First the Dreamcast prototype controller and now the VMU idea? No more words need to be said, now we wait for the announcement and the word innovative to be thrown around.
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First the Dreamcast prototype controller and now the VMU idea? No more words need to be said, now we wait for the announcement and the word innovative to be thrown around.
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I knew this day would come.
And of course the SEGA fans who praised the VMU will trash this obvious evolution as a "gimmick."
And the game begins again…..
The VMU was a gimmick… But it was never the selling point and it was bloody awesome too.
I could take it to school and exchange save deta, chao and shit with my friends… Frankly I think ALL Memory Cards should have screens, Flash drives too.
This device will be very different from the VMU. It won't even be portable, allegedly. It's not trying to be a VMU at all.
To say that they went back to 1998 and looked at the DC memory card for inspiration for this system is pretty …..ridiculous….more likely they were inspired by the Ipod Touch, to be honest.
Also keep in mind that this is a fan mock-up. We'll see at E3 exactly how the controller will look and what they have planned for it.
I swear if that fugly fan concept art from 2006 came true I would never ever buy a Nintendo product again as that just looks horrible.
Though helpful screen on the controller = VMU concept. Not the whole concept, like take it with you and save files (doubt Nintendo is going this route), but it sounds like the same concept.
What boggles my mind is how expensive a full color touch screen on a controller will cost. VMU's were, what, like $25? Sort of expensive, but I recall at the time one was enough. My second memory card was a less expensive third party one with no screen.
Nintendo inspired by iPod touch? 3DS doesn't even have most of the stuff a iPod Touch can do… Nintendo's system software sucks. Period. Nintendo fans say everyone copies them, but when Nintendo has something that might be copied they throw a fit.
In the end its a screen on a controller. That is the basic concept and the basic idea of the VMU. Of course it will be able to do more things, but its to be expected as technology evolves.
The VMU was not a touch screen. This will be an actual gameplay device, not just a display. It's a touchscreen controller.
And if you really want to go this route, lol…..what was the VMU? Pretty much a Gameboy. What were chao? Tamagothi/Giga Pets. I mean come on, guys….
I don't think Nintendo looked at the Dreamcast or the VMU for what ever new idea they have. In the same way I don't think they looked at Segas prototype motion controller.
But Sega still did it first, way way back. It's hardly an innovative design.
Here, look at this:
Gameboy Pocket:
http://www.rolentapress.com/rolenta/collection/ni…
VMU:
http://images.wikia.com/sega/images/7/79/Memoryca…
The EXACT same design, lol. You want to talk about "copying."
That's why discussions like this are so pointless.
Sharky: Sega never, to my knowledge, has created a touch screen controller for a home console. That's what this is, I don't think it's been done before, so it's a rather innovative idea. Just like the VMU was a rather innovative idea despite the fact that they ripped off the Gameboy Pocket design right down to the button placement.
Discussions like this always come down to the simple fact…..not who did the idea first (though frankly this hardly even seems like the same idea. This will function as a new CONTROL input, not merely a display) but who is doing it in new ways.
That controller lay out has been used all over the place, having a D pad on the right and two or three buttons on the left is a staple…
Sega have been creating touch screen games for years…
Again I'm not saying Nintendo have copied Sega, not even in the slightest. I'm just saying Sega were doing it ages back.
LOL… you are right, SEGA copied a generic button layout that has been used forever. That wasn't even the argument here.
Fact: VMU is used as a screen on the controller. The new gimmick for the upcoming Nintendo console is the same. The 'control' method wasn't mentioned in the article.
I loved my VMU, and I'll love this as well, I WISH they made a Chao raising thing on it on the go, I'd seriously take that shit everywhere.
As long as the batteries last long enough I can't see how this won't completely kill the lone portable market.
Good for the big N.
"Fact: VMU is used as a screen on the controller. The new gimmick for the upcoming Nintendo console is the same. The ‘control’ method wasn’t mentioned in the article."
You didn't mention the "control method" because it would have destroyed your argument.
The new gimmick for the upcoming Nintendo console is touch screen controls. The DC did not have touch screen controls. The DC had a display screen in the controller. Project Cafe will have touch screen control input. The only similarity is that both are in the (gasp!) controller…but where else would Nintendo put this screen? If you have any other ideas for where Nintendo should have put their touch screen, then I'd love to hear 'em.
Nintendo already ripped off the VMU with their GBA/GC Link Cable, lol… This is something different entirely.
Why the fuck are we calling this a gimmick?
This is an obvious advancement for gaming, this will become a norm for all regular controllers in the future.
The only advancement from this would be completely transparent controllers made of glass filled with nano machines that form into different shapes as you play, and holograms.
