Mario man Shigeru Miyamoto has delved into Nintendo's past to discuss where the company might be going in the future.
Frank and honest in his answers, Miyamoto criticised the GameCube controller and how his ambivalence towards it made him consider the problems in the gaming industry in general.
"We made it as a culmination of everything leading up to it, but it really underwhelmed. This line of thinking doesn't give us anything else to shoot for, does it?
"The GameCube controller is a product of us feeling that, without this or that, people wouldn't be able to play the games we make.
"But then we realised that was a problem, that we were thinking based on that controller as the premise."
Miyamoto went on to explain the two main ideas behind the DS. "The first was something Mom won't hate," he said.
"It had always been that if your Mom caught you playing Mario she would frown, but if she walked in while you were watching a Disney movie she'd be all smiles".
"The other theme was 'making it so you could bring the system to school.' Why can't a game system help out at school, right?
"I wanted to make titles like [the Japanese/kanji dictionary released only in Japan] even if they didn't sell. If we could succeed in getting them out there and take that next step, people might be able to take their DS's out into public or to school."
Miyamoto also tackled questions about the Wii Fit peripheral, saying, "If it continues to gain popularity overseas, that's something I look forward to, since it means more Wii Balance Board titles might come out."
Finally, he hinted at where he sees the DS going in the future. "Once people can use it in a wide range of public places, we could probably set up servers and create a good environment that links together play at home and play on the go-then work game technology into that.
"When you take your DS out on the town, you'll be able to do all kinds of fun things with it in public spaces. This year we plan to challenge ourselves with that kind of system."
There were a few issues with the Gamecube pad - the D-pad itself was practically useless, as was the yellow C-stick thing - trying to tranfer the N64's C-buttons onto a stick just didn't work. Though I personally think no one has got a D-pad right since the SNES/Megadrive days - Sony have come close. The shoulder buttons could sometimes feel slightly dodgy on the Gamecube pad aswell. But apart from that, it was a nice, comfortable controller
frankly i thought the gamecube controller was utter crap and felt like a toy with no weight to it, fine if youre 4 or 84 i guess
In my opinion the gamecube controller was the best controller available until the 360 pad was launched. The D-pad was a little too small but everything else was great and the Wavebird was amazing!
The 360 pad is the best pad to date although the d-pad is rubbish.
The less said about the ps controller the better.....
I loved my wavebird, but that was because it was heavier than your standard gamecube pad. I hated the D pad, but to be honest, how often did it need to be used? The control stick covered me just fine for anything I was doing on my gamecube. Personally I didn't have a problem with the C stick and saw it as quite a good substitute for the C buttons on the n64 which were by and large quite useless. Also, the ABXY button arrangement on the gamecube was brilliant, I personally HATE playstation pads just because the buttons are less accesible in comparison. It was only when I started using my wavebird that I had a problem with the playstation pads might I add. But then again, as soon as I bought a gamecube, my PS2 became mostly a dvd player.
frankly i thought the gamecube controller was utter crap and felt like a toy with no weight to it, fine if youre 4 or 84 i guess
In my opinion the gamecube controller was the best controller available until the 360 pad was launched. The D-pad was a little too small but everything else was great and the Wavebird was amazing!
The 360 pad is the best pad to date although the d-pad is rubbish.
The less said about the ps controller the better.....
except from the z button i liked the camecube pad. the notches round the analogue sticks were great for precision when playing games like tiger woods. 360 is defo the best pad around the now except for the d-pad. and vice versa for the ps pad. pes is still best played on a d-pad and unfortunatly the ps3's d-pad is still the best there is, just a pity about the game.
Apart from the c-stick, the GameCube pad was the most comfortable of the lot.
Alright - the shoulder buttons feel a bit cheap, but the only other thing that makes it feel like a toy is the dodgy Tomy colour scheme.
That's what I said! For genres like the FPS, which the Gamecube wasn't exactly famous for, the controller weren't too clever then. For the games that mattered though, like Zelda and Mario Kart, it was perfect.
It's taken a number of years, but I finally see what Nintendo do - they make a controller first and foremost for themselves and their gaming franchises. If no one else likes it, then sod 'em <insert japanese equivalent>. Luckily, people do like. All they need now is more third-parties to like it too
Weird, personally I loved the GC controller, and thought it was easily the best last-gen controller. Only the 360 controller has surpassed it since IMO.
And I'd really be amazed if we ever get to the point where kids are using DSes in class. My wife was a teacher, and in her school (in a lower to middle-class area) there were plenty of kids whose parents couldn't afford to kit them out with school uniforms and pens and things, let alone a DS.
