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[finalflame]

Well, the more screen area the better. I'd rather have that than plastic.

More screen area comes at a greater monetary cost that you'll be paying for, so I'd hope there's justification for it other than "it's better than plastic". Every penny that goes into the more expensive display is also potentially money not going into other hardware in order to target a certain price point. I trust Nintendo will figure this out if, in fact, this is how they plan to implement it.

 

[cireza]

This is my mock up.

Two sliders act as 2 analogue sticks, the buttons are virtual. But since they are in a fixed position relative to the sliders ou don't have to look at the to know where they are. I also imagine that there is haptic feedback to let you know that you pressed them ( kinda like the new macbook )

Good mock-up. This is what the patent describes. Not a big fan of the touch buttons, but it might be more challenging to make more "holes" in the screen to put more buttons.

At least, that's a pretty neat idea. I am pretty sure that the result would be impressive.

 

[Peru]

I don't know how you design a game that ignores FoV.

You design FoV on the basis of the wide screen between the two analog sticks. The rest will be a bonus extension.

 

[Instro]

Personally I would say the correct way to use the extra screen space around your buttons/analogs would something like this:

Take the quick buttons, etc., on the left and right and place those around your physical inputs in a static background. Much better than just using it for in-game screen, and you do away with the useless plastic that we normally have.

 

[Nintendoga]

Not a fan but interesting designs. Unfortunately, can see something like this driving away more people than bringing in.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

There's no disadvantage to this solution. The advantage is that it looks cooler, that it will be a design that stands out on shelves, that perhaps you get a feeling of the visuals streaming around your hands. So it's a design thing, it's a coolness factor.

The disadvantage? None. As long as the screen area between the two sticks is still widescreen, there is no disadvantage. That will be the main area, and 100% of developers will be told to not put vital information on the sides. THe sides will be a bonus, as if you had the regular screen and added to it for atmospheric reasons.

So it's a thing that ups the gadget factor but in no way affects gameplay. We don't know how many buttons are on it, but if Nintendo changes button layout it's not because this design forces it.

Right. And even if 3rd parties dont want to utilize the whole screen and make they game like normal they can just ignore the space. People should look at this open minded.

 

[Mokujin]

here's my mockup - still has physical d-pad and buttons, but they're clear with displays under them.

As long as it has physical buttons and controls I think its a great idea.

 

[AniHawk]

i have no idea what to make of this. it obviously looks to be their next handheld platform, but i don't understand how it fits into their other plans. it kind of goes against what i was expecting to be honest.

 

[Machina]

here's my mockup - still has physical d-pad and buttons, but they're clear with displays under them.

Touch screen buttons are a real bummer but the sticks are an absolute must.

 

[The_Lump]

i have no idea what to make of this. it obviously looks to be their next handheld platform, but i don't understand how it fits into their other plans. it kind of goes against what i was expecting to be honest.

I think we're looking at the concept behind both a handheld and controller for the fixed home console.

From the other patent, it seemed the controller for the NX console would have it's own processor and RAM to compliment the data it was receiving via the cloud (or from the console?).

Might be a bit far fetched, but maybe when used as just a controller, it is essentially a dumb device for receiving streaming data much like the WiiU Gamepad does. But when you take it on the go, the RAM and processor come into play to work with the gameplay data received via the cloud?

Theory time: What if Nintendo looked at WIiU and said "We want that controller to be fully portable. How can we achieve that without essentially coupling a full on brand new handheld device free with every console?". One potential answer might have been to give the Gamepad a modest processor, storage and some more memory, and have the rest of it's processing horsepower filled in via the cloud.

tl;dr NX controller and NX handheld are one and the same, imo.

 

[GhostTrick]

i have no idea what to make of this. it obviously looks to be their next handheld platform, but i don't understand how it fits into their other plans. it kind of goes against what i was expecting to be honest.

That's exactly how I see Nintendo failing the ecosystem idea. Instead of uniformisation, they'll go into multiple direction.

 

[KidB]

here's my mockup - still has physical d-pad and buttons, but they're clear with displays under them.

I love your mockup, physical buttons are a must. I hope they take this route, playing with virtual buttons on smartphones is a pain.

