Your thoughts about... the SIXAXIS
- Thread starter eloic
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I cultivate a strong dislike for mechanics based on gestures and shaking ("waggle"), be it on the Wii or on the PS3. It's inefficient and unreliable as an input mechanism. It ruins any sense of immersion. A game that relies on this in any capacity is a game I will not even play if I get it free (see Ragdoll Kung Fu), let alone buy.
There are good applications for tilt sensing though. Excite Truck, Kororinpa, Wipeout HD, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Noby Noby Boy all implement tilt to great effect.
I think tilt sensing may actually be more precise across a greater range than an analog stick, because you effectively have a lever the length of the controller's width attached.
edit: In case it was the point of the thread, I have turned off rumble on my Dualshock 3 shortly after I bought it. It's an annoyance most of the time.
There are good applications for tilt sensing though. Excite Truck, Kororinpa, Wipeout HD, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Noby Noby Boy all implement tilt to great effect.
I think tilt sensing may actually be more precise across a greater range than an analog stick, because you effectively have a lever the length of the controller's width attached.
edit: In case it was the point of the thread, I have turned off rumble on my Dualshock 3 shortly after I bought it. It's an annoyance most of the time.
I like it a lot. Gimme more. 
Of course, you can still use it in a bad way / context, but I definitely think it's a great addition. Don't forget Flower as a great example of how it can be used.
I just installed a working driver on my PC with Ubuntu for the Sixaxis, and I tried a random flying game with it. It automatically worked so that the tilting functioned for looking around, works great. Now I'm hoping to get some kind of 3D object up and running that I can manipulate using various controller functions and see what I can do.
Of course, you can still use it in a bad way / context, but I definitely think it's a great addition. Don't forget Flower as a great example of how it can be used.
I just installed a working driver on my PC with Ubuntu for the Sixaxis, and I tried a random flying game with it. It automatically worked so that the tilting functioned for looking around, works great. Now I'm hoping to get some kind of 3D object up and running that I can manipulate using various controller functions and see what I can do.
By the gods, you did not list Flower. I object ! ;-)
There was really nothing Sony could do about Rumble in the beginning given Immersions lawsuit.
But I like flower.
Wasn't there talk about MS' settlement including a clause that they'd get part of the settlement when Sony settled?
Sorry, I meant the motion control/tilt features of the SIXAXIS (since it is the main new feature of that controller).
Oh, by the way, I'm also upset because Rolf N forgot to mention Flower.
Sigfried1977
Legend
I really enjoyed it in Flower, Folklore (proof that gestures actually can work reliably) and Heavenly Sword.
The other platform holders hadn't sold nearly as many units tough, so their legal fees were significantly smaller. Sony fought it because it was in their best interest, at the time. I personally was irritated by the lawsuit, I found it to be nothing more than patent squatting (considering the length of time it took for Immersion to get their stuff together and file the suit).
Either way, that's not really the topic of discussion
It's motion controls! I do find that when they are forced or shoveled into a game, they tend to be less than stellar. When they are used sparingly and creatively, however, they are really good.
Yes, those 3 are my top SIXAXIS showcases as well. SIXAXIS has the "wrong" shape. I think the devs can do more with the technology.
It was a great idea that hardly saw any use, much like PSEye. At the beginning of the gen we discussed possible applications of motion control, yet all developers did most of the time was chuck it in as a gimmick. So kudos for Sony for trying to expand controls, and boo to dull, unimaginitive developers wasting opporunities.
Hmm, I'm not sure if you could compare motion sensing use to EyeToy / PS Eye use though ... sixaxis is used in very many games compared to even the games that support EyeToy / PS Eye on PS2 and PS3 combined.
What I thought was even more interesting though is the resistance against it from hardcore gamers. I think this was probably a bigger detriment to its use than anything else - the hardcore userbase that initially got the PS3 was so tuned to the analog sticks that there was no room in their brain for learning new forms of muscle control. I think especially with the position of the PS3 in the market, this turned out to be a bigger problem than developer support, although of course there has been some interaction between the two - if every implementation had been as good as Flower's it would have been harder to keep dismissing sixaxis use as a gimmick, but even for Flower there were people going 'just gimme analog stick controls dammit' ...
What I thought was even more interesting though is the resistance against it from hardcore gamers. I think this was probably a bigger detriment to its use than anything else - the hardcore userbase that initially got the PS3 was so tuned to the analog sticks that there was no room in their brain for learning new forms of muscle control. I think especially with the position of the PS3 in the market, this turned out to be a bigger problem than developer support, although of course there has been some interaction between the two - if every implementation had been as good as Flower's it would have been harder to keep dismissing sixaxis use as a gimmick, but even for Flower there were people going 'just gimme analog stick controls dammit' ...
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