Similarly, I wouldn't be happy with my (hypothetical) child taking their DS in to school or out in public, because I know it'd only be a matter of time before some scrote beat them up and swiped it...
PS1/2/3 pad is awful. I have always hated them - i have to stretch to reach the analogue sticks, and its not like I have weird hands or anything. Game cube pad was ace, but the C-Stick for 64 games was rubbish. I fear everything Miyamoto has said in this article will come to nothing. Nintendo always have these genius ideas, and the execution is always poor, in europe anyway. Look at the current state of the Wii. Genius idea, but without games for gamers to back it, same with the DS. Dont get me wrong, I love nintendo, but they need to get sorted.
I would agree with most. The Cube pad was the best of the last generation. The Wii remote is so different and hard to compare but with normal controllers, the Xbox 360 pad is one of the best ever, if not the best.
Playstation's is awful. Maybe it was ok in the mid 90's but now...
Weird, personally I loved the GC controller, and thought it was easily the best last-gen controller. Only the 360 controller has surpassed it since IMO.
I never had any problem with the Gamecube pad. Better than the new waggle-stick, that's for sure! (Yeah, that's right. I went there. ) I continue to use the cube pad on a weekly basis - every Monday I have a load of friends over to watch the previous Sunday night's American animated TV lineup, and we always end up playing either Mario Kart DD or Smash Bros. Melee on Wii (lots of unintentional rhyming). I only have one 1st-party GC pad (the rest are big bubbly ones from GAME) and I always get dibs on the official one, it's a great pad as far as I'm concerned.
Also - I wouldn't be so hyped for Smash Bros. Brawl if it weren't for the inclusion of Cube Pad support - I can't imagine trying to play Smash Brothers with the Wiimote. It's the stuff of nightmares.
The 'Cube pad was incredibly weak for nearly everything bar Nintendos own games. I mean, has nobody heard/noticed how SNK vs Capcom for example was ruined by bad button placement? Having a giant green A button just threw off everything else, much like the button placement on the N64 pad. Not to mention the miniscule Z button, tiny d-pad, weak c-stick and the spongy triggers. All those flaws are pretty widely accepted, and even those who like the 'Cube controller will mention at least one. So I cant believe anyone saying its their favourite pad. Unless the 'Cube was their first console or something.
For me the Dual Shock, SNES and 360 controllers are top of the pile. At least they work well with every game genre.
Dual shock is an awful pad! The tacked on Analogue sticks are poorly positioned and the whole design is now out of date. I like the original PS pad at the time though. I never had a problem playing any game with the Cube pad.
That's what I said! For genres like the FPS, which the Gamecube wasn't exactly famous for, the controller weren't too clever then. For the games that mattered though, like Zelda and Mario Kart, it was perfect.
Personally I felt the GC controller was much more suited to first person games than the XBox or PS controllers. I certainly felt like I had better and more natural control of my character's movement in Metroid Prime 1 & 2 than I did in the likes of Halo and the PS2 versions of Half-life and Voyager: Elite Force.
The PS controller is/was more suitable for 3rd person shooter/platform games, like Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. The XBox controller seemed best for driving games and the like.
frankly i thought the gamecube controller was utter crap and felt like a toy with no weight to it, fine if youre 4 or 84 i guess
In my opinion the gamecube controller was the best controller available until the 360 pad was launched. The D-pad was a little too small but everything else was great and the Wavebird was amazing!
The 360 pad is the best pad to date although the d-pad is rubbish.
The less said about the ps controller the better.....
There were a few issues with the Gamecube pad - the D-pad itself was practically useless, as was the yellow C-stick thing - trying to tranfer the N64's C-buttons onto a stick just didn't work. Though I personally think no one has got a D-pad right since the SNES/Megadrive days - Sony have come close. The shoulder buttons could sometimes feel slightly dodgy on the Gamecube pad aswell. But apart from that, it was a nice, comfortable controller
I love my DS
Playstation d-pads are pants. What are you talking about?...
The GC pad was OK but yes, why was the d-pad so small? I could get it to work of course but it could certainly have been bigger. The overall feel of the pad was better than the others though
And the 360 d-pad is the worst ever. Not the cube's.
cons - Tacked on 'Z' button, rubbish c-stick, 'Y' button isnt that easy to use, flimsy 'b' button & the worst d-pad ever to be put on a controller.
Can't have the worst d-pad ever, it has the Master System one for competition.
http://www.videogamecritic.net/masterinfo.htm
I always thought that the worst of the modern d-pads was the PS one, its really uncomfortable and after a while it starts to grate skin off my thumb, at least the GC one didn't have a big gap in the middle but they should really have kept it the same size as the SNES and N64 ones.