 

[140.85]

This will be the third console in a row for Nintendo with a non-traditional interface. (if its actually something they're committing to)

While I enjoy their adventurous spirit and willingness to be disruptive and innovative, I'm afraid this will be a repeat of Nintendo's apparent obsession with hooks or gimmicks to try to create a fad and will once again crash and burn and the initial highs.

 

[Starchasing]

I'm not sure how to feel about that mock up. Smartphones already do this right now and its ****ing horrible.

There are two physical sliders acting as analogue sticks in the mock up. Have you tried the trackpad on the new Macbook ? It gives you the sensation of a click without there being a click.

Good mock-up. This is what the patent describes. Not a big fan of the touch buttons, but it might be more challenging to make more "holes" in the screen to put more buttons.

Thanks. I think that if the add haptic feedback this solves a lot of problems with virtual buttons.

At least, that's a pretty neat idea. I am pretty sure that the result would be impressive.

Thanks.

This is the only mockup I've seen in here that actually captures what the patent is talking about. All the others just have the images going all the way to the edges with buttons and sticks placed like normal, when in actuality, the game would be tailored around where the physical inputs would be.

Ideally you'd want the inputs being treated similar to HUD elements as in covering non-essential parts of the screen

Thanks. Im going to do another mock up with another game because the good thing about this is the variety of buttons a game can have.

 

[Tarin02543]

IMO this idea is absolutely horrible. Your thumbs obscure the display, physical buttons do not work properly.

 

[MrKeinov]

Was there a 3DS mockup thread back in 2010? I remember seeing very good looking 3ds mockups back in the day but nintendo came up with the most toyish looking design imaginable. I cant even recall a fan mockup that had worse screen to body ratio. Hopefully we'll get a modern/sleek looking device now. Seeing 3ds/2ds/wiiugamepad designs for the first time made me cringe. They really need to hire better industrial designers imho.

 

[The_Lump]

IMO this idea is absolutely horrible. Your thumbs obscure the display, physical buttons do not work properly.

Your thumbs only obscure the extra display. The traditional 16:9 (or whatever) display is completely unobscured.

Hopefully we'll get a modern/sleek looking device now. Seeing 3ds/2ds/wiiugamepad designs for the first time made me cringe. They really need to hire a better industrial designers imho.

This is absolutely key imo. The concept is cool, potential for an appealing and unique device, but if it looks like a Fisher Price toy again they've failed before they've begun.

 

[the thoroughbred]

touch screeens are the downfall of modern society. It's too late now. The masses seduced, caressing the slippery screens like skaters on ice surfaces.

I'm a redundant sole futilely reinstating relics.

Then again ASMR seems to be doing well. Lots of clicking there.

 

[McHuj]

While these mockups look nice, the ergonomics do not. The wiiu pad is ok since it's so big, but if the NX handheld is supposed to double as the controller, I hope they pay attention to ergonomics. I,ve found both the DS and 3DS XL to be awful and hand cramp inducing.

 

[The_Lump]

While these mockups look nice, the ergonomics do not. The wiiu pad is ok since it's so big, but if the NX handheld is supposed to double as the controller, I hope they pay attention to ergonomics. I,ve found both the DS and 3DS XL to be awful and hand cramp inducing.

Yup. I think someone made the comment that maybe the grips in the mock up would be detachable some how. That would solve the issue of swapping it from dedicated console controller to portable handheld.

 

[RubberJohnny]

I thought the freeform screen just meant it'd be built around the controls, not that it would lack a bezel?

A lot of these mockups don't look very realistic because they're actually quite nice pieces of industrial design that you wouldn't mind in your house - that's not what Nintendo tends to create - they need to be chunkier and made out of cheap looking plastic.

 

[Starchasing]

touch screeens are the downfall of modern society. It's too late now. The masses seduced, caressing the slippery screens like skaters on ice surfaces.

I'm a redundant sole futilely reinstating relics.

Then again ASMR seems to be doing well. Lots of clicking there.

What do you think about virtual buttons that have haptic feedback and are positioned nest to a physical slider?

Was there a 3DS mockup thread back in 2010? I remember seeing very good looking 3ds mockups back in the day but nintendo came up with the most toyish looking design imaginable. I cant even recall a fan mockup that had worse screen to body ratio. Hopefully we'll get a modern/sleek looking device now. Seeing 3ds/2ds/wiiugamepad designs for the first time made me cringe. They really need to hire better industrial designers imho.

If you find it please let me know, i would love to create more mock ups based on that instead of the vita.

