Console controller design.

I reckon GoldenEye has to get a lot of the credit for cementing thumb-sticks in the console.
I can't remember a single pleasant FPS experience on console until then.

Ooh, good point! But I didn't officially give-in to the double thumbsticks until Halo 2. I tried to play with the "Legacy" controller settings, but it was finally time to dual-stick. Funny, now if I try to play Lego games, I automatically try to dual-stick and ALWAYS end up falling off some cliff.

Nah, you fall off cliffs in lego games anyway. It's practically a game mechanic. But it doesn't matter because it's a friggin' lego game and that's awesome. Unless it has proper dialogue, that just rips away all the charm....

Excuse me while I sob over the new lego games...

The saddest part about it...

...They discarded Sony because they didn't think it was the "big thing capable of killing Sega once and for all"...

...And in the end, they kick themselves in the arse. Not only was it capable of killing Sega off, but it succeeded in doing so without Nintendo's help after all, and now all Nintendo is left with is struggling against their own weapon.

I bet their only regret is not wielding that weapon in their own hands and instead having to try desperately to keep it from killing them.

Now, to be fair, Nintendo was probably correct. The original incarnation as SNES CD it would of failed horribly. The reasons for the Playstation's success probably have more to do with Sony's acceptance of more mature themed games while Nintendo was still requiring sweat in games like Mortal Kombat. It was the reason why Sega was starting to nip at Nintendo's heels to begin with; Nintendo's player base was growing up and it could not.

As an aside question: what are your thoughts on stuff like the Kinect? Or a step further into the dark side with things like Tobii?

And yet, the only controller that keys can be 30 centimetres apart from each other on. Why do we need rebindable keys? Because of a keyboard. Because everyone manages a keyboard in a different way when it comes to gaming, because nothing is really that intuitive. A controller would mostly remove the need for such a thing.

I say this as a PC gamer. I can't wait for the day when the keyboard and mouse combination is replaced by the /something/ and mouse (as the mouse is superior for 360 degree vision/facing as well as complicated click commands - more responsive feedback compared to console triggers).

Brain receptors.

What about replacing the mouse instead? Frees up your other hand to type and mash buttons.

Replace it with;

The mouse is the best input for 3D vision barring your head, as it explicitly replaces two directional pads with a single hand. The hand is also able to send commands via buttons, all ergonomically designed for ease of placement and prolonged sessions (barring wrist comfort, but you can alleviate that).

Then replace the keyboard with another mouse! I don't think we'll want to get rid of the keyboard any time soon, whether we have an alternative or not.

I think people are far too hooked (mentally) on the notion of a keyboard for gaming. It's really quite unhealthy, this aversion to change and evolution.

Controllers should be designed for gaming. Gaming shouldn't have be designed around the controllers. The mouse does this (and console controllers do this) far better than a keyboard does.

Keyboards will likely never be replaced for PC gaming purely because they're multi-functional - PC gaming involves stuff like text chat, multitasking between different programs.

But people already use controllers for some of their PC games.

Arguably, PC games use text chat because the keyboard exists. Again, the games are being designed around the peripherals. Voice chat has become prevalent thanks to console gaming - isn't that a much more natural form of communication? And before you quote 13 year old XBL ragers, you get those in text form as well

I just think people should be looking forwards, instead of being satisfied with what they have. People expect more from games developers all of the time, why shouldn't they expect more of their own peripherals?

Why on earth would I want to switch away from a precision controller combined with a controller with masses of hotkeys, to a controller whose only selling point is analog input?

PC games use controllers for games which benefit from analog input.

It's like you missed Valve creating a new controller or something.

Just 'cuz you like it better? I really don't know. I prefer console controllers and I really don't understand why. I just grew up playing games in my hands more often than on a keyboard and I'm finding it difficult to switch. You should see me try to play SMNC - oh my goodness, whatta mess.

I mostly game with m+kb, but I think wasd is pretty terrible for movement in first/third person games. Also, I hate the clicking sound mice make with a passion.. yeah I am a terrible person.

I think it's a bit narrow minded to make the assumption that the keyboard needs to be replaced by something "simpler" or more "intuitive." The entire reason that PC gaming is such a wide and varied field is due to the opportunities afforded by the mouse/keyboard combo. Yes, the mouse has a lot to offer, but many people forget that the keyboard contributes a lot too.

Aside from the precise control of a mouse, one of the reasons RTSs are more challenging to do well on a console is that the keyboard provides such a large range of control in what is a very complex genre. And then you have the more complex games, like Europa Universalis, Dota 2, and pretty much any flight sim. All these games have such a large number of commands to deal with that they depend on the large number of keys on the keyboard to make game control quick and efficient. (I have heard of some Dota players using a gamepad with macros and modifier buttons, but even they consider it more challenging than using a keyboard.)

One notable aspect to consider is flight sims, which can get by with a keyboard and no mouse. In games like these, a joystick is far more useful. In fact, I remember in the 90s when joysticks were more essential for gaming than mice were. You had the flight sims, of course, as well as space sims, robot sims (Mechwarrior, Heavy Gear, etc), and even some car-based games. (Nobody played Interstate 76 with a steering wheel. The joystick was essential in that game.) But all of these games made heavy use of the keyboard. Heck, there were even some games where players used the keyboard exclusively, despite the availability of the mouse and joystick. Some of the greatest Descent/Descent II players I knew played with only the keyboard.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think the keyboard is the best controller, or even necessary for every game. There are tons of PC games that I play with a gamepad: Platformers like Cave Story, IWBTG, Spelunky, any shmup out there. They all feel better with a gamepad rather than a keyboard.

But the important thing is that having that added control provided by the keyboard allows for a more rich and diverse set of games, which have been disappearing since games started becoming more homogenized in order to accommodate cross-platform play. Sure one can say that games are becoming more "streamlined," and have "better" interfaces for the users, but I think that a major reason a lot of the richness of those older PC games is missing nowadays is that they are forced to follow the console control standard, rather than being designed for mouse and keyboard.

I think there is a place for it all.

Honestly, Planetside2 is difficult to play with a standard keyboard and standard mouse, I have 4-6 split second gunfight tools I need to access and must reach for 2 of them considering movement, aim, and primary fire takes priority. I can choose either melee, grenades, or ability for the last button available on-hand, melee is less often useful but more often saves lives, grenades are most often useful but are more for snagging kills than saving, and abilities are useless if I can't shoot so I grudgingly reach for it.

Then again, Kerbal Space Program requires most the keys on the board, as well as Planetary Annihilation. Also, text chat, yet there are quickchats which work on controller, and voice chat is amazing but limited reguardless what you say.

Generally, I think there are already a limitless number of customizable input devices one can get ahold of. One can play Console with M+KB, there are adapters. One can play PC with controllers, and must do so to be competitive at fighters. And one can opt to use a hand-shaped button-covered device or an advanced mouse or a track ball or touch pad or anything else really. Different purposes and different games warrant use of different equipment.

Oh gosh, there are so many options, especially when you start diving into the world of adaptive peripherals. I've played Red Dead Redemption on the Xbox using a blow tube to move forward and head nods to move left/right. Yay for options!!!!