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Xbox 2 - Wireless Controllers as standard

Awesome. Good step. People will complain about the need to purchase batteries. I hope MS plans a rechargable battery and docking station.
 
They better be rechargeable, but with a cable the length of the current Xbox controller cable.
 
RevenantKioku said:
They better be rechargeable, but with a cable the length of the current Xbox controller cable.

Awesome if true but the current cable length of the Xbox controllers satisfies me.
 
I don't get their headline? How the hell does this make Wavebird a trendsetter? I was buying wireless controllers for my consoles LONG before the Wavebird came along. I also fail to see how Wavebird has set a trend for a console being built for wireless controllers.

Ugh... Anyway, this is great news. I just hope the controllers can still plug in to recharge.
 
Well, let's say the PS3 had no controller ports and was wireless only.

Now, all of those Bemani controllers, Namco racing controllers, FF wheels, guns are all useless, as well as the related software.

How's Tekki gonna work on an XBox2 with no place to plug the controller in?
 
Reanimated said:
I don't get their headline? How the hell does this make Wavebird a trendsetter? I was buying wireless controllers for my consoles LONG before the Wavebird came along. I also fail to see how Wavebird has set a trend for a console being built for wireless controllers.
Microsoft will be the first console manufacturer to ship wireless pads as standard with its hardware, but not the first to ship an official wireless controller; Nintendo has already enjoyed significant success with the WaveBird, its wireless pad for the GameCube.
Seems pretty clear to me in that Microsoft is supposedly taking Nintendo's lead in providing first-party wireless controllers.
 
don't get their headline? How the hell does this make Wavebird a trendsetter?

As far as I'm aware, Wavebird was the first *official* wireless controller (not 3rd party), now Xbox 2 will be the first with wireless as standard... it can be speculated that the success and popularity of Wavebird prompted MS to go wireless as standard... hence trendsetting...

IMHO

Edit - Beat to it by BuddyChrist :lol
 
dog$ said:
Well, let's say the PS3 had no controller ports and was wireless only.

Now, all of those Bemani controllers, Namco racing controllers, FF wheels, guns are all useless, as well as the related software.

How's Tekki gonna work on an XBox2 with no place to plug the controller in?

You're talking about a small minority of games that might not be able to be played the best way on the XBOX 2. I don't think this news decreases the chances for backwards compatability.

I don't get their headline? How the hell does this make Wavebird a trendsetter? I was buying wireless controllers for my consoles LONG before the Wavebird came along. I also fail to see how Wavebird has set a trend for a console being built for wireless controllers.

I was, too, but Nintendo made wireless not only work well, but made it popular with the wavebird. I don't care how you slice it, I was the only kid in a 40 mile radius with SNES wireless controllers.
 
Reanimated said:
I don't get their headline? How the hell does this make Wavebird a trendsetter?
It was the first first-party wireless controller and set a new standard for quality. It was just as sturdy and stable and comfortable as the stock GC controller, just wireless and none of that cruddy IR wireless either. It wasn't revolutionary, but it was an absolutely huge step forward.
 
Oh I see, we're still giving Nintendo credit for copying other people's ideas, slapping their name on it, and selling it as 1st party. :lol
 
Hmm, I think people just have a kneejerk reaction against acknowledging stuff like that.

Like if I said, "Sony is following Nintendo's lead with the N64 by incorporating analog joysticks into their controllers," then people would immediately say, "Nuh uh, there have been analog controllers way before this!" This may be true, but it misses the point that a trendsetter is not the one who does it first, but rather the one that leads to others doing the same thing (thus 'setting' the 'trend').
 
Reanimated said:
Oh I see, we're still giving Nintendo credit for copying other people's ideas, slapping their name on it, and selling it as 1st party. :lol

Not at all. Nintendo nor Nintendo faithful ever claimed that Nintendo invented wireless controllers. They made them practical and popular, however. I don't think you can deny that the Wavebird is far and away the best wireless controller available.
 
