Category Archives: Controller
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Joypad – Wireless Game Controller
Apple Patent Hints At Improved iPhone Gaming Controls
iPhone Game controls of the future…Wiimote?
iPhone Game controls of the future…Wiimote? is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
I’m an iPhone purist, I’ll admit it, I love my phone just how it is, stable, fast, non-glitchy. Sure from time to time I’ve wished I could customize my text message tone or set a new wallpaper behind my icons, but in the end it’s not worth it. At least that’s what I tell people most days. I confess however that today, for the first time since 1.1.2, I gave serious consideration to jailbreaking my iPhone. What could lead me down this dark path again? How about controlling a game on my iPhone using a Wii Remote!?! The BTstack project has managed to pull it off!
If you’re not familiar with what the BTstack Project is, it’s an open source project focused on expanding bluetooth device support far beyond what Apple is currently allowing. A lot of the above information comes to us from this article via Zodttd.com which also includes a statement from the developer saying his next target is the PS3 controller. Upon reading, I was almost giddy with anticipation and immediately started spreading the word. But one of my colleagues, being the glass is half empty type that he is, quickly pointed out why I shouldn’t get too excited.
“For one,” he said “theres nothing comfortable about hunching over a table, looking straight down, just to keep your hands free for use on a controller…”
I quickly pointed out that an iBend would be a quick, easy, and cheap solution to that. He conceded this point but continued.
“Secondly and much more importantly [BTstack] is hacking their iPhone to use them, no major developer is ever going to spend the time and money making a game that needs a hack to be used fully.”
I hated to admit it but he had a point, however it may not be a relevant one for much longer as I know of at least one legitimate controller being developed for the iPhone, the GameBone Pro.
The GameBone Pro has amazing potential as 22Moo states it will be fully compatible via bluetooth or dock connector, fully functional D-pad with 4+ action buttons, and a built in speaker/mic, etc. While there is no official price listing or release date yet, we know they are targeting an early 2010 release. Gratefully they are making their developer’s kit free to anyone who wants it.
The free SDK is an important point I’d like to touch on momentarily. While I’m certain more than one developer has a controller under development, it’s my hope that in some circle somewhere there is a committee working on a set standard of controller code. Without a set basic standard we will end up in a market where a game may work with one joystick but not another. Resulting in another BlueRay vs. HD DVD war, only with more players. A war that would most likely end up with game developers ignoring the idea of external controllers all together simply because of inconvenience.
With a set standard though I can already see what the future may hold for iPhone gamers. I can imagine sitting at an airport with a friend waiting for our redeye flight to arrive and needing something to do. Out of my pockets I pull three things, my iPhone, GameBone Pro, and a Pico Pocket projector. Out of his pocket he grabs his controller and within a minute we are playing Marvel vs. Capcom (not currently released for the iPhone) dreamcast style on a 60″ while being totally portable and wireless…I’m getting giddy again.
PocketTouch Makes it to the App Store
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Available In: App Store |  |
Price: $0.99 |
I was totally stoked to hear that PocketTouch had made it into the App Store. PocketTouch was definitely one of the most popular jailbroke applications and I always love to see those apps make it to the App Store.
For those of you unfamiliar with the app, PocketTouch is a music controller for your iPhone or iPod touch. The beauty of PocketTouch is that you can control your music without having to look at your device… all the controlling is done through taps, swipes and shaking.
Once you have a song playing in your music player, you can launch PocketTouch.
Gesture Controls:
• Double Tap – Pauses and Plays the song
• Swipe Up and Down – Controls Volume Level
• Swipe Right – Advances to Next Track
• Swipe Left – Restarts Song
• Triple Tap on Status Bar – Allows you to select any song from iPod
Shaker Controls:
• Shake Device – Advances to Random Track
If for some reason the stock control options do not feel natural, the app is extremely customizable.
Additional Gesture Options:
• Reverse T. Swipes – This will change the track swipes so that swiping Right restarts the song and swiping left advances to the next track
• Reverse Vol Swipes – This will change the volume swipes so that swiping up turns the volume down and swiping down turns the volume up
• Swap x/y Axes – This will reverse the controls so that the track swipe is controlled by swiping up and down and the volume control is controlled by swiping left and right.
Additional Shake Options:
• Randomize Shaker – If this option is turned off, shaking your device will advance to the next song instead of a random song
• Vibrate While Shaking – If this option is turned off, your device will not vibrate when shook.
The appearance of the app is also very customizable.
Appearance Options:
• Show Track Info – If this option is turned on, it will display the song artist, name and album title.
• Random Transitions – If this option is turned on, the transitions will be random
• Disable Auto-Lock – If this option is turned on, your device will not auto-lock
• Volume HUD – If this option is turned on, the stock volume HUD (that is the little volume pop-up you get when you adjust the volume on your device) will display when you adjust the volume level
• Themes – Here you can choose from 5 pre-designed themes or, if you double-tap on the little gray bar you can create your own custom theme.
Overall, a very cool application that is perfect for those times when you want to control your music but, you don’t want to have to look at your device to do so. i.e. working out, driving…
PocektTouch hit the App Store today so, check it out!
ScreenShots
App Store Description:
PocketTouch, the FIRST alternate music controller for the iPhone or iPod touch has finally arrived on the AppStore.
PocketTouch is a gesture based control scheme for your device’s built in music player that allows you to quickly and easily control your music player via swipes and gestures. PocketTouch allows for a safer driving experience by allowing you to keep your eyes on the road while driving instead of on your iPhone or iPod touch. PocketTouch also comes in handy when working out, for quick easy track changes without breaking your concentration. And, of course, there are simply the times when you don’t want to take your device out of your pocket to change the track.
PocketTouch is a simple and intuitive application to use. While all controls can be customized, the default controls are as follows.
–Swipe left to restart the current track or skip to the previous track and swipe right to advance the current track. Swipe up or down to raise or lower the volume. Alternatively, you may use the built in volume slider to make quick changes to the volume. You can also shake the device to either advance the track or play a random track from your library.
–If any of those gestures doesn’t “feel right” to you, you can change any of the gesture options in the application’s built in settings.
–Triple tapping on the track status bar will present your music to you in a familiar interface. You can now select any song you’d like to listen to.
–Tap, tap, hold your finger on the status bar to see the built in playlist creator to create and play your own playlist!
PocketTouch is simply the most versatile gesture based music controller you can get on the AppStore. But of course, that’s what you can expect form an application that has been refined since 2007!
PocketTouch supports the English, French, German, and Dutch languages.