Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on March 10, 2006, 12:27:35 PM
It is well known that Nintendo has shipped over a thousand Revolution development kits and that many of those kits consist of peripherals for current GameCube development kits. Recently Matt Casamassina had a chance to study the development kit hardware.
While details about the preliminary kit have little affect on eager gamers, and major third parties now have more sophisticated Revolution development kits, the setup is curious. Everything is wired. The freehand style controller connects to and is powered by a GameCube controller socket, while the nunchuck peripheral attaches to the freehand style controller through an Ethernet port. Interestingly, the sensor that detects the controller's position is connected through a memory port, much like the GameCube microphone.
Matt also offers brief impressions of the makeshift controller in the full story.
Post by: stevey on March 10, 2006, 01:24:22 PM
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on March 10, 2006, 01:34:05 PM
Post by: Caliban on March 10, 2006, 01:54:38 PM
Post by: KnowsNothing on March 10, 2006, 01:59:05 PM
Post by: jasonditz on March 10, 2006, 02:56:08 PM
Post by: Pale on March 10, 2006, 03:16:03 PM
I kind of assumed this all along but its still somewhat shocking... they are tiny afterall...
Post by: Ian Sane on March 10, 2006, 03:25:17 PM
That doesn't sound good. I think the Cube controller demonstrates that small d-pad = suck. It would save money to use the same buttons and d-pad but it didn't really help the Cube. The small d-pad was a common criticism and it's not a coincedence that after Capcom vs. SNK 2 we got virtually no other fighters aside from Soul Calibur 2. And in this case it's front and center as a main control for movement. I'd rather not have a repeat of that so Nintendo can save a few pennies.
Though these might just be temporary since this isn't finalized hardware. Plus it doesn't really make much sense to use GB Micro parts for the next five years when the Micro was never meant to be around for very long in the first place.
Post by: Louieturkey on March 10, 2006, 03:36:51 PM
Post by: Guitar Smasher on March 10, 2006, 03:43:36 PM
Post by: King of Twitch on March 10, 2006, 03:52:45 PM
Post by: Berto2K on March 10, 2006, 04:12:56 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
And in this case it's front and center as a main control for movement. I'd rather not have a repeat of that so Nintendo can save a few pennies.
Please show me where anything says that on the internet. Its not the ONLY way. ITS AN OPTION!
Your so hell bent on everygame depending on using just the newly designed controller that if it doesn't because its not the best way to control the game your gonna through a fit for each game released.
Your best option may be to to go quiet for a while on rev game control until we've seen multiple examples.
Post by: Mario on March 10, 2006, 04:20:54 PM
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That doesn't sound good. I think the Cube controller demonstrates that small d-pad = suck.
What does that have to do with GBM? The GBM and Cube d-pads are completely different. The GBM one doesn't suck like the GC one, nice try.
Post by: Pale on March 10, 2006, 05:50:35 PM
Also, to the one who complained about clicky buttons, I may have missed something, but the Micro isn't clicky, so these shouldn't be clicky either.
Post by: Knoxxville on March 10, 2006, 06:44:00 PM
Post by: Ian Sane on March 10, 2006, 07:26:10 PM
Fair enough. I haven't actually used one. But portable d-pads are always small and small d-pads aren't that great. I like the DS d-pad but I wouldn't want it on a console controller. I see the small d-pad on a portable as a necessary evil to make a portable as small as it is.
Plus I don't like the attitude that since they're already making one d-pad in mass production they should make everything use the same d-pad. I think more care should be taken towards a controller then saving money. If a different d-pad would work better they should make a different d-pad. At the very least it bothers me that they pulled the same cheapo stunt on the Cube and we all hated it yet they're potentially going to repeat it here. Did they not notice that we hated it the first time or do they just not care?
Post by: Mario on March 10, 2006, 07:42:56 PM
Post by: ~*Adolph*~ on March 10, 2006, 07:47:38 PM
I think supped up gamecube/xbox graphics powers is a good thing. I mean if anything
developers already know that so they can make games faster and look damn good since its similar.
All the "wait until 2nd year or 3rd to get real next gen graphics" crap maybe not in play with revolution. I mean look at 360 call of duty 2 was the only Good looking 360 launch game all the others looked like bearly better than xbox
than fightnight came out and its like damn this is the next gen system.
It took time for developers to start to get potential of system. Look at RE4, Black they looks great
imagine if a developer had a good idea what he was doing before system launch he could make a damn good looking game from the start.
every generation developers start from scratch, and this time they have a better idea of what they are doing so
I think Revolution launch games will be near level of 360 or PS3 in standard Defenition.
outside of that all this technical crap is boring and i am not paying to much attention since its still early.
