Hey, 3DS gamers! Do you want to look particularly silly when playing your handheld device in public? Have you always looked at that pesky touchscreen and thought, darn, I wish I had an adhesive stick-on D-Pad for that non-button area? Then step right up, for the "Anywhere Buttons"! Order now, preferably without actually thinking the purchase through properly, to avoid disappointment!
Perhaps that's how an advert for these add-on buttons would go, except it'd be in Japanese. GameTech is the company from The Land of the Rising Sun that's producing these peripherals, if we can call them that, and as you can see they literally stick to a touch screen to apply additional physical controls. Except in the case of 3DS, they don't, as games on the system don't actually use a virtual d-Pad, aside from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Frankly, we'd rather haul the Circle Pad Pro XL around with us.
These buttons will apparently work on the 3DS, 3DS XL, Wii U GamePad and Sony's PS Vita — or anything with a touch screen, actually. The trouble is that these systems either have no use for them (3DS) or don't need them (GamePad and Vita); if you stick these things on a phone meanwhile, then you clearly need to pick up a gaming device with proper physical controls.
It's a crazy, crazy world.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 71
is it comfortable....if it came to the states i might get this
Is this a joke?
. . . I'm embarrassed that I would actually use these for MH3U
"if you stick these things on a phone meanwhile, then you clearly need to pick up a gaming device with proper physical controls."
So, how cheap are these? Regardless, I still figure it won't be long before we start to see people carrying around phones with these things stuck on the screen (assuming they'll work with phones, anyway...).
That's just pathetic.
You can get a half decent controller for tablets / phones for £13 (Or use a 360 pad and otg usb with Android).
Yet someone will make millions off of these ridiculous things.
....already have a circle pad pro...so...>.>
crazy world it be.
Don't forget to take them off before you close the ClamShell!!!
There's even a joystick version.
@SheldonRandoms That looks cool actually!
Might work pretty well with Super Mario 64 DS! But...that's about all I can think of... XD
Reminds me of that "Analog Add-On" for the Game Boy Color.
What in the name of...? Why...?
Yeah...who else is cool with throwing this in the vault with the CDi and Powerglove and going about our day?
how are you suppose to close a 3DS again with that fat stickers???
This works much better on other non-traditional gaming devices like tablets and phones and stuff like that. I'd totally get some for my iPad.
What a joke.
I don't get it. Why are they "daft" and why would these make a person look any sillier playing out in public then they do already? Looks like they provide a needed function (for games/apps that can use them). I'd prefer a matte black for the dpad and buttons, but otherwise they are no sillier looking then the circle pad pro.
i see people use styluses for their phones all the time. i could easily see someone using this sort of thing with a smartphone or tablet of some sort. i do think it's a bit silly if they're advertising them for a gaming device, but advertising them for a smartphone or tablet would be a good idea.
I used to have the Joystick thing @SHeldonRandoms mentioned. It was nice until I lost it.
I think the article is being a little extreme. Yeah, you would be stupid to buy these for a device that already has buttons, but I think these kinda things are really nice for Smartphone games that use a virtual dpad. If you've ever played a phone game that used one of those, you'd see why these things exist. Although, if you want real buttons for your phone, you can get one of these when the new version comes out.
I have an iCade and an ICade 8bitty - they're nice enough when they're compatible, but the compatibility rate of these types of external devices is way too poor in my experience. If no one supports it, who cares how usable it makes the device?
I actually think this could come in handy. I know there are quite a few games where I have to touch the screen with my finger, and it would be nice to have a button for it. I wouldn't buy it though.
@SwerdMurd They are adding full support for controllers to ios7.
Then it is just up to the dev's and the hardware creators to do their bit.
(Sega / Dotemu will likely fix their stuff very quickly dunno about others).
...These things look damn crazy enough to work... xD
I'd love to try these, just to see what it's all really like. Hell, since they work on phones as well, I'd give them a go with my phone to see if they work well on the virtual D-Pad of an old-school emulator. :B
Lots of people play on their phone when they can't take a handheld console. These stickers might be handy for that, and it might make those phone games playable. Death Rally on phones is one example.
Hahahahahahahahahah!!!