[quote="mfnick"cons - Tacked on 'Z' button, rubbish c-stick, 'Y' button isnt that easy to use, flimsy 'b' button & the worst d-pad ever to be put on a controller.
Can't have the worst d-pad ever, it has the Master System one for competition.
http://www.videogamecritic.net/masterinfo.htm
I always thought that the worst of the modern d-pads was the PS one, its really uncomfortable and after a while it starts to grate skin off my thumb, at least the GC one didn't have a big gap in the middle but they should really have kept it the same size as the SNES and N64 ones.
Okay 1 of the worst - happy now
Ive never had a problem with the PS d-pad. think its pretty good.
The one im most succesful at playing Street Fighter etc. with though is Sega Saturns pads - the re-design had the best D-pad ive ever used
Pros - Comfy, great analogue stick & satisfying 'clunk' on triggers
cons - Tacked on 'Z' button, rubbish c-stick, 'Y' button isnt that easy to use, flimsy 'b' button & the worst d-pad ever to be put on a controller.
I still liked it though - it had charm. Dont ask me how it had because I dont know, it just had something about it
360 pad is hands down the best ive ever used though. If it werent for the awful d-pad i'd say it was perfect
It is certainly not the worst d-pad, the xbox series of controllers have that award nailed. I can play sf2 reasonably well with the GC pad even though it is too small. However playing sf2 with the xbox d-pad is almost impossible as I can't tell if I am pressing up or up-left etc. The Dual Shock d-pad is good but it is a shame about it's analogue sticks.
I really liked the gamecube controller, I thought that it was a definate improvement from the N64 one and better than the Xbox and Ps2 pads and it was so comfortable to put in your hands and the buttons were perfectly placed.
The only part of the pad I hated was the D pad and the purple Z trigger!
Pros - Comfy, great analogue stick & satisfying 'clunk' on triggers
cons - Tacked on 'Z' button, rubbish c-stick, 'Y' button isnt that easy to use, flimsy 'b' button & the worst d-pad ever to be put on a controller.
I still liked it though - it had charm. Dont ask me how it had because I dont know, it just had something about it
360 pad is hands down the best ive ever used though. If it werent for the awful d-pad i'd say it was perfect
It is certainly not the worst d-pad, the xbox series of controllers have that award nailed. I can play sf2 reasonably well with the GC pad even though it is too small. However playing sf2 with the xbox d-pad is almost impossible as I can't tell if I am pressing up or up-left etc. The Dual Shock d-pad is good but it is a shame about it's analogue sticks.
Although the Xbox ones werent great by any margin i found them a hell of a lot better than GC one. but everyones different. & some - like you are just wrong
Pros - Comfy, great analogue stick & satisfying 'clunk' on triggers
cons - Tacked on 'Z' button, rubbish c-stick, 'Y' button isnt that easy to use, flimsy 'b' button & the worst d-pad ever to be put on a controller.
I still liked it though - it had charm. Dont ask me how it had because I dont know, it just had something about it
360 pad is hands down the best ive ever used though. If it werent for the awful d-pad i'd say it was perfect
It is certainly not the worst d-pad, the xbox series of controllers have that award nailed. I can play sf2 reasonably well with the GC pad even though it is too small. However playing sf2 with the xbox d-pad is almost impossible as I can't tell if I am pressing up or up-left etc. The Dual Shock d-pad is good but it is a shame about it's analogue sticks.
Although the Xbox ones werent great by any margin i found them a hell of a lot better than GC one. but everyones different. & some - like you are just wrong
You must be joking, please, tell me you are joking! The 360 d-pad is barely good enough for simply selecting secondary weapons on COD4 let alone playing SF2! It is the same rubbish d-pad found on the old sidewinder pc pads.
You must be joking, please, tell me you are joking! The 360 d-pad is barely good enough for simply selecting secondary weapons on COD4 let alone playing SF2! It is the same rubbish d-pad found on the old sidewinder pc pads.
No, im serious. The GC one was soft & unrepsonsive & way too small. Try pressing 1 dircetion & id end up pressing 3. Also tried CvsSNK 2 on GC - couldnt do anything whereas SF2 on 360 I can actualy pull some moves off - sometimes.
You must be joking, please, tell me you are joking! The 360 d-pad is barely good enough for simply selecting secondary weapons on COD4 let alone playing SF2! It is the same rubbish d-pad found on the old sidewinder pc pads.
