Interaction Devices

In the past we had basic experiences, back in the day games were limited to either side-scrolling or top-down interactions.

Perceived affordances – perceived properties of the object that suggests how one could use it. On a controller the gamepad is elevated so that players know they are press able and triggers on the back so players perceive it to flick it with their finger. The joystick is used to rotate, it controls direction. There are a lot of moving and timing in games. Back in the day when Nintendo was out, their control was very boring. It had four direction buttons and two action buttons. It was an inexpensive way to produce a controller, now controllers cost $60. Nintendo later came out with a gun type controller. It created the trigger button. It changed the display and it increased the frames, it was faster than the eye could detect. Now buttons aren’t buttons anymore they are a rich set of interactions. There are many buttons with triggers (face and directional), there is also dual analog sticks that are used for three dimensional play (it dictates the camera modes).        

Figure 1 - PS3 Controller with Keypad

Interactions with controllers allows for players to feel more immersed inside the game. Analog gives reasonable mapping to 3D environments. There are many buttons and this allows for different timing tasks. There are also special or mode switch actions on the face buttons. When a player plays video games with a controller it is found that when the game gets harder the player exerts more pressure on the buttons. When I play Mario Kart Wii with friends I find that I tend to press the buttons very hard when it is the last lap and I need to catch up. Game designers can use this information to create a new controller that is sensitive to button pressure. If a player wants to run faster he/she would have to press the button harder. This gives players more of an in-depth feel to the game. If a player wants something he/she will have to work harder for it. 

Figure 2 - People aggressively playing the Wii

 

Each controller has different affordances. A keyboard is for typing, a mouse is used for targeting, and the gamepad is used for combos. Buttons are also used for rhythmic games, but when playing a game like Guitar Hero a game designer needs to take into factor affordance vs. suspension of disbelief. Sometimes a player rather feels more in the game than achieving the best score. A player could use a controller to beat the game efficiently but sometimes they rather use a controller that feels more realistic so that they are immersed into the game (Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii Wheel, and Gran Turismo Wheel).

Figure 3 - Gran Turismo 5 Wheel

The Xbox 360 Kinect is a gaming controller. It allows for the actual gamer to become the controller. There would be a lost affordance as the player would have to figure what each thing does. However there would be affordances as well because it’ll feel like doing something in reality. An example of this is if you are playing a fighting game a player would know how to punch and kick but they are used to creating combos from the gamepad. The PS3 also uses the player’s motion; it deals with accelerometer, gyros and compass. It has a balance though because it has motion but it also has standard buttons that players are used to. 

Figure 4 - PS3 Move Controller

Questions to Consider

What types of input devices will come from the new generation of consoles?

Will the Wii controller be an inspiration to new devices or will it be a fresh look and feel?

Is it possible to have gesture recognition in gaming consoles/controllers?

References

Figure 1 -  http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ps3-keypad-1.jpg

Figure 2 - http://paranerds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/nintendo-wii.jpg

Figure 3 - http://ps3.mmgn.com/Lib/Images/Articles/Normal/Gran-Turismo-5-Racing-wheels-comparison-1061484.jpg

Figure 4 - http://www.nintendoeverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/playstation_move.jpg