The reason wave bird sucks is because there is no vibration. That's retarded IMO.

If the Xbox 2 controllers has vibration I more then welcome this news.
 
Unless the docking station and the rechargable battery is at a resonable price, I say stick with batteries. They ammount of time they last in my Wavebird and Logittech Wireless for XBOX is an incredible ammount of time.

You could also go to CVS or some place and find a sale for like 10 AA for $4-6 bucks. But that is one thing Nintendo has perfected. The Wavebird is my favorite controller of this gen.
 
I'll wait until there is an offical announcement on wireless controllers before I believe it. There are just too many rumors circulating right now regarding the next gen systems and it's difficult to know which are true or not. Plus, how much extra would the wireless controllers cost? If having a six foot cord means keeping the price down some, I'm all for it, and I also think the length of the current cord is plenty for me.
 
Deepthroat said:
The reason wave bird sucks is because there is no vibration. That's retarded IMO.

If the Xbox 2 controllers has vibration I more then welcome this news.


The people who use the Wavebird and complain about the lack of rumble are so few and far between. It seems that most who use it don't even notice the lack of rumble.
I played through both Metroid Prime titles and RE4 with the Wavebird and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything.
 
Wireless is cool but its less important than rumble imo (it adds a lot in games like Halo 2, mercenaries, etc etc, mainly action titles), and having both could cause some battery life problems...hmm another question for E3.
 
So what the hell happens to XBL as we know it? Wouldn't the current set up of adding a powered expansion pack into the controller drain the batteries in a wireless pretty quickly? Not to mention adding vibration to the mix.
 
The Wavebird is only a decent wireless controller. There are Logitech controllers availble that are just as comfortable and feature rumble. Just because plenty of idiots (myself included) bought a Wavebird doesn't mean that it's the 'best wireless controller evar'.
 
Hitler Stole My Potato said:
So what the hell happens to XBL as we know it? Wouldn't the current set up of adding a powered expansion pack into the controller drain the batteries in a wireless pretty quickly? Not to mention adding vibration to the mix.

According to that document posted yesturday, Xenon has straight usb2.0 slots so presumably you could use wired headsets connected to those ports, wireless headsets also, could become an option, though they are probably a little on the expensive side right now.
 
Hitler Stole My Potato said:
So what the hell happens to XBL as we know it? Wouldn't the current set up of adding a powered expansion pack into the controller drain the batteries in a wireless pretty quickly? Not to mention adding vibration to the mix.

AC Adaptor?
 
olimario said:
Not at all. Nintendo nor Nintendo faithful ever claimed that Nintendo invented wireless controllers. They made them practical and popular, however. I don't think you can deny that the Wavebird is far and away the best wireless controller available.
Oh contraire! The Logitech PS2 wireless wipes the floor with it IMO. Also, Nintendo making a wireless conroller is a whole lot different than a company making a wireless controller the default controller for their console. If MSFT does this, make no mistake they will be leading and it will be of no credit whatsoever to Nintendo. Also, MSFT is not new to wireless controllers. They made them before Nintendo made the Wavebird in fact.
 
shpankey said:
Oh contraire! The Logitech PS2 wireless wipes the floor with it IMO. Also, Nintendo making a wireless conroller is a whole lot different than a company making a wirless controller the default controller for their console. If MSFT does this, make no mistake they will be leading and it will be of no credit whatsoever to Nintendo. Also, MSFT is not new to wireless controllers. They made them before Nintendo made the Wavebird in fact.


I haven't like a single Logitech product I've tried. That said, I haven't tried the Action Cordless yet, which seems to be their best.

And sure Nintendo would deserve some credit. Had the wavebird not come along I don't think we would have seen a push for better wireless controllers or a demand for them on next gen systems.
 
Wireless technology is a natural progression. Sorry, the evolution would have taken place regardless of Nintendo.

