But this is for casual iOS gamers. They're accustomed to their hardware being of high quality and nicely designed.
I hate seeing that word, casual, when applied to some gamers. What does it mean? People who play a lot of fairly simple games, or people who play intensive, complex games, but not that often?
But this is for casual iOS gamers. They're accustomed to their hardware being of high quality and nicely designed.
I hate seeing that word, casual, when applied to some gamers. What does it mean? People who play a lot of fairly simple games, or people who play intensive, complex games, but not that often?
I would say people that play simple games for short periods of time.
I would say people that play simple games for short periods of time.
Well, to most "gamers" it means anyone who doesn't play console or pc games
Then that would mean that there aren't any serious gamers on mobile which isn't true. My brother plays Hobbit: KoM, and he knows people that have spent thousands of dollars in IAPs, that's more than a gamers spends on buying a console, a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a headset, and a bunch of games. Those people are not casual players.
Hori have an amazing heritage, but I agree his is visually rather lacking. Looks like a cheap knock off, which is the opposite of what Hori products have traditionally been. Still, it's not as ugly looking as the Nimbus, so I'll give it a shot if it ever comes to the UK.
Ideally Apple should make their own Apple TV controller, and sell an Apple TV bundle with the controller included. Goes without saying too that it's incredibly early days on the gaming front for the ATV. I was hoping to see SquareEnix come on board, but that may take a while, if it ever happens.
Hori have an amazing heritage, but I agree his is visually rather lacking. Looks like a cheap knock off, which is the opposite of what Hori products have traditionally been. Still, it's not as ugly looking as the Nimbus, so I'll give it a shot if it ever comes to the UK.
Ideally Apple should make their own Apple TV controller, and sell an Apple TV bundle with the controller included. Goes without saying too that it's incredibly early days on the gaming front for the ATV. I was hoping to see SquareEnix come on board, but that may take a while, if it ever happens.
SquareEnix had just two titles at E3 for iOS: Lara Croft and Hitman. Remains to be seen if they'll do something interesting here or not.
Then that would mean that there aren't any serious gamers on mobile which isn't true. My brother plays Hobbit: KoM, and he knows people that have spent thousands of dollars in IAPs, that's more than a gamers spends on buying a console, a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a headset, and a bunch of games. Those people are not casual players.
I agree with you on this. But I've got a very serious gamer here in my daughter and her friends. They're pretty typical in their gaming outlook. They don't consider it to be serious unless it's on a console or pc, at the very least. And then, there are classifications. There are casual games there as well. I'm trying to convince her that that iOS has co e a long way in the games available, and the aTv is moving in that direction as well. It's a hard sell so far. In the beginning, it was because of the lack of game controllers. Now, I'm told the games themselves aren't up to really serious standards. I don't really agree, but there you have it!
Hori have an amazing heritage, but I agree his is visually rather lacking. Looks like a cheap knock off, which is the opposite of what Hori products have traditionally been. Still, it's not as ugly looking as the Nimbus, so I'll give it a shot if it ever comes to the UK.
Ideally Apple should make their own Apple TV controller, and sell an Apple TV bundle with the controller included. Goes without saying too that it's incredibly early days on the gaming front for the ATV. I was hoping to see SquareEnix come on board, but that may take a while, if it ever happens.
I don't know about the way it looks. It's a bit simple looking, but so what? Right now, controllers have the APIs Apple gave them, and that's somewhat simpler than what we see on the XBox One and the PS4. So the controllers don't look as sophisticated. So, for example, we don't yet have motion detect and rumble. But Apple will likely update this as time goes on. The more controls, the more sophisticated it will look. At any rate, it's been reviewed here, and it seems pretty good. I'm going to get one and compare it to my Mad Catz.
After checking out the Nimbus & Horipad Ultimate, I went with the Horipad because it felt better in my hands than the Nimbus. Also, the Pictures do not do it justice. It looks a lot better in person, & IMO more elegant with its contrasting metallic dark blue, flat black and gloss black design scheme. Aside from the lack of a gyro and rumble pack, the Horipad feels better in my medium glove sized hands than the Nimbus (if you look at it from the side you see the angle of the sides and arc is more pronounced than the Nimbus). So it feels more like a larger PS3 controller (which is a bit more comfortable using the analog sticks than the PS3 DS3 controller) than the Nimbus. The Nimbus felt “fatter” in my hands thanks to its larger sides. If you like that fatter (more XBox ergonomics with a PS layout) feel, go for the Nimbus. But if you prefer PS3’s ergos and wouldn’t mind a slightly heftier controller, I’d choose the Horipad between these 2 lightning rechargeable (and thus more AppleTV setup friendly) gamepads.
