Microsoft Research Publishes Prototypes For Phones and Tablets Gaming Controllers (windowscentral.com) 14
According to a recently published paper by Microsoft Research team, the company could be looking to launch physical controllers for mobile devices. From a report: The research paper documents some of the popular solutions to gaming via a touch screen, while hailing the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Portable (PSP) for circumventing touch-based control limitations with full joysticks and buttons. From the paper [PDF]: As smartphones and tablets have become pervasive, so has mobile gaming. Not surprisingly, popular games for these platforms are focused on touchscreen-based interaction. However, many types of game are less well-suited to mobile devices. Despite systems like AdaptControl which can adapt to the 'drift' typically occurring when using virtual on-screen controls, touchbased emulations of traditional gaming controls like Dpads, buttons and joysticks are often unsatisfactory.
Mobile gaming devices like the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS and Switch are dedicated mobile gaming platforms which overcome these limitations via physical controls. The success of the Switch is testament to the value of mobile gaming with physical controls. A number of cheaper products allow a smartphone to be clipped into or onto a modified handheld gaming controller; these include the ION iCade mobile, the GameCase, the GameVice and products from Moga. However, the fixed form of these accessories means they are bulky and inflexible.
Mobile gaming devices like the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's DS and Switch are dedicated mobile gaming platforms which overcome these limitations via physical controls. The success of the Switch is testament to the value of mobile gaming with physical controls. A number of cheaper products allow a smartphone to be clipped into or onto a modified handheld gaming controller; these include the ION iCade mobile, the GameCase, the GameVice and products from Moga. However, the fixed form of these accessories means they are bulky and inflexible.
What has changed since 2004 (Score:2)
Last time I can remember Microsoft mentioning handheld gaming, it was 2004 when Microsoft announced that it wouldn't be entering that market with an "Xboy" [quartertothree.com] because handheld gaming was too solitary, and Microsoft was into social experiences. One thing that's changed since then is an expectation of a cellular Internet subscription.
Re: (Score:2)
Last time I can remember Microsoft mentioning handheld gaming, it was 2004 when Microsoft announced that it wouldn't be entering that market with an "Xboy" [quartertothree.com] because handheld gaming was too solitary . . .
That's never stopped vibrators from selling.
Wikipad will sue (Score:2)
The device shown in the featured article clips onto the sides of a phone or tablet. The left grip has the Control Pad and left stick, and the right grip has the action buttons and right stick. Each side has a rechargeable battery. I'd bet once lawyers for Wikipad maker Gamevice [wikipedia.org] see Microsoft's answer to Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers, they'll be champing at the bit for their share of the $ in M$.
Re: (Score:2)
It's important to realize that no one has a patent for a controller or even a particular type. What they all have are utility patents covering their own specific implementation of that idea. Once you actually read one of those patents, it's often not all that difficult to imagine another implementation that's different in
why bother (Score:1)
As soon as it has the word 'microsoft' in it the name alone makes people recoil from it like they would from dog crap. Their products are terrible and always have been. They might want to just get a shell company with a different name and give this a try. For most companies the name brand helps to sell the product, for microsoft it is the opposite, it is marketing poison to attach their name to anything.
Prior Art (Score:2)