P.S. No offense, but if you don't like a single Logitech product, then either you haven't tried many, or your opinion is complete shit.
 
olimario said:
I haven't like a single Logitech product I've tried. That said, I haven't tried the Action Cordless yet, which seems to be their best.

And sure Nintendo would deserve some credit. Had the wavebird not come along I don't think we would have seen a push for better wireless controllers or a demand for them on next gen systems.




You mean aside from the fact that when the Wavebird hit there were already 3 or 4 high quality controllers out from Logitech?
 
shpankey said:
Wireless technology is a natural progression. Sorry, the evolution would have taken place regardless of Nintendo.

You're right, but at what rate? I didn't see any hype towards wireless prior to the Wavebird nor did I see any demand for good Wireless prior to the Wavebird. It was all niche before Nintendo and now it's more popularized and is seen as more of a necessity.

Nintendo sparked the interest in wireless and sped up the progression of wireless controller technology.

No offense, but if you don't like a single Logitech product, then either you haven't tried many, or your opinion is complete shit.

I've tried a few across a few systems and I haven't liked the feel of them. I prefer first party controllers.
 
This is awesome if true. Microsoft is pushing the boundaries with improvements and innovations from this gen to next. From the sound of things, MS wants to improve every single aspect of the gaming experience. Areas Microsoft seems likely to push the envelope (and I'm not saying that Sony and Nintendo won't):

Touch:
-Controller design (wireless, more refined type-S controller) standard

Sights and Sounds:
-True HDTV support (720P, 1080I)
-Audio and Visual tech will be powerful and efficient
-Developer friendly system and early games not rushed

Online Play and Storage:
-Storage mediums will be flexible (LAN storage, Flash storage, Online storage, etc.)
-More Live online features and community building (MMORPG's and other Massively Multiplayer games will be more accessible to the mainstream)
-Built-in Ethernet and I wouldn't be surprised if it had built-in wireless-G as well.
 
olimario said:
You're right, but at what rate? I didn't see any hype towards wireless prior to the Wavebird nor did I see any demand for good Wireless prior to the Wavebird. It was all niche before Nintendo and now it's more popularized and is seen as more of a necessity.

Nintendo sparked the interest in wireless and sped up the progression of wireless controller technology.
Well, that may or may not be... I wouldn't know for sure. But I tend to think that it would have been one of the standard new fancy features of this generation regardless.

And Logitech is amazing; the aforementioned PS2 wireless controller is just godly. Give it a try sometime if you haven't already. I actually use it on my PC, my Xbox and my PS2 (the PC and Xbox by using PS2 to PC and PS2 to Xbox controller adapaters).
 
open_mouth_ said:
This is awesome if true. Microsoft is pushing the boundaries with improvements and innovations from this gen to next. From the sound of things, MS wants to improve every single aspect of the gaming experience. Areas Microsoft seems likely to push the envelope (and I'm not saying that Sony and Nintendo won't):

Touch:
-Controller design (wireless, more refined type-S controller) standard

Sights and Sounds:
-True HDTV support (720P, 1080I)
-Audio and Visual tech will be powerful and efficient
-Developer friendly system and early games not rushed

Online Play and Storage:
-Storage mediums will be flexible (LAN storage, Flash storage, Online storage, etc.)
-More Live online features and community building (MMORPG's and other Massively Multiplayer games will be more accessible to the mainstream)
-Built-in Ethernet and I wouldn't be surprised if it had built-in wireless-G as well.

I agree... It took me awhile to warm up to the XBOX, but when I did it was a wonderful thing. I still don't enjoy many games on the system, but I respect what MS is doing with it.
 
Nintendo sparked the interest in wireless and sped up the progression of wireless controller technology.
Exactly.
If MSFT does this, make no mistake they will be leading and it will be of no credit whatsoever to Nintendo.
Hopefully both Xenon and Rev have wireless controllers as the standard, then we won't argue about who led to what. :)

~Cris
 
As long as the Xbox Live headset still plugs into the controller I'm all for this.

