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Tag: Peripherals

  • Handheld Consoles Facing Competition From Mobile Peripherals

    The February NPD numbers were released this week, showing that handheld console sales are still lagging far behind the segment’s historical highs. One bright spot was that Nintendo 3DS exclusive Bravely Default cracked the top 10 software sales chart for the month, but overall handhelds are quickly becoming niche products as consumers begin to embrace mobile gaming.

    A DigiTimes Research report out this week predicts a rather bleak outlook for handheld gaming. The report points to Sony’s PS Vita console, which has seen poor sales throughout its lifetime despite being a very advanced piece of gaming hardware. Sony’s new PS Vita Slim redesign of the handheld could move units in the near future, but likely not enough to make the device a real competitor to the 3DS.

    Though price and lack of software could be to blame for the recent downturn in handheld gaming, DigiTimes believes as so many other market analysts do: mobile gaming is crushing handhelds. The report points to the still-growing mobile games industry as proof that mobile games will soon replace traditional handhelds. Major games publishers such as EA and Square Enix are now seeing high profit margins for their Android and iOS titles, a fact that will continue to push publishers toward the massive potential gamer install base that such devices now have.

    In addition to mobile software, DigiTimes predicts that mobile gaming peripherals will eventually take the place that handhelds now hold in the market. The controller attachments market is wide open at this point and peripheral-makers are seeing greater opportunities as smartphone hardware and mobile game design improve.

  • GameDock Could Turn Your iPhone Into a Console

    It’s clear that traditional gaming on a smartphone is frustrating. Games that need more than a tap or a swipe have to overlay controls onto the touchscreen, meaning that gamers will have their fingers hovering over much of the game. The newly released Max Payne for iPhone is a good example of this.

    Solutions to this problem are beginning to roll out in the form of Bluetooth controllers, some of which have holders for a iPhone or iPod. However gamers might as well get an older handheld gaming system for all the cost and poor design of most of them. Thankfully, elegant solutions, such as the Ringbow, are beginning to solve this seemingly intractable problem.

    Chris Jorgensen and Andi Greisel decided to come at the problem of touchscreen gaming from a different direction. Jorgensen states that the iPhone is too slick for some games and that the iPad is too large for on-screen controls. To solve this problem, he and Greisel have created the GameDock, a dock for iOS devices that turns them into home consoles. The GameDock can be connected to a TV, and will allow gamers to play iPhone games on their TV using up to two USB controllers.

    The pair have started a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money to manufacture the GameDock. They claim to already have all of the technical issues worked out, and are promising to ship early-bird GameDocks to people who pledge $100 or more. Those who pledge $150 or more will get a “retro” USB controller that looks exactly like a controller for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

    Watch the video below to see Jorgensen and Greisel pitch the GameDock and describe where their inspiration for the device came from:

    The one thing that is not made clear in the Kickstarter pitch is whether the GameDock will allow users to play any game they have on their iPhone. Will players be able to use usb controllers to play Max Payne for iPhone, for example? While it is stated that the GameDock is compatible with existing iCade games, a broader functionality could help set it apart from other touchscreen gaming solutions.

  • New Bluetooth Controller Coming For iOS and Android

    Tired of having to use controls that cover the screen when doing some serious gaming on your mobile touch device? Snakebyte, a company that makes gaming-related peripherals, has a solution – sort of. The company today announced that it will soon be selling a bluetooth wireless controller for use with iOS and Android devices called the idroid:con.

    Though bluetooth controllers for mobile devices have been made before, Snakebyte is claiming the idroid:con is the first to have five different functions and come with no app obligation. The controller has a rechargeable Li-Ion battery and can be charged via a USB cord. The device is scheduled for release sometime in July.

    “We are thrilled to present the incredible snakebyte idroid:con to all Android and iOS gamers,” said Mike Steup, Managing Director of Sunflex Europe. “This controller reflects our already existing innovations in the gaming sector in the mobile and Android™/iOS™ market. The controller fulfills any gamers’ demand for perfect handling, functionality as well as compatibility and it lets you play games on your Android and iOS platform the way they were meant to be played when they were first created.”

    On iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad, idroid:con will work with any game that already works with the iCADE peripheral. On Android, the controller has options for mouse, keyboard, and keyboard/mouse modes.

