Creating a cheap, versatile, gaming controller for mobile devices

Problematics

In 2010-2011, the rapid development of the market of smartphones and tablets equipped with a touch screen, contributed to the emergence of the first concepts and prototypes of game controllers for these mobile devices. The need for their appearance was determined by the interesting features of the large touch screen, but at the same time, this screen has a serious drawback - the lack of tactile feedback, which is important for accurate and fast interaction with the interface of the executed application. These characteristics of management are especially relevant in games, the management of which will be discussed further.

Emerging concepts often did not receive logical development due to the impossibility for one reason or another to carry out their functions, the main obstacle was the complexity or closeness of the infrastructure of the existing set of hardware platform, operating system, target application. Over time, according to the logic of the existing world, already existing computers (mobile devices) began to accumulate peripherals operating through interfaces specially created for this purpose - Bluetooth and USB.

Bluetooth and USB

The USB interface seemed to be a fairly simple solution for interacting with mobile devices, but at the dawn of the industry, and in many ways now, the placement of ports, which also had different specifications, was limited only by the imagination of the developer of a particular device. Therefore, these gamepads, as a rule, were created for one of the most popular smartphone models and could have compatibility with devices with similar port locations, which was quite rare, and if the serial port won out over the wireless connection, then this disadvantage reduced all the advantages for no.

USB became the worst of two evils, and gave way to a more versatile Bluetooth. But Blue Tooth did not become a panacea, it will work out with most smartphones and tablets, although it is hardly possible to guarantee this. In turn, the management of a specific application requires the targeted preparation of such an application by its developer, moreover, preparation for a specific game controller or their group. According to the developer of one of the paid software crutches (which was contacted), created to eliminate such incompatibility, Google and game developers are equally responsible for such a situation. In my opinion, the first ones did not give a high-quality universal tool for interaction between all parts of the system, while the latter rightly do not see the point of working to integrate their applications, for all, or the most common game controllers. By the way, judging by the number of downloads and reviews about the application, correcting the nuances of compatibility of Bluetooth gamepads and games, the existence of the problem is confirmed. Despite my amateur opinion, a difficult situation is actually developing, the analogs of which are not so easy to remember.

There are several parts of the system, almost all of which regularly change their properties:

1. The operating system, for example Android, is regularly updated.
2. Firmware manufacturers of mobile PCs, third-party firmware from industry enthusiasts based on Android are regularly updated
3. Mobile PC hardware platform is regularly modified
4. The game controller's gaming platform is a very inconstant part.
5. The target gaming application is a very variable part.

In my opinion, against the background of such a situation, it is not enough just to offer the user a sane product. Commercial attempts to regulate some parts of this system look doubtful, some of them have already safely “ordered to live long”. An example should be given an interesting situation from the world of Apple, or rather the licensing program devices and software MFI . As I understand from the discussionlaunched on the official Gameloft blog page, Iphone owners happily purchased MOGA products to pass the time conveniently and fascinatingly for their favorite game from Gameloft. But to their regret, one of the participants of this pyramid ceased to organize something, and he refused to continue cooperation, having disorganized the entire structure. An expensive gamepad refused to work with the continuation of the game narration, thereby causing a lot of negative emotions among users.

In another case, a very strange situation unfolds when a game controller worth $ 40 is compatible with game applications of only one developer, and only on one platform, it is not surprising that now the cost of an unpopular product has dropped 6.5 times.

The problem of compatibility of USB and Bluetooth controllers does not lose relevance. Opinions in reviews of products available in popular online stores are divided approximately in half between the maximum and minimum ratings. Target forums are filled with reports of problems in configuring existing devices; in the short term, no tools are visible for successfully overcoming existing difficulties.

Not in the last place is the question of the cost of complex electronic stuffing of the existing periphery, world prices for devices with acceptable quality, have a range of prices from $ 70 to $ 300, Chinese “no name” analogues are extremely cheap, $ 10-20, but have even greater instability.

Controls interacting through the screen

The problem of comfortable interaction with gaming applications was tried to solve in a radically different way, the most well-known product created for this purpose is called “Fling” and is an overlay on the glass of a smartphone, its main task is a target indication. Later, these devices began to be equipped with overhead function buttons that operate on the same principle, but are responsible for any one action. The main disadvantage of this input method is the fact that on smartphones an overlap of the screen overlaps. A less significant problem is not too convenient and comfortable method of attachment to glass, besides, it was possible to interact with such a solution with only two thumbs - the maximum simultaneous interaction with only four keys. These deficiencies were so significant

1. Full cross-platform, the ability to control any application running on any mobile PC running any OS, the only requirement for the hardware is the projection-capacitive screen.
2. The price of the solution and ease of use for the user.

Search for another solution

Having considered two radically different ways of entering information for a PC equipped with a touch screen, my sympathies fell in the direction of simpler interaction using overhead elements. The main disadvantage of this method turned out to be a strong irritant, pushed to the idea of ​​creating an input tool that combines the strengths of all the above technologies.

