Atari Founder Goes on the Offensive, Bashes Sony

[Buyatari]

He comes off more as a businessman than a “pure” designer or developer. He even brings graphs and charts to show which market segments could be exploited today. In 1982, he tells us, there were 44 million gamers. Today, there are 18 million. Where’d they all go?

Now this is interesting. I always thought the total amount of gamers has gone up as time goes on, but I have no data to back this up.

So there are 18 million gamers and the PS2 sold 100 million units?

[badinsults]

Ever look at Sony's financial statements?
They are not the cash cow you think they are. Quite the opposite in fact.

Actually, the game-hardware division of Sony *is* a cash cow, and easily the most financially successful segment of the company. It's the other consumer-electronics divisions that are getting thrashed by the competition.

-- Z.

Yeah, I've read that the games division is proping up sony.

[Frankie23]

I completely understand what he means when he talks about the complexity of modern controllers. I know a lot of people who are immediately turned off by two sticks and a dozen buttons. My girlfriend tries very earnestly to play some game swith me, but she just can't quite handle when things start getting too frantic, requiring the manipulation of three or four inputs at the same time. However, I had to buy her a DS recently just so she'd stop stealing mine away from me. The simple touchscreen controller makes sense to her. I'm definitely looking forward to the Revolution's new controller because I can already see how it's intuitive movement = input system will make things drastically easier for her, and some of my other gamer-curious friends.

[SegaAges]

To be honest with you, I do not think he was talking about the controllers themselves (I could be wrong, but I haven't read the link yet), but is probably referring to the fact that if anybody has attempted to try and play madden, all the crap you can do with the controller is insane. the latest madden game i have is from psx and i haven't played it. the last madden game that i played through that i bought was madden 97 for saturn.

the crap you can do with the controllers is insane, and you have to have a very intricit knowledge of the button layout in order to be able to throw the ball to who you want and have execute the play that you want.

i mean, this is coming from somebody that only uses hard punch and hard kick when playing capcom fighting games and still able to hold his own very well.

(yeah, i know my spelling sux)

[Rob2600]

Was Nolan Bushnell right all along?

[chicnstu]

Was Nolan Bushnell right all along?

I believe he is right about people being button phobic.

I said this before on here when the Wii Remote was first shown:

Once when my dad was playing PS2 games, he said to me "Why are there so many fucking buttons?". He said that because it was so hard for him to remember which button does what action. There are people that don't believe people like him exist but I understand that, maybe they haven't experienced a situation like mine.

[Rob2600]

I believe he is right about people being button phobic.

I said this before on here when the Wii Remote was first shown:

Once when my dad was playing PS2 games, he said to me "Why are there so many fucking buttons?". He said that because it was so hard for him to remember which button does what action. There are people that don't believe people like him exist but I understand that, maybe they haven't experienced a situation like mine.

I can relate. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing sports games past the 16-bit era. I couldn't keep track of which button did what. "A is to pass, B is to shoot, X is to steal, Y is to switch players, L1 is to dunk, L2 is to run faster, R1 is to rebound, R2 is to throw chairs into the audience, Z is to choke the coach...wait, how do I pass again?"

[chicnstu]

I can relate. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing sports games past the 16-bit era. I couldn't keep track of which button did what. "A is to pass, B is to shoot, X is to steal, Y is to switch players, L1 is to dunk, L2 is to run faster, R1 is to rebound, R2 is to throw chairs into the audience, Z is to choke the coach...wait, how do I pass again?"

And I believe it's very common. I would say maybe 70% of adults, that don't play games regularly, would feel annoyed if handed a PS2 (or similar) controller and expected to memorize every button's function.

[Graham Mitchell]

I think what separates the men from the boys here is the SNES controller. Most modern controllers are basically elaborations on the SNES controller. Those of us who grew up in the SNES era and had some experience with it when we were young and our brains were malleable information and muscle-control sponges are able to take that knowledge and apply it to the newer scenarios we see on our 360's and PS3's. I also think that younger people could pick up one of the current-gen big gun systems and do okay with it. But once you hit about 30 if you didn't like video games in the first place you're going to be much less likely to figure out that complex controller. Hence, I see the 35 year-old lesbians across from my friends' apartment playing their Wii all the time. You wouldn't have seen that in 2005.

