-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Xbox 2 - Wireless Controllers as standard
- Thread starter gollumsluvslave
- Start date
I still think it's all horse-pucky.
MS might have wireless controllers, but they won't be giving them away with their new system. When they included ethernet and a hard drive in Xbox, it was because it was integral to their strategy. Offering them as add-ons would have ruined everything by splintering the userbase. OTOH wireless is just a convenient gimmick.....it isn't necessary for any of their bigger plans.
They aren't going to spend the extra cash to give it to you for free. Just like with DVD playback, you will buy it separately. That way they'll be turning a profit on wireless...
MS might have wireless controllers, but they won't be giving them away with their new system. When they included ethernet and a hard drive in Xbox, it was because it was integral to their strategy. Offering them as add-ons would have ruined everything by splintering the userbase. OTOH wireless is just a convenient gimmick.....it isn't necessary for any of their bigger plans.
They aren't going to spend the extra cash to give it to you for free. Just like with DVD playback, you will buy it separately. That way they'll be turning a profit on wireless...
I'd just like to chime and say I hate the PS2 analog stick and I hate the dual analog placement on the pad. It sucks.
Sony needs to get with the times and place the analog sticks in a similar position to where they are on the controller S. And tighten those damn sticks so they don't feel so loose.
Sony needs to get with the times and place the analog sticks in a similar position to where they are on the controller S. And tighten those damn sticks so they don't feel so loose.
Wireless first-party controllers:
Atari offered some back in the early 80s. They used the standard Atari plug, so they worked in the 2600, 7800, and 8-bit computer line. I had a set of these joysticks; they worked fine but were difficult to use because the base of the joystick was quite large. Nonetheless, they were the first wireless first-party controllers that I am aware of.
For Japanese manufacturers: I seem to recall reading somewhere that Sega offered some wireless pads for the Mark III or Master System. NEC had a wireless pad for the PC-Engine. And Bandai offered wireless controllers standard on the Playdia. All long before the Wavebird.
Four controller ports:
Atari offered four controller ports (and four player games) back in 1979 with the debut of the 8-bit home computer line. The original 5200 (which was a re-cased 8-bit computer) had four controller ports.
Atari offered some back in the early 80s. They used the standard Atari plug, so they worked in the 2600, 7800, and 8-bit computer line. I had a set of these joysticks; they worked fine but were difficult to use because the base of the joystick was quite large. Nonetheless, they were the first wireless first-party controllers that I am aware of.
For Japanese manufacturers: I seem to recall reading somewhere that Sega offered some wireless pads for the Mark III or Master System. NEC had a wireless pad for the PC-Engine. And Bandai offered wireless controllers standard on the Playdia. All long before the Wavebird.
Four controller ports:
Atari offered four controller ports (and four player games) back in 1979 with the debut of the 8-bit home computer line. The original 5200 (which was a re-cased 8-bit computer) had four controller ports.
It's exactly the same thing -- a cost issue. It costs extra to include wireless, just like it costs extra to include DVD movie playback.
MS also made you buy extra cables if you wanted an optical-out....even though the PS2 had one standard. If they can make you pay extra for a feature they will. Optical outs and DVD playback and wireless have NO EFFECT on how games are played and do not splinter the userbase as add-ons. Following MS's previous philosophy AND observing that they are cutting costs all over the place, I think the natural conclusion is that wireless will not be a freebie.
MS also made you buy extra cables if you wanted an optical-out....even though the PS2 had one standard. If they can make you pay extra for a feature they will. Optical outs and DVD playback and wireless have NO EFFECT on how games are played and do not splinter the userbase as add-ons. Following MS's previous philosophy AND observing that they are cutting costs all over the place, I think the natural conclusion is that wireless will not be a freebie.
border said:
I'm not buying the DVD playback argument. DVD playback is already in the Xbox, they just don't let you use it unless you buy the controller. This was simply done because they didn't want people getting the impression that the Xbox was just a cheap DVD player. They wanted its focus to be as a gaming console - not a DVD player.
If you believe that then you swallowed MS's PR hook, line, and sinker. They just didn't want to pay royalties to the DVD Forum for the MPEG2 codec. They wanted to sell you a piece of plastic with DVD software in it for a whopping thirty bucks so that they could make up for the massive losses they took on the console itself.
DVD players were less than a hundred bucks in fall 2001. The danger of the $300 Xbox being seen as a "cheap DVD player" was pretty low :lol
DVD players were less than a hundred bucks in fall 2001. The danger of the $300 Xbox being seen as a "cheap DVD player" was pretty low :lol
border said:
There is no DVD software in the remote control - sorry. It's built right into the Xbox. It's not in the DVD playback kit. It's just like a special "controller"
The remote control doesn't do any DVD decoding at all. That would be silly, and pretty much impossible anyway.
soundwave05
Member
Actually I think the idea of an optional DVD Remote Control (to offset DVD Consortium fees on the hardware itself) was one of the smarter things Microsoft did with the XBox.