The first step was the idea of ​​vesting overlay keys with transparent properties or their serious reduction in order to increase the visible area of ​​the screen. But even with a decrease of several times (up to 3-5 mm), they will not disappear completely from the screen, besides, the fingers that are in the projection of the screen and interfere with the review cannot be reduced. The problem of reliable attachment of the buttons to the screen becomes more acute, and tactile sensations will suffer. To solve the new problems, it was necessary to formulate new requirements:

1. Together with the decrease of the buttons, their transfer to the unused main display events of the screen area is required. For example, in the horizontal position: the right, left and lower edges of the screen, approximately 3-5 mm from the frame.
2. Buttons should not be directly fixed on the screen due to the lack of technical possibility of their reliable attachment.
2.1.1. You will need a chassis that allows you to securely fix the buttons on the ground without losing their functionality.
3. The top surface of the button, designed to touch with your finger, should have a comfortable size. All tactile properties of such a button should be in the comfort zone familiar to the user.

Mechanical option

Such poorly compatible requirements required a radical solution, which appeared. This decision was the first key idea - the mechanical transfer of the interaction through a system of hydraulic or hydraulic drive, it would allow almost completely to meet new requirements. For example, on the same chassis on which it was planned to place the on-screen buttons, you can place the entire mechanical system and move the function leading keys far enough away from the screen, which would give the device a form factor and controls of a full-fledged gamepad.

It would seem that the problem was solved and at the same time quite interesting, but in this idea there were obvious shortcomings. In the case of using the system, a very high system reliability was required. A clear transfer of commands to the application interface is incompatible with the presence of even minimal backlash, loosening, pulling, and wear of working nodes. It is difficult to imagine a compact thin mechanical system that would stand up under the onslaught of intense long-term load created by an emotional user. And even in the case of creating a reliable, and at the same time economically viable, mechanical system, it will require an impressive body volume for its placement, which is poorly compatible with modern aesthetic and ergonomic trends in the approximate industry of smartphone construction.

Not wanting to give up the tempting idea of ​​a mechanical transmission of interaction, after thinking it was decided that the most suitable option is a single-acting hydraulic cylinder, where the user button would serve as part of the actuator. And the button of interaction with the screen would be located on the piston rod located in the piston cavity located at the opposite end of the hydroline relative to the user button. Due to the fact that such a system does not require a lot of pressure to work, the hydrolines will take up a minimum of volume and can be located as you please, and you will be able to place the controls of the gamepad in any way that will maximize the similarity to the electronic counterparts. The operation of such a system is very simple: by pressing a button, we force an incompressible fluid,

Capacitive option

There are even fewer shortcomings in this concept, but, unfortunately, they have not disappeared altogether. This time there was only one drawback, but it was he who became fatal for this option. The essence of the drawback is that when working with devices equipped with capacitive screens, it will be necessary to have sufficient electrical capacitance of the object interacting with the screen to trigger the sensor. In the working scheme under consideration, the interaction object is too small for possessing sufficient capacity, it will not be enough even in an electric bundle with a combination of a piston rod. Thus, the described scheme lacks a single parameter - working capacity. Thoughts about endowing the on-screen button with acceptable capacity were associated only with the complexity of the design, reducing reliability. Appearing options were dubious, everything sank in a fog of hopelessness. The lack of understanding of the electrodynamic nature of objects in their aggregates, including those consisting of media, being in different state of aggregation and different in chemical composition, also hindered.

Not having a productive solution, being in thoughts about endowing a small object with the physical properties of a large one, about the electrical nature of the surrounding world, namely, electrical capacity, a second key idea appeared.

Initially, the basis for reflection was the onscreen button about 3-4 mm in diameter, with almost the same contact patch made of a conductive material that is much softer than the average glass of the screen. Such requirements did not fit in with the acceptable capacity. That is, without possessing it, there would be no difference in what position the button is: whether it touches the glass (user button is pressed) or is slightly above it (user button in the free position), the sensor cannot recognize it in any case. Such a nuance makes unnecessary all the nodes that are responsible for moving the on-screen button, let it remain in contact with the glass constantly, the only important thing here is its capacity. And, as before, we interacted with the touchscreen of a mobile PC, that is, by making a sufficiently dimensional electrically conductive, which means capacitive object, in the sensitive area for the sensor electrodes, now it is necessary to do the same, but already in relation to the object that is fixed on the screen. If this object has a certain length in space, then the interaction with any of its points will lead to the impact on the sensor of the mobile device. Roughly speaking, we carry out the transfer of interaction with a capacitive object away from the screen, fulfilling one of the above requirements - this is how the stylus works. Further - more, for the interaction of an extended object fixed on the screen, with some other capacious object, it is not necessary to unite them in space, it is enough to create an electrically conductive section between them. but in relation to the subject that is fixed on the screen. If this object has a certain length in space, then the interaction with any of its points will lead to the impact on the sensor of the mobile device. Roughly speaking, we carry out the transfer of interaction with a capacitive object away from the screen, fulfilling one of the above requirements - this is how the stylus works. Further - more, for the interaction of an extended object fixed on the screen, with some other capacious object, it is not necessary to unite them in space, it is enough to create an electrically conductive section between them. but in relation to the subject that is fixed on the screen. If this object has a certain length in space, then the interaction with any of its points will lead to the impact on the sensor of the mobile device. Roughly speaking, we carry out the transfer of interaction with a capacitive object away from the screen, fulfilling one of the above requirements - this is how the stylus works. Further - more, for the interaction of an extended object fixed on the screen, with some other capacious object, it is not necessary to unite them in space, it is enough to create an electrically conductive section between them. we carry out the transfer of interaction with the capacitive object away from the screen, fulfilling one of the above requirements - this is how the stylus works. Further - more, for the interaction of an extended object fixed on the screen, with some other capacious object, it is not necessary to unite them in space, it is enough to create an electrically conductive section between them. we carry out the transfer of interaction with the capacitive object away from the screen, fulfilling one of the above requirements - this is how the stylus works. Further - more, for the interaction of an extended object fixed on the screen, with some other capacious object, it is not necessary to unite them in space, it is enough to create an electrically conductive section between them.

