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How big of a disgrace was "Six Axis"

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
This is originally a 2006 controller that SONY stopped using in 2008 and I get why they went with the motion built into the controller (to take on the Wii) but is it me or were there just more risks back than? Something released today would be controversial, I remember using the "Six Axis" in Killzone 2 to plant C4 explosive and disliked it. What did GAF think of this feature?
 

dave_d

Member
Pretty much I preferred it to the Xbox 360 controller because I'm not a fan of rumble and liked how much lighter it was. Unfortunately 6-axis wasn't really used effectively. It took Nintendo to show everyone the concept of gyro aiming which is pretty much the best way to use a controller for a FPS. (I mean unless you want auto-aiming and bullet magnetism.)
 

reinking

Gold Member
💙💙💙


I loved it except using it caused me to have permanent nerve damage in my right index finger. I can't blame Sony, I was playing some bowling game and hit a spiral bulb that was above my head. It broke, glass got in my finger, I thought glass was out of my finger, it was not. A few months later I spent a few hours with a hot doctor helping her try to dig glass out of my cut wide open finger. We could not get it all so I actually had to have surgery. I have no feeling in that part of my finger but TBH, it kind of feels cool.

Back to the controller, I am not joking when I say I loved it in some games.
 
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It worked well for Folklore. Minor usage and reliable.

I didn't think it was terrible in Lair. Lair just isnt that great of a game.

Can't think of too many other games that utilized it.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
The triggers and analog sticks are the absolute worst I've seen on a first-party controller. An absolute embarrassment. The Dualshock 3 was a little better, but still didn't feel nearly as good as the Dualshock 1 or 2 did. That was really an awful time for gaming hardware.
 

violence

Member
It worked well for Folklore. Minor usage and reliable.

I didn't think it was terrible in Lair. Lair just isnt that great of a game.

Can't think of too many other games that utilized it.
Six Axis tanked a 20-year-old studio. I would not have used it in my game either.
 

dave_d

Member
I can't remember, does the six axis use hall effect sensors or pots? (I thought I heard it uses hall effect.)
 

_Ex_

Member
The triggers and analog sticks are the absolute worst I've seen on a first-party controller.

Not in a world where the joy-con exists.

upload-2020-9-24-23-36-38-jpeg.jpg
 

Crayon

Member
I miss that style of controller that isn't so filled out and bulbous. I play with old controllers alot and I prefer the slim shells

As far as the gyro? Limited use but cool very occasionally.

Kicks ass for racing games. The F1 game at launch showed it right away. I still use it for gt7.

Crazy nobody(?) tried gyro aiming in a shooter.
 

EekTheKat

Member
Gyro aiming on gamepads is ironically one of the better tools out there for people who play shooters with no aim assist (mostly PC shooters) for pad/stick players. It's a pretty big difference maker for making micro adjustments while aiming.

For me it's always on when I play the PS5 version of Helldivers 2. Once I got use to it it's extremely intuitive to use.
 

Hudo

Member
It was a pretty big step back from the DS2. But the worst experience I had with Sony's controllers was with the DS4. I had two die on my with regular-ass usage. Unreliable pieces of shit.
 

Neilg

Member
Wasn't rumble only lacking because of a patent dispute? And Sony had to pretend like they thought rumble was last gen and all of this was on purpose, leading them to over market the fact it had a motion sensor. Then 2 years later walked it back and released the real controller.
 

Soodanim

Member
Personally I dislike rumble so I didn't care at all.

Subjectivity aside, what you're left with is a wireless PS2 controller with changed L2/R2 (objectively flawed design) and no pressure sensitive buttons.

Is there some sort of extra change I didn't notice between SixAxis and DS3 that somehow makes this thread not hyperbolic in its hatred? Or do you lot really like vibrators that much?
 
The fact that it was so light was nice. I dunno what was "disgraceful" about it. It didn't have any wow factor for sure, but it was functional and not difficult to use or hold. It's worth noting that it didn't have a lot of dev time since Sony was committed to the "boomerang" controller until about 6 months prior to launch. When the DS3 replaced it in 2008, it certainly felt like a more natural PS controller.