I thought the freeform screen just meant it'd be built around the controls, not that it would lack a bezel?

A lot of these mockups don't look very realistic because they're actually quite nice pieces of industrial design that you wouldn't mind in your house - that's not what Nintendo tends to create - they need to be chunkier and made out of cheap looking plastic.

I agree with you. The free form will be probably just used to have physical buttons inside the screen, not to have great industrial design.

 

[Fourth Storm]

i have no idea what to make of this. it obviously looks to be their next handheld platform, but i don't understand how it fits into their other plans. it kind of goes against what i was expecting to be honest.

I still expect control schemes to be unified. So if this is the next handheld, you could use it as a controller for the home console. However, the patent also mentions a controller similar to this but w/ just a touch pad and not the screen. So that could be a cheaper version just for local multiplayer essentially. Or maybe they'll actually bundle that cheaper version w/ the console, making the handheld purely optional for that form factor.

 

[blu]

I still expect control schemes to be unified. So if this is the next handheld, you could use it as a controller for the home console. However, the patent also mentions a controller similar to this but w/ just a touch pad and not the screen. So that could be a cheaper version just for local multiplayer essentially. Or maybe they'll actually bundle that cheaper version w/ the console, making the handheld purely optional for that form factor.

That's my take from this.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

here's my mockup - still has physical d-pad and buttons, but they're clear with displays under them.

Zelda games literally use the buttons, their colors and relative positions, as its HUD elements. I'm kind of surprised you didn't go the same route and just made them clear

 

[James Scott]

I wonder if this could result in a smaller handheld as well.
There is the problem with resolution, I think I read earlier that it uses less power than a rectangular screen but I'm not too sure.
A big screen like that would need a healthy resolution but then it would require more power which would increase the cost.
If it's a controller are they prepared to eat the cost for a few years? I don't think they can send another Wii U out (weak tech/expensive controller making it relatively expensive)

 

[Mihos]

Was there a 3DS mockup thread back in 2010? I remember seeing very good looking 3ds mockups back in the day but nintendo came up with the most toyish looking design imaginable. I cant even recall a fan mockup that had worse screen to body ratio. Hopefully we'll get a modern/sleek looking device now. Seeing 3ds/2ds/wiiugamepad designs for the first time made me cringe. They really need to hire better industrial designers imho.

Whether GAF wants to admit it or not, kids are still the primary target for these devices and need to be hardened against an 8 year old.

 

[The Adder]

This will be the third console in a row for Nintendo with a non-traditional interface. (if its actually something they're committing to)

While I enjoy their adventurous spirit and willingness to be disruptive and innovative, I'm afraid this will be a repeat of Nintendo's apparent obsession with hooks or gimmicks to try to create a fad and will once again crash and burn and the initial highs.

*7th

 

[Neoxon]

There's no disadvantage to this solution. The advantage is that it looks cooler, that it will be a design that stands out on shelves, that perhaps you get a feeling of the visuals streaming around your hands. So it's a design thing, it's a coolness factor.

The disadvantage? None. As long as the screen area between the two sticks is still widescreen, there is no disadvantage. That will be the main area, and 100% of developers will be told to not put vital information on the sides. THe sides will be a bonus, as if you had the regular screen and added to it for atmospheric reasons.

So it's a thing that ups the gadget factor but in no way affects gameplay. We don't know how many buttons are on it, but if Nintendo changes button layout it's not because this design forces it.

There is a disadvantage, no physical face buttons. Good luck trying to play Smash if Nintendo doesn't add in said physical buttons (& a D-Pad) in the final product if they go through with this.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

If it looks anything like these mockups, I'm aboard as it's striking.

But it needs two sticks and at least 3 physical buttons.

 

[The_Lump]

That's my take from this.

No chance it could be the controller and the handheld (one device?) Could that be financially viable?

Aside from the cost of the screen (i've no idea how expensive this tech is), the R&D for the streaming tech is already pretty mature from the WiiU development so probably isn't cutting into their budget too much. Could it be feasible for Nintendo to have something like this as a primary controller for a "middle-of-the-road" powered console? Let's say ~$350, for the box plus this free-form display controller. Neither will have cutting edge specs (hence the cloud thing) and although expensive, consumers are essentially getting a handheld as well as a console. What would be your thoughts on something like that?

