D-pad or stick?

[Nifton]

Hi guys,

Always been a fan of WipEout but never owned a console till I got a PSP last month, i have to say that this version kicks arse!

My question, Which control method do you prefer and why?

I find that the stick lets you turn harder but its more difficult to be precise, esp on barrel rolls. So i tend to use the pad, apart from citia nuova (spelling??)

Tom

[username]

spelling: citta nova (i think)
and i always use the little analogue stick for everything on wipeout pure. i dont know why but it is way easier than the buttons (imo)

btw: welcome to the fourums tom :)

[Asayyeah]

wellcome to the forum nifton : enjoy here

After broken my nub few months ago, i use Dpad now ( btw i broke it too on last monday , lol ) without any kind of problem if i can say that without laughing as hell : i rather prefer it for doing Barrel rolls.

[username]

what happend when you broke your little analogue stick? did you have to send it off to be repaird or something?

[kowareta|vojeet]

I play Wipeout Pure for 3 days and I'm using the D-Pad.
The stick (what was the name for?) is a little bit too slow for the Barrel rolls or something like that.

[Asayyeah]

@ username : for my broken stick or nub and then few months later with my Dpad , i get it to the game shop i purchased it and the retailer gave me a 2nd hand's one waiting for my psp been repaired or exchanged by Sony Japan ( 1 first time with the nub they gave me a brand new one , and 2ndly i don't know for the broken Dpad if they can reapair it or not ).

[username]

a brocken d-pad sounds fixable to me, all i think that you should have to do is remove the front panel and replace the plastic button cover. but i wouldnt try it yourself ;)

[Sausehuhn]

if just the cover is broken that's no problem. Just pull it out. Done that a few times for cleaning my PSP :)

[username]

how do you do that max? i think mine could do with a nice clean. *i wonder how many pieces of fluff i can find???*

[Nifton]

Yea, i like the sharpness of the stick but keep making silly errors, pushin forward while turning so not getting it as sharp, practice i guess.

PS Did you know that if you've got an old analouge PSX/2 controller you can modify the the thumb stick to fit on the psp? the slot it mounts on is the same, you just need to file off the 'shoulder' on the PS2 stick. alot easy to get to if you have shovell hands like mine.

[Lion]

can you post a link to a guide to that? I'm curious to see it, I find the slidy nature of the psp nub makes it unusable for me, so if a tilty analogue stick can be fitted I might be able to use it

[Nifton]

It still doesn't tilt though :( just makes it alot easier to handle, can actualy hold the nub and use the shoulder without danger of firing th PSP across the room. I'll try n find the guide.

edit by Lance: redundant quote eliminated. please read the guidelines

[Lance]

.
wasn't the replacement of the nub by a PS stick covered in Asayyeah's thread about his broken PSP?
.

[Asayyeah]

if it's clearly that , i warn people of doing such a thing . if you change the nub by a heaviest stick you wil damage for sure very quickly the weaky mecanism which move it.

[lunar]

Here`s a new fact Assayeah and I have discovered about the dpad or nub issue: with the dpad it`s possible to trigger a Barrel Roll while Autopilot is engaged (let`s call it AP-BR), in the normal way. With the the nub you cannot trigger a barrel roll while AP is engaged. Advantage dpad users there.

I tested this on Chenghou, Modesto and Altima. On Chenghou the nub did seem to do an AP-BR a couple of times off the big drop, just in the last moment before the ship hit the ground, after I had been waggling the nub frantically all the way down the drop, but I believe this was the AP doing this and my commands were not doing anything. The AP certainly does do BRs by itself so I think this explains it. I have tested it enough to be satisfied I`m right - with the dpad the BR is instant, with the nub it won`t work no matter what you do as far as I can tell.

[eLhabib]

wow, now that's interesting! that would make the last hairpin on CN a LOT faster with AP!

[Asayyeah]

great find stephen, i remembered when i use the nub in the past be able to BR instantly when an AP is engaged for instance on seb climb that's all i have in memory.

El : avoiding the last chicane on CN by an AP is something which is working great with dpad yesterday i smashed my SR race with Lunar from 2.52 to 2.41.68. But there's a similar result with a turbo at the same place : BR into the air avoiding chicane and whooooshhhh you fly like wind

[voice of]

d pad all the way!

[DragonWolf]

I prefer racing with the analog but I find I can't barrol roll as easily with it as I do with the d-pad.

[Mark Of Insanity]

Nub is smoother but I'm always afraid it'll fall off like Ben's!

[RJ O'Connell]

I started using the stick, but recently switched to D-Pad due to familiarity.

[andy]

Ive used the dpad for every wipeout game before pure so it was only natural when I got it to use the dpad. =)

[Rapier Racer]

When it comes to Wipeout on PSP it has to be the d-pad for me, the stick is too unresponsive and uncomfortable to use, its the sole reason why I won't play GTA on PSP I hate that stupid little stick

[Dr. Angryman]

Am I the only one that uses the stick?! Why? WHY?! WHY MUST I BE SO UNPOPULAR?!

....

Well, I guess being a weird WipEout fan is better than not being a WipEout fan at all! :beer

[RJ O'Connell]

The main reason:

The only two games that the Stick is really good at are percieved as the two weakest installments. (5 dollars if you can guess which ones they are.)

[Dr. Angryman]

WipEout Fusion and WipEout 64?

[RJ O'Connell]

Ding!

(though, Wipeout 64 wasn't terrible - it at least introduced single-system multiplayer. And Fusion gave us Zone mode and many examples of how not to make a Wipeout game.)

Anyway...

