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Xbox 2 to Have Wireless Controllers Standard
GamesIndustry.biz has the news that the Xbox 2 console, releasing this fall, will use wireless controllers by default. From the article: "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."
If they are rechargable like a Gameboy, then you have the issue of being in the middle of a game and unable to continue because your battery just ran out.
If not, you have to change batteries all the time.
Either way, I hope they at least plan to give the option for a corded controller, for those of us that still like them.
"So if the wireless joysticks are standard, does that mean there won't be any joystick "ports" on the box at all?"
Boy I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I've had a good experience with wireless controllers. (Nintendo's Wavebird is battery friendly and very responsive.) I also like the idea of no more controller ports.
On the other hand, I live in an apartment complex. I'm just the sort of asshole that would find it amusing to mess with other people's games.
"Derp de derp."
I have a Wavebird and I am still impressed with the way it was engineered and it's battery efficiency, but I would guess an Xbox2 wireless pad will have a lot more to handle than the Wavebird does. For one, it has to deal with the bandwidth of not only registering button presses, but also the Xbox Live voice data to the headset, which goes through the controller in the current system. Plus I'm sure they are at least considering force feedback (rumble) support. IANAEE so I don't know how much more of a drain this will have on the batteries, but I would have to guess that it will be more than the Wavebird demands.
I don't think it'll be as bad as all that. I predict wireless but with a charging base station (like your cordless phone, for instance). I don't doubt they will incorporate force feedback into the gamepad too, given that it's integral to the existing XBox. Of course, if you're gaming for 10 hours straight...
I'm just not going to change the batterys all the time.
You mean strangely shaped patented proprietary Microsoft battery sold only by Microsoft that can only be used in an Microsoft controller?
Ahh I love the smell of lock-in in the morning!
Rumble features are overrated and rarely useful. Do you even miss it when you play a game without the rumble feature?
Useless answer. Let me re-ask the question:
What happens when you have a party and have 17 people playing on five Xboxes?
(sigh) What happens when I go to PAX next year and there are a hundred Xboxes with 350 people playing them, in the same room?
Doug