Video game features that should've been around much longer.

[Feba]

There are a lot of things in gaming that could've been done long ago, but only became popular in the past few years, or long after they could've.

What do you feel these are, and what, if any, do you think there are in modern times?

Personally, built in system memory seems like a no-brainer. Less-so in an age when buying multiple memory cards isn't outrageous, but still having it hard wired to the console with cards for backups seems so obvious that not having it before seems weird.

Much the same for wireless controllers. The fact that we're only getting these official and standard in the past few years is astounding. Even the Wavebird was far too late (should've been built into the console). I understand technological limitations to a point, but again just seems weird.

Same for internet connections. Even the SNES had some form of internet support, and yet it only started to form in the last few years of last gen, and take off with this gen. Even if internet play isn't feasible, it can be used as a demo service, as well as more mundane things.

Also, I think all handhelds past (the technology has existed since at least the Newton) present and future should include a touch screen. Whether you like it's uses in traditional games or not, or whether you like the dual screens, the DS has shown a tremendous amount of utility in the touch screen. Plus, if touch screen handhelds are common, they can only enhance the usability of the consoles they connect to.

[LadyKiKi]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

How about them Virtual Reality sets you can wear around your head/eyes? Does that count? Maybe not total VR but to the point where it feels like you're in the game (but yet you're still playing via controller).

[Durahansolo]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

How about them Virtual Reality sets you can wear around your head/eyes? Does that count? Maybe not total VR but to the point where it feels like you're in the game (but yet you're still playing via controller).

LOL Remember Virtual Boy by Nintendo? I remember my mom rented one of those for me from blockbuster when it first came out. I might buy one on ebay one day, Techroboxer and Tennis were fun as hell. I remember I had a wireless controller for NES but idk if it didn't work well or if it just ran out of batteries, that was sooooo long ago. I still remember my controller from SNES with Auto-Fire and Programmable moves. I wish I still had my Super Scope 6 or that Yoshi game you could use the scope with.

[Zoltar]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Didn't Virtual Boy only have 2 colors, black and red? lol

[Armando]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Didn't Virtual Boy only have 2 colors, black and red? lol

Yes. But it was still the shit.

4 controller ports.

[Callisto]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

I think I still have epilepsy from my Virtual Boy.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

I think most of these would have been far too expensive to include in consoles before this generation.

[Durahansolo]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Internet on Atari.....Well least somebody would've figured out how to play E.T. on it.

[Lmnop]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Co-op gameplay as a feature - not an afterthought. As far as I can tell(?), this really started with Gears of War actually modifying how the game plays out if you're playing Co-op as opposed to just being the single player campaign with the single player cutscenes and maybe adding more bad guys.

Resistance 2 is using a completely different storyline arc for its co-op, btw.

Granted, it's the rise of internet connection that makes this worthwhile, but we've had multiplayer PvP for... ever. Why not more PvE?

Very true on the 1st-party wireless controllers. Why did it have to be junky 3rd party controllers 'til now (Freakin' MadCatz)?

Also: the ability to turn off the console from the controller. I wanted that on my Sega Genesis. Glad they're finally getting around to making it a standard (I believe all 3 of our current generation of consoles have it).

[Ellipses]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

The concept of persistent, cross-game, player-specific data. I'm not coming up with a good way to say what I'm talking about, but: stuff like Miis and gamer tags. Data you enter once on the console and then just select from for each game. Some of these things don't make as much sense with some games (Zelda + Mii = very no), but some of it obviously does.

I'd like to see it expanded, too, so that the console or your online account remembers universal preferences that translate from game to game. Such as right/left-handedness, or an option to always play background music at a certain volume or disable it entirely, controller layout for games in a series, etc. Maybe some of that's already in place on other consoles (I've only got a Wii).

[Feba]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

I think most of these would have been far too expensive to include in consoles before this generation.

Not really. Again, the SNES had a rudimentary online service, and the Dreamcast had it as well. Controllers could probably have been wireless at least as long as R/C or TV remotes have been. And building memory into the console would probably have been much cheaper than having memory card ports and external cards.

Alphabet, so yes. ..., I agree, that's around but it's not nearly widely used enough. It's been around in some form since at least MGS (Psycho Mantis reading your OTHER save files), but not nearly widely used enough.

Speaking of things which are used in MGS, but some people might not even know about, analog buttons. Not just the joysticks, not just the triggers, analog buttons. They are put to great (if slightly annoying because of the Dualshock 2) use in MGS2 and 3, while practically no games use them for anything.

I'd like to add custom soundtracks to the list as well. It's been around forever on PC games, but practically no console games support it, despite the fact that we have easy ways to put music on current gen consoles. I can think of two games, Endless Ocean and Excite Truck, that support this on modern consoles. I doubt there's more than a dozen other games when you include the 360 and PS3, though I could be wrong. This might not be so good for your big, epic games, but it would be a huge improvement for things like Wii Fit.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Not really. Again, the SNES had a rudimentary online service.

Did you have an affordable and practical internet connection in 1994?

[eticket109]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

funny random fact...

the 2600 actually had wireless controllers available

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

funny random fact...

the 2600 actually had wireless controllers available

Thought so, didn't remember actually seeing one though.

[Mhurron]

Re: Video game features that should've been around much longer.

Did you have an affordable and practical internet connection in 1994?

Was Feba alive in '94?

The first public version of Netscape was released in October, 1994.