control option rather than an afterthought. It wouldn't be very suitable for motion control games, and I just can't imagine Nintendo dropping the very thing that made the original Wii such a success, so odds are there'll be an updated Wiimote to go with this thing.
Yes, some sources claimed that the system has "better motion sensing than move", which would make zero sense if it was a monstrous tablet controller. Shipping the system with one improved Wii remote/nunchuck combo and a tablet controller seems like a pretty good bet for what they're going for here.
P.S. it turns out I was right on the money for the next generation Nintendo system being at E3 this year followed by a 2012 release.
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