No, im serious. The GC one was soft & unrepsonsive & way too small. Try pressing 1 dircetion & id end up pressing 3. Also tried CvsSNK 2 on GC - couldnt do anything whereas SF2 on 360 I can actualy pull some moves off - sometimes.
Well I just end up jumping when trying to do charge moves etc on the 360 pad which is a shame as I really want to play SSF3 without having to hook up my DC, but I had a couple of friends around last night playing New Challengers on VC and the cube d-pad was working fine (well I say fine, I actually mean passable as it needs to be bigger) I was pulling off fireballs dragon punches and some swift sonic booms with ease.
You must be joking, please, tell me you are joking! The 360 d-pad is barely good enough for simply selecting secondary weapons on COD4 let alone playing SF2! It is the same rubbish d-pad found on the old sidewinder pc pads.
No, im serious. The GC one was soft & unrepsonsive & way too small. Try pressing 1 dircetion & id end up pressing 3. Also tried CvsSNK 2 on GC - couldnt do anything whereas SF2 on 360 I can actualy pull some moves off - sometimes.
Well I just end up jumping when trying to do charge moves etc on the 360 pad which is a shame as I really want to play SSF3 without having to hook up my DC, but I had a couple of friends around last night playing New Challengers on VC and the cube d-pad was working fine (well I say fine, I actually mean passable as it needs to be bigger) I was pulling off fireballs dragon punches and some swift sonic booms with ease.
Like I say it differs with people. Ive got a 360 arcade stick anyway so can play SF3 as much as I like
Gamecube pad was pretty cool IMO - only the Z-button really let it down.
I also really like the feel and shape of the Dreamcast pad, and I feel that the 360 pad is a great evolution of that, and is now the best pad out there to date (plus you can play all sorts of things into it, always a plus ).
The Playstation pads are awful - going for symmetry over comfort is crazy, especially when gamers will regularly have marathon gaming sessions. Sort it out Sony.
The worst d pad I've used was the SMS ones. Those hurt my hands but I kept on going because I was having so much fun.
I have to say the d pad on the 6 button MD pads were the best ones for me. As for analogue controls the 3D Nights controller had the nicest feeling stick around.
The GC pad is decent, but my fave of last gen was the Xbox1 pad, I have big hands and found it the most comfortable to use.
This gen I find myself hating all the pads, I still sometimes press the area where the black & white buttons are supposed to be on my 360 pads
"It had always been that if your Mom caught you playing Mario she would frown, but if she walked in while you were watching a Disney movie she'd be all smiles".
Could be worse.. she could catch you erm... exploring yourself
I have to say the d pad on the 6 button MD pads were the best ones for me. As for analogue controls the 3D Nights controller had the nicest feeling stick around.
The GC pad is decent, but my fave of last gen was the Xbox1 pad, I have big hands and found it the most comfortable to use.
This gen I find myself hating all the pads, I still sometimes press the area where the black & white buttons are supposed to be on my 360 pads.
MD = Megadrive? If yes, then I definitely agree. I had a 6-button Megadrive pad, and they rocked. Used it for all my MD games in the end. Those massive controllers that first launched with the original Xbox were okish - but you can tell they were designed by Americans, for Americans. For their fat American fingers They obviously had to slim it down for the rest of the world, especially the Japanese owners (all 4 of them).
I have to say the d pad on the 6 button MD pads were the best ones for me. As for analogue controls the 3D Nights controller had the nicest feeling stick around.
The GC pad is decent, but my fave of last gen was the Xbox1 pad, I have big hands and found it the most comfortable to use.
This gen I find myself hating all the pads, I still sometimes press the area where the black & white buttons are supposed to be on my 360 pads.
MD = Megadrive? If yes, then I definitely agree. I had a 6-button Megadrive pad, and they rocked. Used it for all my MD games in the end. Those massive controllers that first launched with the original Xbox were okish - but you can tell they were designed by Americans, for Americans. For their fat American fingers They obviously had to slim it down for the rest of the world, especially the Japanese owners (all 4 of them).
Yeah the Megadrive (MD) was what I was referring to. Thos 6 button pads were excellent for SF2. I loved the SNES but there wasn't something quite right about using shoulder buttons for SF2.
The size of them and how they fit in the hand was just right.
For some reason I got accustomed to the Xbox1 pads so the S controllers that came after were... challenging to say the least.
I'm now pretty good with the S and 360 pads but sometimes I still press buttons that aren't there. (Jet Set Radio's fault)
Yeah the Megadrive (MD) was what I was referring to. Thos 6 button pads were excellent for SF2. I loved the SNES but there wasn't something quite right about using shoulder buttons for SF2.
The size of them and how they fit in the hand was just right.
