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Next-gen Game Controllers Tug At Thumb Tips

Posted by Soulskill on from the strict-catch-and-release-policy dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Engineers at the University of Utah have designed a new kind of video game controller that not only vibrates like existing devices, but pulls and stretches the thumb tips in different directions to simulate various types of movement. 'We have developed feedback modes that enhance immersiveness and realism for gaming scenarios such as collision, recoil from a gun, the feeling of being pushed by ocean waves or crawling prone in a first-person shooter game,' said the lead researcher on the project, adding he hoped the technology would be adopted in the next generation of gaming consoles."

13 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Could it be possible that by FunkyRider · · Score: 2, Funny

    It pulls too hard and break your thumb? ouch!

    --
    just wonder why there are so many anonymous cowards in this world....
    1. Re:Could it be possible that by sideslash · · Score: 4, Funny

      It pulls too hard and break your thumb? ouch!

      Not sure why this was downvoted. That would be a cool feature for Grand Theft Auto when you don't fulfill your obligations to the mafia.

  2. hmm... by amoeba1911 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "...not only vibrates like existing devices, but pulls and stretches the thumb tips in different directions to simulate..."
    what kind of games are these guys playing?

    1. Re:hmm... by tepples · · Score: 2

      Apart from your joke that probably refers to H-games...

      Read the article and you'll see what kind of games they tried it with. In platformers, it signals when the character has run into a wall. In stealth games, it mimicks the left-right motion of a low crawl. In driving games, it signals when the steering mechanism is offering resistance. And in fishing games, it signals when a fish is biting.

    2. Re:hmm... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      "...not only vibrates like existing devices, but pulls and stretches the thumb tips in different directions to simulate..."
      what kind of games are these guys playing?

      I don't know, but if I know one thing about console gamers, it'll be more than their thumbs that are going to get tugged.

      I can see a lot of very interesting emergency room visits arising out of these next-gen controllers.

      And how funny will the inevitable warning labels on the new controllers be? "WARNING: Use of these controllers by any body part other than thumbs and fingers is not recommended, may be dangerous and could result in a great deal of laughter among emergency room staff."

      But you think that's going to stop every intrepid gamer from trying to play Bayonetta with his willy? No sirree bob. Not a chance. It won't even slow him down.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Bah by mvar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's still a long way till they manage to make a game controller that is actually better than the keyboard & mouse combo..

    1. Re:Bah by vlm · · Score: 2

      keyboard and trackball here. I don't game on something as low res as 1080, not since I upgraded to that 1600x1200 CRT from the 90s.

      Anyway the question I have here is what is the tendonitis effect of random force at random positions and times? My guess is its either really good to prevent repetitive stress injuries or really bad when it creates weird strain injuries.

      It'll probably only be used as an obnoxious gimmick, but I could see something like skyrim style lockpicking having some real world force feedback.

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    2. Re:Bah by kamapuaa · · Score: 2

      The marketplace has already decided that game controllers are already better than mouse & keyboards. It's not like keyboard & mouse technology is anything new, game controllers could and have made them an option for consoles - I remember shooters on the Dreamcast gave that as an option. They weren't popular, so it's no longer a thing.

      Anyway we live in a world where you can play Skyrim on your XBox with a controller or on your computer with a keyboard + mouse, so really who cares.

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    3. Re:Bah by tepples · · Score: 2

      Umm you do realize that the mouse moves in four directions?

      Yes: rotate the camera up, down, left, and right. But because these directions are proportional, one can aim at any speed and direction. The WASD keys, on the other hand, are like an 8-directional digital control pad, and you need a fifth key to toggle between usually two movement speeds (walk and run).

      not everyone wants 10 sweaty guys in their living room to play MP games.

      I was thinking two to four players, which is an improvement over KBM's one player especially if the people visiting your home can't bring their own family PCs. Maybe KBM on a LAN is best for FPS and RTS and gamepads for everything else.

    4. Re:Bah by Amtrak · · Score: 2

      Solution: One Mouse for looking and clicking on stuff, one 12 button joy stick for controlling the legs/button mashing. There was that really that hard? The only thing that makes computer games better than consoles when it comes to input devices is choices. On a computer you can remap inputs to whatever you want on what ever device you want(Except on a few lazy console ports). This allows the user to use what they are most comfortable with. For example I wouldn't dream of using a game pad to play Civilization or Sim City. In BF3 I like to use a mouse and keyboard for everything but flying. (Flying has to be a game pad or joy stick the mouse is too finicky). And for games like Batman and Assassins Creed I use a game controller because the games just work better with one. So choices, its all about choices.

  4. Re:Not new by Jarik+C-Bol · · Score: 2

    having read the article, and looked at the included picture at length, i can honestly say, i've not seen anything exactly like this before, and it seems like a smart idea.

    For those of you who do not care to read the article, the way this particular unit works is this:
    The normal round thumb stick tops have been replaced with a formed sort of depression that the thumb tip fits into, (think, conformed grip)
    in the middle of this space is a hole, with a nub that would only *just* come in contact with the surface of the thumb. This nub moves independent of the gross motion of the control stick, allowing the feedback to not interfere with the fine movement of the control.
    It appears that the movement it makes is sub-dermal. That is to say, it does not slide across the skin, but rather gently pulls at it (press your finger on your arm and wiggle, the skin of your arm moves a little, but your finger does not slide. Like that).

    Sure, it is not a haptic vest, but in terms of ease of use (you just pick it up, you don't have to wear it) i suspect that this is something we will see in the next gen console controllers.

    --
    I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
  5. Really? by Master+Moose · · Score: 2

    Go on, pull the other one. .:)

    --
    . . .gone when the morning comes
  6. Re:Who's with me? by mjwx · · Score: 2

    I hereby make a motion that everyone immediately and permanently stop work on all controller innovations that do not involve jacking our brains directly into the computer. Who's with me?

    They have a hard enough time getting DRM to work with DVD drives without breaking the entire OS, why the hell would you let them interface with your brain. They'll likely overwrite your respiratory drivers without telling you and due to poor coding, the DRM will shut down one or both of your lungs when daylight savings kicks in.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.