The buttons on both are passable. They are just about, or equally, as responsive as PS3 or Xbox controllers. The XYAB buttons on the Horipad feel more "Xboxy" than PS3. The R&L buttons felt a bit mushy but respond well. I like that they thought to imprint the labeling on the R&L buttons upside down, so when you flip the controller up while holding it to look at the buttons the text is right side up. My Horipad has printing beneath the charging port and wireless button, but the power button is not labeled, although the orange indicator is enough of a clue to anyone familiar with modern electronics. The menu button is recessed, and I didn’t like it or its feel at first. Then I realize it was a smart design decision. Nothing more annoying than accidentally pausing or popping out of a game at a critical point.
All in all, this feels like they took mostly the best things about Xbox & PS3 controllers and merged them, and put more effort into this controller than the Nimbus, with the exception of the R1&L1. (The nimbus has a larger R1&L1s that bump up against the buttons below—not sure if that is a good or bad thing yet.)
I have not checked out the MadCatz as it was backordered for weeks. I think I might pick up a Nimbus if I have company, and so I can do a longer term test. For now though I am satisfied with the Horipad. My only complaint is that connecting even after pairing seems to require going to the bluetooth control screen. Odd since it claims to auto connect to its last host, but this might be just me not giving it enough time. Initial pairing also took a few tries of toggling both devices off and on again (just like Roy would say).
no gamer cares how the controllers look, just how they play.
I’ve always hated the Sony layout.
If you prefer the Xbox controller layout, then you could wait until Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i is updated with a rechargeable pack. Or don’t and just snag a C.T.R.L.i (if you can find one). The reason I’d wait is that I’m sick of changing batteries on my mouse & having a rechargeable is much less hassle. The only question is, if they do come out with a rechargeable gamepad (probably) is if they will make it universal with a microUSB port or Apple-specific with a lightning port. My guess is the latter, judging from their current Android & Apple specific offerings.
Then that would mean that there aren't any serious gamers on mobile which isn't true. My brother plays Hobbit: KoM, and he knows people that have spent thousands of dollars in IAPs, that's more than a gamers spends on buying a console, a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a headset, and a bunch of games. Those people are not casual players.
I agree with you on this. But I've got a very serious gamer here in my daughter and her friends. They're pretty typical in their gaming outlook. They don't consider it to be serious unless it's on a console or pc, at the very least. And then, there are classifications. There are casual games there as well. I'm trying to convince her that that iOS has co e a long way in the games available, and the aTv is moving in that direction as well. It's a hard sell so far. In the beginning, it was because of the lack of game controllers. Now, I'm told the games themselves aren't up to really serious standards. I don't really agree, but there you have it!
I think your daughter is right. So far, the games I have tried on tvOS are typical of first generation offerings: games and their controls are too sloppy or too simple to maintain my interest. In tvOS Asphalt 8, you don’t control the accelerator, you automatically hit top speed and only boost to go faster, and it is too easy. It’s physics are cartoonishly forgiving which means a player can be really sloppy and still come in first. The isomorphic shooter I tried is a bit boring with only 2 tactics: shoot this thing a bunch until it dies and shoot this bigger thing a bunch while kiting it until it dies. You could go for up close, but the controls and moving camera lack fidelity to do up-close reliably, so you end up dying trying to shotgun something to death fast. Most games so far lack more than move and press 1or 2 buttons in a repetitive pattern. So, after the novelty of a game wears off, yawning because of a lack of choices and monotony and/or frustration because a lack of precision aren’t going to get the attention of more serious gamers.
At this point I’m worried that if Apple doesn’t allow “gamepad required” games (don’t know if they do or not), then the entire gaming portion of the platform will be held back by the lowest common denominator effect of its touchpad remote. People who take games more seriously, want precision and responsiveness so that games can be more of a challenge. Without a minimum level of precision above what the AppleTV remote offers as a baseline, making good & challenging games will result in mediocre experiences having to cater to the touchpad only crowd. If things stay this way, then the only games that will succeed are simple games that require less skill which appeal to more casual gamers. But this is still very early first gen, so things can (and hopefully will) improve a lot. Strategy, board game adaptations, party games and those that don’t require fast reflexes and accurate responses could do very well right now though. So, maybe your daughter can revisit tvOS games with a gamepad in a year, and games offered will be similar to what happened with consoles’ second generation offerings.
