I recently installed a mod that disables the compass (yes I know you can also disable it in the INI settings, but this mod does other things too), and I have found my experience of the game to be much more enjoyable. It makes the game much like Morrowind was, when there was no magical quest marker telling you exactly where to go. You actually had to find the objective yourself. The other plus side is that you don't have those icons telling you where everything is. Because if you know where everything is, then you know that there is nothing else around besides those things and therefore you feel there is no real reason to explore around and pay attention to detail. But once all that is gone, then the world instantly becomes more of a mystery. You don't know what is in a particular direction anymore. You'll have to find out for yourself.

Now the main reason I'm saying all this is because I think the option to disable the compass should be built into the game so that non-modders/tweakers can enjoy it, as well as console gamers. I was telling my friend about it, but since he plays the game on xbox 360, he can't disable the compass.

So, please consider this for a future patch, Bethesda. Thanks!

I agree with you. I have disabled my compass as well. I can't imagine ever playing Skyrim with it again now. I really wish XBox and PS3 users had the same opportunity I do. Maybe Bethesda will add a toggle for this in a future patch.

LOL. In RPGs you have to make certain assumptions, like having an in-game compass simply represents your characters ability to look at the sky and know which direction is North. Doesn't seam unrealistic at all to me.
Don't know about you, but my Nord Warrior knows what direction he's traveling at all times in his age of no GPSs.

I agree, though, you can turn down the HUD opacity to 0, in which it will take off the compass. But consequently, it takes off ALL components of the hud, like health, stamina, etc.

I'd like to just hide the top compass, but leave all the rest of the display items intact.

...but can you account for your Nord's ability to "know" the location of nearby caves etc, as shown by the compass markers? If the compass showed ONLY the direction, I'd have kept it in, but I had to disable it entirely to lose all the magic info you get.

Turn off Quest markers and floating markers?

Yes, I did it as soon as I got the game for my 360.

That's fine. Morrowind had that and I don't remember a single person complaining about Morrowind's compass. Yes you should know which direction North is, no you should not know that there is a hidden cave at exactly 12 degrees east of north over that hill and hidden behind the bushes.

it would be nice to go back to the morrowind system of getting physical directions
but they're not in the game
people don't even say where you need to go half the time
so without a compass I would literally have no idea where to go in order to solve a quest other than randomly walking around hoping to bump into it
how do you do this without a compass?

I can understand how there's like a mental picture or even a map your character would use to navigate
and how places you have been are marked on it

but I do think it's weird you magically know where everything is without ever going there though
the black icons showing you what is in your direct vicinity is kind of silly

I simply use a mod that disables all the quest waypoints and undiscovered locations from appearing on the compass. The quest waypoints will still show up on the map though, and the waypoint that you can set yourself still works.

This one to be exact:

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1810

It's got a few different version as well. I use variant 1.

The map.

I doubt Bethesda would bother doing that.

As mentioned, there is an option to turn down the HUD. You can make the compass invisible, but you will lose the health and stamina bars as well, which doesn't bother me. However, you also lose your cross-hair, which is harder to deal with.

So, I just fade the HUD to be just visible. It's the best compromise I can some up with on the PS3.

I agree so much. There are times (Civil War quests. Finding the men. :swear: ) where I just get so annoyed about the severe lack of directions I just NEED to activate my compass again. It would be so convenient to be able to do this in-game.