Being a child of the 90s, I came into the world at a fairly good time. Petrol prices were low and water restrictions were non-existant but most importantly, the video game world was rapidly changing. With game-changing (pardon the pun) consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sony PlayStation coming out in the same decade, you were a pretty happy chap in terms on what was offer in the 1990s as far as video gaming went.
Being a kid in the 90s. Oh yeah!
So I grew up with a number of different game controllers in my hand, and even now in 2010 I still feel the comfort holding a familiar gamepad in my hand, pressing away at the buttons and enjoying a good game.
Yeah, pressing buttons. But it seems that button-bashing in videogames is slowly becoming a thing of the past, with things like the Wii, Project Natal, Playstation Move and even the iPhone innovating the way we interact with games.
But I feel that buttons will forever be an integral part of gaming, no matter what advents in technology come our way.
Controllers like the PS Move and Wiimote still include buttons. The Wii even has a ‘classic controller’ shaped more like a traditional gamepad so players can use it if they prefer. Some Wii games in older, more established franchises are even released for sale with a classic controller bundled with them – perhaps displaying that the people at Nintendo feel that gamers would be more comfortable playing such familiar games with more familiar hardware?
The Golden Classic Controller, to be released with the remake of a classic game, Goldeneye 007
Even the iPhone/iPod touch in its capacitive multi-touch glory has a demand for buttons, as Melbourne industrial designers CP Design demonstrate a prototype of an iPhone case with in-built gaming buttons.
That touchscreen must feel sad not being touched with those buttons around. Those whores
I think this exact lack of buttons is what holds back the iPhone from competing in the portable gaming market on the same level as the DS or PSP – you simply can’t get the same level of gameplay that gamers look for without the tactile feedback that buttons give.
So even though in a couple years we may be smudging a screen with our fingers, waving around doohickeys or just waving around our arms to play games, I still believe buttons will be around to stay.
Although, watching this video of people using their eye movements to play Mario, I’m not too sure about my prediction now…
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Uni assignments and bouts of procrastination seem to come hand in hand, which leads to me not really working on a quiet mention. But the lazy streak has passed (unfortunately the assignments haven’t) and I’m back to write up some more insightful… stuff. Hope I didn’t leave any readers out there hanging for too long.