    Though mobile gaming is growing into a major sector of the gaming market, the scope of mobile gaming is limited by the touch interface found on most mobile devices. Though some developers are working to create game controls that don’t involve over-laid controls, they are few and far between. Bluetooth controllers might not be the answer, though. The idroid:con might be acceptable for mobile gaming on an iPad or other tablet, but I think using them with a smaller device would be silly. One of the big selling points for games on an iPhone or Android phone is how discreet the gaming experience on them can be. Large controllers, on the other hand, are very conspicuous.

  • Nintendo Patents A Wii U Gun Peripheral

    Nintendo Patents A Wii U Gun Peripheral

    Two Nintendo patents granted yesterday reveal that Nintendo is already planning peripherals for its new system, the Wii U. The peripheral patented appears to be a light-gun-style device which incorporates a Wii Nunchaku-type design into the grip and holds the Wii U pad in a position facing the user. An illustration of the peripheral can be seen in the illustration above.

    What could such a peripheral mean for gaming on the Wii U? There really is no telling, and it is not even known if Nintendo will release the device. It could be used to display a map in an adventure game, or it could be used to keep track of ammo or other traditional heads-up display (HUD) elements for a first-person shooter. The most creative use of it that I can come up with on my own is as an augmented-reality view of on-screen elements, such as a night-vision, infrared camera, or a Lens of Truth for the savior of Hyrule. But none of those uses actually require the peripheral. I’m guessing it is simply for an unannounced Wii U Duck Hunt game. From the patent application:

    …one can easily hold the input device 220 as if to hold a gun, and the controller device is particularly suitable for a shooting game, or the like, in which game operations are performed while assuming that the controller device is a gun.

    Interestingly, the illustrations of the peripheral were not the only images in the application provided by Nintendo to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. There are many images of the Wii U and the devices it interacts with. One of the images even shows a charging dock for the Wii U pad:

    An patent illustration of the Wii U charging dock

    This one shows how a shuriken could be “thrown” on a television screen using a stylus on the Wii U pad. Could that be one of the mini-games included at system launch with a new Wii Sports title?

    A Wii U shuriken-throwing patent illustration

    Here’s a drawing, also included in the patent application, of a person using the Wii U pad as a golf tee:

    A patent illustration of the Wii U pad being used as a golf tee

    What do you think? Does the Wii U look fun? Will it be an improvement over the current Wii in any significant way? Leave a comment below and let us know.

  • Sony Patents Bizarre PlayStation Move Peripheral

    Sony has patented a peripheral for the Playstation Move controller that looks – odd. The peripheral, as you can see in the illustration above, is a ring in which the Playstation Move controller can be inserted. It’s similar to Nintendo’s steering wheel peripheral that came with its Mario Kart Wii game, except Sony’s design has handles sticking out of it. And from the pictures provided with the patent, it appears the handles can be moved 90-degrees from a horizontal position to one where they are parallel. It’s hard to describe in words, so take a look at the photos themselves, and keep in mind that the dotted lines are what Sony is not patenting:

    Sony's patented Move peripheral
    How to use the new peripheral

    What could Sony be thinking with this design? The easy answer would be that the controller is designed to be used as either a big-rig steering wheel or motorcycle handlebars, but I can think of a few possibilities that are more fun. It could be used to simulate avian flight by flapping the “wings” up and down repeatedly. It could simulate hedge trimmers, or, more excitingly, lock cutters. Perhaps players can use it one-handed and whip it at their TV screens for a new Indiana Jones game.

    Of course, Sony may simply be covering their bases against 3rd party peripheral designers. If that is the case, I really hope the videogame industry isn’t going to follow the rest of the tech industry and descend into a cesspool of patent troll lawsuits. If that does happen, you’ll have to excuse me while I patent the series and order of directions preceding a shoryuken.

    (via PlayStation LifeStyle)

  • This Bud’s For You: Adventures in USB Flash Drives

    This folks, is what’s known as “The Genuine Article.” Yes, what you are looking at is, in fact, a Budweiser beer-themed USB drive capable of holding a six-pack’s worth 4 gigabytes worth of data.

