One of my predictions has come true! :D

According to Kotaku, there is an unconfirmed report that the upcoming Nintendo 3DS will actually include an analog stick. Probably not the most out-there prediction I made, but happy it is being included. Here is a recent one I missed:

I hoped that the upcoming Guitar Hero would actually include a controller that offered some ground-breaking gameplay. They decided to make a grotesque version of the same old formula, a 5-button guitar/axe:

*Yawn!* People just wanna play, they aren’t overly concerned with trying to look like a Twisted Sister reject.

On the other end of the spectrum you have Rock Band 3, which is taking innovation to the nth degree. Not only is Harmonix releasing a piano/keytar peripheral, but a classical guitar stuffed with 102 buttons. Madness. If they followed my design you’d have a cheaper peripheral capable of the same thing.

Kudos to Harmonix for trying to take this genre to the next level. It’s a bold risk: win back those who have turned away from the music games genre the past 2 years, or put the nail in the coffin by offering too much overkill.

I personally think people are tired of ‘playing along’, and would rather try to generate their own music. We’ll see what happens in the next several months.