Aaaah hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
HA HA... HAHAHAHAHA!!! gasp
OMG, that's too funny. This is precisely the reason I don't own a tablet (or even a smartphone for that matter) and don't consider them a replacement for a true handheld console like the 3DS. I have people ask me why I'd bother to "waste money" on something like the 3DS when I can play "games" on a tablet. This, right here, is why. If you want real controls and games that last longer than 15 minutes, get an actual handheld console. Suction cups with fake controls are not going to help you do anything more than look like a complete idiot.
Oh, and the 3DS touch screen can only register one pressure point at a time, so 8-directional control is out the window...
Well, that's something.
Hey, don't diss...I had this idea a while back! Like, elementary school...
Actually, I envisioned a console that was a tablet as well--the WiiU if the Gamepad was the console. It had a touch screen, and you could place and move buttons wherever you want on the screen.
Of course, in retrospect, it makes more sense to have the buttons built in. But Nintendo should pay me for inventing the WiiU.
I'll get one if they're cheap for MH3U. The camera controls are the only thing I dislike about that game.
if this thing works fine I may get one soon.
Slams his 3DS shut and breaks both screens!
@StarDust
LOL!
Anyway, legit, I'd get this. Seriously! I WANT ONE! NOW!
@ThomasBW84
Can you think of any other games to use this on?
@OdnetninAges: I had a Handy Boy back in the day. Friggin ridiculous.
I wish they made a thumb stick for the ABXY, then maybe I could play Kid Icarus.
@Nictendo64 um, circle pad pro?
So this is what doctor frankeinstein will do if he was real and in this age. Do anyone here remember the plastic thumb thing from the original big DS?
Looks cool, but from what I've seen, the touch screen controls aren't a bother.
@Marioman64
The circle pad pro is only for people who are left handed for that game. There's no control scheme where you can aim with it. Which is insane.
I could actually see that being very useful for iOS games. Other than that, nope.
This would have been great for the 3d platformers for the DS like Super Mario 64 DS. But the circle pad did away with those issues.
@ToastyYogurt
Yeah, I've been playing Duke Nukem 3D on my tablet and the controls are quite horrible. This device would probably make any fps game easier/more enjoyable. It doesn't make aiming any easier though.
I kind of like it, but what if you need the touchscreen?
I saw this at 6:11am. Almost threw up.
Would be nice for iOS devices though.
@cbkummer I think it was only made for MH.
These don't look like a great idea, but I'm not ever impressed by the 'wouldn't want to look silly in public' argument. What, are you worried the little red head from your science class will see you?
It's good for thoose Monster Hunter gamers, who want a physical feedback for using the camera on the touchscreen or who can't afford a circle pad for MH. But I have worries, that I wont stay on the screen after a while, when you put it on and off the 3DS to close it. With the 2DS there won't be such worries.
They work well on tablets and phones, which is what products like this are generally designed for?
No idea why you'd stick one on a 3DS, but they definitely have a purpose.
I'm going to attempt putting my iPad case on my 3ds, and write a article about how weird it seems to look :3
@Nightingale @siconlolz yep i agree, some people are just dismissing this as a joke because it is rather useless on a 3ds, ignoring all the people that prefer to game on there phones, which for them i can see as a pretty useful attachment, super mario bros may just be playable on the iphone
Daft because they will only stick the first time you use them. Stickyness is lost over time. useless.
That's actually kinda cool. I mean, it has relatively little use on a dedicated gaming device, but I can see it selling well for smartphones and tablets.
@Hunter-D I saw them at 5:48 A.M. where I live
Well, a lot of mobile gaming devices could use these, there just have to be some games that support them... And I think it could be useful in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for 3DS, but that is probably the only game. I'm actually planning on getting a Circle Pad Pro XL, but I think I'll pass on these "anywhere buttons" until they would work on my iPhone. Apple could bring that idea to iPad (and maybe iPhone too) and if done correctly, kill all other handheld consoles. Don't get me wrong, I don't hope that happens.
As some others have said clearly this doesn't work on a 3ds. However gaming on a tablet will be good.
this would work great for the 2ds as it is not foldable. I have been using circlepad pro but don't see much benefit for it while playing monster hunter. Thought it worked well for RE revelations but is kinda redundant on monster hunter as you can use the L button to center the camera a la zelda.
