iPhone owners: How do you hold your device?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by don_k, Jun 5, 2009.

  1. don_k

    don_k Well-Known Member

    Oct 9, 2008
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    With virtually all recent games released with orientation for iPod Touch, how do you hold your device with headphone on? I find it very uncomfortable to play games like Need For Speed or even Freeballin'.

    I wish Apple find out a way so that flipping screen orientation is as easy as ticking a box.
     
  2. LBG

    LBG Señor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    nada ilegal
    31.560499, -111.904128
    When I don't have my earphones in I prefer to have the home button on the right, but the other way round is alright. When I play with my earphones I always have it with the home button to the left so the wire of the earphones comes out from the top right of the device and trails behind my hand, underneath my iphone and back up my chest to my ears :)

    It's a personal preference really, I know some people who like holding it the complete opposite way that I do.

    How about a poll?
     
  3. don_k

    don_k Well-Known Member

    Oct 9, 2008
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    Sorry, what I meant is, how do you cope with games that don't support orientation flip? (like NFS and Freeballin'). If there's a flip option, I'd sure prefer the home button on my left as the headphone jack won't get in the way.
     
  4. LBG

    LBG Señor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    nada ilegal
    31.560499, -111.904128
    Well, if the screen can only be orientated one way, then there is only one way to hold it - the right way up, otherwise it would be upside down :D

    I manage with the earphone jack digging into my left thumb, although it is uncomfortable, you just have to manage and hassle the developers to make a screen orientation option.

    One thing I hate though, it games which can be played in portrait and landscape with automatic screen flipping. That way, I can't play the game while lying in bed (yep, lazy me :D)

    As you say, I think all apps should have a screen orientation option, but I think it should be a manual option that you can change in the settings (i.e - CJS). I mean, what if you live like a bat? That way, when you are upside down, then the screen will flip the right way around, which would be upside down for you :D
     
  5. don_k

    don_k Well-Known Member

    Oct 9, 2008
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    Hey you're like me, I hate auto-screen flip too as I love playing while lying in bed :D That's why I hate Safari, Apple should've put an option to turn auto-orientation off like in Wikipanion. I know it's easy to do, they're just lazy (not us, they are! :D). It's similar with auto-correction when typing, I don't know why they didn't include it in the first place, maybe to sell the novelty of the features by forcing people to use it?

    It's very uncomfortable playing with the headphone jack on my left hand side, but I guess we're the minority. Even in TA, almost everyone uses iPod Touch to play games (that explains why they always cry if certain games can only be played on iPhone).
     
  6. dogmeat

    dogmeat Well-Known Member

    Apr 6, 2009
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    Information Security Engineer
    San Francisco, CA
    I'm ambidexterous, it really doesn't matter how I hold the phone or what fingers I use to play. Also, when my earphones are plugged in, I just give a little more slack with my left hand to accomodate the earphone plug but I've never found this cumbersome.

    In the end, its about playing the game on said hardware, which works :)
     
  7. spiffyone

    spiffyone Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2008
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    I'm an iPod touch user, and I hate games that are oriented in landscape for iPhone usage but have no option for screen orientation flip. So it's the mirror image of hatred that you have for games that are the other way around (oriented for iTouch use with no screen flip).

    Screen flip, manual screen flip at that, should be an option for ALL iTouch/Phone games that are meant to be played in landscape mode. No exceptions.

    It's gotten to the point with me that I will simply not play games that don't include this option. Even the good ones. Orions (the card battle game) and iDracula have both been removed from my device due to this reason. And I might just refuse to buy games without that option in the future. I suggest my iPhone owning comrades do the same. Hit them where it hurts (the pocket) and the developers might finally listen.
     
  8. themendoz

    themendoz Well-Known Member

    Apr 7, 2009
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    Absolutely agree with you, Every now and then I like to pretend Im a vampire and play upside down. I just started playing CJS and I love the fact that I can choose the orientation!
    But seriously so many games use the iPod orientation that now it feels weird for me to play games using the iPhone orientation
     
  9. don_k

    don_k Well-Known Member

    Oct 9, 2008
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    Yeah, I guess we must start writing 'only iTouch screen orientation' on every reviews. I wonder if TA would bother to write such things in their reviews, but at least we can give a 1-star review just for that :p

    Hopefully next gen iPod Touch has the same headphone jack position with iPhone. I just can't wait to see how the devs and current iTouch owners react :D
     
  10. The Game Reaper

    The Game Reaper Well-Known Member

    Dec 6, 2008
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    The Emerald Isle
    What I find funny is that the code for orientation flipping is already built in when you open a new project in Xcode!
     
  11. 1bigapp

    1bigapp Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2009
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    That's a really good question!=) How?
     
  12. Frant

    Frant Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]
    link
    btw, next iPhone will have the same placement for 3,5mm audio and power button as iPod touch 2G
     
  13. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
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    I prefer the home button to be on the left. My right thumb's second nature is to smash it in, especially when playing a shooting game (happened a lot with SciFly, I think). Lotsa training on the Gameboy Color - DS + Wii. Well, not so much Wii. I was just waving the wiimote in a spasm-like motion most of the time :p
     
  14. Alichan76

    Alichan76 Well-Known Member

    Apr 15, 2009
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    My preference is to play with my feet, which leaves me free to pick my nose and scratch my arse at the same time. Best of both worlds:)
     

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