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| Steering Wheel Gaming Device |
What I will be looking at:
Controllers are one of the most widely used peripherals & interface devices when it comes to gaming, closely tied in with keyboard and mice for computer gaming. As I have previously spoke about controllers which consoles use I shall look at the devices which can be used instead of such controllers. I will be looking at the developments and advancements made into some technologies to allow the use of other hardware devices which provide the user with a different types of interface instead of a controller.
In regards to consoles I shall be looking at the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 examining which devices they have to use and how they have been implemented into games to allow for a different style of gameplay.
Xbox 360 + PlayStation & Their Devices:
Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 have many different types and styles of interface devices instead of the controller which has been updated throughout the development of the consoles to support it better. However other devices have been created which allow for users to have another style of gameplay for such types of games;
- Racing
- First Person Shooters
- Role Playing Games
- Third Person Shooters
- Shoot em' Up
These are the types of games which have been introduced to another style of devices. Since racing games have been developed the idea of creating a post-simulation device for a console has been designed, developed & implemented into the use of games. Xbox features a steering wheel and pedals which can simulate the idea of actually driving on a game. This means that instead of using a controller they can use a steering wheel & pedals to drive the vehicles in game & race as if it was real life. These devices also output force feedback which also simulates how real life driving would occur meaning that sudden movements & bumpy grounds can be felt through the steering wheel.
It works the same way as a controller working on a axis to determine how much the steering wheel has been turned and then outputs this analogue signal to the xbox which converts to digital and outputs on screen by moving the car in the direction the steering wheel was turned. The pedals work the same way the triggers work on the controller with the use of proportional control where the amount of force determines how fast or slow the car will speed up or slow down.
Further advancements have been made into this technology with the use of a 3rd pedal to add a clutch where the user can have a full simulation experience of driving a car through a console game.
In regards to the development of FPS's or first person shooters, additional games devices have been created for them. Over time the idea of having a semi-realistic gun which uses infra-red has been designed so that players are able to shoot enemies on the screen in such games as Time Crisis where enemies are in front of the screen and the player has to point and shoot. This was an arcade style of gaming beforehand however it has been adapted into console gaming and work effectively and efficiently with the use of a gun simple and easy to setup and use.
The way the gun works is, it tracks the movement of the gun placement and determines where the player is pointing by tracking the infra-red signal being sent to the console. Once this has been determined and the trigger is pressed, the console handles the rest by animated a gunshot in game, and applying force feedback to the gun to give a realistic affect. The area which was aimed at the console will see if an enemy was hit and if so, will die or be injured. They work the same as arcades however, the signals sent from the gun are analogue and need to be converted in real time to digital.
The way the gun works is, it tracks the movement of the gun placement and determines where the player is pointing by tracking the infra-red signal being sent to the console. Once this has been determined and the trigger is pressed, the console handles the rest by animated a gunshot in game, and applying force feedback to the gun to give a realistic affect. The area which was aimed at the console will see if an enemy was hit and if so, will die or be injured. They work the same as arcades however, the signals sent from the gun are analogue and need to be converted in real time to digital.
Wired & Wireless Devices:
Wireless and wired devices are essentially the same in terms of how they are used and what they can do however they do have some differences when it comes to gameplay & using them with the console. Wired devices are always going to be faster and transmitting signals and data to and from the console, due to them having a dedicated controller wire, this means that signals can be converted to and from analogue and digital quickly and more efficiently without the problem of interference or disruption some wireless devices have. Compared to wireless a wired device can transmit data 2ms faster than wireless meaning that it takes 2ms less to get a signal from point A on the device to point B on the console.
Along with wired and wireless devices, the need to power them is also different with wired devices powering through the console/system, a wireless device needs an external powering source to keep it running as it isn't connected to the console directly. This means the use of batteries or battery pack is needed, which add additional cost to the long term running of the wireless devices.
