Smartphones as Game Controllers

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/turn-iphone-android-device-game-controller-computer-windows-mac/

by ramirez60 • 14 years ago

11 15 14 years ago

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twiceaday• 14 years ago

I want the exact opposite. To use something else as a controller for my smartphone.

kunle3• 14 years ago

For what games?

FelixP2• 14 years ago

Here's the problem: smartphones make terrible game controllers, mainly due to the shortcomings of touchscreens when compared to joypads, thumbsticks, and buttons for gaming.

I don't want to use my smartphone as a controller for a game that's not on my smartphone, I want a decent controller for games that are on my smartphone.

jvrossb3• 14 years ago

People said that about keyboards, and many can type fine on a smartphone after a little practice. For a certain type of game, smartphones might be superior from the get-go (racing games, real time strategy games) compared to a standard XBox controller.

Over time, I think smartphones will do well as controllers because they are... smart. The true smartphone controller isn't a static set of 4 lettered buttons and a directional pad, it is a dynamic, themed controller that changes based on the type of game you're playing and what is happening in it, even incorporating part of the game into the controller itself.

Purists might tell you that the xbox controller is a HORRIBLE way to control a first person shooter compared to the mouse and keyboard setup on a PC. Didn't really stop Halo or Call of Duty, did it? Now imagine the ideal smartphone controller - cheaper than current offerings, customizable, dynamic. I can see it working.

jasonlotito• 14 years ago

> People said that about keyboards, and many can type fine on a smartphone after a little practice.

Show me the study? I've seen anecdotal evidence at best, and even that was flimsy. Typing "fine" is one thing, but being productive day in and day out? No. Tactile feedback is too important.

> Didn't really stop Halo or Call of Duty, did it?

That's because the game developers aren't pitting console players against PC-gamers. The console players would get slaughtered.

I'm sorry, I love my touch screens, but tactile feedback provides so much.

fpgeek• 14 years ago

> People said that about keyboards, and many can type fine on a smartphone after a little practice.

I'd say this is plenty of evidence that touchscreen smartphone keyboards aren't "fine": http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/

zyb09• 14 years ago

Hm you don't play much games, do you? A real time strategy game like Starcraft would be pretty much unplayable with a smartphone. Look at any list of best-selling video games. None of these titles would be better with a smartphone controller, if not completely unplayable. So no, not gonna happen.

nextparadigms• 14 years ago

I have to agree that this won't be very practical because you won't feel the buttons, and you'll have to look at the big screen most of the time.

surly• 14 years ago

There's several apps out there that do this, with what appears to be only limited interest.

I created one myself as a side project - to suit only my favourite type of game, driving games (www.mungoscott.com). Using an iPhone as a steering wheel avoids some of the issues with no tactile feedback, because the entire device is the control. It works very well for driving simulators and games, but I haven't worked out how it could be useful for say a first person shooter - the latency alone (typically 5 to 10ms) is less than ideal for a good FPS.

Smartphones as Game Controllers

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