[Dr. Angryman]

I expect payment in cash... Just kidding! :beer

[MAMUTH]

well since I'm unable to use d-pad correctly (read unable to make barell roll) my only option is analog...and unlike most of you it seems more comfortable to me than d-pad

[Frances_Penfold]

When it comes to Wipeout on PSP it has to be the d-pad for me, the stick is too unresponsive and uncomfortable to use, its the sole reason why I won't play GTA on PSP I hate that stupid little stick

Me too.

For me, it's not so much the nub per se as it's placement so far down in the lower corner of the PSP... it's just not as ergonomic for my hands!

[phl0w]

Also I have the feeling, that the stick is very unresponsive and thus e.g. on Phantom has to be tilted to its full extent anyways, rendering its existence as an analogue input method meaningless. Although I've never touched the digital controls for WO, 2097, 3, and Fusion but relied on my neGcon, I prefer the d-pad much over the nub. How one can control the game with the damn thing is beyond me.

In fact, is there a single Top 5 time in the tables that was achieved flying with the stick?

[lunar]

Yes, there are many. :D

[phl0w]

...on Phantom, I may add.

[lunar]

Yes, Phantom too. I have set many top 5 Phantom times with the nub, so I know this to be true. I think it`s unlikely I`m the only one, but we`re not likely to ever know either.

[Frances_Penfold]

Maybe the time trial page for Pulse should have an option for pilots to indicate if they are a "pad man" or a "nubbin' man." :)

Then we can determine which approach works for the most people.

[MarcoM]

After using the nub for half a year, I now use the D-pad. I think the D-pad is better for WO Pulse. At least it is for me.

[Mad-Ice]

I am just a Mad-Pad-Man!!

[lunar]

I think us nub-heads are definitely outnumbered, and in your case outgunned too. Looking at your latest Karbo Pure times - you are definitely the Mad, Bad, Pad Man from Amsterdam. Wow. Great job. That other famous d-padder from Le Havre ain`t going to like it though. :sonar

[Lance]

Yes, Phantom too. I have set many top 5 Phantom times with the nub, so I know this to be true. I think it`s unlikely I`m the only one, but we`re not likely to ever know either.

We can do it the same way we indicate a neG or a D-pad by altering the text of our nickname.

[mclarensmps]

This is an interesting topic, because it came up during both of my toronto wipeout gatherings, i seemed to be the only one who played the game with the nub, as i just can't get around to using the d-pad efficiently. I'm so used to using the nub that I am accustomed to it's sensitivity (or lack of), and have already horked one nub through aggressive play! It's an easy fix though if you have replacements around (which i did, since i have 2 psp's one broken, one good).

It just has a more natural feel to me, using the nub (i find the position of the nub more accessible than the position of the D-pad interestingly enough), and using the inside ship cam.

[phl0w]

Well, I got Gradius Collection in a sales bin the other day and playing it non-stop. Awesome port. Gradius III and IV are a shmuper's heaven. Let alone Gaiden. Can't believe I'm typing right now instead of playing the game. Ah well, back on topic. What I wanted to say was, that the PSP's d-pad is unusable for Fighters or Shoot 'em up, so I use the nub for Gradius, which is extremely sensitive and needs precise movements. I fired up Pure for a change and without thinking raced with the nub. I guess I got accustomed because I didn't notice it for quite a while. Will give it a try, if I can crush some of my better times without trying too much, I will accept the nub's reign. ^^

[Mad-Ice]

I think us nub-heads are definitely outnumbered, and in your case outgunned too. Looking at your latest Karbo Pure times - you are definitely the Mad, Bad, Pad Man from Amsterdam. Wow. Great job. That other famous d-padder from Le Havre ain`t going to like it though. :sonar

Thanks for the compliment Lunar!! Actually I am from Heerhugowaard, it is nearby Amsterdam. But the funny thing is: if you pronounce Heerhugowaard with an English accent it will be The Mad, Bad, Pad Man from Hereyougoweird!!

And to bug the famous d-padder from Le Havre is my duty!! ;)

[q_dmc12]

Hereyougoweird

well that explains alot:p

[Flashback Jack]

well, i got gradius collection in a sales bin the other day and playing it non-stop. awesome port. gradius iii and iv are a shmuper's heaven.

Hells yes. If you're particularly otaku, I also recommend Salamander Portable (otherwise known as "Life Force" in the Americas). Japanese-specific title though, but very much worth importing. Life Force and Gradius are virtually identical in their presentatio -- shoot enemy, power up, gain options, lasers, etc.

- F

[phl0w]

OT: Well, I usually prefer tate shmups. Gradius is pretty much the only hori shooter I would play.

Unfortunately, Gradius and Ridge Racer2 keep me a little occupied at the moment (both played with the nub), so I don't get to try out my new l33t nub 5k177z in Pure :rock

[Medusa]

I got asked this in another thread...so - I use the dpad on the PSP, otherwise negcons all the way.
(I should mention all my NTSC WO3 times were made with the analog stick as I didn't have a neggie at that time.)

[zargz]

I'm sure I will use the D-pad whenever i get my psp in the mailbox! 8)

[Mark Of Insanity]

Does anyone else feel that the surface of the nub is uncomfortable? It's like turning with a mini-speaker. Or something of that sort.

[Dr. Angryman]

Does anyone else feel that the surface of the nub is uncomfortable?

No.... It grips well....

[q_dmc12]

I have to agree with the angryman, but I don't use the nub with wipeout:p

[Xan17]

I use the Analog stick for Wipeout. I tried to use the D-Pad but it felt awkward and it was too slow. =/