Touch Controls Can Be Great — Here's When

Touchscreen controls get a bad reputation, and honestly a lot of it is earned. But every so often a game nails it, and it reminds me that the problem is usually design, not the hardware.

The racers taught me this. Nitro Crosswind lets you pick tilt or tap, and crucially it lets you tune the sensitivity. That one settings screen is the difference between frustration and flow. Developers who assume one control scheme fits everyone are leaving players behind.

For strategy and RPGs, the magic is big, confident touch targets and menus that don't bury important actions. Ironline Tactics keeps its whole command set one tap away, and I never once mis-pressed in the heat of a turn.

My quick test: can I play comfortably with one hand on a crowded train? If the answer is yes, the controls are good. If I need two thumbs and total concentration, it had better be worth it.

Good touch design is invisible — you only notice it when it's absent. So when a game just gets out of your way, that's worth praising.