Board 8 > What do you think about using gyro controls for aiming in console games?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's been made painfully clear in the past years that a lot of people hate gyro/motion controls being used to aim, specifically with Nintendo games. Everybody complains when Zelda does it, people wanted stick-aiming for Splatoon, and ravaged Star Fox Zero for having it. I always found this kind of weird, since I've never minded gyro controls, so I didn't get why people hated it so much, particularly compared to stick-aiming, which I think is far more inaccurate (yet people seem to prefer, at least outside of using a mouse). That said, I did find them somewhat uncomfortable in different ways:

- Note that I'm not referring to the Wii's motion controls, since that used sensors, but I might as well include it since people lump it together. I did find them difficult to use, mostly because trying to line the controller to the sensor just right took too much effort to be used as seamless aiming. I also didn't like having to hold the controller up to face it, and of course if something blocked it for a second your aim would be thrown off.

- The Wii U's gyro controls were better, notably when it came to Splatoon, although I did find the controller too heavy to hold up for extended periods of time. And while I like games that used the two screens well, trying to look at it and aim at the same time wasn't great because you'd have to hold it just right to do both well, which again wasn't helped by the weight of the controller.

- 3DS aiming is sort of the same thing. Since you're always looking at the controller, you have to hold it a certain way to aim well and see what you're doing. I usually look down at my portables, so it always meant adjusting.

However something changed recently with the Switch. The Switch controller uses gyro controls, but it's lighter and doesn't have a screen, and I think it's PERFECT. Aiming the bow and arrow in Breath of the Wild is ridiculously easy and responsive. When it comes to getting precise aiming and aiming well while moving and dodging enemy attacks it never lets me down. I also played some of the Splatoon 2 demo with the Pro Controller, and again, it's perfect for aiming in intense firefights. I have so much better control over my aiming than I ever did in games using the right stick. I feel like gyro controls are the perfect way to aim shots on consoles, which is a shame because I doubt the Switch will get many shooters, especially compared to Playstation/Xbox

Because of this, I didn't just want to get people's opinion about them in general, I wanted to know what their answer was specifically about these two questions:

1) Have you played using gyro controls using the Switch controller*/Pro controller? (*specifically the controller with handles, not Joy-Cons separately, or attached to the screen. I actually haven't done this yet to compare.)

2) Do you believe that aiming with sticks is better for console games than gyro controls? If so, why?

I think a lot of people were burned by motion controls for some of the same reasons I listed above, but I feel the Switch controller solves them and makes them the best way to aim on consoles. But still I hear people complain about them in Breath of the Wild, so I dunno. It confuses me. I thi

Worst thing ever. Can't stand it.

To actually answer your questions, my only experience with them are the 3DS Zelda remakes. But they're f***ing obnoxious and near impossible to use there, and I can't visualize them being more comfortable than traditional controls in any situation.

get that casual revolution of 2007 s*** out of here
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i really like it for aiming the bow and arrow in Zelda on the switch

I can't stand it for those trials where you use the gyro controls to control contraptions, though
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i've been doing it since like the genesis anyway now it just actually does stuff
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It's way way superior to stick aiming. Like completely different leagues. Haven't tried the Switch though and I'm mostly going off the Wii here (which as you said isn't quite the same).
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It's hard to get right. Splatoon definitely does, and it's a transformative change when the controls finally click. The Steam controller supports gyro as well and if you can get the config just right there's nothing like it.
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Regaro posted...

Worst thing ever. Can't stand it.

Could you elaborate? And answer the questions? I know a lot of people don't like them, and I want to know why.

It feels like such a knee jerk reaction with most people. The moment motion controls are mentioned they start frothing about gimmicks and stuff. So I really want to know what people think about aiming with the Switch controller. I find it really hard to see how people can prefer stick aiming to that.
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I never use any kind of motion or gyro stuff unless forced to. Aiming is good enough with analogs that we don't really need to move controllers around or anything.

Bridgecar posted...

I can't stand it for those trials where you use the gyro controls to control contraptions, though

I've only found two - the infamous maze, and then some hammer contraption. I thought the maze was terrible because the perspective was off and it was difficult to gauge movement. The hammer was fine, but you were just flicking the controller more or less. No need for precision. How many are there, and is there any variance in types/quality of implementation?
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depends on the game and the environment.
a game like wii sports, great
the random things i am finding in botw, great

the only control method for something that needs to be very precise very fast? nah
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Some people were assigned to play Splatoon with the motion controls.

