Future image of game controller fortune-telling from next-generation consoles

Personally speaking, I tend to be particular about "input". No matter where I work, I bring my keyboard and my mouse that are familiar with my hands, and I always customize my laptop to the US layout when ordering. As of 2014, the US layout Surface type cover was not sold at the Japanese online store, so I bought it when I stopped by Canada.

Even in game development, I was often in charge of designing the user interface part from a young age. He admits that he was a troublesome and troublesome developer who made many orders.

However, for console game developers, there are areas that are out of reach no matter how ambitious they may be. That is the design of the game controller itself, which is an input device, and there is nothing I can do about it. The only exception is arcade games, which can be developed together with the hardware to match the game design. Back when large-scale experience-based games were still gaining momentum, I was very envious of arcade game developers.

Sega's "Cyber ​​Troopers Virtual-On", Konami's "beatmania" and "Dance Dance Revolution", and Namco's "Taiko no Tatsujin" are some games that use dedicated controllers. is also an arcade game. The only exception was Capcom's Iron Knight, which was an ambitious game that shattered common sense by being released on consoles and being unplayable without a dedicated controller.

["Tekki" dedicated controller] ["Taiko no Tatsujin dedicated controller `` Taiko and Bachi for Nintendo Switch'' product introduction] Even though the game play environment has diversified with the advent of , the basic principle that the input/output limit is defined by the hardware has not changed. Software alone cannot overcome the limitations of hardware, so I always have high expectations for next-generation console specs, especially controller specs.

In addition to the standard controllers, the only special input peripherals that give priority to the experience that will be released for any hardware are gun controllers and steering wheel controllers. This is because the genre is established and many titles are expected to be released, so a certain degree of marketability can be expected for the controller. Arcade controllers also have strong fans, but I don't think they have the momentum they had at the moment. As a PC game-specific thing, I wonder if left-handed gaming keyboards have survived. On every platform, the overly quirky and specialized controllers have fallen into the shadows.

[Best racing games to play with a wheel]

On the other hand, the standard game controller for game consoles has made great strides. PS series controllers can be run on a PC from DUALSHOCK 3 onwards. Also, if you have an Xbox series controller, it will work on your PC without any problems from Xbox 360 onwards. For smartphones, DUALSHOCK 4 and Xbox One controllers that support Bluetooth can be used on both iOS and Android.

[New colors for the "Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCKR4)"!!]

In the world of PC games, there are gamers who prefer conservative gameplay with a keyboard and mouse from the perspective of responsiveness and recognition accuracy when simultaneously inputting. many. That said, many people prefer controllers for games that aren't as complex or require fast input. In the coverage of PC games, it has become common to see developers giving presentations while operating with controllers. It is not uncommon for controllers to be provided in the play environment of hands-on events.

Actually, input with a standard console game controller is human-friendly. It can be said that this is the result of console game consoles beginning as an extension of toys and achieving the supreme proposition of covering the younger generation while continuing to make improvements focused on the enjoyment of gameplay. Until the time of PS2 and DC, when full-fledged 3D games became available, analog sticks and trigger buttons were actively added, but since then, up to the current generation controller, the total number of buttons is still the same. not much changed.

As mentioned at the beginning, standard game controllers have the disadvantage that depending on how they are made, they may constrain the game design or define the limits of the game experience that can be provided. On the other hand, it has the great advantage of intuitively understanding the operation system from the layout and shape of the buttons and sticks. Also, since the total number of buttons is limited, it is easy to establish standard operations in games of the same genre. If the game conforms to the standard operation, the gamer side will benefit from getting used to it, and there is no need to start from learning the operation even if it is the first game to play. This means that the hurdles to getting in touch with the essence of game play are lowered.

[Evolution of Video Game Controllers]

It has been 36 years since the pad-type game controller, which was used in family computers as the predecessor of the Nintendo Game Watch, appeared. In console game consoles so far, the power of expression on the output side has been enriched, and the input side has continued to evolve. Starting with the addition of buttons, the adoption of analog sticks and pressure-sensitive buttons, gyro and acceleration sensors, position detection, wireless communication, batteries, sub-displays, as well as improvements to enhance performance, as well as physical mechanisms such as button customization and color variations. New proposals are being made all the time.

By this time next year, 2020, next-generation hardware will finally be on sale. What can be considered for the evolution suitable for the input peripherals of next-generation machines?