Gametrak Controller Wins Award 84

Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:02AM from the insert-dirty-joke-here dept.

Philipp Lenssen writes "According to German Spiegel Online, the Gametrak controller by In2Games just won the "Best of GC" award at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. Cyber-glove Gametrak is announced to launch across Europe next month for the Playstation 2. Once the right software is released (fighting game DarkWind comes first) you should be able to punch opponents, use golf clubs, dance around, and bounce virtual basketballs. A demo video is available."

Gametrak Controller Wins Award

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Hand Motions (Score:5, Interesting)

by Satertek ( 708058 ) writes: <brian@satertek.info> on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:05AM (#10037428) Homepage

It would be great if some of the dancing games like DDR could add in hand motions to the dance steps.

- Funny you mention it. (Score:5, Informative)
  
  by nobodyman ( 90587 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:19AM (#10037478) Homepage
  
  The next version of DDR will sport integration with eyetoy, and will have modes that incorporate hand motion in concert with the foot steps. check it out [gaminghorizon.com]
  
- Re:Hand Motions (Score:4, Informative)
  
  by DoktorGonzo ( 513156 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @11:31AM (#10037719)
  
  There are a couple of games kind of like that already: Para Para Paradise and Dance ManiaX. You don't really have to move your feet for them, though. I suppose in combining those with DDR, you'd start having issues with where to put the sensors if you were playing doubles (covering both pads at the same time).
  
- Re:Hand Motions (Score:1, Redundant)
  
  by blackicye ( 760472 ) writes:
  
  This already exists in public Arcades, in the form of the dancing game series "Para Para Paradise" by Konami http://www.channelbeat.com/products/dance/para_par a__paradise_series.html
When I get it, I will say... (Score:4, Funny)

by Reconfigures ( 778049 ) writes: <wecfNO@SPAMbellsouth.net> on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:05AM (#10037429) Homepage

"I love the Power Glove. It's so bad."

- Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by PhotoBoy ( 684898 ) writes:
  
  I said that when I got the Power Glove, unfortunately I changed my mind after trying to play Rad Racer like that kid in The Wizard and failed miserably. Plus it made my weakling arms tired...
  - Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:2)
    
    by Mean_Nishka ( 543399 ) writes:
    
    The Powerglove was a gimmick but Mike Tyson's punchout was awesome with it. I suspect this new controller, too, will be a one hit wonder, but the fighting game looks great.
- Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:2)
  
  by zenintrude ( 462825 ) writes:
  
  "Gimme-gimme-gimme. Jimmy. Woods!"
In other news.... (Score:4, Funny)

by keiferb ( 267153 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:06AM (#10037431) Homepage

The porn industry was buzzing today over the next generation sex toy.

- Re:In other news.... (Score:1, Offtopic)
  
  by uncl_bob ( 529354 ) writes:
  
  Where is the "unfunny" mod option arghh!!!
- Girl at the end of clip (Score:3, Funny)
  
  by sewagemaster ( 466124 ) writes:
  
  The porn industry was buzzing today over the next generation sex toy.
  
  The girl at the end of the clip totally made me perk when she said, "come in and play"... with the accent and everything...
  
  Then a series of words flashing on the screen:
  "Punch"
  "Swing"
  "Block"
  "Bounce"
  "Swi tch"
  
  I'm sure that one particular verb we're all thinking of "inserts well" into the above sequence ;)
How I presume it works (Score:5, Insightful)

by FrenZon ( 65408 ) * writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:08AM (#10037441) Homepage

For those who can't get the video, it looks like the tracking system is pretty simple (and likely pretty robust) - each cord connecting a velcro glove to the base station is on a pulley (hence the wheel-like things on either side of the station), This gives the system distance data. To get angle data, the cords come out of the base station through joystick-like nozzles.

It mentions it can get 1mm accuracy within a 3m cube - I wonder what the latency is like, or how much 'pull' there is on the gloves (I wonder if future versions could change the amount of pull in order to simulate weight).

Good luck to these guys - it looks like it could actually work well unlike some other alternative-input devices (*cough* P5 glove *cough), and if it works with a PS2 > PC converter, I'll be getting one to muck around with as soon as I can.

- - Re:How I presume it works (Score:3, Insightful)
    
    by strider_starslayer ( 730294 ) writes:
    
    yes, it would be less limiting, give you more freedom of movment, and be more comfortable; however, it would also be a great deal more expensive, more prone to breakdown, and require that there be power in the gloves themselves (batteries).
    
    Also, this is meant to be played in front of a TV- why do you need the full 6 degrees of freedom, will it so radically alter your gaming experiance to be able to spin around in circles with your arms out? Or will you be served just fine by looking at the TV and being
- Re:How I presume it works (Score:1)
  
  by Hellbuny ( 444564 ) * writes:
  
  It was noted in one of the videos that there is no pull whatsoever by the cords.
  