-nSEGA54-: You have a sound mind, and solid reasoning.
I second cube_b3's sentiment.
Anyways, it goes beyond saying, that SEGA has always been ahead of their times to a fault, who knows what they could have accomplished if they had the right management and held off on their ideas until they could have developed things better.
Haha "gimmick" has a negative conotation but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the best "gimmicks" have become standard (See: Analog sticks.) Whether this gimmick will be one of them, I guess we'll find out years from now.
This will be the first console to come with a touch screen BUILT IN to the controller.
Going by your defense of Dreamcast's online innovations, George…Nintendo's touchscreen = innovative. VMU didn't come built into the controller. 😀
In any case, this broad idea of that something needs to have never existed before to be considered an innovation is silly. Innovation comes in increments, not broad sweep. Online existed in consoles way before Dreamcast, but Dreamcast having a modem was still innovative. Analog sticks had existed in some form since the 80s, but the Saturn analog controller was still innovative. The VMU was not the first memory card to have a screen, but it was still innovative.
This is the first controller to have a touchscreen built right into the interface, allowing developers to stream game play directly to the screen and allowing them to come up with button combinations tailored for their own game. Allegedly.
Provided all these rumors pan out, yes. This is innovative. It's not a completely original idea, but then again, nothing really is. Name something you think SEGA invented, and chances are I can name something that it evolved from. Only thing I really CAN'T think of right now is the Activator, but really…who would even want to beat them to the punch at that?
I actually really dont give a shit. So I'm not going to spend much time talking about this.
But, I don't see how having a screen built into a control is a step UP from being able to remove it and put it in your pocket, take it around. Seems like a step down in design imo.
Also, to take a crack at something Sega did first,
Cell Shaded games.
Aye, but I'm talking hardware, here. Sofware's a whole different ball park all together.
And, technically, while I'm sure both were in development at the same time, Fear Effect came out five months before JSR.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqFOGIIw6F0
I'm sure the graphical had existed in some form or another for awhile, just not applied o games.
Frankly the only problem with games on iPad, ipod touch, etc. is lack of physical controls (they should allow 3rd parties to utilize the dock connector).
This cold be good.
I think people missed the whole point of the article, just poking fun at Nintendo fans who think every company is copying their innovative king. Because stuff like horses in games (Shadow of Colossus)means its a Zelda clone.
I once cracked a joke to a friend that Nintendo was running on the fumes of SEGA's old ideas, the successor to Game Gear was supposed to be a touch screen handheld, Dreamcast had motion tech in its' fishing controller and the maracas, and there was the discussion of the prototyped Air Nights controller. Then there is the Virtual Console and the Dream Library, now the VMU concept of a useful screen being part of the controller is revived.
The difference is of course that Nintendo doesn't take the risks SEGA did, they stick to the same IPs every generation and introduce very few new ones, so while they utilize unique hardware they rarely introduce the software necessary to truly take advantage of it. At least in my opinion.
I am not entirely sure many people will understand me, but I think gaming has really stagnated without SEGA's influence, and I also feel it has played a significant role in leading me to be disenfranchised with the industry as it stands. I still play games, working on five right now, four are from previous generations though.
TaroYamada brings up a good point. Will Nintendo software really take advantage of something like this? I mean, Nintendo did make some titles that took advantage of their motion, its was casual games we mostly won't care about. Wii Sports? Everything we do care about just had the same controls as they always did (Mario Galaxy, Donkey Kong Returns) with a few 'shake this to do this' instead of 'press this button'…
Pretty much, they introduced Elite Beat Agents (as well as Daigasso and Rhythm Heaven) on DS and that took advantage of that hardware and was a core title, but then they destroyed the US version by performing a ritual sacrifice on the soundtrack by including such greats as Ashlee Simpson. In terms of Wii though their examples of what to do with their innovative controller amounted to what were essentially some very polished tech demos.
Aside from a few arcades, SEGA is out of the hardware market, what we should be talking about is how SEGA should take advantage of this new piece of gaming technology if it ever comes out.
The past is the past.
"The difference is of course that Nintendo doesn’t take the risks SEGA did, they stick to the same IPs every generation and introduce very few new ones, so while they utilize unique hardware they rarely introduce the software necessary to truly take advantage of it. At least in my opinion."
I completely agree with you there. I'm not excited about this system because I'm thrilled to play Nintendo's games on it, (though it would be nice to see Nintendo surprise me for a change,) I'm excited mainly to see what 3rd parties will be able to do with this.
"just poking fun at Nintendo fans who think every company is copying their innovative king."
LOL wha???? This article looks like it's accusing Nintendo of ripping off the VMU. Seems like you're poking fun instead at SEGA fans who think every company is copying their innovative king.