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Xbox Controller Still Has A Future, Says Don Mattrick
Don Mattrick, senior VP of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, says that the company has no intention of ditching traditional controller-based games following the unveiling of its motion sensing Project Natal.
“I think we’ve got the best thumb-based controller ever created,” Mattrick told Edge. “We’re not going to take anything away. There will be controller-based games. What we’re really doing is adding to our platform; when I think about Natal, I think of it like a Guitar Hero controller—it fits the experience better. There will still be games that use the controller, games that use only Natal, and games that use a combination.
“Think, you could be playing a game with a controller and have your character react when you instinctively duck out of the way of an explosion, or the ability to throw a grenade with a gesture. I don’t think of Natal as taking anything away, I see it as adding more. As a creator, I love the potential to do more; I think it’s going to net out a renaissance of new ideas. We haven’t figured it all out, but I see it as additive.”
Mattrick, who said he’d been too busy to see what Sony or Nintendo have been up to at E3, expressed delight at core gamers’ reaction to Natal, which he said had been named after a city in Brazil where one his team members grew up.
“As someone who’s grown up in this category there’s something magical about what we’ve done - especially when you see how the core, hardcore gamers react. They’re the most cynical but they flip out when they try it.”
While Peter Molyneux’s Lionhead Studios has for some time been working on a Natal-based project called Milo And Kate, only a few other studios had pre-E3 exposure to Natal.
“I’ve known Peter for 20 years and I showed it to him and he thought it was amazing. It’s as simple as that; he has a passion and a creativity that’s honestly unmatched by others,” Mattrick said. “It’s been a very select group of people who’ve seen it before E3, but we’re rolling it out now to a broader group of studios. We didn’t want to be in the position of having to say “no comment.” That’s not a good place to be.”
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Have any of these people ever played on an N64? Obviously not because the do not know what the best controller is! XD
The 360 controller isn't just the best ever made, it's BY FAR the best ever made. Nothing comes close. Everything - bar the average D-pad - is perfect: the weight, the feel, the amount of analog stick resistance, the 'click' of the buttons. Conversely, you'd think by now Sony would have at least swapped the D-pad and left analog stick around on the DS3, not to mention sort out those godawful L2/R2 triggers which are virtually unusable without plastic clip-on attachments.
Honestly, I like the old Gamecube controller; maybe it's because I had a Gamecube before I got a PS2, but I liked it better than the old PS1 controller. The Xbox 360 controller is great (Unlike that oversized travesity for the original Xbox), but I prefer FPS's on the PC using a mouse and keypad.
Well, at least they feel better than the Wii. I've had very few playing experiences using the Wiimote that actually felt good (I really did like Galaxy's minimal use of waggle, of course, and I thought Metroid Prime 3 and No More Heroes were great fun.).
Well, one thing's for sure; I like buttons, so it's not a good idea to abandon them yet.
With you on almost all points! The cube pad is still my favourite, though I do wish they'd used a second stick rather than the yellow nub.
I hate to say it but I hate using joypads for any fps though, once you get used to mouse/keyboard it's almost impossible to go back. Although the Wii-mote/nunchuck, when implimented well like with MP3:Corruption is an excellent alternative.
The examples given as to the benefits of Natal are exactly the kind of things MS has complained about with the Wii's controls, though, aren't they? Throwing a grenade via a gesture? Surely that's the kind of "gimmick" they've been criticising since Wii came out, isn't it? :P
Though I should point out that I love my 360 controller for windows, an excellent choice for the non mouse/keyboard games, Dirt, for example.
It would be absurd to assume that the conventional controller would ever die out in the near-future. Natal, wii and sony's motion controller are intriguing wiht possibilites, but they'll never fully make up for a lot of popular genres that are only possible on a controller....in a similar way, the controller and motion devices will never make up for genres only capable on the age-old keyboard and mouse.
Bar none, best controller ever.
Why Sony seems to treat analog controls as an afterthought 15 years later is beyond me. I'm equally confused as to why Nintendo & Sony are so opposed to triggers. Could the D-pad be better, sure - the most unimportant interface that relates to 3D gaming could be better.
They should have said that all regular controllers would now be discontinued. That would take balls.
Apart from the d-pad, it's the best controller out there.
I think that, ergonomically, GameCube has the best stick-and-buttons controller ever.
I dunno. I never liked the clicky shoulder buttons and the yellow nub just didn't feel right for FPS games. It was the best pad for Tiger Woods though!
And Super Monkey Ball.
DANG, I wish he'd clarified this sooner. I "flipped out" so hard over the Project Vapor tech demo and its accompanying science fiction "product vision" video that I immediately went home and threw all my regular 360 controllers in the garbage! What am I supposed to do now???
the ability to throw a grenade with a gesture
And people said Wii controls were gimmicky. *eyeroll*
“I think we’ve got the best thumb-based controller ever created,”
....I assume he meant apart from the lame excuse of a d-pad...
D-pad aside, I think the 360 pad is the best. Sticks are in the perfect position. I finally got Kill Zone 2 and although I love it, I wish I could use a 360 pad. Saying that, I haven't had my PS3 for that long and I'm sure it's something I'll get used to.
Totally agree. For your information, like AndyLC suggested, there are indeed converters for that exact situation, but you can only use wired 360 controllers. Check out the XCM Cross Battle Adapter Plus if you're interested. It is expensive, but works great. The only problem is with games that don't allow you to remap buttons, you can't fire on the triggers (Resistance is an example I believe). With Killzone 2, the main barrier is in the sections where you have to use the Sixaxis motion, for obvious reasons... Still, using a 360 controller on PS3, especially for FPS games, is second to none in my opinion.
You might be able to find converters for that. I play xbox with PS2 controllers. Though with wireless that may be harder to do.