[DeputyMoniker]

I see the 35 year-old lesbians across from my friends' apartment playing their Wii all the time.

That sentence is better when it's secluded like that.

Some games are just hard to learn. I had no trouble learning to play Tomb Raider. Football is a bitch, though. Scoot left, scoot right, grab a ledge, look, shoot, jump, roll, draw your gun is a heck of a lot easier than:

GENERAL GAMEPLAY
ALL PHASES
Left Stick/Direction Button move your player
R2 Button sprint/coach's cam (unavailable online)
L2 Button receiver cam
Square Button + Square Button/X Button/Triangle Button/L1 Button/R1 Button call an audible (before the snap)
Circle Button cancel audible (before selecting a play)
Select Button call timeout
Start Button pause game
OFFENSE
PREPLAY
X Button snap ball
Right Stick Left/Right switch direction of a running play
L2 Button + Receiver's Button lock on to a receiver
Circle Button + Triangle Button + Right/Left Stick call a hot route
Circle Button + Directional Button Left/Right send a player in motion
L3 Button quiet crowd
R1 Button fake snap
BALL CARRIER
Right Stick Up highlight stick (power backs lower their shoulder and "truck" over defenders/agile backs dodge the tackler)
Right Stick Down highlight stick (back juke)
Right Stick Left/Right highlight stick (big juke left/right)
PASSING AND RECEIVING
Right Stick Left/Right look left/right
Triangle Button/Square Button/Circle Button/R1 Button (Tap Button For Lob Pass; Hold Button For A Bullet) throw the ball
Left Stick/Directional Button lead the receiver
R3 Button throw ball away
L1 Button pump fake
R2 Button (Hold) qb scramble (behind the line of scrimmage)
L2 Button + R2 Button qb action mode (enables running controls)
L2 Button + R2 Button + Right Stick playmaker passing (guide closest receiver while qb is in action mode)
Triangle Button catch the ball
Square Button diving catch
LEAD BLOCKING CONTROLS
L1 Button + Circle Button lead blocking (circle button switches control to ball carrier)
OTHER BLOCKING CONTROLS
Right Stick Up/Down impact/cut block
L2 Button strafe
AFTER THE PLAY
Square Button (Hold) spike ball (to stop the clock)
Circle Button (Hold) fake spike trick play
Triangle Button (Hold) no huddle/hurry-up offense
DEFENSE
PREPLAY
Circle Button (Tap)/Circle Button (Hold) + Left Stick/Directional Button choose a player to control
L1 Button + Left Stick Up defensive line audible (to spread the defensive ends outside the tackles)
L1 Button + Left Stick Down defensive line audible (to move the line in tight between the tackles)
L1 Button + Left Stick Right/Left defensive line audible (to shift the line left/right)
L1 Button + Right Stick Up defensive line audible (to crash outside)
L1 Button + Right Stick Down defensive line audible (to crash inside)
L1 Button + Right Stick Left/Right defensive line audible (to crash left/right)
R1 Button + Left Stick Up linebacker audible (to spread out linebackers)
R1 Button + Left Stick Down linebacker audible (to move in tight)
R1 Button + Left Stick Left/Right linebacker audible (to shift left/right)
R1 Button + Right Stick Up linebacker audible (to put all linebackers in hook zones)
R1 Button + Right Stick Down linebacker audible (to blitz all linebackers)
R1 Button + Right Stick Left/Right linebacker audible (to blitz left/right linebackers)
R1 Button + L1 Button linebacker audible (to reset)
X Button + Left Stick Up/Down coverage audible (to out dbs into press/loose coverage)
X Button + Left Stick Left coverage audible (to show blitz)
X Button + Left Stick Right coverage audible (to shift safeties and linebackers into better position to cover their assigned man)
X Button + Right Stick Left/Right coverage audible (to shift safety coverage left/right)
X Button + L2 coverage audible (to reset)
L3 Button pump up a crowd
AFTER THE SNAP
Circle Button control player nearest to the ball/intended receiver when the ball is airborne
Right Stick Up commit to the run/pass (a pass)
Right Stick Down commit to the run/pass (an inside run)
Triangle Button jump the snap
Right Stick (In Any Direction) hit stick
Square Button diving tackle/interception
X Button swat at airborne ball
L2 Button strafe/spin (when engaged)
L1 Button spin or swim move (when engaged)
Triangle Button hands up/intercept/power move (when engaged)
KICKING OFF AND PUNTING
Left Stick/Directional Button aim the kick
Right Stick Down start power meter
Right Stick Up kick the ball
KICKOFF RETURNS
Triangle Button fair catch
MOTION CONTROLS
OFFENSE
Move The Wireless Controller Up fake snap
Move The Wireless Controller Up And Down lead block
DEFENSE
Move The Wireless Controller Up jump the snap
Move The Wirelss Controller Forward hit stick
SUPERSTAR/MINI-GAME CONTROLS
QB
Right Stick Left/Right pan camera
Circle Button follow ball/look downfield
WR/TE/HB
Right Stick Left/Right/Up/Down cut moves left/right/up/back
L2 Button strafe facing the ball
L1 Button call for ball
Circle Button switch camera during play/preplay
BLOCKER
L2 Button strafe facing away from ball
DEFENSE
Right Stick Up press coverage presnap
X Button attempt chuck

