Seeing the Apple-made universal game controller support in iOS 7 was a healthy boost of confidence for game developers around the mobile universe earlier this year. For the folks at Unity, this meant they’d be able to release games that were working with a compatible support module that would be able to take full advantage […]
This week it’s been confirmed that the newest generation of Sony gaming peripherals – namely the DualShock 4 wireless controller – will be working with Windows machines. This is somewhat of a surprise revelation made by Sony for the PlayStation 4-aimed piece of equipment, mainly because there’s no word from opposing camps (Nintendo for the […]
Earlier this week Valve teased the free, gaming-oriented and Linux-based SteamOS and the PC-console hybrid Steam Machine. It soon completed the establishment of the fundamentals of its living room invasion by unveiling the Steam Controller. As with the Steam Machine, the controller is Valve’s attempt at bringing the best of PC and console gaming together.
The Steam Controller doesn’t seem to have biometrics or gaze tracking capabilities – two features that Valve co-founder Gabe Newell has cited as desirable input options – but one look at it and you can see that it’s still quite different from most gamepads. For starters, instead of a d-pad or analog joysticks, the controller has two high-resolution trackpads. Valve added “super-precise haptic feedback” to trackpads in the form of weighted electro-magnets. The feedback will be used not only to add tactility to the trackpads, they can also be used to provide other in-game cues and can even function as speakers. How about that?
Chris Remo of developer Double Fine claims he was able to test a prototype of the controller a few months ago and said “…the cursor pads worked amazingly well.” When asked if the haptic feedback helps, Remo said, “Yes, it makes it feel like you’re actually operating a real physically mechanical device, not just a touchscreen.”
Perhaps Remo was actually referring to the trackpads in the second statement that I quoted, but the controller does have a high-resolution touchscreen. It’s the small square at the center of the controller. When you touch the screen, an overlay of the touchscreen’s display appears on your TV or monitor, so you won’t have to look down at the controller while playing. Makes you wonder why they even made it a screen right? Then again, it could be used to display data that should be kept hidden from other players. Take that Lambert!
Aside from its touch-friendly input options, the controller also has good old buttons. There are a total of 13 standard buttons – four face buttons at the corners of the touchscreen, three narrow rectangles below the touchscreen, four shoulder buttons and two rear buttons – but because the two trackpads and the touchscreen are also clickable, you have a total of 16 buttons. The image below shows a sample key binding setup for Portal 2. Note that the touchscreen is divided into four buttons in the setup.
What makes this controller extra special in my opinion is that it has a “legacy mode” that fools your Steam Machine or your desktop computer into thinking that the controller is a keyboard and mouse. This makes it compatible with all Steam games, which is why the diagram above indicates the mapped keyboard and mouse buttons and not just the functions. Finally, Valve promises that the controller will be hackable, and that they will provide tools to help people mod the controller.
If you’re interested in owning or building a Steam Machine but don’t want to use the Steam Controller, don’t worry. Valve says you’ll still be able to stick with your trusted keyboard and mouse combo.
Valve will pick 300 lucky Steam members to participate in a closed beta. The beta testers will be given both a prototype Steam Machine and Steam Controller. The prototype controller that Valve will distribute to the testers will be wired and have no touchscreen, but the final version will be wireless and have the aforementioned touchscreen. Check out the Steam Machine FAQ page if you want to know how to apply for the closed beta.
The third of three binding announcements has been made this week surrounding Valve’s big move toward living room gaming: SteamOS, Steam Machines, and now the Steam Controller. This machine is a next-generation solution to the relatively stagnant state of gaming controllers in the market today, working with two large trackpads, haptic feedback, and a touchscreen […]
Valve revealed Steam Controller today, a controller for its living room PC-based game console initiative. It’s the third announcement this week from Valve, following reveals of SteamOS and Steam Machines on Monday and Wednesday (respectively). The controller is shaped like a standard game console controller, but in place of thumbsticks there are two clickable trackpads. Valve’s saying that the dual trackpads provide resolution that “approaches that of a desktop mouse,” making previously PC-only games playable on a couch.
