HD Rumble was one of the features that Nintendo dedicated the most time to at the Switch event last month. That’s certainly understandable as it is a property that is very hard to describe in a few words. However, one indie developer may have hit the nail on the head by describing it as providing a ‘6th sense’. In an interview with Polygon, the developer of the game Tumbleseed talked about how they were incorporating the feature into their upcoming Switch port. This is certainly high praise of HD Rumble, suggesting its use can actually have a gameplay benefit. Check out the full quote below.
It’s still in development, but essentially it allows you to feel where the seed is on the screen (left or right) and how fast you’re rolling. if you’re rolling fast at all in our game, you’re usually outta control so it sorta provides a 6th sense that allows you to feel your inertia. we have some other stuff we’re experimenting with as well, but nothing worth mentioning right now as it might not make it into the final version.
Can’t wait to feel it. This kinda feels like motion controls were on the wii, a try-to-believe type ov experience.
So Bruce Willis was dead the whole time?
This is exactly the kind of thing I felt it could be used for – I feel people were limiting their imagination of this feature to ice cubes in a glass when actually it can be used to provide some serious practical information to the player.
Reminds me of the Xbox One’s impulse triggers. Probably pointless in a lot of games, but extremely useful for the games that use it to its potential.
Tired of see some people getting excited for such a minor feature. I rather be excited with a beefy system, or even better, with a promising lineup of games and with a regular, ordinary, normal control scheme.
*seeing
But why would anyone be excited about that? If you want that, you can go and get it exactly today. Just go and buy a high-end PC.
I would be excited in seeing most of big 3rd party games hitting the Switch, and having the pro controller + a game both bundled with the system.
If you don’t think that would be awesome, oh well.
I’m interested in feeling HD rumble for myself and what it can do. I feel like it’s the only reason to have 1-2-Switch at all (unless Bomberman uses it which I don’t think it will… UNLESS it helps you determine how far away the epicenter of an explosion was from you if someone’s trying to be sneaky with their bombs).
4 more weeks.
i dont need a dev to tell me it has a gameplay benefit just like i dont need to be told gyro mouse DESTROYS ANALOG STICK…the switch is lightyears ahead of the 90s concept ps and xbox
aiming with a stick vs a gyro mouse and all the other great forward thinking stuff needs to be embraced by games developers
bashing triangle on a dualshock IS SO 1996…………
hd rumble can help with directions of incoming attacks and enemys comming towards you it can mimmick theloading and firing of weapons cue’s every last trhing going on in game could be FELT not just seen and heard
notice the big AAA industry isnt saying shit yet the indies are loving it…
INDUSTRY SCARED INDUSTRY BACKWARDS INDUSTRY STILL MAKING GAMES TO A PS1 CONCEPT
DISGUSTING
I’m very curious to see how this tech will be used to convey unexpected kinds of information to the player two years from now when the games developers are just now being inspired to make begin to come out. Make full use of the tech from game conception, and with the benefit of having seen what works and what doesn’t in the early games to build upon.
Contextual things, like being able to ‘Feel’ that you are being hit in your right or left shoulder, side or leg in a combat game (swords or bullets), or feeling the charge level on an item without needing to look at a meter may just be the beginning.
Combined with motion control (I know it is popular to make fun of it, but I believe it’s full potential and value has not yet been realized, as seen when used with VR), inceredibly innovative things could be done with it.
Imagine your game character blindly sticking a knife, rod or tool/probe of some kind into a dark hole and digging around for something. With no visual stimulus whatsoever, you could feel if an object was contacting the top, center or bottom of your probe by just wiggling it around and you could dig out treasure, perform blind surgery, or pick locks, based entirely on Feel alone.
And big concept ideas that make catchy headlines are only part of it. Menu and UI navigation could be made faster and more intuitive by adding subtle but specific stimulus to certain actions, allowing you to ‘feel’ what you are doing without taking your eyes off the action.
Or just subtle immersion, like a downward cascade when walking under a waterfall, or feeling the water level slowly rising as you are escaping a flooding room.
What is MOST exciting to imagine is the kinds of things I CAN’T think of … but some unexpected indie game developer Will.
– – –
I have no doubt that HD Rumble will be abused for poorly implemented, gimmicky garbage as well. That’s just going to happen. But with the feature standard from the get-go, in every Joycon and even the Pro Controller, I am very curious to see how it is used.
In wide handed, docked configuration … Rigid Joycon Grip and Pro-Controller configurations … and combined with motion control in free-hand dual-joycon mode … this could turn out to be Very interesting.
But, but… touch is one of the five senses so it is really an enhancement of the third sense used in gaming. The sixth sense, only few players add that and there is no accessory needed.
I dont mind that fun inside but after 3 or 4 years will it still be used to thrive?
The stuff on the gamepad hasnt seen its full thrive ,since Nintendo Land arrived.
I wonder how many dissed regular rumble back in the day. I’m willing to bet a lot did. *shrug* Whatever. Like regular rumble, I’m expecting HD Rumble to be just as big one day.