It does not matter if we are talking about playing in front of the console or the PC if we are talking about doing it with a gamepad, we are always going to miss something. And it is that the control knobs have barely evolved in almost 15 years in their layout of buttons. However, there isElements that are missing in a controller to play.
Every time a new console appears, unless you are looking for a new method of control, it is still the classic reinvention of the controller of a lifetime, with more or less additional functions such as vibration, accelerators and gyroscopes, Force Feedback. Technologies that promise to differentiate the control of a certain system from those of the competition. However, when it comes to enjoying a good game, there are things that we believe are not taken into account and that would greatly improve the experience when using a controller to play.
What do I miss in a controller to play?
Well, several things and most of them come implicitly from experience, since the writer of this had an 8-bit NES until today. That is to say, small details or rather vices that are repeated iteration after iteration and that end up adding stupid barriers, regardless of the system we are talking about.
- The problem of drift in the analog sticks has been around for a long time, the consoles of the previous generation already had it and we are talking about systems from 2013. In ten years, has no one been able to develop a solution to the problem?
- Muscle memory is not taken into account, it would be ideal if each of the buttons and triggers had a different feel, be it a different button shape or texture. All this to facilitate which button we are pressing at all times. It’s an idea that seems absurd, but let’s not forget that we push the buttons out of pure muscle memory.
- A universal nomenclature for buttons. PlayStation users have it easy to locate the position of the famous square, triangle, cross and circle of their controller mentally. The problem is aggravated if you play with PC or Xbox, on the one hand, and Nintendo on the other, where A is B and X is Y. Which is tricky, since your brain is used to associating each name with a button.
For many, these three points may seem like a banality, especially the last one, but they are things that tarnish the gaming experience, especially when played on various platforms. Although it is not the biggest problem of all.
Gamepad batteries are ridiculous
How are video game consoles subsidized? Easy, from games created and sold by the manufacturer, royalties paid on games published by third parties and the sale of peripherals. And how do you create a planned obsolescence in a remote control? Well, easy, from the battery and if it is sealed so that the user can change the control knob as quickly as possible. How do they get it? Well, with very short charging cycles that mean that if we forget to charge the controller, we can say goodbye to playing that day.
A wireless mouse or keyboard has much more activity than a gamepad and its batteries last much longer, especially that of mice. It’s really a shame that manufacturers in order to collect more and more end up launching controllers with problems like drift, a low battery and increasingly poor quality materials. It is a total lack of detail that if things were done in a better way it would be better for everyone.