I'm reading a lot of criticism, but it's actually not bad. If it works and games support it, I might use it for FPSs and the like.
Wait...wut
Maybe it can go good with the OG Sonic games on my iPhone but still...wut.
If these things made The Chaos Engine and Alien Breed playable, on my tablet then count me in!
@ThreadShadow I agree. I probably already look silly playing my 3DS out in public... A 34 year old guy playing on a childs video game system. So why not add a fake d-pad on the touch screen?
Did Nintendo not have something equally stupid for playing Mario 64 on the DS using the touchscreen ?
@Macarony64 original DS's thumbstrap was great for Mario 64 and Metroid Hunters - I preferred that to the current circle pad because the thumbstrap control seemed more accurate and less sticky than the 3DS's circle pad...
If you really want buttons with your phone games, you're better off with:
A PhoneJoy:
or a MOGA Hero:
@Sforzando Of course you did, stay were you are, men in white coats will come to collect you...
What you 'envisioned' sounds more like a JXD Android handheld, because neither the Wii U nor it's controller is meant to be a tablet and from a technical aspect it doesn't classify as such either.
@SirQuincealot You might have had a point, but for the following: that criticism and dismissal may have something to do with the fact that it's being marketed as a solution for 3DS, and this is of course a Nintendo news site, so I don't think that 'people that prefer to game on there phones' are the target or are to be found reading a 3DS article. (or at least not people that ONLY play on their phone) So ACTUALLY, this article or the comments aren't truly dismissing them, they're just not relevant in the point of view of this article. The fact that comments are bringing smart phones into the mix is something entirely different (not a bad thing, mind you) and is of course up to every individual. Heck, next thing you know someone adds a contraption to stick it on the dashboard of your car and connect all the sticks, then you can game with one hand while driving or standing in a traffic jam...
@element187 I hope you were being sarcastic, otherwise I think you might need to have another mind set. I'm 43 and feel decidedly masculine when kicking the poopiedoodoodoggiepoops out of the CPU on any game on my black 3DS XL, a handheld for grown ups... (I'll be damned if I'll let some kid play on it, WAY too valuable to risk getting it damaged)
@Koto I knew about the Moga through a review that Rich from ReviewTechUSA did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbemqD8KV2s but I haven't seen the other one you posted. Is that also compatible with a Samsung Galaxy SIII?
@TheRealThanos
Well about the MOGA first, Rich reviewed the older MOGA Pro. You might want to look into this new one, which is part of the new MOGA Power Series that can charge your phone as you play.
As for the PhoneJoy that you're asking about, yes it'll be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3. It'll be able to hold any phone up to the Galaxy Note 3 in its slider and will be compatible with any Android device running Android 4.0 or higher. As for release, it's a Kickstarter project that was supposed to release in late Spring, but was delayed due to problems with the bluetooth module manufacturer they were using. Now they're gunning for a mid-Autumn release, perhaps Late-October or sometime in November.
@Koto Okay, good to know. Although not having seen any review my first choice would be the Moga because It seems the other option will add quite a bit of width to my smart phone, but of course I could be wrong so I'll look into it first and then decide. (or just go with connecting a regular controller... )
@TheRealThanos
With the two controllers I've recommended, I would honestly say that the new MOGA would be a much better value. However, if you ignore L3/R3 and the phone charging capabilities of the new MOGAs, it mostly comes down to how you would like to view your screen when gaming (if that makes any sense). If you enjoy gaming on a GBA SP or a DS/3DS, the MOGA would be a great choice. If you enjoy gaming on an original GBA, PSP, or Vita, the PhoneJoy would be for you.
And, I'm not sure if you've looked into the PhoneJoy, but I don't think you'd have to worry too much about the controller being too big or anything. When in use, depending on your phone size, I don't think it would feel that much wider than a Vita or a Wii U GamePad. But yes, it'll be best to see as much of as possible before deciding.
@Koto
Yes it does, makes perfect sense. As far as how I enjoy my gaming is concerned: both examples you gave are to my liking (after all, I have all Nintendo handhelds) so that won't make my choice any easier.
But thanks for the feedback. Moga was already on my list because of the review I posted, but I will definitely look into the PhoneJoy as well.
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