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Audio&Games

Back to the hardcore pad

Let’s go back for a moment. The Wii introduced and made this thing successful:

Non-hardcore gamers were delighted. It was easy. My own parents who never wanted to use the classic gamepad, played.

Then we got this:

Non-hardcore gamers were delighted. It was easy.

Then this:

Non-hardcore gamers liked it, kids loved it it was easy but a bit early and awkward: no physical feedback on moves will always feel weird even if full body control is neat.

We are now completely going the opposite way.

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Controllers-that-only-hardcore-gamers-like everywhere: Wii U, Android consoles, this Nvidia thingy. Because hardcore gamers spend ten times more money, it makes sense to appeal to them.

Competing for the same small crowd with more competitors though, doesn’t. Nintendo/Sony/MS bleed money to stay in the race, with “free” competition from manufacturers and “easy” multiplatform from developers, it’s going to be pointless for everyone.

It’s pretty simple: touch is for everyone, gamepads are for hardcore gamers, keyboard and mouse are for both. Developers should keep that in mind and as I always say, aim for the PC/tablet where you can have every kind of input.

I don’t think having multiple $100, $200 boxes doing one thing is going to be the best deal compared to having a big PC and a tablet on which everything is compatible, even the past (I still can play my games from ‘85 on Windows 8). We don’t think so much about it now but legacy support is becoming incredibly important, culturally speaking.

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