Nintendo made buttons seem like the enemy of accessibility when it revealed the motion-controlled Wii Remote back in 2005, which offered very few of them for developers to work with. Now Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata says Nintendo isn't ready to let go of the traditional gaming input.
Nintendo's next home console controller will feature a six-inch touch screen, CVG sources and several subsequent reports have suggested, but Iwata assures gamers Nintendo won't be ditching buttons in favour of a tablet-style (iPad-like) touch-screen only mechanic.
"The reason for that it's better to have them, because buttons and directional pads benefit gameplay response," he added.
"Taking this into account, Nintendo isn't planning on completely ditching buttons, nor is Nintendo thinking of taking tablets as they are today and implementing them in a game console."
Fitting he would say that now, considering rumours suggest Nintendo's next console, set for reveal at E3, will have two analogue sticks and eight buttons. Oh yes.
Comments
21 comments so far...
Stryker89 on 28 Apr '11 said:
I didn't think they'd ditch buttons, but it's nice to hear it officially anyway. Looking forward to E3!
liveswired on 28 Apr '11 said:
well if you've used touch only devices you know the novelty wears of very soon. Apples devices only prove how poor they are for gaming let alone everyday used. Touch screen only is an unfortunate gimmick and fad that will die out along with all the other crap Apple put out.
LiqzZ on 29 Apr '11 said:
To be fair touch screens are great for everyday use, i've had my 8gb 3rd gen touch for over a year and a half and still use it everyday for facebook/twitter. It's just awful for games.
gbenlcfc on 29 Apr '11 said:
I agree. Apple don't release crap at all. My iPod Touch has served me very, very well for over 3 years and the touch screen is fantastic. However, for gaming, touch screen isn't great.
Taus on 29 Apr '11 said:
Mate, shut up, you embarrassing yourself
Touch screen is not good for some games (GTA Chinatown) but for others, vastly superior (Osmos)
As for Apple being a fad, reread the first line and do one
DavidVM on 29 Apr '11 said:
You can use touch screens in a similar way to mouse controls which could open the way for stuff like Starcraft or even WoW to be on a console. I'm not saying they will, it just becomes more possible and tempting for Blizzard to get even more subscribers. This won't be a true next gen console but it'll probably be the console that consolidates this gen, e.g. if Nintendo can half the loading times/screens of triple A games, I'll buy for that alone!
stealth on 29 Apr '11 said:
touch screen controls are garbage. Thats a fact
charliecheswick on 29 Apr '11 said:
I agree about touch screen controls being guff for most gaming ( could see a Zack and Wiki being ideal though ) but the Ipod Touch is a great bit of kit. We'll have to wait and see what the new controller for the Ninty is like. If it does actually stream games from the console a touch screen would be a good interface for menu's and such. Can you imagine playing a Resident Evil game on the tv,you hear a scratching sound coming from the controller ( if it has a mic ala Wii
) ,you look down and something is crawling outta the screen,IN 3D 
. Active load-outs during FPS without pausing to go to the menu,just bring it up on the controller. Maybe you could mark strategic attack or defence on the small screen map whilst in play. There's a shed load of possibilities and i'm very excited to see the new console.
l1nc on 29 Apr '11 said:
I am in agreement with most on here that touch screen controls for real games are poo. Apple products are kool but i wouldn't call them games machines anyway. Im glad nintendo are sticking with buttons.
sevvybgoode on 29 Apr '11 said:
The whole obscuring the view is the killer blow for touchscreen. Using a stylus with DS games is more intuitive imo.
Ive got a smart phone and all the games ive played have been well below the standard of XBLA indie stuff really. I even prefer Angry Birds on the PSP because of the control issues.
A mix of touch screen and buttons is very intruiging though and one of the main selling points of the NGP.If the rumours are true about the controllers and if the power is equal to a 360 or PS3 when streamed you will have a console that comes with 4 NGPs out of the box.
Balladeer on 29 Apr '11 said:
I've never played a game which wanted my grubby fingers on the touch screen, but touch screen games using the stylus actually work very well! That said, I'm glad that they're keeping the buttons.
DavidVM on 29 Apr '11 said:
Again people are being more than a little short sighted here with the touchscreen control. It won't be the only screen so that means you can move a cursor around on your TV much like you can with a touchpad on a laptop, which aren't quite as good as mouse controls but it's close.
Now, I'm not saying that this will be the best thing since the analogue stick on the N64, but I wish people would reserve their hooting judgements until we actually see the damn thing in action and be a little more open minded about it.
ste hicky on 29 Apr '11 said:
though rather uncomfortable,metroid prime hunters was an exceptional showpiece for lightning fast touch screen aiming.
faster than a wiimote and up there with a mouse.
i'm not gonna write anything off just yet,if anyone can prove something will work in a game it's nintendo.
still,i'm glad to hear that 2 sticks are in. there's some games that almost require them.
btw,charlie that 3d idea sounds rather familiar to me.
boskersrevenge on 29 Apr '11 said:
(alleged) touch screen on a pad = would lend itself very well to a visually programmable keyboard.
Mmmmgrolsch on 29 Apr '11 said:
This! I think there's so much potential for a touch screen controller with buttons seriously. To many people need to stop being closed minded and wait and see the innovative ideas that Nintendo will come out with.
charliecheswick on 29 Apr '11 said:
Hicky,i have no idea what you are talking about....honest
. I've been watching the wedding and am about to boot up No More Heroes 2 which dropped through the letter-box yesterday ( bargain £9.50 from amazon ). Thanks for the bank holiday Kate and William!
Padua on 29 Apr '11 said:
A tablet is great because it doesn't have buttons or the minimal HOME/BACK/MENU buttons. I am hoping the upcoming Sony tablets have support for PS3 wireless controllers - but all manufacturers could do this!
Then we have the best of both worlds see?
Barca Azul on 29 Apr '11 said:
Whilst its cool for certain things, gaming isn't one of them. Good to know.
PMIKE5 on 1 May '11 said:
Nintendo OWNS the copyright of the d-pad. There's no way they'd release a console without a d-pad as some lawyers may argue that if Nintendo aren't even going to use the d-pad, then other consoles should.
I got all my law knowledge from Harvey Birdman.
Augustus_aka_AG on 1 May '11 said:
If the game in question involves naked ladies, I think touch screen controllers are the way forward. They could also add a refillable Kleenex accessory pack to the controller, a bit like the N64 rumble pack (which was another great Nintendo invention that could be used for adult purposes).
liveswired on 1 May '11 said:
lol