How would they do the voice though? Does Bluetooth support voice?
 
crisdecuba said:
Exactly.

Hopefully both Xenon and Rev have wireless controllers as the standard, then we won't argue about who led to what. :)

~Cris



Except for the fact that Xenon will be out at least 6 months before Rev.
:lol
 
Timbuktu said:
The rumble feature is also a trend started by Nintendo then, as is the shoulder button and the D-pad.
Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

The D-pad cross-shape was specifically patented by Nintendo, yes, but directional-disc/non-joystick input and shoulder buttons were on the Intellivision.

Force Feedback controllers were also on PCs before N64 released the add-on. There's some supplemental proof here for some of this.
 
I have a great idea for wireless.

The console has controller ports, but it's only for the Wireless Controller Power Cord.
The Wireless Controllers have rechargable batteries.
When the battery starts to run down, you plug it in to the console and continue to play while it charges.
 
olimario said:
The people who use the Wavebird and complain about the lack of rumble are so few and far between. It seems that most who use it don't even notice the lack of rumble.
I played through both Metroid Prime titles and RE4 with the Wavebird and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything.

Not at all in my experience. Even in retail stores I've overheard or been involved in conversations about GC that eventually involve discussion about Wavebird and the lack of rumble is a common point of dismissal.

I have a Wavebird that my brother gave me after selling his GC, and tried it just to see it not go to waste and all of a sudden my Handcannon in RE4 seems to have no punch. Vibration is a big deal for GC fans that are primarily RE fans (similarly, I "needed" a rumble pak for DC after getting RECV). Went right back to the regular controller.

An excellent, standard wireless controller with requisite full vibration function for the next generation cosoles would be welcome.
 
dog$ said:
Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

but directional-disc/non-joystick input and shoulder buttons were on the Intellivision.

Once again there's a distinction being drawn between 'trend-setting' and pioneering.
 
shpankey said:
And Logitech is amazing; the aforementioned PS2 wireless controller is just godly. Give it a try sometime if you haven't already. I actually use it on my PC, my Xbox and my PS2 (the PC and Xbox by using PS2 to PC and PS2 to Xbox controller adapaters).

How does it stand up to the likes of DMC, Onimusha 2, etc that put a toll on the regular PS2 controller? Both of my current PS2 controllers have one or more caved-in shoulder buttons (I choose which controller to use based on which shoulder button(s) aren't necessary for a given game...).

I've had my eye on the Logitech PS2 Wireless but don't want to see a more expensive piece of kit also collapse on me.
 
Once again there's a distinction being drawn between 'trend-setting' and pioneering.
And once again, someone credits Nintendo for starting things which they didn't. The merry-go-round is fun.
I have a great idea for wireless.

The console has controller ports, but it's only for the Wireless Controller Power Cord.
The Wireless Controllers have rechargable batteries.
When the battery starts to run down, you plug it in to the console and continue to play while it charges.
Sounds great to me.

With ports and signal bays for the wireless controllers, everyone wins.
 
dog$ said:
Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

The D-pad cross-shape was specifically patented by Nintendo, yes, but directional-disc/non-joystick input and shoulder buttons were on the Intellivision.

Force Feedback controllers were also on PCs before N64 released the add-on. There's some supplemental proof here for some of this.

Thanks, those are some nice facts. It's still nice that those features have become standards today, rather than staying as gimmicks. Full featured wireless controllers seem like a logical step and Oli's idea seems pretty good, but I'd think people would still want to have a cheaper wired option since wireless doesn't directly affect gameplay/game design.
 
siamesedreamer said:
As long as the Xbox Live headset still plugs into the controller I'm all for this.

How would they do the voice though? Does Bluetooth support voice?
Bluetooth is just a protocol of transmitting data wirelessly so, yes, it's possible for to use it for voice.
 
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