Why did the GBA lack two buttons?

[Creamu]

But why is the controller branded Super nintendo when you zoom in on the photo?

Because they wanted to use this branding in the early developmental stage.

 

[Shadow#1]

Because they wanted to use this branding in the early developmental stage.

Show real hardware prototype a photo does not make hardware

 

[Creamu]

Show real hardware prototype a photo does not make hardware

Come to brazil I will show you

 

[Shadow#1]

Come to brazil I will show you

Sure pay for my round trip ticket and I'll be right over

 

[Creamu]

Sure pay for my round trip ticket and I'll be right over

Okay

 

[hippy dave]

^ I sense romance brewing

 

[AkikoKumagara]

But the DS had four and was backwards compatible as well.

The DS was a new family of Systems, not carrying the Game Boy branding people had familiarized themselves with. This is probably what encouraged them to take a lot of risks and add a lot of features they probably thought of years before actualizing them.
Examples: Microphone, touch screen, stereo speakers.

The GBA was safe, the NDS was a gamble where they could throw everything at it and see if it stuck.
The plan for Nintendo, to my knowledge, was to continue the Game Boy family of consoles if the NDS failed.

 

[Creamu]

The DS was a new family of Systems, not carrying the Game Boy branding people had familiarized themselves with. This is probably what encouraged them to take a lot of risks and add a lot of features they probably thought of years before actualizing them.
Examples: Microphone, touch screen, stereo speakers.

The GBA was safe, the NDS was a gamble where they could throw everything at it and see if it stuck.
The plan for Nintendo, to my knowledge, was to continue the Game Boy family of consoles if the NDS failed.

I like your explaination, but am still grumpy because they botched the GBA like this. I would like the gameboy brand to be still around. Bring it back! I don't need no ray tracing, simple graphics and good design (4 facebuttons) is all I need.

 

[Shadow#1]

I like your explaination, but am still grumpy because they botched the GBA like this. I would like the gameboy brand to be still around. Bring it back! I don't need no ray tracing, simple graphics and good design (4 facebuttons) is all I need.

Examples of how it was "botched" ? (Saying 4 face buttons isn't the answer)

 

[Creamu]

Examples of how it was "botched" ? (Saying 4 face buttons isn't the answer)

2 face buttons

 

[Shadow#1]

2 face buttons

So not botched because it does have 2 face buttons

 

[Deleted member 323844]

I'd say it was just because GBA was designed around 1996-97, I think. It had a gigantic delay because of Pokemon, that boosted the GB/GBC sales massively, and probably because of the battery/screen.

 

[Creamu]

So not botched because it does have 2 face buttons

It is botched.

 

[Shadow#1]

It is botched.

How?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I will say, the GBA's button layout is more comfortable than the DS line. In order to fit more buttons, they had to make them smaller, and you have to use the very tip of your thumb to press B/A or you'll press X/Y too. The SNES controller has nice big buttons, which is good for my big hands, and there just isn't room for that on a handheld with more than 2 buttons.

What abour collin mcrae 2

They should have made them turbo buttons

But they did port so many snes games

They made a mistake. 2 buttons is the reason Iridion 2 didnt get barrelrolling

Most SNES games didn't even need 4 buttons as A was rarely used and X even less so. Most games you were fine with just Y and B. There are some genres/types of games which benefited from more buttons, but in general they hadn't really figured out how to utilize more buttons well yet.

 

[Creamu]

I will say, the GBA's button layout is more comfortable than the DS line. In order to fit more buttons, they had to make them smaller, and you have to use the very tip of your thumb to press B/A or you'll press X/Y too. The SNES controller has nice big buttons, which is good for my big hands, and there just isn't room for that on a handheld with more than 2 buttons.

Most SNES games didn't even need 4 buttons as A was rarely used and X even less so. Most games you were fine with just Y and B. There are some genres/types of games which benefited from more buttons, but in general they hadn't really figured out how to utilize more buttons well yet.

Okay, you have convinced me. 2 facebuttons is enough.

 

[jdsteel7]

IMO 4 face buttons for those retro games is must useful for emulation and things like auto fire and turbo. Or in the case with the Analogue Pocket, mapping two of the 4 face buttons to L and R

 

[Creamu]

OK got prototypes that has 4 buttons?

 

[hippy dave]

Yeah that's definitely a legit Nintendo prototype from back in the day, you can tell for sure by the micro SD slot and the USB C port.

 

[Creamu]

Yeah that's definitely a legit Nintendo prototype from back in the day, you can tell for sure by the micro SD slot and the USB C port.

Yes back when they were innovators in the hardware game.