  Now for all those peple who say they could do it quicker in real life than the people do in games, they can put up, or shut up ^^
- Re:How I presume it works (Score:2)
  
  by bloo9298 ( 258454 ) writes:
  
  The FAQ says that it's USB, although they don't say whether you will need a driver on the PC or whether they will supply one. They do say that it will only be bundled with a console game initially.
already exists (Score:1, Informative)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

There is already a game like DDR that adds hand motions. It's not a bad game, but it gets a little disturbing when 10-20 people are all doing it together (only 2 are actually playing)
- Re:already exists (Score:2, Informative)
  
  by tepples ( 727027 ) writes:
  
  Are you talking about Para, DMX, or EZ2Dancer?
  - Re:already exists (Score:1)
    
    by GT_Onizuka ( 693787 ) writes:
    
    I'd assume ParaPara, I've never seen 20 people standing behind someone playing DMX or EZ2Dancer. Or maybe he's just talking about people who shadow in DDR and have trouble keeping their balance on the floor XD.
usb connect - pc emulator? (Score:5, Interesting)

by gotmemory ( 732785 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:09AM (#10037446)

looks really cool to me. It uses USB to connect, so perhaps a pc emulator could be made.... Imagine surfing the web by punching links.

- Re:usb connect - pc emulator? (Score:4, Funny)
  
  by karnal ( 22275 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:58AM (#10037594)
  
  So then we could really use it to punch that darn monkey to win money?
  
- Re:Cool idea (Score:1, Funny)
  
  by Anonymous Coward writes:
  
  If there are any updates on this please contact me at admin@crjt.net [mailto]
  Sure thing, anything else we can do for ya?
  - "anything else we can do for ya?" (Score:2)
    
    by da5idnetlimit.com ( 410908 ) writes:
    
    well, having this subject based auto-reminder coded into slashcode for monday, plus restablishing the nice "next story" links that got lost with the last upgrade...
    
    also, I want a cup of joe and a donut ready when I come to check on this monday morning...
    
    Thanks for asking, really...8p
Don't be alarmed (Score:4, Funny)

by Kadmium ( 679058 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:17AM (#10037463)

Don't be alarmed, folks, the pinging sound you hear is that of silicon, slowly cooling from its melting point 1410 degrees C. Presumably this is where the term from which "ping" sprang.

- Re:Don't be alarmed (Score:1)
  
  by Zemrec ( 158984 ) writes:
  
  Not sure what you're talking about, but the ping command (ICMP echo reply) got its name from the sound sonar systems make in submarines. Sends a loud blast of sound, then waits for the echo to measure distance.
  
  I have no idea what cooling liquid silicon sounds like, but I imagine it'd be similar to the sound a car makes after your turn it off.
  
  (How in the hell does any of this have anything to do with a new human input device?)
  - Re:Don't be alarmed (Score:2)
    
    by Tokerat ( 150341 ) writes:
    
    The site has been Slashdotted and the server can be heard melting from here, you insensitive clod!
minority report GUI? (Score:5, Interesting)

by prestwich ( 123353 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:19AM (#10037474) Homepage

So, how about that 'Minority Report' GUI driven by one of these babies?

Nintendo Powerglove (Score:3, Insightful)

by Abreu ( 173023 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:20AM (#10037480)

The site is slashdotted, so can someone tell me how is this different from the infamous Nintendo glove (it looked cool, but thats all it did)

links are dead..... (Score:1)

by keeleysam ( 792221 ) writes:

fix it...
- Re:links are dead..... (Score:1)
  
  by gotmemory ( 732785 ) writes:
  
  Googles cache [216.239.39.104] Wayback machine [archive.org] Unfortionately neither have pictures...
  - Re:links are dead..... (Score:1)
    
    by keeleysam ( 792221 ) writes:
    
    I think pictures are required for innovations in game controllers...
- Re:links are dead..... (Score:5, Informative)
  
  by raphman ( 734439 ) writes: <raphman@gmx.de> on Sunday August 22, 2004 @11:18AM (#10037665) Journal
  
  At atari.de you can find some pictures [atari.de] and a video [atari.de]
  
I almost feel sorry for them... (Score:4, Interesting)

by Akki ( 722261 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:25AM (#10037497)

The videos still download at over 1.5MB/s. That's going to be a hefty bandwidth bill.

The 80's called.. (Score:5, Funny)

by iantri ( 687643 ) writes: <iantri&gmx,net> on Sunday August 22, 2004 @10:32AM (#10037514) Homepage

.. and they want their gimmicky game controllers [angelfire.com] back.
(Burn, Angelfire, Burn!)

