There is an amusing segment in the Jan 5, 2007 episode of the 1Up Show where they discuss the idea of games that "anyone" can play. They discuss the issue that controllers are just too complicated for most people so some people in the industry are moving towards a 1-button controller.
A 1-button controller? The reason I found this amusing is because we already have that; it is called the Apple Mouse.
The 1-button mouse is the object of much derision but Apple's idea (I think) was that 1 click is all you need and adding more buttons just confuses people. I personally use a multi-button mouse with my Apple computers but hey, they are right that you cannot get much simpler than 1 button.
A tangent from another topic in this podcast also relates to Apple.
The crew talks about how many game platforms there will be after this current generation (Xbox360, Wii, PS3). The idea is that there will only be two unless "someone buys one of them."
Who would buy one? I can see Apple Computer, now just Apple, buying Nintendo. Just looking at company culture as represented by their products, I see a lot of overlap. Both focus on ease of use, solid product design, and appeal to the average person (as in not just to geeks).
I understand why Apple has not entered the game market, as a lot of people suggest they should, but if they ever decided to, acquiring Nintendo would be the way to do it and do it big. In one fell swoop, they would get the hardware and software from the most profitable game company in the world.
See any resemblance between the iPhone and the DS? I think it will be more clear with the next generation DS :)
1UP Yours - Podcast - 01/05/2007
We're back in action after a two week "layoff," as Garnett perhaps inaccurately put it. And even though this traditionally the slowest part of the year for gaming news, we've still got a lot to catch up on. Shane finally unpacks his PS3 for some quality time with Gran Turismo HD and Motorstorm. After calling in aerial funk support, Luke gets past the Jamiroquai song in Elite Beat Agents, John's been playing himself some of that Crackdown, and Garnett tried to play Supreme Commander.
