Xbox 2 to Have Wireless Controllers Standard

GamesIndustry.biz has the news that the Xbox 2 console, releasing this fall, will use wireless controllers by default. From the article: "Microsoft will be the first console manufacturer to ship wireless pads as standard with its hardware, but not the first to ship an official wireless controller; Nintendo has already enjoyed significant success with the WaveBird, its wireless pad for the GameCube."

Pioneers get the arrows...

[the_skywise]

There are rumors that the Playstation 3 would do the same as well.

Wireless controllers are an intersting option. But standard? Note that there are a whole bunch of corner cases that wireless joysticks have that haven't been well addressed yet. For instance, the Nintendo wavebird controller has no vibration capability. Most XBox wireless joysticks don't handle an XBox live headset or memory card.

Battery life is obviously a problem. I'd like to see docking cradles for the joysticks on the box itself so they can be charged and ready for play. (Or interestingly... maybe they could be connected with cables like they are currently for charging. So play with the cable while charging play without otherwise.)

And, of course, it's not as satisfying to get pissed off and yank the cable out of the box to demonstrate your frustration... (But it IS easier to throw the joystick across the room...)

So if the wireless joysticks are standard, does that mean there won't be any joystick "ports" on the box at all?

Let me think...

[Anonymous Coward]

Can anyone here think of another console that uses wireless controllers, a PowerPC proc, an ATI video card, and has no hard drive? I can. Here is a hint: it is the Gamecube. And my gamecube's power cable doesn't spontaneously combust.

While I'm glad that wireless controllers are becoming the mainstream, I think Microsoft is swiftly headed toward its own death in the console market. When the Sony and big N consoles release almost a full year after the Xbox2, they will feature roughly twice the processing power, and have much more powerful and well-established development solutions (Sony especially, with their new focus on VPUs and an OpenGL-style API). The original X-Box only has 3 strong points, in my mind: 1) hard drive, 2) most powerful hardware, and 3) X-Box Live.

Well, at least they'll still have #3.

PS - I have nothing against microsoft as a company, unlike most of the posters here. I think they are good for the console market, at least so far, providing an almost Sega Genesis-like amount of freedom for developers. I just think they're making a series of mistakes here that are worthy of Nintendo ;)

So now what...

[Anonymous Coward]

What's going to happen when you have an Xbox2 party and you have 4 consoles in one basement?

As long as they're lith-ion

[Anonymous Coward]

If they're lith-ion batteries and a docking station comes standard, I'm all for it. If they require AA batteries I'd rather deal with a cord.

Tournaments / places with lots of Xboxes?

[LincolnQ]

Wireless controllers are generally banned in tournaments, or at least restricted. With Wavebirds, for example, you don't want to be using one in a tournament, because if someone else sets their Wavebird to the same channel, all of a sudden you can't control your character anymore! And this is an easy thing to do, especially in a crowd with a bunch of people.

Even if the Xbox controller doesn't have channels and instead has some bluetooth-esque pairing strategy, you can still screw with it by building a device that simply spams the air with RF on the same frequency as the controller, nullifying all wireless controllers in the area. It's just a bad idea.

Re:Brilliant

[MarkGriz]

"I don't think it'll be as bad as all that."

Neither do I, but your logic is not quite as funny :-)

If they are smart, in addition to a base station type thing, they'd have the ability to go corded as well. This would allow the controller to be powered by the base when batteries are low.

Re:So now what...

[kereira]

If I were invited, I would. So guys gotta come out first.

Re:Rumble?

[MonkeyBunker]

Logitech currently makes a controller for XBox that they claim gets 50+ hours on 2 AA batteries WITH vibration. http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details /US/EN,CRID=2311,CONTENTID=8182 [logitech.com]

I have the previous version which used 4 AA batteries. I use it to play while I'm on my exercise bike, since the cable on the regular controller would get caught in various moving parts of the bike.

Logitech Wireless

[White Roses]

Logitech makes a wireless controller for PS2 [logitech.com] as well. I love it. If I'm playing while my daughter is running around (she likes to dance to Katamari Damacy), there's no cords for her to get tangled in. I suppose the same could be said for pets, etc. Plus, with a large 50" HDTV, it's nice to sit some distance away without the cables hanging around.

Runs on 2 AA batteries, and I can attest to the 50+ hours of life that they mention on the site. Plus with rechargeables (say, a couple pairs), you're in good shape, and the "power pack" is non-proprietary and user-serviceable.

Re:MS should ditch the vibration function

[DeadScreenSky]

I think it really depends on what kind of games you play. The rumble function is an integral gameplay feature in racing games like Rallisport Challenge 2 or music games like Amplitude, so I would be sad to see it go. And it can be put to good use in other types of games, too. But yeah, some games certainly don't make use of it.

You could replace it with audio/visual cues in some cases (not for rallying games though because you need that input while paying strict attention of already existing audio/visual input), but the point is kind of to engage yet another sense. It can make for a better gameplay experience if done correctly.

Anyway, I seriously doubt MS will not have rumble on their next-gen controllers.