E3 Controller Previews

spides writes: "If you thought the original X-Box controller was huge, you're in for a rude awakening. At E3 this past week, Microsoft and Capcom unveiled their 40 button control station for the X-Box's 'realistic' mech simulator Steel Battalion. On the same day, Nintendo and Sega unveiled the new keyboard peripheral for use with the Gamecube version of Phantasy Star Online, which can only be described as the world's largest conventional controller with a keyboard stuck between the directional pad and the usual buttons."

Comments

Re:one size fits all

[BigBir3d]

yeah, it is the japanese version of the controller. apparently available on other areas as well now.

Another review not slashdotted.

[t0qer]

Here
is another review if the /. effect is preventing you from seeing the other one.

Re:Another review not slashdotted.

[Anonymous Coward]

This has the pic of the Thing!!! OMFL.

someone pls MOD parent UP.

Since everybody just wants to look at the pictures

[torinth]

Found this elsewhere:

The 40-button behemoth

-Andrew

Re:Played at E3 - me too (more details)

[matt_maggard]

I also got to play with this at E3 and agree with the above poster. I thought I would explain the workings of the controller a little for those that care.

The left stick is for turning. It is left right only (no up/down). The right stick is for aiming your gun. It moves in all 4 directions. The right stick has 2 thumb buttons and a trigger. The thumb buttons are lock-on and missles, the trigger is machinegun. On the far left of the controller there is a shifter for forward gears and reverse. There are three pedals on the floor - gas, brake and the third was not used on the demoed build of the game.

Play impressions: When you start, you actually have to start up your mech. you have to flick several switches and then hit a series of startup buttons. Once you start moving around, there is a nice sense of controlling something large and lumbering. This is nothing like virtual-on from sega. Everything in the environment is destructible. Overall the game was very very deep ad seemed to have a lot of potential. You can even get going too fast and when you turn your mech falls over - oops. I wanted to stay and play for a while but my demo ended and I was forced to share.

I watched the capcom rep play and that was something amazing. It showed that you can master it and use the massive controller in a functional way. The HUD is very intrusive. but not in a bad way. It uses about 1/3 of the screen to show status of weapon system, maps, main display etc. It actually gives you the sense that you are viewing the forward display from with in the mech. The capcom guy was constantly shifting weapons and such - knowing intuitively what to hit on the controller. There is even a "wash window" button for when your display screen has been crudded up from battle. Overall very impressive. If the expense is not too great, I will pick up this one for my xbox.

-matt

Re:PSO

[Yosho]

Jon's post isn't quite correct... (and Nintendo's article seems a bit misinformed, too) There's going to be a "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" for both Gamecube and Xbox, which will contain all the content of the Dreamcast's PSO v2 as well as two new areas, three new character classes, improved graphics, new (and much better) models for some weapons, and a few other tweaks.

They haven't talked much about gameplay tweaks, but maybe if we're lucky, they'll do something interesting like give Forces an inherent advantage in magic over other classes (faster casting times, access to better spells that others can't use -- PSOv2's level 30 spells don't count -- etc). Or maybe they'll make slicers not suck. Or find some way to eliminate cheating...

But, er, ignore my rantings, I'm a PSO junkie. ;-)