My launch 60GB PS3 died in mid-2013--not sure if it was God Of War: Ascension or The Last Of Us that killed it since I was playing both at the time. Either way, I ended up having to buy a super slim model only months before the PS4 launched. Glad I did though, since there still is no true PS3 BC. I still have the Sixaxis controller for my launch unit. I never use it. I'd throw it out since it's battery is probably all but useless, but I consider it a piece of gaming history so I hold onto it.
 

StueyDuck

Member
Not any more of a disgrace than the wiimote.

Unless you are talking purely about the weight. Then yes the fact the controller felt like a hollow plastic toy didn't help.

However, it was just a ps2 controller in shape and design so I never hated it. When they brought ds3 back it was a totally decent controller.
 

gtabro

Member
Pretty much I preferred it to the Xbox 360 controller because I'm not a fan of rumble and liked how much lighter it was. Unfortunately 6-axis wasn't really used effectively. It took Nintendo to show everyone the concept of gyro aiming which is pretty much the best way to use a controller for a FPS. (I mean unless you want auto-aiming and bullet magnetism.)
Gyro Aim has been my favourite thing in console games for the past what, 10-15 years? Blows my mind that only a handful of games took advantage of it when the technology was already there.

I mean the moment TLOU 2 got that update with the gyro aim I replayed the game and it felt soooo good to shoot this way in a AAA title 👏🥲
 

Yoboman

Member
It was a shit controller in almost every way. No rumble. Antiquated design. The boomerang design looked like some cheap $20 Logitech controller

Glad they took the criticism to heart and made the best controller the following two gens
 

Player Respawn

Neo Member
I liked the lightness of the controller, didn’t know people disliked rumble so much in this forum lol, btw I miss that design, hated the ds4 (didn’t care for the feel and especially disliked the option buttons being so damn hard to push down), and really like the ds5 controller so far.
 

Mownoc

Member
The worst thing about it was the shiny gloss finish. It looked nasty after being used and felt bad too. Dualshock 3 thankfully went to matte.
 

BlackTron

Member
I don't like the classic PSX controller design at all and the Sixaxis is the worst version of it. The least-bad is probably the Dual Analog. It's the only one with a bigger grip until total redesigns for PS4/5.
 

Shtof

Member
On a side note, does anyone know if a working version of the infamous "banana/boomerang" PS3 controller ever existed?

And why did everyone hate it?
Sure, it looks weird but you're not gonna be looking at it when you play.
 

N30RYU

Member
I loved the sixaxis and it's motion control in a lots of games from Warhawk or Folklore, to heavenly sword controlling the arrows.. or Uncharted just for precise aiming... or indies like rub a duck...

At the time it doesn't bottered me too much that it doesn't had rumble.
 
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Six Axis tanked a 20-year-old studio. I would not have used it in my game either.
PS3 rough launch was the main thing and Kotaku went full Gawker by treating review guides as some kind smoking gun conspiracy. It was knives out for Sony during that time period and Factor5 unfortunately got hit the worst. Kotaku were subsequently blacklisted by Sony for a variety of reasons.
 

ReyBrujo

Gold Member
It was a poor attempt to withdraw attention from Wii's remote controller.

Blows my mind that only a handful of games took advantage of it when the technology was already there.
Playing RE4 on Wii was the best shooter experience I have ever had on console. It sometimes surpassed the mouse/keyboard combination.
 
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Gojiira

Member
This is originally a 2006 controller that SONY stopped using in 2008 and I get why they went with the motion built into the controller (to take on the Wii) but is it me or were there just more risks back than? Something released today would be controversial, I remember using the "Six Axis" in Killzone 2 to plant C4 explosive and disliked it. What did GAF think of this feature?
No rumble was the only issue, Sony kinda pushing the same awful waggle as the Wii was meh but most games ended up with it being optional so meh.
Not the most egregious,awful decision ever given how many stellar games actually ended up on the PS3 and it did give way to the Dualshock 3 so yeah. Nowhere near as awful as the Wiimote.
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
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