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[lolz im 2 bizEH to usE teh surch >X)D]

Reguardless of who wins this generation's portable race, I can't help but feel that Touch-Screen technology will be industry standard for portables following the DS/PSP.

It's too easy of a device to implement into hardware, barely taxes the battery life, intuitive, and solves a lot of control problems for certain gaming genres (RTS, FPS, ect.) that non-portable consoles have missed out on.

I've clocked in many many hours into my DS (And I can't wait to clock in just as many into a PSP) ... But I'm finding myself wanting a Touch-Screen on a good portion of my games from GBA to Xbox to PS2 to GC... For gameplay or if only to navigate their menues with more effeciency...
Provided that consoles had a touch screen on their respective controllers, we could be playing Halo with a similar mouse/keyboard setup ... It would be much simpler to navigate your Pikmin ... And not to mention we could acctually have RTS games branch over from the PC to our consoles.

 

[imastalker co.]

for sure. touch screen will be in every portable gaming system that matters from here on out.

 

[seismologist]

I would think so. When I saw the picture of that Gizomdo thing the first thing I was wondering was whether it has touch screen input.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I have been going to bed at 5am thanks to Mario 64 DS mini games

I also played Advance Wars 2 last night on the DS but after a while I wanted to use a stylus to move my troops

 

[lolz im 2 bizEH to usE teh surch >X)D]

I have been going to bed at 5am thanks to Mario 64 DS mini games

I also played Advance Wars 2 last night on the DS but after a while I wanted to use a stylus to move my troops

Hell yea,

It just dawned on me yesterday how AWESOME Advance Ward DS will be ... that damn game needs a touch screen, and I can't wait to see what they do with the multitasking on that extra screen.

The PSP is gonna' be awesome, but man, it's gonna hurt those first few times my thumb wanders onto the screen expecting interactivity...

 

[xexex]

touch screen, for GameBoy Next, Xboy, PSP2, and anything else that comes out, very possible.

 

[DSN2K]

I expect next Gameboy/PSP2 to both have touch Screen.

one screen also.

 

[rawk]

Yes. The perfect handheld would be the size and shape of the GBA, with touchscreen & stylus, one screen, and SNES or Cube-esque face buttons. Well, I guess they'd have to be like the DS button layout for us lefties.

Anyway, that's that. While I'm dreaming, I'll give it the horsepower of 1000 Gamecubes.

 

[DarienA]

Nope.

 

[Ironclad]

I think it will become standard, but it will be a while until everybody starts using it effectively. AW DS will be absolutely awesome though. Using the touch screen to tell your troops where to go will make you feel like you are drawing a map for some country you are planning to invade. :lol

 

[seismologist]

yeah AW DS will rock.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

just like the Analog Stick before it ..

 

[Kon Tiki]

I am hoping Bongos replace Dpads in the future.

 

[sohka88]

I don't think so.

 

[mashoutposse]

The most fun that I have with my DS is when I'm playing the AAA GBA stuff. I can't be the only one who felt that subconcious enjoyment boost when going back to standard button control after about a week of solid touchscreen gameplay.

Until a game is released that makes it positively hard to go back to more conventional control schemes (and has the sales numbers to prove it), I'd say that touchscreen is far from a given for next gen handhelds.

 

[sandman]

Touch Screen is cool but not necessary. I wouldn't buy a DS over PSP because it has a touch screen.

 

[lolz im 2 bizEH to usE teh surch >X)D]

For those that think otherwise:

It just seems stupid to have a portable unit without it, I mean the screen is right there in your damn hands just like the buttons.

Honestly, the PSP would kick so much ass if it had touch sensetivity with that nice big screen.

 

[lolz im 2 bizEH to usE teh surch >X)D]

Touch Screen is cool but not necessary. I wouldn't buy a DS over PSP because it has a touch screen.

I wouldn't have bought a N64 over a PSX (with its D-pad) ... but now we all have analog.

 

[mashoutposse]

I wouldn't have bought a N64 over a PSX (with its D-pad) ... but now we all have analog.

Of course, there were AAA games right from the start that fully justified its existence. It hasn't happened yet with touchscreen tech, but that doesn't mean that it will never happen. As much as I like easy menu navigation and mini-games, I hope that's not all we're to expect from this new style of control.

 

[seismologist]

Once people see how intuitive RTS and puzzle games become I dont think they'll want to go back to the old dpad/cursor system.

Madden is also another example. Touch screen use is subtle but it does wonders for immersion keeps you right in the game since navigation is right at your fingertips.

It just seems stupid to have a portable unit without it, I mean the screen is right there in your damn hands just like the buttons.

I agree. Pretty soon it'll be expected. Any portable system without touch screen interface from here forward is gonna seem kind of lame.

 

[captmcblack]

I wouldn't be surprised in touchscreens become standard issue in portables after the DS. The control it affords games makes certain things possible that weren't happening on portables before, even if it's simple stuff now (see: those crack-like SM64DS minigames, RTS games, "mouselook" in FPSes, et al).

 

[Drinky Crow]

Dear Lord, I hope not.

I've been using a mouse for PC gaming for years, but in the end, I keep comin' back to the D-pad/joystick.

 

[jiggle]

Perfect an analog stick for portable console first, please.

 

[soundwave05]

Yes, definitely, and anyone who doesn't see this is just being short sighted.

It's like saying "well I hope analog control doesn't become standard because I love my d-pad!". Well the d-pad hasn't gone anywhere, so why complain when you're getting added functionality?

Why would you want a regular screen when you could have a touchscreen? RPGs and strategy/RTS titles at the very least are far better suited for touch display and who knows how other developers will use it (that Goemon game looks really cool from Konami).