I don't know if I've ever seen you go on record as believing a rumor. Any rumor. For example, judging from what I've seen you post you think Xbox will not have a hard drive, not be backwards compatible, not have wireless controllers by default, etc. Skepticism always wth you!border said:
Shit, Sony still makes you buy a memory card, and still hasn't implemented anti-aliasing in their consoles. No one's bitching about that.
Sony wanted consumers to gravitate to the PS2 partly because of it's DVD playback compatibility, not offering an optical out on a DVD player would've been a debacle of epic proportions.
MS never pimped the Xbox as a DVD player, just a console with the option of DVD playback with the purchase of a separate device; one which is not integral to the console's ability to play games(unlike a memory card).
Wireless technology is not that expensive nowadays, i think it's feasible.
Sony wanted consumers to gravitate to the PS2 partly because of it's DVD playback compatibility, not offering an optical out on a DVD player would've been a debacle of epic proportions.
MS never pimped the Xbox as a DVD player, just a console with the option of DVD playback with the purchase of a separate device; one which is not integral to the console's ability to play games(unlike a memory card).
Wireless technology is not that expensive nowadays, i think it's feasible.
Okay, so it's a $30 dongle that prevents them from paying royalties for MPEG2 playback. Still works to show that MS has no qualms about sticking people with high-margin add ons after selling them no-margin consoles.Dr_Cogent said:
The lack of a hard drive and backwards compatibility are the popular rumors. My assumption that they're true would mean that I do believe them, right? I talked with Fishie yesterday about flash memory and if it is as cheap as he claims then I have basically no doubt that they will toss it into Xenon rather than using a hard disk.
soundwave05
Member
I think Nintendo almost definitely will have wireless controllers as standard regardless of what MS or Sony do.
I'm guessing WiFi built into the Revolution, which would also let it interface with the DS/Game Boy Next right out of the box.
In terms of cost efficency I think having a hard drive or DVD playback (standard) is a bad idea, because DVD royalties do not depreciate, and hard drives also hit a point where lower end drives (like a 8 GB drive) can end up costing more than newer drives.
So when you're forced to drop your hardware price from $300 to $200 or $150 ... you run into problem because you're stuck with these components of your hardware which remain at a fixed price.
If you're going to put your money anywhere, put it into the chipset or the RAM IMO.
I'm guessing WiFi built into the Revolution, which would also let it interface with the DS/Game Boy Next right out of the box.
In terms of cost efficency I think having a hard drive or DVD playback (standard) is a bad idea, because DVD royalties do not depreciate, and hard drives also hit a point where lower end drives (like a 8 GB drive) can end up costing more than newer drives.
So when you're forced to drop your hardware price from $300 to $200 or $150 ... you run into problem because you're stuck with these components of your hardware which remain at a fixed price.
If you're going to put your money anywhere, put it into the chipset or the RAM IMO.
They pimped it as having a built-in Dolby Digital encoder, so as to enable 5.1 sound in nearly every single game on the market. Oh but wait, if you want that you're going to have to (you guessed it) buy some extra stuff from them.
If you guys want to explain why MS is suddenly going to beceoms so charitable about a feature that adds cost, doesn't make the system much more marketable, and has nothing to do with MS's overall goals, then I am happy to listen. I just don't see it at the moment.
soundwave05
Member
Personally as a consumer, for me it would be a big asthetic plus and big convienance (especailly if the controller has the ability to turn the system on/off).
Especailly with Nintendo since their consoles are generally very small, it'd be very cool to have a streamlined system with no wires in the front and no ugly, bulky wireless recievers to have to plug in.
Theoretically you could have more than 4 input devices at once (4 controllers) if you really wanted to.
Especailly with Nintendo since their consoles are generally very small, it'd be very cool to have a streamlined system with no wires in the front and no ugly, bulky wireless recievers to have to plug in.
Theoretically you could have more than 4 input devices at once (4 controllers) if you really wanted to.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
PC Gaijin said:
its not really about who did it first.. its about who set the trend. nintendo is a trend setter. WOO.
border said:
Still works to show that MS has no qualms about sticking people with high-margin add ons after selling them no-margin consoles.
Sure sounded like some sort of complaint to me. Anyway, I agree that I doubt that they will go wireless, but I don't bother with rumors usually anyway. Rumors sometimes come true, but most of the time, it's rare.
border said:
The fact of the matter is that MS gave us, in the Xbox, the most generous piece of hardware included in a console (HD) since the goo'd ole days of a bundled game and two controllers. And that was when components such as hard drives were fairly pricey.
When the rumors were flying that they (MS) would include an HD in their consoles, skeptics all over the net tried debunking the rumors.
You're gonna eat your words soon border! :lol