- Re:The 80's called.. (Score:2)
  
  by gl4ss ( 559668 ) writes:
  
  except that from what i've read from the comments(can't rtfa, it's 404) the nintendos 80's powerglove has more elegant design(technically).
Now only a step... (Score:2)

by SharpFang ( 651121 ) writes:

...to full-body suits... ...with full touch feedback... ...with fully-immersive VR feedback...

But they will all be rendered obsolete by neural connectors evetually :)
- Re:Now only a step... (Score:1, Funny)
  
  by Anonymous Coward writes:
  
  When I think about your interest in "full-body suits ... with full touch feedback" in combination with your apparent interest in fursuits and "Yiffing"...
  I shed a tear for humanity.
Fencing (Score:3, Interesting)

by silvergoose ( 807387 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @11:27AM (#10037701)

Now we can have games where you can actually fight with a sword, rather than just press a button to attack, another button to parry, etc...

- Re:Fencing (Score:3, Informative)
  
  by blackicye ( 760472 ) writes:
  
  This has also been released in public arcades, In the form of Blade of Honor (Tsurugi) Linkage below: http://www.coinopexpress.com/products/machines/ded icated_machines/Blade_of_Honor_(Tsurugi)_606.html [coinopexpress.com]
- Re:Fencing (Score:3, Informative)
  
  by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) writes:
  
  Obviously you haven't noticed this product [videogamecentral.com].
Alternate Picture (Score:2)

by N8F8 ( 4562 ) writes:

Gametrak [gamesindustry.biz]
Demo Video (Score:3, Informative)

by N8F8 ( 4562 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @11:51AM (#10037831)

Download [uk.com]

- Re:Demo Video (Score:2)
  
  by mbourgon ( 186257 ) writes:
  
  I like the nice use of English-to-English translation... they simultaneously talk in English, with a subtitle in ENGLISH! Good way to keep those ADD-potential-users interested.
Why does the video have English subtitles? (Score:2)

by bedouin ( 248624 ) writes:

When the guy is SPEAKING in English. Do people have that hard of a time understanding an accent?
- Re:Why does the video have English subtitles? (Score:1)
  
  by hooverbag ( 698019 ) writes:
  
  When the guy is SPEAKING in English. Do people have that hard of a time understanding an accent?
  
  deaf people might well have difficulty
Go ahead... keep punching! (Score:1)

by over_exposed ( 623791 ) writes:

I was just salivating with the anticipation that one of those people in the demo video would punch through their nice 42" plasma screen. WHEN this happens (not if), I'm wondering how long it will take for the lawsuits to pile up...
Mommy! (Score:3, Funny)

by Klowner ( 145731 ) writes: on Sunday August 22, 2004 @01:49PM (#10038430) Homepage

I punched our 72" plasma display and now it's not woooorking.. GET ME A NEW ONE NOW

- Re:Mommy! (Score:1)
  
  by KDR_11k ( 778916 ) writes:
  
  I wonder if this was in response to the post above it...
For those of you who haven't watched the video (Score:2)

by LS ( 57954 ) writes:

"Gametrack is TOTALLY AMAZING!! Come on, Come on, can you hit him?"
I'm in shock! (Score:2)

by ooze ( 307871 ) writes:

Will geeks eventually build up muscle? That cannot be! That device has to be stopped! Just imagine a worldwide invasion of pale skinned bespectacled beefed up awkwardly speaking gruntingly giggling Weirdos. And all stalking Natalie Portman!
Future FPS controllers (Score:2)

by Zhe Mappel ( 607548 ) writes:

Somewhere out there is a brainstorm that could revolutionize the FPS game. This isn't it--it's not trying to be--but it might be pointing in the right direction.
One idea would be a kind of virtual mouse-and-keyboard: control by way of tiny finger movements tracked by laser.
Another: helium filled globes on which your hands rest, exerting vertical and horizontal pressure. The rotation, elevation, orientation would translate as movement, firing, etc. Basketball players would have a natural advantage. ;-)
- Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:3, Insightful)
  
  by Doctor O ( 549663 ) writes:
  
  Actually I don't understand why the hell they don't bring back those light guns from the 80's which were used on those pong-consoles to shoot. It would be pretty easy and cheap to include distance metering to keep people from putting the thing near the screen and cheat. Imagine Counter-Strike with "gun look". I would dig it, and it would give much to the meaning of "aim", which right now means "the gift of those who can spend several hours a day on a game".
  - Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:1)
    
    by GT_Onizuka ( 693787 ) writes:
    
    I can hear http://www.mavav.org/ [mavav.org] getting angry already.
    - Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:2)
      
      by Doctor O ( 549663 ) writes:
      
      They can get angry all they want - maybe they should remove all those *real* guns from American households before they make idiots out of themselves for the still unverified claim that games make kids run amok.
      
