

Smartphones as Game Controllers - ramirez60
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/turn-iphone-android-device-game-controller-computer-windows-mac/

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

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kunle
For what games?

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FelixP
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.

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jvrossb
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.

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zyb09
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.

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kunle
You're right about starcraft - it's a well designed game constructed
explicitly around the keyboard/mouse paradigm. Fortunately it's not the only
type of game - if you look at the list of best selling video games, they all
have a variety of control mechanics that work best (Starcraft with keyboard
and mouse, racers with steering wheels, angry birds with swipe etc) and almost
none would work as well with another control mechanic. The idea of a
smartphone controller is pretty young still - its natural that there arent
best selling titles that use this control mechanic; it hasnt been around long
enough and not too many folks are focused on it.

(disclosure - I'm a founder of wanderplayer). thx for the comments/feedback.

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mrchrisallen
I have to agree that using existing games like Starcraft as an example of why
a phone as a controller won't work just doesn't make any sense. It's games
designed specifically for smartphone controls that are going to have the
biggest impact in this space. It's a new paradigm, or the next generation of
games that leverage smartphones as controllers that we are talking about.

(likewise, for full disclosure, I'm the CEO of Brass Monkey) :)

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surly
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.

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nextparadigms
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.