Also I'm surprised it's Nintendo that's the first one to really push this feature. You would think Sony would do it first, since it has more non-game functionality as well. You can bet if Microsoft ever makes a portable gaming machine it will definitely have touchscreen with a portable Windows OS, which would give you PDA type functions.

I think it will be standard from here on out. Game Boy Next should definitely have it, and PSP2/PSPOne probably will too, and yeah if Microsoft ever decides to hop into this arena, that would almost be a definite IMO.

 

[mashoutposse]

It's like saying "well I hope analog control doesn't become standard because I love my d-pad!".

No, it's not.

Your hypothetical statement sounds ridiculous because we have already seen many excellent games that are centered around that method of control. Heck, the very first title that introduced analog control to the mainstream was already considered the best game ever upon release. The situations aren't comparable.

I think that the chief problem with the touchscreen as a gameplay tool is that there aren't many (any?) fun activities that are associated with the writing mechanic. Pushing an analog stick and pressing buttons are inherently more fun; things like controlling an RC car, operating a train set, fooling around with heavy machinery, firing guns, etc. are entertaining exercises because of the immediacy and instant gratification of hitting a button or moving a lever. On the other hand, I frequently associate writing with various chores... the most entertaining writing-based activity that I can think of is drawing, and even then the act itself isn't the true source of fun.

Writing is practical. Fun? Remains to be seen.

 

[dark10x]

It's not terribly important to me, but if there were to be a PSP style unit (same design) that also featured a touch screen, that wouldn't be bad at all. In the case of the DS, I feel that certian other features were skipped in favor of the touch screen. It is not an optimal control method for all games.

 

[Jr.]

Of course, there were AAA games right from the start that fully justified its existence. It hasn't happened yet with touchscreen tech, but that doesn't mean that it will never happen. As much as I like easy menu navigation and mini-games, I hope that's not all we're to expect from this new style of control.

If you owned one and played all the stuff on it you wuld have seen this game. Sorry, U LOOSE!

 

[soundwave05]

Writing?

So you're going to be "writing" when you're playing an RTS or RPG with touch control?

It's simply a new method of control like analog, which will offer benefits to certain types of games.

PSP would be a better unit with touch control, its not like every single game has to use it, hell there are plenty of games today that really don't use the analog joystick that well.

And for other functionality (isn't this what Sony is trying to push anyway?) a touch screen is very advantageous.

Like I said, if Microsoft enters the fray, you can count on them having touchscreen for sure.

Outside of Super Mario 64, which was really like 2 years in the making, there weren't many games in 1996 that used the analog stick that well either, if you were a threatened Playstation fan back in those days you might have said "well analog isn't that important! Tomb Raider works fine without it and its teh 3D and has boobies!", and I'm sure some people were saying that back then, not because it made any rational sense, just because they were backing their company line.

 

[GDGF]

Yeah, touch control is here to stay. It's a perfect fit for a good number of genres, and it gives you a new control paradigm to create others. Plus, it appears to bring out the casuals
(and is in my opinion a big reason why girl gamers seem to dig on the DS). Everyone wants expansion of the market, so, yeah.

 

[mashoutposse]

If you owned one and played all the stuff on it you wuld have seen this game. Sorry, U LOOSE!

I'm actually playing it right now.

The overall feeling that I have when playing any of the DS games with touch control is, "It's playable." No feelings of "AAA-ness," and definitely no "best game ever" sensations. I will say that some Feel The Magic and SM64 mini-games do offer a surprisingly high level of fun. The

Spoiler

House of the Dead-style bull game, the plant boss,

and the slingshot game are all tons of fun.

 

[soundwave05]

The SM64 mini-games and Feel the Magic are games developed in a few months time.

Beyond that, with hardware makers wanting to expand the functionality of portable machines, a touchscreen, which has been standard on PDAs for years, is inevitable. If you're going to have movie/media functionality and then eventually "personal organizer" functionality, a touchscreen eventually is a must.

Touchscreen doesn't in any way replace/negate regular buttons, otherwise why would Nintendo still have included those? It's just a new way to play/control for different types of games.

Maybe I've just been following the game industry too long, but I've heard this same swan song before ...

Genesis owners saying "who needs stupid shoulder buttons"

N64 owners saying "who needs CD-ROM, I want to play games not interactive movies!"

Playstation owners saying "who needs rumble and analog, I can play 3D games just fine without them!"

etc. etc. etc. etc.

Of course all those companies eventually adopted those said ideas. Having used the touchscreen even just in the Mario 64 mini-games and to navigate the basic DS "operating system" it's painfully obivous that this is a feature that can be valuable and will likely become a staple in the future.

 

[mashoutposse]

Maybe I've just been following the game industry too long, but I've heard this same swan song before ...

Genesis owners saying "who needs stupid shoulder buttons"

N64 owners saying "who needs CD-ROM, I want to play games not interactive movies!"

Playstation owners saying "who needs rumble and analog, I can play 3D games just fine without them!"

etc. etc. etc. etc.

It is the great games that exploited those features that got them accepted. No great games that are touchscreen based = not much support from gamers.

Beyond that, with hardware makers wanting to expand the functionality of portable machines, a touchscreen, which has been standard on PDAs for years, is inevitable. If you're going to have movie/media functionality and then eventually "personal organizer" functionality, a touchscreen eventually is a must.

Touchscreen doesn't in any way replace/negate regular buttons, otherwise why would Nintendo still have included those? It's just a new way to play/control for different types of games.

With the next generation of handhelds years away, I too believe that touchscreen will be in most, if not all of those future consoles. We'll see how the gameplay side of it develops, but there is no doubting its practicality.