Are the D Pad's Days Numbered?

mfetyko · 04-14-2008, 12:50 AM

With all the new gaming technologies coming out I sometimes wonder about the good ol D pad. I remember the old days when we would play Space Invaders with the Atari Joystick. Those used to break a lot. Then Nintendo came out with the D pad which has gone through a fair amount of evolution over the last 10 years. N64 to Game Cube was a pretty good jump. Now we had vibration effects. Then Microsoft Sidewinder hit with force feedback and that was cool.

Today with products like PS3 Dual Shock, Wii, Novint Falcon and Gyroxus I am wondering if the D Pad will go away all together one day. Its clearly not about your thumbs anymore. Its about playing with your whole body. More sensory experiences. More fun.

Touch sensations come with the Falcon. Dual Shock is interesting and Wii is a gets your mind working in new ways as you play. But even these products are pretty much just wrist and arm involvement. For me the ultimate has been the Gyroxus full body controller. Now we have an inner ear component in play as well as core conditioning, heart rate rising action and the recipe for nothing less than vertigo.

You can certainly work up a sweat playing 10 rounds of boxing on the Wii, the Falcon will make your forearms like Popeye after a while and after playing in the Gyroxus it feels like you just got off a roller coaster. That is gaming at its best.

Now if we could somehow converge all of these products into one - then we'd really be talking. Still with all the latest gadgets there is something familiar and exciting in busting out a killer Street Fighter combo move in nano seconds with your thumbs.

Are the D Pads days numbered? Not anytime soon, but in the end - even Michael Jorden had to accept that his days had come and gone.

**Ace** · 04-14-2008, 04:58 AM

Never heard of the Gyroxus, but after going to the web site I think I hate it. It has a whole lot of nothing on it... some videos of people sitting in what seems to be a chair that moves while you play... neat? then when you try to figure out how it all works and the specs and if the chair movement does anything other than move you... well that info is nowhere to be found. Instead there is a lot of "gyroxus is great and it does..... things!" and there is no way in hell ima pay 500 bucks for a chair that seemingly does nothing but move while I play...

Other than that... none of the controllers listed is my favorite... Wiimote is by far my top right now. Aside from that I don't have much preference they all do what they need to do on the systems they are built for...

mfetyko · 04-14-2008, 07:19 PM

Wazzzup Ace. I agree there site could be better. I saw Gyroxus at the Microsoft Code Review in LA at Red Bull headuarters. It was pretty intense. played Motorstorm and Warhawk in it. Let me tell you - amazing. I guess you had to be there. Wiimote is awsome. I love it too. They've done a lot to converge a new idea with old ideas like vibration and sound. Now if you can get that tech working with the Falcon and Gyroxus you'd really have something amazing

**random turnip** · 04-14-2008, 08:48 PM

my favorite is the PS2, its simple and easy to use

Shooting Palanx · 04-15-2008, 07:20 AM

N64 definitely....

Besides, this is in the wrong section

*MOVED*

mfetyko · 04-16-2008, 12:47 AM

Yeah I still play it

Shooting Palanx · 04-16-2008, 01:03 AM

Right there with you man

SNES is the ownzorz

What games did you have fond memories of?

mfetyko · 04-16-2008, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jiraiya

Right there with you man

SNES is the ownzorz

What games did you have fond memories of?

Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter, After Burner etc Blistered thumbs. Good timz

Shooting Palanx · 04-16-2008, 04:26 AM

Nice.

I enjoyed alot of the RPG's on the system, as well as the fighters on it.

**Ace** · 04-16-2008, 04:48 AM

I'm actually in the process of beating Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) on the SNES. Course I have to emulate it but still good times.

Shooting Palanx · 04-16-2008, 05:06 AM

SoM 2?

Awesome, I'm stumped on the last part where the continent has risen in SoM (1).

Difficult.

Chronotrigger anyone?

maverick16 · 05-04-2008, 12:19 AM

I really hope they don't get rid of the d-pad! Motion sensing is cool but all of you can agree that no amount of motion sensing can EVER compare to kickin' back and playing with nothing but your good old thumbs and your trusty d-pad in tow!

View Poll Results: Favorite All Time Controller
Atari	0	0%
NES	1	6.67%
N64	4	26.67%
Game Cube	2	13.33%
Dual Shock	6	40.00%
Novint Falcon	0	0%
Gyroxus	2	13.33%
Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll