Controller Functions: How Much is Too Much?
The one constant in the gaming industry over time has been the notion that the more buttons on the controller the merrier. The VCS's single button has ballooned into 12 (including L3 and R3) plus three directional devices on the Dual Shock 2. Are all of these buttons necessary for advanced gameplay, or do they simply allow the developer to spend less time tuning play mechanics? It seems to me that intuitive gameplay and increasing button population are contradictory. If that is indeed the case, what is the ideal number of buttons?