[Graham Mitchell]

See, that's why I hate all football games except for Tecmo Bowl and 10-yard Fight (yeah, I said it!) I can't figure any of that stuff out. Fucking Ultima V is easier to figure out than that.

[DeputyMoniker]

He should know, he's the one that designed the Amiga CDTV. Another high priced machine that didn't quite match up with consumer expectations.

What is his personal vendetta with Sony?

[Vectorman0]

I think he's just upset that he never made any money on used game sales.

[chrisballer]

My parents wont play current gen games very much (except for Animal Crossing ) because they find the controllers confusing.Same with several of my co-workers.
They take one look at the controller, and pass automatically.

Yes, I think he was talking about the controller putting people off, not that people can't figure it out. He said that, "people are scared of interface." I have to agree, my girlfriend and parents were the same way. My parents would try the old systems, but they look at the new controllers and say no without trying. I think this could be one of the reasons the Wii has sold so well. They make controlling it look as easy as moving your hands, and the people that may have been intimidated before gave it a try.

[Graham Mitchell]

Not to play Devil's Advocate, but I saw something interesting this week. Yesterday I had a 65-year-old patient who told me he has a PS2 with about 45 games, and that he's planning on getting a PS3 because he wants to play Little Big Planet. He loves games, and has no problem with utilizing one of the more complex controllers on the market.

He may be an odd case, but it just goes to show that nothing is 100%.

[Gentlegamer]

I can relate. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing sports games past the 16-bit era. I couldn't keep track of which button did what. "A is to pass, B is to shoot, X is to steal, Y is to switch players, L1 is to dunk, L2 is to run faster, R1 is to rebound, R2 is to throw chairs into the audience, Z is to choke the coach...wait, how do I pass again?"

This is the reason I can't play Madden as much as I try.

I keep going back to Super Tecmo Bowl.

[chicnstu]

He may be an odd case, but it just goes to show that nothing is 100%.

Wow, I thought that was an obvious thing...in all things

[Graham Mitchell]

Wow, I thought that was an obvious thing...in all things

I was just giving an amusing anecdote. Don't be a douche.

[codyz1112594]

Who are these people he is talking about, nobody I know has ever complained about the PS2 controller being confusing. I don't really see how knowing where the X and O could be hard to figure out, nobody had a problem finding the B and Y on the SNES controler.

And the controler being like a keyboard? The hell kind of crack is this guy smoking, I have an easier time using the PS2 controller than the Xbox or Gamecube controllers.

yeah me too but, thats probably cause i grew up on PSX, i really ahte the xbox controllers, they make my hand SORE>>

[Ryaan1234]

This reminds me of an old Game Informer article I read back when the Wii was still called the Revolution. I can't remember if it was an april's fools article or somthing but it said that the Revolution was going to have just one big "DO" button. It had a pretty funny picture to go with it too, hmmm... I think I might see if I can find that article.