Comments
I hate seeing that word, casual, when applied to some gamers. What does it mean? People who play a lot of fairly simple games, or people who play intensive, complex games, but not that often?
I would say people that play simple games for short periods of time.
Well, to most "gamers" it means anyone who doesn't play console or pc games
Then that would mean that there aren't any serious gamers on mobile which isn't true. My brother plays Hobbit: KoM, and he knows people that have spent thousands of dollars in IAPs, that's more than a gamers spends on buying a console, a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a headset, and a bunch of games. Those people are not casual players.
Ideally Apple should make their own Apple TV controller, and sell an Apple TV bundle with the controller included. Goes without saying too that it's incredibly early days on the gaming front for the ATV. I was hoping to see SquareEnix come on board, but that may take a while, if it ever happens.
Hori have an amazing heritage, but I agree his is visually rather lacking. Looks like a cheap knock off, which is the opposite of what Hori products have traditionally been. Still, it's not as ugly looking as the Nimbus, so I'll give it a shot if it ever comes to the UK.
Ideally Apple should make their own Apple TV controller, and sell an Apple TV bundle with the controller included. Goes without saying too that it's incredibly early days on the gaming front for the ATV. I was hoping to see SquareEnix come on board, but that may take a while, if it ever happens.
SquareEnix had just two titles at E3 for iOS: Lara Croft and Hitman. Remains to be seen if they'll do something interesting here or not.
I agree with you on this. But I've got a very serious gamer here in my daughter and her friends. They're pretty typical in their gaming outlook. They don't consider it to be serious unless it's on a console or pc, at the very least. And then, there are classifications. There are casual games there as well. I'm trying to convince her that that iOS has co e a long way in the games available, and the aTv is moving in that direction as well. It's a hard sell so far. In the beginning, it was because of the lack of game controllers. Now, I'm told the games themselves aren't up to really serious standards. I don't really agree, but there you have it!
I don't know about the way it looks. It's a bit simple looking, but so what? Right now, controllers have the APIs Apple gave them, and that's somewhat simpler than what we see on the XBox One and the PS4. So the controllers don't look as sophisticated. So, for example, we don't yet have motion detect and rumble. But Apple will likely update this as time goes on. The more controls, the more sophisticated it will look. At any rate, it's been reviewed here, and it seems pretty good. I'm going to get one and compare it to my Mad Catz.
After checking out the Nimbus & Horipad Ultimate, I went with the Horipad because it felt better in my hands than the Nimbus. Also, the Pictures do not do it justice. It looks a lot better in person, & IMO more elegant with its contrasting metallic dark blue, flat black and gloss black design scheme. Aside from the lack of a gyro and rumble pack, the Horipad feels better in my medium glove sized hands than the Nimbus (if you look at it from the side you see the angle of the sides and arc is more pronounced than the Nimbus). So it feels more like a larger PS3 controller (which is a bit more comfortable using the analog sticks than the PS3 DS3 controller) than the Nimbus. The Nimbus felt “fatter” in my hands thanks to its larger sides. If you like that fatter (more XBox ergonomics with a PS layout) feel, go for the Nimbus. But if you prefer PS3’s ergos and wouldn’t mind a slightly heftier controller, I’d choose the Horipad between these 2 lightning rechargeable (and thus more AppleTV setup friendly) gamepads.
The buttons on both are passable. They are just about, or equally, as responsive as PS3 or Xbox controllers. The XYAB buttons on the Horipad feel more "Xboxy" than PS3. The R&L buttons felt a bit mushy but respond well. I like that they thought to imprint the labeling on the R&L buttons upside down, so when you flip the controller up while holding it to look at the buttons the text is right side up. My Horipad has printing beneath the charging port and wireless button, but the power button is not labeled, although the orange indicator is enough of a clue to anyone familiar with modern electronics. The menu button is recessed, and I didn’t like it or its feel at first. Then I realize it was a smart design decision. Nothing more annoying than accidentally pausing or popping out of a game at a critical point.