      Before the usual whining starts, yes it has been proven that aggressive kids get even more aggressive, but "normal" kids aren't significantly affected. After all, it's a parenting issue, not a media issue. Being a father myself, I wonder where the concept of being responsible for one's kids went. Peo
Mattel PowerGlove (Score:1)

by duncanbojangles ( 787775 ) writes:

Does this remind anyone else of the Mattel PowerGlove for the NES? The protocols for both are well documented, so why not build your own PS2 glove controller out of a PowerGlove?
- Re:Mattel PowerGlove (Score:1)
  
  by saramakos ( 693903 ) writes:
  
  Does anybody else remember Freddy Kreuger playing with one of these, laughing and saying "Now I'm pPlaying with POWER" whilst bouncing his victim around?
  
  Nightmare on Elm Street 6 from memory.
What the heck happened? (Score:1)

by HeLLFiRe1151 ( 743468 ) writes:

Low Quality (2.6 Mb) - only low quality version available currently, due to sudden rise in site traffic! HMMM.Imagine that.
Powerglove rules (Score:2, Funny)

by gwoodrow ( 753388 ) writes:

I loved my old powerglove. Now we just need someone to do an updated "ROB" [gamersgraveyard.com] and I'll be happy!
damn (Score:1)

by pbjones ( 315127 ) writes:

I had the same mechanism in mind for a 3D 'mouse, oh well, he who gets to patent office first, wins the prize...

I hope no-one has duplicated my strap-on weapon simulator for q3
Do they honestly think it's going to work? (Score:1)

by GT_Onizuka ( 693787 ) writes:

I just want to say, first off, the fighting game they have for it looks God-awful. Essentially, it's MoCap Boxing, save the fact I can't dodge like I can in MoCap and I have to block. But based on the video footage, the game looks nothing short of immensely disappointing. Mind you, I've never been terribly huge in the the 3D fighters (save for Soul Blade/Calibur, but I mostly stick to CvS2, MvC2 and the Guilty Gear series), but I've played my fair share of Tekken and Virtua Fighter. But they've never been a

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Hand Motions (Score:5, Interesting)

Funny you mention it. (Score:5, Informative)

Re:Hand Motions (Score:4, Informative)

Re:Hand Motions (Score:1, Redundant)

When I get it, I will say... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:2)

Re:When I get it, I will say... (Score:2)

In other news.... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:In other news.... (Score:1, Offtopic)

Girl at the end of clip (Score:3, Funny)

How I presume it works (Score:5, Insightful)

Re:How I presume it works (Score:3, Insightful)

Re:How I presume it works (Score:1)

Re:How I presume it works (Score:2)

already exists (Score:1, Informative)

Re:already exists (Score:2, Informative)

Re:already exists (Score:1)

usb connect - pc emulator? (Score:5, Interesting)

Re:usb connect - pc emulator? (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Cool idea (Score:1, Funny)

"anything else we can do for ya?" (Score:2)

Don't be alarmed (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Don't be alarmed (Score:1)

Re:Don't be alarmed (Score:2)

minority report GUI? (Score:5, Interesting)

Nintendo Powerglove (Score:3, Insightful)

links are dead..... (Score:1)

Re:links are dead..... (Score:1)

Re:links are dead..... (Score:1)

Re:links are dead..... (Score:5, Informative)

I almost feel sorry for them... (Score:4, Interesting)

The 80's called.. (Score:5, Funny)

Re:The 80's called.. (Score:2)

Now only a step... (Score:2)

Re:Now only a step... (Score:1, Funny)

Fencing (Score:3, Interesting)

Re:Fencing (Score:3, Informative)

Re:Fencing (Score:3, Informative)

Alternate Picture (Score:2)

Demo Video (Score:3, Informative)

Re:Demo Video (Score:2)

Why does the video have English subtitles? (Score:2)

Re:Why does the video have English subtitles? (Score:1)

Go ahead... keep punching! (Score:1)

Mommy! (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Mommy! (Score:1)

For those of you who haven't watched the video (Score:2)

I'm in shock! (Score:2)

Future FPS controllers (Score:2)

Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:3, Insightful)

Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:1)

Re:Future FPS controllers (Score:2)

Mattel PowerGlove (Score:1)

Re:Mattel PowerGlove (Score:1)

What the heck happened? (Score:1)

Powerglove rules (Score:2, Funny)

damn (Score:1)

Do they honestly think it's going to work? (Score:1)

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