For some reason I got accustomed to the Xbox1 pads so the S controllers that came after were... challenging to say the least.
I'm now pretty good with the S and 360 pads but sometimes I still press buttons that aren't there. (Jet Set Radio's fault)
Personally I always preferred the SNES pad for SF2 to the MD one (D-pad was much more responsive and less prone to slip to diagonals) but to each their own I guess, though I would always assign hard punch to Y instead of the default L. I reckon the best D-Pad was the old Nintendo one (SNES and N64) it was comfortable, chunky, responsive and never ever went wrong, my old SNES pads still work, shame I can't say the same about the N64 analogue sticks...
Personally I always preferred the SNES pad for SF2 to the MD one (D-pad was much more responsive and less prone to slip to diagonals) but to each their own I guess, though I would always assign hard punch to Y instead of the default L. I reckon the best D-Pad was the old Nintendo one (SNES and N64) it was comfortable, chunky, responsive and never ever went wrong, my old SNES pads still work, shame I can't say the same about the N64 analogue sticks...
Everyone has their own preference for pads, there's prob someone out there that would say the Jaguar pads are the best http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy034.jpg
Oh wait I forgot the worst D pad I've ever used. It's the Sidewinder Pro!! Poorest d pad I've ever, ever used!! It doubled up as analogue and digital. http://www.planethardware.com/features/misc/ms_gamepad_pro/ZoroFace1.jpg
Personally I always preferred the SNES pad for SF2 to the MD one (D-pad was much more responsive and less prone to slip to diagonals) but to each their own I guess, though I would always assign hard punch to Y instead of the default L. I reckon the best D-Pad was the old Nintendo one (SNES and N64) it was comfortable, chunky, responsive and never ever went wrong, my old SNES pads still work, shame I can't say the same about the N64 analogue sticks...
Everyone has their own preference for pads, there's prob someone out there that would say the Jaguar pads are the best http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joy034.jpg
If you ever meet anybody who says that then you should point and laugh at them for being so completely thick and retarded
Oh wait I forgot the worst D pad I've ever used. It's the Sidewinder Pro!! Poorest d pad I've ever, ever used!! It doubled up as analogue and digital. http://www.planethardware.com/features/misc/ms_gamepad_pro/ZoroFace1.jpg
Maybe it's me, but I think that looks quite nice. I thought it was gonna be that awful split in the middle pad, that you could twist... Who thought that was a good idea??
Maybe it's me, but I think that looks quite nice. I thought it was gonna be that awful split in the middle pad, that you could twist... Who thought that was a good idea??
You mean the freestyle pro? THat was awful
If you ever meet anybody who says that then you should point and laugh at them for being so completely thick and retarded
Never had the pleasure of holding one but looking at it..
Oh wait I forgot the worst D pad I've ever used. It's the Sidewinder Pro!! Poorest d pad I've ever, ever used!! It doubled up as analogue and digital. http://www.planethardware.com/features/misc/ms_gamepad_pro/ZoroFace1.jpg
ERGH!! The Sidewinder D-pads are horrible. Obviously Microsoft didn't learn a thing when tranferring them onto the Xbox pads.
I actually have a Gamecube to USB converter, and I play my pc games, especially my FPS games using the left half of the controller to replace my need for a keyboard, and use a mouse in the other hand. In a way, its sort of a halfway point from gamecube controller to the wii
Aside from the Dpad, I liked the GameCube controller as a standard... controller.
I'm not a fan of the six axis as it feels far too small for my liking and don't like the angle of the handgrips, while I felt the XBox one was way to chunky.
The original Xbox pad was awful I thought. I remember having a session of Fight Night Round 2 against my flatmates and having to put down the pad after about 20 minutes because I had physical pain in my left hand from using the analogue! In fairness I have small enough hands but I shouldn't have to feel pain because of it! I love my 360 controller, although when will game developers realize that pressing in the left analogue stick to duck is really annoying! Anyone else agree?!!
Maybe it's me, but I think that looks quite nice. I thought it was gonna be that awful split in the middle pad, that you could twist... Who thought that was a good idea??
Maybe it's me, but I think that looks quite nice. I thought it was gonna be that awful split in the middle pad, that you could twist... Who thought that was a good idea??
You mean the freestyle pro? THat was awful
Think he means the Dual Strike
Goodness! That's even worse than the freestyle pro!
You really have to wonder what Microsoft was trying to do when they invented these controllers.
The Gamecube was the best out of the 3 controllers. The 'love handles' made the controller slot into your hands perfectly, which the PS2 and Xbox controller did not do. Though the C-stick and D-Pad could be considered a bit pointless.
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