Post by nocturnal YL on Mar 31, 2023 23:00:03 GMT -5
Here, we'll be discussing a few examples of platform-specific software that's so essential, that you may as well consider yourself having never played on these systems if you've never touched them.
It doesn't even matter what is your taste and preference in games. You need these, end of story. Because we're talking about…
Wii U HOME Menu
Ah, the Wii U HOME Menu. The system hub that won't stop reminding you that you're on a system with two screens. You're greeted with this crowded plaza on the TV, and a glossy grid of installed software waiting to be launched. At a time when other OS vendors are moving away from such aesthetics, Nintendo is here to let you relieve all that 2006, Windows Vista-like glory all again.
People say it has a livelier shop. I'd say it also does a better job showing a more obvious DLC button, for those who don't care about the game's general info and only want to get DLC. It also allows for filtering for disc-based software, saving the hassle of having to rely on Wikipedia of all things for such information.
System settings are to be done on the GamePad. I guess it's good in case the system's connection to the TV is not working.
Now that I think about it, I benefitted from the Wii U's unorthodox setup when I was in the UK. I didn't have an external HD monitor, and my HDMI-to-USB3 recorder was unreliable. The Wii U's setup means I could record gameplay video despite mostly using it like a handheld system.
Nintendo Switch HOME Menu
It's like Nintendo joined the modern world 5 years too late. At a time when other OS vendors realised that they went too far in the flat design trend, Nintendo Switch wholly embraced it.
I do like other aspects of this simple design, though. For one, it's a rare example of a modern console not forcing unwanted games and tools on the user. No more UI-cluttering built-in programs; if you have no games, you get an empty HOME Menu. Anything that absolutely needs to be there appear on the bottom row instead.
Other aspects I like relative to its contemporaries include the ability to remap buttons (added in an update) and not merely swap them like PS4 does, and the ability to change account region (though it's not done from the HOME Menu), again unlike with PlayStation. I do have DLC woes with the system, but that's a thing shared by all modern platforms that I know of besides Steam and Wii U.
And for complaints that it's bland, at least it has some illustrations at certain parts of the UI. I don't think it's that bad.
PlayStation 4 Home Menu
The main menu feels between a bit like the Switch menu in that icons appear in a single line, and ejecting game discs do not make the icons go away. The menu otherwise feels very busy, though. Also there's no way to remove some of the built-in apps.
Good: It allows for offline save data backup to USB storage. Also good: It lets the player pick between the Asian "○ Confirm × Cancel" and western "× Confirm ○ Cancel" button schemes. Both are features that aren't in PS5.
Bad: Navigating the PlayStation Store is a nightmare. There's no way to view a list of games from the same publisher. Actually, there isn't even a way to search for a game with criteria other than the game title, and the search results often don't match what I'm looking for.
Also, installing updates is a bit time-consuming. You have to reboot into the updater, then wait a few minutes for the update to apply.
Wii HOME Menu
I do not like the Wii HOME Menu. The channel title screens feature good animation, but otherwise? The date format is stuck to an unintuitive 12-hour format — what is 0 PM, really? I don't like having to raise my hand just to navigate the menu (there's Classic Controller support, but not GameCube, and I don't have a Classic Controller). I can't remove the News and Weather Channels or even put them in a trash folder. The whole thing screams "this is a casual toy and Nintendo doesn't care about traditional gamers", which I guess does describe Nintendo between 2006 and 2009.
Save data management is also absurd. Save data cannot be copied to the SD card if they use Nintendo WFC or is a Pokémon or Fire Emblem game. I get it, they have reasons for that (anti-cheating, prevent cloning Pokémon, and… prevent interrupt save abuse?), but that's not very reassuring at all. Actually, Nintendo didn't really offer any kind of satisfactory save data protection until Nintendo Switch Online.
Wii's lack of game updates also given us an interesting artefact of data repair programs, like the Skyward Sword Save Data Repair Channel.
Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu
This one also has menu items that cannot be removed. Actually, all game systems and phones I have with a software selection menus in this format have the same issue, except Nintendo Switch.
I do generally like this one better than the Wii menu. The 3D icons at the top screen are a better eye candy, and don't incur an extra button press like the Wii channels do.
The built-in games and tools aren't as useless as the ones in Wii and Wii U, and they're actually quite fun to play around with. Would still prefer if they don't have to occupy the main area of the menu though.
Also, themes are fun.
Nintendo GameCube system settings
The UI itself is fine, but like Wii, I don't like how certain save data cannot be copied. With GameCube, it's a bigger issue since Memory Cards are supposed to be replaceable. What if I run out of space and want to move from a Memory Card 59 to a Memory Card 1019?
Nintendo DS main menu
This one's perfect.
Neo Geo Pocket Color settings
And of course, there's the NGPC system setting screen that can be accessed when there's no game inserted. The Twitter account PocketHoroscope is dedicated to showing today's result of the horoscope feature.