There is a disadvantage, no physical face buttons. Good luck trying to play Smash if Nintendo doesn't add in said physical buttons (& a D-Pad) in the final product if they go through with this.

As if serious Smash players will be using anything other than the GC controller....

 

[tronic307]

There is a disadvantage, no physical face buttons. Good luck trying to play Smash if Nintendo doesn't add in said physical buttons (& a D-Pad) in the final product if they go through with this.

Perhaps the two physical buttons from the scrolling trigger patent will show up as well.

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

Zelda games literally use the buttons, their colors and relative positions, as its HUD elements. I'm kind of surprised you didn't go the same route and just made them clear

I placed LTTP item sprites on the buttons, but they didn't show up as well as I'd have liked.

 

[AniHawk]

That's exactly how I see Nintendo failing the ecosystem idea. Instead of uniformisation, they'll go into multiple direction.

well i think this should be the same concept for the console and handheld. i'm just puzzled about backwards compatibility since so much of the wii u is traditional and i had thought it was what nintendo was absorbing into nx.

i also figured nintendo to be more of the buttons sort. not that they used lots of them always, but that they liked the feedback of buttons.

the thing i can see this being useful for is to simplify control schemes, at least at a glance, for a wider public. the other advantage is basically giving developers the freedom to develop their own controls scheme. maybe if you have a massive touch screen, shoulder buttons, and two slide pads/analog sticks, you don't actually need face buttons anymore aside from selecting things. seems like it would render games like bayonetta unplayable though (not that we were getting a third one).

 

[evilromero]

If it looks anything like these mockups, I'm aboard as it's striking.

But it needs two sticks and at least 3 physical buttons.

The patent at least shows two shoulder buttons with the two analog sticks. With the on-screen buttons that would be enough for me. I think it's a killer idea. Interface can adapt to the game.

 

[10k]

So my thumbs are gonna cover the screen and there might not be physical face buttons?

 

[Anth0ny]

no physical buttons would be an abomination

you'd think Nintendo would be smarter than that when it comes to input methods and what feels good to play with... then again nintendo was demoing a wii u gamepad with fucking circle pads instead of real analog sticks back in 2011 so who knows

I feel like there would be HUGE backlash if they actually unveiled this thing and it didn't have physical buttons. I really can't see it happening.

 

[RadioJoNES64]

Smash Bros with no physical buttons...

 

[UnemployedVillain]

no physical buttons would be an abomination

you'd think Nintendo would be smarter than that when it comes to input methods and what feels good to play with... then again nintendo was demoing a wii u gamepad with fucking circle pads instead of real analog sticks back in 2011 so who knows

I feel like there would be HUGE backlash if they actually unveiled this thing and it didn't have physical buttons. I really can't see it happening.

Yeah, but they didn't go with them so I'll trust them not to make the wrong decision here. Nintendo knows what feels right as far as input methods. No other hardware manufacturer has tried as many different types of input methods as them nor have the extensive history as them. I'll trust them to do the best thing

Spoiler

and have physical buttons

 

[Trago]

no physical buttons would be an abomination

you'd think Nintendo would be smarter than that when it comes to input methods and what feels good to play with... then again nintendo was demoing a wii u gamepad with fucking circle pads instead of real analog sticks back in 2011 so who knows

I feel like there would be HUGE backlash if they actually unveiled this thing and it didn't have physical buttons. I really can't see it happening.

Neither can I. They used the physical buttons excuse to not get into mobile gaming, I don't see why they would say 'fuck it' all of a sudden and abandon them. Really hoping this isn't the case.

 

[Dead_Pixel]

Advanced haptics could negate the need for physical buttons? If you couple this tactile feedback with customisable, visual indicators, then you could have a very capable control scheme.

 

[Moon_frogger]

Amazing. Just 2 pages.

This, like many of Nintendo's past innovations/gimmicks (pick the word you like!) is pretty risky but interesting. If we actually see all of these ideas incorporated into the NX platform, there are exciting times ahead.

Why? Even Nintendo stops using their gimmicks after a while. They are cool concepts that barely get any use, make it hard for 3rd parties to port their flagship franchises and ultimately end up hurting the value of the product. The technology itself is exciting. Nintendo incorporating it into their next whatever makes me feel sick.
You know what would be a cool gimmick? If they made a controller that is in line with the standard, made a system with modern graphics capabilities, made their online component something that isn't embarrassing and subsequently got 3rd party support and maybe even some decent 3rd party exclusives to be competitive!