Thank god I wasn't.
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I liked the way they used it in Until Dawn where you had to *not* move the controller or be killed
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The wii remote felt more accurate than the joycons do

DeathChicken posted...

I liked the way they used it in Until Dawn where you had to *not* move the controller or be killed

yeah this was so good

and icon - those are the ones I found, but if you did anything beyond flicking the hammer (ie tried to wind up a power shot) it immediately goes to hell
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This poll assumes that being able to use them and liking them are the same thing.
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Also, one important thing I forgot to mention is how the games I listed use gyro controls and using the right stick to swing the camera, which I feel is really important. In games where you only use the right stick, you have to use it to move your aim left and right to track targets and see around you quickly, but also move it around to aim at specific points and get headshots or target other areas you need. I find this ridiculously difficult. Trying to move the stick in a way so that you can do both well is really hard, and finding the sensitivity that will let you swing the camera around fast enough, but also let you have precision aiming when you need to focus on a specific area is a nightmare. I don't know how anyone manages to do it well. Mixing gyro controls with using the right stick to swing the camera is so much easier.


swordz9 posted...

I never use any kind of motion or gyro stuff unless forced to. Aiming is good enough with analogs that we don't really need to move controllers around or anything.

And I would really like to know what you think about the above. It seems so much easier for me when the controls for moving the camera left and right and aiming are separate.

Regaro posted...

To actually answer your questions, my only experience with them are the 3DS Zelda remakes. But they're f***ing obnoxious and near impossible to use there, and I can't visualize them being more comfortable than traditional controls in any situation.

Well, like I said I always found trying to aim while moving around the screen you're looking at to be uncomfortable. I think it's a much different experience aiming with the Switch controller while looking at a TV.
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I don't mind them, they're just okay

I've enjoyed their implementation in Breath of the Wild when using the Switch pro controller
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While I can use gyro controls decently, I've always felt it'seems way too easy to overshoot as well as get disorienting at times. So while it may be more precise, you get a lot of risk with it too. So I usually just stick to normal controls
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AdmiralZephyr posted...

This poll assumes that being able to use them and liking them are the same thing.

Eh, I thought about splitting it up into a series of different options based on what people preferred and what they've experienced, but it felt like too many. I just wanted a general sample, and was far more interested in how people answered the questions.
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My opinion is somewhere between "They're fantastic" and "I don't mind them".

But I voted for fantastic.

I do not have good motor control skills and I'm still pretty good at them, honestly.

The only reasons I can see why any abled person would dislike them are...

1. Their controllers are badly calibrated
2. They're impatient as f***

Mostly the latter, I'm thinking.
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As implemented as "extra precision" they're the best thing ever. By which I mean, on the grand scale you aim with the stick still, but for tiny precise adjustments you slightly twist your controller (Splatoon, Zelda). I really don't see any way to have issues with it, for the most part it's the same but with the extra boost.

Although full-on motion control is great too when a game's designed around it, ie Metroid Prime 3... but that I understand people just wanting the scheme they're more experienced with. As someone that always found standard dual-analog inferior to kb/m to begin with though I'm not exactly attached to the setup.
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Bump.

I want to hear more people's opinions on gyro vs. stick aiming. To me that's one of the biggest things that interests me about this. I've never been able to use stick controls with precision, so while I can understand how people would have trouble aiming with gyro controls, it really baffles me that so many people not only don't like them, but prefer stick controls in comparison, when I picked up motion controls so much more easily.
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I'm a fan of it. I was never into the games where I had to aim precisely, so I've always appreciated assist mechanisms. The gyro controls feel a lot more natural to me. I liked it a lot when I played Wind Waker on Wii U. I haven't used gyro controls on the Switch yet, so I'm not sure about that but I imagine I will also like that. *shrug* It works really well for me, but I can totally understand it not being great for others.
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I dislike any kind of motion controls because I don't like moving my controller around to do stuff.

That and I've been using sticks for years so to change it without any real benefit is kind of a drag.
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Steiner posted...

i've been doing it since like the genesis anyway now it just actually does stuff

My man
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Hate.
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I don't mind them that much, I just don't have a lot of practice with it so I prefer stick aiming. I like being able to move my controller around without it messing up aiming.

But for Wii U in particular the gyro is garbage so it's pretty bad. I imagine the Switch would be way better.
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Yes they deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell
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