April Fools!
Hey, I didn't say the essential software are games.
It doesn't even matter what is your taste and preference in games. You need these, end of story. Because we're talking about…
Wii U HOME Menu
Ah, the Wii U HOME Menu. The system hub that won't stop reminding you that you're on a system with two screens. You're greeted with this crowded plaza on the TV, and a glossy grid of installed software waiting to be launched. At a time when other OS vendors are moving away from such aesthetics, Nintendo is here to let you relieve all that 2006, Windows Vista-like glory all again.
People say it has a livelier shop. I'd say it also does a better job showing a more obvious DLC button, for those who don't care about the game's general info and only want to get DLC. It also allows for filtering for disc-based software, saving the hassle of having to rely on Wikipedia of all things for such information.
System settings are to be done on the GamePad. I guess it's good in case the system's connection to the TV is not working.
Now that I think about it, I benefitted from the Wii U's unorthodox setup when I was in the UK. I didn't have an external HD monitor, and my HDMI-to-USB3 recorder was unreliable. The Wii U's setup means I could record gameplay video despite mostly using it like a handheld system.
Nintendo Switch HOME Menu
It's like Nintendo joined the modern world 5 years too late. At a time when other OS vendors realised that they went too far in the flat design trend, Nintendo Switch wholly embraced it.
I do like other aspects of this simple design, though. For one, it's a rare example of a modern console not forcing unwanted games and tools on the user. No more UI-cluttering built-in programs; if you have no games, you get an empty HOME Menu. Anything that absolutely needs to be there appear on the bottom row instead.
Other aspects I like relative to its contemporaries include the ability to remap buttons (added in an update) and not merely swap them like PS4 does, and the ability to change account region (though it's not done from the HOME Menu), again unlike with PlayStation. I do have DLC woes with the system, but that's a thing shared by all modern platforms that I know of besides Steam and Wii U.
And for complaints that it's bland, at least it has some illustrations at certain parts of the UI. I don't think it's that bad.
PlayStation 4 Home Menu
The main menu feels between a bit like the Switch menu in that icons appear in a single line, and ejecting game discs do not make the icons go away. The menu otherwise feels very busy, though. Also there's no way to remove some of the built-in apps.
Good: It allows for offline save data backup to USB storage. Also good: It lets the player pick between the Asian "○ Confirm × Cancel" and western "× Confirm ○ Cancel" button schemes. Both are features that aren't in PS5.
Bad: Navigating the PlayStation Store is a nightmare. There's no way to view a list of games from the same publisher. Actually, there isn't even a way to search for a game with criteria other than the game title, and the search results often don't match what I'm looking for.
Also, installing updates is a bit time-consuming. You have to reboot into the updater, then wait a few minutes for the update to apply.
Wii HOME Menu
I do not like the Wii HOME Menu. The channel title screens feature good animation, but otherwise? The date format is stuck to an unintuitive 12-hour format — what is 0 PM, really? I don't like having to raise my hand just to navigate the menu (there's Classic Controller support, but not GameCube, and I don't have a Classic Controller). I can't remove the News and Weather Channels or even put them in a trash folder. The whole thing screams "this is a casual toy and Nintendo doesn't care about traditional gamers", which I guess does describe Nintendo between 2006 and 2009.
Save data management is also absurd. Save data cannot be copied to the SD card if they use Nintendo WFC or is a Pokémon or Fire Emblem game. I get it, they have reasons for that (anti-cheating, prevent cloning Pokémon, and… prevent interrupt save abuse?), but that's not very reassuring at all. Actually, Nintendo didn't really offer any kind of satisfactory save data protection until Nintendo Switch Online.
Wii's lack of game updates also given us an interesting artefact of data repair programs, like the Skyward Sword Save Data Repair Channel.
Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu
This one also has menu items that cannot be removed. Actually, all game systems and phones I have with a software selection menus in this format have the same issue, except Nintendo Switch.
I do generally like this one better than the Wii menu. The 3D icons at the top screen are a better eye candy, and don't incur an extra button press like the Wii channels do.
The built-in games and tools aren't as useless as the ones in Wii and Wii U, and they're actually quite fun to play around with. Would still prefer if they don't have to occupy the main area of the menu though.
Also, themes are fun.
Nintendo GameCube system settings
The UI itself is fine, but like Wii, I don't like how certain save data cannot be copied. With GameCube, it's a bigger issue since Memory Cards are supposed to be replaceable. What if I run out of space and want to move from a Memory Card 59 to a Memory Card 1019?
Nintendo DS main menu
This one's perfect.
Neo Geo Pocket Color settings
And of course, there's the NGPC system setting screen that can be accessed when there's no game inserted. The Twitter account PocketHoroscope is dedicated to showing today's result of the horoscope feature.
April Fools!
Hey, I didn't say the essential software are games.