In the middle of the controller is a “high-resolution” touch screen (also clickable) that enables both control and navigation. “Players can swipe through pages of actions in games where that’s appropriate. When programmed by game developers using our API, the touch screen can work as a scrolling menu, a radial dial, provide secondary info like a map or use other custom input modes we haven’t thought of yet,” the controller’s announcement page says. There are also haptic sensors all over the controller, which offer “super-precise” haptic feedback to players — they’re in both trackpads on the front, as well as in the shoulder buttons and around the rear grips. Valve says that these sensors not only relay physical information to players, but also “play audio waveforms and function as speakers.”
Like any gamepad, the Steam Controller has a handful of buttons as well: 16 in total, according to Valve. Two are around back, while the majority are found out front — one sits in each corner of the middle touchscreen, and three sit below that screen. Game devs should have no issue getting their games working with the controller, according to Valve, as the API will become available for free for devs at the same time that the Steam Machines beta goes live “later this year.” Additionally, gamers interested in beta testing Valve’s controller can sign up the same way you signed up for the console beta: a quest is now available in your Steam account.%Gallery-slideshow99391%
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD
Source: Valve
If you are an iOS gamer who enjoys playing games on your mobile device, but you don’t enjoy on-screen controls the GameCase maybe just the project been looking for. The GameCase isn’t a case in the way that you might think of because it’s not designed to protect your device. It rather reminds of a […]
Apple now offers native gamepad support in iOS 7, and ClamCase is making the most of that opportunity by unveiling the GameCase. The Bluetooth add-on will give iOS players a full-size, Xbox-like controller that should work in any title using the official gamepad API — developers won’t have to include proprietary code in their apps. ClamCase also promises ample play time through a built-in lithium-ion battery. The GameCase isn’t expected to ship until late 2013 or early 2014, but there are plans to offer versions for all iPads and iPhones that run iOS 7. If you’re interested, you can sign up for notifications from ClamCase at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile
Source: GameCase
Sony just dropped some specs for the PlayStation 4, and has followed that up with some details and a look at the DualShock 4 controller, with features including a Share button and some subtle design changes that gives it an entirely new feel over the DualShock 3, as well as a capacitive touchpad. We’ve got […]
I’ve really been trying to avoid carbs lately, but I keep falling off the wagon. Now that I’ve seen these cookies shaped like game controllers, I’m really screwed. I’m not only off the wagon, but under its wheels for these sugary treats.
These beautiful gamer cookies come in the shape of a Wii-mote, PS3 Dual Shock and Xbox 360 controllers. They’re made by Peapod’s Cookies and perfectly capture every detail of the actual controllers.
Of course, all this cookie artistry comes at a price. The set of 12 controllers shown here will set you back $52(USD). That’s over $4 per cookie. Still, that’s cheaper than a single A-list title for either the Xbox 360 or PS3, and way tastier. Way better than those invisible Kinect cookies I ate last night.
Sorry NVIDIA, but it looks like the Shield is already obsolete. It’s not because of the Ghetto Shield, it’s because of the Cross Plane. Developed by three videogame console modders who founded a new company called Advanced Gaming Innovations (AGI), the Cross Plane streams HDMI input from and sends controller output to a PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and the Ouya. Yep, you read that right.
As you can see, the Cross Plane looks a lot like the Wii U Game Pad. It’s 1.5″ thick, 5.5″ tall and 9.5″ wide. It has a 7″ 1280 x 800 screen, two 25mm stereo speakers and a headphone jack. The red block you see sticking out of the Cross Plane’s back is a cartridge called the Control Pak. That cartridge doesn’t contain a game; rather it contains the hardware that makes the Cross Plane compatible with a gaming device. In other words, there’s an Xbox 360 Control Pak, a PC Control Pak and so on. AGI is also working on making the Cross Plane work with the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
The last component of the Cross Plane is a wireless HDMI transmitter and receiver, where you’ll plug in the HDMI cable from your PC or console.
As you may have guessed, the Cross Plane can only stream games within a local Wi-Fi network, but that’s to be expected. Perhaps the Cross Plane’s only weak point is that its battery only lasts 4 hours.
Pledge at least $349 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Cross Plane as a reward. That’s right, for just $50 more than the Shield you get a device that is far more versatile and possibly future-proof, thanks to its cartridge based hardware. If AGI does make it compatible with the next generation consoles I am definitely going to buy a Cross Plane.
[via Ubergizmo]
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