I'm sorry. I've supported Nintendo and their gimmicks ever since the DS. I've owned everything they made in some form. It's time for them to actually get back in the game.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Okay, so here are all the Nintendo patents from the last year or so:

Outward facing light sensors: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1114538

Cloud computing addon: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1150086

Video achievement sharing: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1101453

Disk-less stationary console: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1099932

Scrolling shoulder buttons: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1113452

Interchangeable physical controls: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=811351

 

[Arkam]

Okay, so here are all the Nintendo patents from the last year or so:

Outward facing light sensors: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1114538

Cloud computing addon: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1150086

Video achievement sharing: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1101453

Disk-less stationary console: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1099932

Scrolling shoulder buttons: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1113452

Interchangeable physical controls: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=811351

Good call! Hopefully this will put things in perspective for those running around screaming that the sky is falling.

 

[Neoxon]

Perhaps the two physical buttons from the scrolling trigger patent will show up as well.

Those won't be enough.

 

[Rodin]

I still expect control schemes to be unified. So if this is the next handheld, you could use it as a controller for the home console. However, the patent also mentions a controller similar to this but w/ just a touch pad and not the screen. So that could be a cheaper version just for local multiplayer essentially. Or maybe they'll actually bundle that cheaper version w/ the console, making the handheld purely optional for that form factor.

That's my take from this.

There's simply no way you can play a game on the TV with touch buttons on the secondary screen.

 

[Somnid]

It seems rather likely that a face button island would appear on such a device.

 

[Nanashrew]

There's simply no way you can play a game on the TV with touch buttons on the secondary screen.

If the buttons are centered around the play area where your thumb is, it should be little issue. Now if you had to reach far over like you do with the Wii U gamepad, there's greater chance for error and more chances for you to look down to hit the right icon.


EDIT: Also, I don't believe they'll do away with buttons. There's an interchangeable button patent, and this screen patent also mentioned the idea of possibly placing some buttons on the back.

EDIT 2:

I could even see this happening.

Bottom image

It's a good area for interchangeable buttons.

 

[RandomExpletive]

I hope we do get to a point where touch-screen buttons can get fairly close to physical buttons, but I'd imagine whatever Nintendo's gunning for here will work just fine.

Its really good looking, if it ends up looking anything like these mockups it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the gaming community receives this.

 

[maagi]

Anyone who thinks that touch screen buttons (with any kind of magical vibrator feedback, or without) is good/working way to play is just so wrong and have no idea of it.

examples of benefits of physical buttons:
- playing a game requires physical "borders" of buttons, aka your fingers know where the buttons are either by resting your fingers on the buttons or

- muscle memory(good idea where the buttons are without thinking) AND when player moves his fingers he knows when his fingers are on the right spot by his skin touching button edges.

-don't remember where buttons are? just move fingers along the controller and you find them, with on screen buttons only way is to look the display. (if you would slide your finger around in touch screen to find buttons = you would activate them by accident while physical buttons wont activate)

- Ability to click button with various speeds/forces. do I click it all the way down or just click it fast&lightly. remember ps2 analog buttons, 256 different states of force etc.

- depth of click/physical movement when pressing the button, it is impossible to mimic this with any kind of magical vibrator feedback.

playing mobile games that have buttons is just purely garbage. It is not "real" gaming, some games like angry birds work, but not more complex games.

It makes me mad to read this thread while so many just talk about things that they have no idea because they have heard about some haptic feedback and now are gurus of virtual buttons and think that it makes them comparable with normal buttons.

Easy to test:
1 Play some mario clone with phone and stream image to tv and try to play it without watching your phone.

2 Then play real mario with any console, even 8-bit nintendo.

Choose one that feels, works and is better method. No haptic thing can make touch controls be even in the same ball park as old school buttons.

I have maybe 10 different consoles, from nes to ps4+wii u being newest.

This control+display thing in wii u is 90% useless(few game types use it well and then it is good, like rabbids land is fun to play with it), if NX uses display in controller, maybe it is indeed for playing portable games, but even then buying extra controllers would cost too much (if) they all are portable console too.

I bet that IF nx uses display in controller, it is something similar that dreamcast had in mind, continue your game without the console or do some micro management etc.