Post by: Knoxxville on March 10, 2006, 08:35:52 PM
Post by: darknight06 on March 10, 2006, 09:59:00 PM
Post by: Hostile Creation on March 11, 2006, 11:29:42 AM
Post by: ruby_onix on March 11, 2006, 12:13:09 PM
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I did stuff in CvS2 EO for the Gamecube with the stock controller every bit as well as with any other, if not better. The GC had a VERY flexible and nice D-Pad once you got to know it, and it was WAY better than the GBA's.
You mean the Hori Pad, right? Because the GC's D-Pad is the GBA's D-Pad.
Post by: ruby_onix on March 11, 2006, 01:40:38 PM
The top of the D-pad is a hard plastic shell. Underneath it is a piece of rubber with some points of metallic coating painted on, which connect a circuit when they get pressed down. A ball prevents more than two of them from connecting at the same time, and the plastic edges holding it inside the casing make eight points, so it has a natural affinity to move cleanly in eight different directions. The minor divot in the center of the surface helps with grip. The buttons have similar hard plastic shells, and the lesser-used Start/Select buttons give you direct access to the rubber layer, for a different feel. This is a genius design.
The NES D-pad is 20mm across, and has 10mm buttons.
The original GameBoy is exactly the same, with some minor grip differences.
The SNES made (IMO) the only improvement to this formula, by bumping the D-pad up to 23mm.
The GameBoy Pocket (I believe, I don't have one handy to measure it) was the first Nintendo system to make the buttons smaller, having an 18mm D-pad and 9mm buttons, which carried over through the GBC and the GBA. The smaller buttons were part of the entire point of the GameBoy Pocket, but nobody ever hid the fact that they sucked on the GBC and GBA. But they did the job.
With the N64, Nintendo went too far, making a D-pad that was 25mm, and an assortment of buttons from 12, to 11, to 9mm (the 9mm buttons even had customized angles to them, so they couldn't use GameBoy buttons). Going too far is not an improvement. But then again, it's not like it mattered, because Nintendo gave us analog. You see, when they give us revolutions, they're allowed to botch everything else.
The GameCube's D-pad (now an afterthought) is the crappy old GBA D-pad, originally designed for spatially-limited enviroments, and they put it in and uncomfortable position to boot. The buttons themselves are a chaotic mess. A retard-proof 16mm button. A beautiful 10mm one that looks sadly puny by comparison. And some strange kidney things.
For the GBA SP, Nintendo dared to throw out their entire rubber-pad button technology, replacing it with cheap mouse click sensors. But with an 18mm economy D-pad, it actually works, probably because the range of movement has been scaled down to match the punyness of the pad. They also too the opportunity to shrink their buttons even more, making them 8mm.
For the Nintendo DS, something strange came over Nintendo, and they gave us back a 23mm D-pad. But that doesn't work well with cheap mouse-click technology! And they shrank the buttons yet again. 7mm. Too far in the other direction. And yes, I know, they did both because they wanted the DS to look symmetrical and ambidextrous. I don't think it worked or was needed.
I don't have a micro, but supposedly it went back to some sort of rubber technology in a puny form. Which is apparently what the DS Lite is using. And what the Revmote will use.
FYI, Sony stole the 23mm D-pad and 10mm buttons for use in the PSX and PS2 controllers, and the Hori pad uses a 23mm D-pad, but it's unfortunately saddled with the chaotic GameCube button configuration, while a GBA setup would've been better and more appropriate.
Post by: Hostile Creation on March 11, 2006, 02:28:46 PM
Post by: Dasmos on March 11, 2006, 02:54:54 PM
QuoteOH gawd!
Originally posted by: ruby_onixThe NES D-pad is 20mm across, and has 10 cm buttons.
Post by: ruby_onix on March 11, 2006, 04:19:16 PM
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OH gawd!
Freudian slip. I was thinking of saying "1cm". And I think the grammar's wrong too.
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How the hell do you know that much about D-pads?!
It's really not that much.
Post by: megamanx1978 on March 11, 2006, 05:35:57 PM
Post by: ruby_onix on March 11, 2006, 06:00:08 PM
Post by: jasonditz on March 12, 2006, 05:14:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: megamanx1978
The gamecube D pad works good for me. I think the playstation 1 & 2 D pad is the worst becouse of the space in the middle which is bad for diagonal movement. Why don't I hear anyone complain about that?
Because you get used to whatever you're using and anything else seems awkward.
I hope Nintendo doesn't feel the need to stay so Spartan with the revmote controller: people are used to remote controls, and they're used to the idea that they have a LOT of buttons.
Post by: KDR_11k on March 12, 2006, 06:09:37 AM