    As pointed out by Geek Alerts, the drive in question is conveniently called the “Budweiser USB Drive with Actual Beer,” at least by the blog pointing it out. The product page at epromos.com simply lists it as the “Liquid USB 2.0 Promotional USB Drive – Beer Floater – 4 GB,” which makes the unofficial description the winner by default.

    Creativity goes a long way.

    It should be noted, however, that the “Actual Beer” descriptor is something of a misnomer. Instead of containing a sample fresh from the “King of Beers,” the drive actually contains what’s described as:

    …liquid filled promotional USB drive made to look like beer complete with tiny floating beer foam.

    So yeah, no beer.

    As one would expect, the jump drive works in the same manner as other USB flash drives do — you plug and chug … the files you want to carry around with you, that is. In the case of the Budweiser USB drive, however, chugging the contents, while inviting, is probably not the best course of action, at least until the “liquid” masquerading as beer has been identified.

    Another point of potential contention is these devices are not available on an individual basis, at least not from epromos.com. In order to acquire one of these frosty drives, you have to order them in bulk. Currently, the Budweiser jump drives are available in quantities of 25, 50, 100, and 200. The site recommends calling if an order exceeds these numbers.

    With all of this Budweiser talk, I felt the following trip down memory lane would be appropriate:


    Yeah, it fits.

  • A Facebook Shower Curtain?

    Are you so addicted to Facebook to the point you want to decorate your dwelling with a look and feel that matches the Facebook layout? What about your shower curtain? If so, you’re in luck.

    Introducing the Social Shower Curtain, which is named after the familiar format that inspired it. Naturally, the avoidance of the “Facebook” trademark applies here, hence the generic name. While the name may not say Facebook, the shower curtain’s look certainly does. As you can see in the lead image, the standard blue bar runs across the top of the curtain, and it also features such niftiness like “Shower Head Tagged you in a Photo,” and “Wash Basin Wants to be unblocked.”

    There’s also a space for the profile picture, in this case, your head while you’re behind the shower curtain. Unfortunately, the shower curtain itself is not connected to the Internet, so what you essentially have is something to let people know how much you like Facebook, and if you’re willing to pay 14.99 in British Sterling in order to take a shower behind the Facebook layout, perhaps the word “addicted” was used incorrectly.

    Perhaps the word I’m looking for is insane.

    As it stands, the curtain will be available soon, and they are currently taking orders at SpinningHat.com. How long until there’s a shower curtain that’s actually connected to Facebook, allowing members to inform their friends that there’s soap in their eyes, or something equal meaningless? Is this a must have item for you? Let us know what you think.

  • A Self-Sanitizing Keyboard?

    A Self-Sanitizing Keyboard?

    Do dirty keyboards make your skin crawl? Does the idea of using a keyboard after someone else has touched it leave you clammy? If so, Vioguard may have something you’d be interested, provided the idea of a self-sanitizing keyboard appeals to you.

    The Vioguard keyboard was developed by two previous Microsoft employees, and it has just received approval from the FDA, and can now be used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, meaning it’s not just for mysophobia sufferers. The device itself is pretty ingenious. It features a keyboard and an attached enclosure, and when the keyboard is not in use, it retracts inside of the enclosure, and is then bathed “with germicidal ultraviolet light,” removing the offending germs and other microbial nasties.

    The site offers a full description of the keyboard’s functions:

    The Vioguard keyboard is stored in a mechanized enclosure (which doubles as a monitor stand) when not in use. It safely floods the keyboard and track pad with germicidal ultraviolet light. When a user sits down at the workstation and activates the infrared motion sensor with the wave of a hand, the keyboard automatically extends into working position. When the user is finished, the keyboard automatically retracts back inside the enclosure and activates the germicidal ultraviolet lights.

    LED indicators are used to let the user know when the keyboard has been sanitized and is ready for use. The sanitization cycle can be interrupted anytime to ensure the keyboard is available as needed.

    Naturally, there isn’t much in the way of price information for Vioguard’s keyboard, but there are a number of contacts available for those who are interested in acquiring the peripheral.

    In GeekWire’s post, however, it is revealed that Vioguard’s keyboard was previously offered to consumers on Amazon, for the feel-good price of $900. While the item is no longer available on Amazon, it does give you a good idea of how much you’ll need to spend to acquire one of these keyboards.