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Hi, i'm new so apologies if this has come up before.
The most frustrating thing I find about long gaming sessions with friends is frequently leaving the armchair to change the disc/game over and over again.
Sure you can move the console closer to you but this invariably means leaving your
pride and joy in the middle of the floor exposed to spilt beverages and clumsy feet.
Why not put the disc drive in the joypad? A drive to take the Gamecube format disc could be built into a controller not too much larger than some of the currently available pads(xbox) and then you could change the games all night without ever leaving the comfort of your chair.
A reset button would also be a nessecity for the device to remain true to its lathargic beliefs.
Pizza Chute
http://www.halfbake.../idea/Pizza_20Chute
There you go! [Zircon, Sep 17 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
New Drive Technology
http://www.blaupunkt.co.uk/15_3.asp
More Spin, Less Din! [fret, Sep 18 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
[link]
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Welcome to the halfbakery; I like your idea, (I'm not sure if its been thought up or 'halfbaked' before). I've certainly encountered this problem. A reset botton on the joy pad would also be appreciated. As would some sort of chute attached to an extra wide letter box down which the pizza guy could slide your pizza, so that it comes to a stop right next to you on the sofa. |
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But surely the joypad is the part of the console that's most at risk from being dropped/spillages/getting stood on etc. And won't the inevitable shoogling of the joypad muck with the disc reader? |
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// A reset botton on the joy pad would also be appreciated. // |
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A nessecity for the lazy-concept of the device. Consider it integrated. |
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// As would some sort of chute ..... pizza ...... right next to you on the sofa.// |
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Quite, this could become the main focus of the idea :) |
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//joypad is the part of the console that's most at risk from being dropped // |
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Correct, when you are constantly making the journey from the armchair to the console, leaning forward, snagging the wire and dragging the pad behind you as the cable got caught on a limb when leaning forward. |
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Put the pad down to walk to the system, change the game and then walk back to your chair and _crunch_ , flat-pad. |
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// inevitable shoogling of the joypad muck with the disc reader // |
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A potential drawback but what shoogling(assuming vibrating things are redundant) is there when you are sat in your armchair? A lot less than Jogging. |
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One drawback is the anger-factor, this would be expecially bad for young children who fling joypads at the slightest hint of a game they cant complete in 3 hours. |
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Also, as a general rule, data reads take longer the farther the data is from the CPU (having the disk in the control pad rather than in the box right next ot the CPU will make it run slower.) And there is a question of bulk (disk drives are big and heavy, not too ergonomic, either.) Still, the idea is good, and with slight improvements in media, quite doable. |
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If you need to find out if an idea is half-baked, go to idea:search and type in the subject of your idea. Not 100% reliable, but it's saved me a coupla times. |
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That pizza-mail-slot idea merits a separate posting, I think. |
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Re shoogling: What I was trying to say was that when people play videogames, they tend not to hold the joypad on a constant horizontal plane; there's usually a fair amount of leaning and waving brought about by the subconcious brain trying to control the game character as if the scenario was real. |
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[nick_n_uit] right you are... |
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A solid-state chip could be used in place of a CD. Batteries to eliminate cords. And then have a little built-in screen to view it on... that's all pretty far-fetched, of course. |
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How about just make the kids sit VERY close to the TV, right up where the Gamecube is. |
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How about positioning the gaming CPU closer to the user (if not within the controller)? There's a company that sells a self-contained video game system in a joypad-style case that has 10 Activision (or in the case of Atlantis, Activision-acquired) Atari-2600 games; I think they sell another version with 10 games by Atari. A modern game system would have to be a little bigger, but most of the extra bulk and weight would come from the CD reader anyway. |
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RE: Shoogling. I understand your concern, and it is not without grounds. As a best-endeavor-stop-gap-solution I propose Blaupunkt's new technology [see link], This claims to have the rotation problem _almost_ solved. |
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[Amos Kito] Indeed, they are good improvememnts and will no doubt one day be a reality we all use (probably sooner than we think as well!), the mini screen would off course be an alternative to scart output. The only aspect of your annotation that is farfetched is the batteries(without adding mega-bulk that is) IMO. The rest is reasonable. |
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On a lighter note, when you were younger did your parents tell you off for sitting too close to the TV? mine did, "It'll ruin your eyes" blah blah. |
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RE:Self contained video game system:
There is the TV boy which contained 127 games from various publishers, Activision included. This was an oval joypad type thingy in the US and very un-ergonomic. The PAL version is more like a PSone pad. |
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I doubt a modern day processor would marry well in a joypad though, the Atari only ran at 1.18mhz and you certainly wouldn't bake any dough with the heat it kicks out. In conjuction with the fundamentals of Joypad Loader it would be good to include, but 'tis an idealogical thought at present. |
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BTW- It wont use a CD, it a GD* Loader. |
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