All in all, this feels like they took mostly the best things about Xbox & PS3 controllers and merged them, and put more effort into this controller than the Nimbus, with the exception of the R1&L1. (The nimbus has a larger R1&L1s that bump up against the buttons below—not sure if that is a good or bad thing yet.)
I have not checked out the MadCatz as it was backordered for weeks. I think I might pick up a Nimbus if I have company, and so I can do a longer term test. For now though I am satisfied with the Horipad. My only complaint is that connecting even after pairing seems to require going to the bluetooth control screen. Odd since it claims to auto connect to its last host, but this might be just me not giving it enough time. Initial pairing also took a few tries of toggling both devices off and on again (just like Roy would say).
no gamer cares how the controllers look, just how they play.
I’ve always hated the Sony layout.
no gamer cares how the controllers look, just how they play.
No true gamer...
We all know that ‘gamer’ isn’t actually a valid identity, right? People play video games. That doesn’t make them a ‘thing’.
There are people that play games professionally, and some of those competitions are televised.
http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/
http://www.progamingleague.com/
Some universities even have teams, and gives them scholarships.
http://nytimes.com/2014/12/09/technology/esports-colleges-breeding-grounds-professional-gaming.html?referer=
Yes, but even still, that’s an occupation. You don’t define yourself identity by your occupation.
no gamer cares how the controllers look, just how they play.
I’ve always hated the Sony layout.
If you prefer the Xbox controller layout, then you could wait until Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i is updated with a rechargeable pack. Or don’t and just snag a C.T.R.L.i (if you can find one). The reason I’d wait is that I’m sick of changing batteries on my mouse & having a rechargeable is much less hassle. The only question is, if they do come out with a rechargeable gamepad (probably) is if they will make it universal with a microUSB port or Apple-specific with a lightning port. My guess is the latter, judging from their current Android & Apple specific offerings.
Then that would mean that there aren't any serious gamers on mobile which isn't true. My brother plays Hobbit: KoM, and he knows people that have spent thousands of dollars in IAPs, that's more than a gamers spends on buying a console, a gaming monitor, a gaming chair, a headset, and a bunch of games. Those people are not casual players.
I agree with you on this. But I've got a very serious gamer here in my daughter and her friends. They're pretty typical in their gaming outlook. They don't consider it to be serious unless it's on a console or pc, at the very least. And then, there are classifications. There are casual games there as well. I'm trying to convince her that that iOS has co e a long way in the games available, and the aTv is moving in that direction as well. It's a hard sell so far. In the beginning, it was because of the lack of game controllers. Now, I'm told the games themselves aren't up to really serious standards. I don't really agree, but there you have it!
I think your daughter is right. So far, the games I have tried on tvOS are typical of first generation offerings: games and their controls are too sloppy or too simple to maintain my interest. In tvOS Asphalt 8, you don’t control the accelerator, you automatically hit top speed and only boost to go faster, and it is too easy. It’s physics are cartoonishly forgiving which means a player can be really sloppy and still come in first. The isomorphic shooter I tried is a bit boring with only 2 tactics: shoot this thing a bunch until it dies and shoot this bigger thing a bunch while kiting it until it dies. You could go for up close, but the controls and moving camera lack fidelity to do up-close reliably, so you end up dying trying to shotgun something to death fast. Most games so far lack more than move and press 1or 2 buttons in a repetitive pattern. So, after the novelty of a game wears off, yawning because of a lack of choices and monotony and/or frustration because a lack of precision aren’t going to get the attention of more serious gamers.
At this point I’m worried that if Apple doesn’t allow “gamepad required” games (don’t know if they do or not), then the entire gaming portion of the platform will be held back by the lowest common denominator effect of its touchpad remote. People who take games more seriously, want precision and responsiveness so that games can be more of a challenge. Without a minimum level of precision above what the AppleTV remote offers as a baseline, making good & challenging games will result in mediocre experiences having to cater to the touchpad only crowd. If things stay this way, then the only games that will succeed are simple games that require less skill which appeal to more casual gamers. But this is still very early first gen, so things can (and hopefully will) improve a lot. Strategy, board game adaptations, party games and those that don’t require fast reflexes and accurate responses could do very well right now though. So, maybe your daughter can revisit tvOS games with a gamepad in a year, and games offered will be similar to what happened with consoles’ second generation offerings.