How many functions does a player in EVE need to manage at one time?

How many keys on the keyboard are used by an EVE player on a regular basis?

Maximum number of functions a PS3 controller can fill without use of any button as a "shift" function is 16. INCLUDING the start and select keys, which are needed for basic menu/chat functionality.

Using L2 and R2 both as "shift" functions which alter the effect of the face buttons, you're still only up to 22 buttons.

Obviously, you have the analog sticks to control... well... one to control aiming, and MAYBE you could use the other for throttle control on a spaceship. But for everything - EVERYTHING else a ship can do... 22 buttons. Some of which are awkward to reach in a hurry, and would have to be assigned to less important functions. and 8 of which require a dual button-press to access.

Mouse/Keyboard has a SLIGHT advantage there. If the game has anything remotely resembling a complex control scheme, it's NOT going to work.

EVE on PS3? As cool as that might be, I'm sorry, but I just don't see it happening.

I CAN see War Barge pilot being a viable job in DUST though, with an appropriate control scheme being developed. There are ways to make it work. Just not on the level of complexity you can get with some of EVE's larger ships.

And third-person view DOESN'T play well with first-person. It's either-or. You CAN'T have it both ways and still be fair. First person is, in and of itself, a direct disadvantage. You have a MUCH more limited view of your surroundings, and actually have a LESS realistic amount of awareness than you do with third-person games. In a third-person game with a relatively close camera (not over-shoulder close, but not the massively zoomed out views some games give), you have a fairly accurate representation of the area in which a real person would be aware of their surroundings. The trick with third person is that you can stand NEAR a corner and have FULL visibility around that corner without needing to expose yourself. In first-person, you don't have that luxury. If you're not visible to the enemy, they won't be visible to you either. If some people are playing first-person, and others third-person, anyone using the third-person view has a direct and provable advantage.

That's not balanced.