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PlayStation 4 is Sony's fourth home video game console, due out holiday 2013.

The Touch Pad

#1 Posted by Faltru (91 posts) - 3 months, 28 days ago

What do you guys think of the touch pad on the controller?

I assume that it will mostly just be used for menu navigation and things like that, for which it seems useful. I have heard some people expressing concern about it being used in gameplay though.

Any thoughts?

#2 Posted by DaMisterChief (657 posts) - 3 months, 28 days ago

EYE Pad

#3 Posted by sodapop7 (116 posts) - 3 months, 28 days ago

Until I hold it I can't say too much but at this point I'm not sure about the design. It seems like it would be a pain to try and hit the middle of the touch pad and so if it's just used for menu navigation that won't be too bad but using it for gameplay could be a problem. Though if its only for menu navigation what's wrong with the sticks we've already got?

#4 Posted by Faltru (91 posts) - 3 months, 28 days ago

I can see it being slightly better for menu navigation, but who knows. If it can be pressed down like the trackpad on a laptop that could be useful.

#5 Posted by NekuSakuraba (6939 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

It will probably be for mini-games and similar things like that, right? I can't see it being that much of a big feature, sort of like how sixaxis turned out.

I'm just glad that there is rumble this time around, haha.

#6 Posted by Angouri (117 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

maybe as a mouse in the built-in browser? or for gestures for an angry birds type game?

It feels kinda useless. like the backtouch on the Vita: I feel like they could have shaved a few bucks and not put that stuff in there.

#7 Posted by Tajasaurus (165 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

I didn't even think about it being used in gameplay. I just thought it would constantly display the Playstation menu for quick navigation between games and apps and powering down the system or whatever.

#8 Posted by Zajtalan (1140 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

dualshock 3 had rumble, but forreal even if it's just for menu's it should be cool, quick and easy lol

#9 Posted by Reisz (727 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

The options button on the right side is supposedly used to replace start and select so the pad should have more use than just menu navigation, I find it interesting that it wraps over the top of the controller, I don't know if that's significant at all.

Could be a whole new system menu we don't know about yet, like a HUD element that can pop up during gameplay but doesn't take away control from the game. Maybe you hit share, a little window pops up, you swipe through some options tap on record and away you go. Either way the rest of the features seem very purposeful and focused, so I can't imagine it's just tacked on.

#10 Posted by Ghostiet (4822 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

I'm thinking of that touch pad as a context-sensitive button you can program or is programmed by the game itself, Optimus Maximus-style.

#11 Posted by Zaccheus (1432 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago
#12 Posted by Ghostiet (4822 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago
#13 Posted by Kerned (1131 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

I'm not interested in the touch pad at all. It would be fine if it were only being used for menu navigation, etc, but you just know Sony is encouraging developers to shoehorn it into all sorts of places where it doesn't fit. For reference, see the majority of Vita launch games.

#14 Posted by jgf (205 posts) - 3 months, 27 days ago

How about web browsing, menu navigation and pinch-to-zoom in-game map control. Sounds good to me.

#15 Posted by LiquidPrince (14745 posts) - 3 months, 25 days ago

I'm having a hard time thinking of what it would be used for. Hopefully it's actually useful.

#16 Posted by selbie (1687 posts) - 3 months, 25 days ago

@jgf said:

How about web browsing, menu navigation and pinch-to-zoom in-game map control. Sounds good to me.

This. It will add another layer of depth to control in games and could potentially allow for more mouse-oriented games like RTSs to be brought across to the system.

#17 Posted by PerryVandell (2093 posts) - 3 months, 25 days ago

The controller itself looks fine, but the touchpad is giving me sixaxis flashbacks/nightmares. I'm curious what the degree of sensitivity will be.

#18 Posted by EVO (3575 posts) - 3 months, 25 days ago

@sodapop7 said:

It seems like it would be a pain to try and hit the middle of the touch pad and so if it's just used for menu navigation that won't be too bad but using it for gameplay could be a problem.

Next time you're holding a Dualshock swipe the middle as if it were a touch pad. Feels pretty natural.

#19 Posted by Platina32 (30 posts) - 3 months, 25 days ago

@evo said:

@sodapop7 said:

It seems like it would be a pain to try and hit the middle of the touch pad and so if it's just used for menu navigation that won't be too bad but using it for gameplay could be a problem.

Next time you're holding a Dualshock swipe the middle as if it were a touch pad. Feels pretty natural.

Though the DS4 seems wider, so I don't know whether the feel will be the same. And this actually worries me, because I like the feel of the DS3.

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