A fairly simple electrical circuit emerges: a flat, electrically conductive contact element for mounting on a screen with an output going to one of the contacts of a push-button switch. By its second contact, the pushbutton switch is connected with a sufficiently capacious object to trigger the sensor. Arbitrarily, using a button, commuting a contact element fixed on the screen with a capacity, we trigger the sensor at the right moment for us, thereby affecting the application interface.

First prototype

It is time for the first prototypes, the nuances of the technology are visible. Regarding them, it is necessary to say the following: there is a dependence on the position of the interface elements of the target application, but in principle this problem is not so serious, and there are a lot of options for its solution. Given this limitation, a not too complicated gaming application was selected to ascertain the capabilities of the device being created. The toy Muffin Knight, an entertaining platformer, whose character could perform only four actions, perfectly approached: run right or left, as well as shoot and jump. The entire game interface could by default undergo any customization, which predetermined this choice. LG Optimus Black (P970) was acquired for testing, the chassis for holding the smartphone was made of foam plastic - very practical, affordable and easy to handle material. The keys are buttons SSMPBS-R / R. There were only four keys, this was enough to control the above-mentioned game. A section of aluminum foil with a size of 123x63 mm was chosen as a container; after lamination with scotch tape, a section of such impressive dimensions was placed in the box for a smartphone. Contact screen elements are made of cold-rolled annealed sheet steel with a thickness of 0.2 - 0.4 mm, dimensions of 10 * 7 mm. Almost all of these items are on hand, and assembling the design at the same time holding the phone and containing the described parts will not take long. A little fiddling, the expected result was achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! this was enough to control the above game. A section of aluminum foil with a size of 123x63 mm was chosen as a container; after lamination with scotch tape, a section of such impressive dimensions was placed in the box for a smartphone. Contact screen elements are made of cold-rolled annealed sheet steel with a thickness of 0.2 - 0.4 mm, dimensions of 10 * 7 mm. Almost all of these items are on hand, and assembling the design at the same time holding the phone and containing the described parts will not take long. A little fiddling, the expected result was achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! this was enough to control the above game. A section of aluminum foil with a size of 123x63 mm was chosen as a container; after lamination with scotch tape, a section of such impressive dimensions was placed in the box for a smartphone. Contact screen elements are made of cold-rolled annealed sheet steel with a thickness of 0.2 - 0.4 mm, dimensions of 10 * 7 mm. Almost all of these items are on hand, and assembling the design at the same time holding the phone and containing the described parts will not take long. A little fiddling, the expected result was achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! a segment of such impressive dimensions is located in the box for the smartphone. Contact screen elements are made of cold-rolled annealed sheet steel with a thickness of 0.2 - 0.4 mm, dimensions of 10 * 7 mm. Almost all of these items are on hand, and assembling the design at the same time holding the phone and containing the described parts will not take long. A little fiddling, the expected result was achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! a segment of such impressive dimensions is located in the box for the smartphone. Contact screen elements are made of cold-rolled annealed sheet steel with a thickness of 0.2 - 0.4 mm, dimensions of 10 * 7 mm. Almost all of these items are on hand, and assembling the design at the same time holding the phone and containing the described parts will not take long. A little fiddling, the expected result was achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! The expected result has been achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures! The expected result has been achieved. The knight successfully carried out my instructions for collecting cupcakes and destroying unwanted living creatures!

Second prototype

The device worked, but it was completely unpresentable. It is time to use the technology of 3D printing, which has not yet gained today's popularity. Using Aut. Inventor, a little bit studied by that time, formed the project of a device much more similar to a gamepad. Turning to the local studio, which was engaged in prototyping and prototyping, all the necessary details were made for me, from which, after an unsuccessful painting, it was collected that at least somehow it could be called a prototype.



The keys of the budget game controller were also used as parts, and the contact elements were the tips of the disk-shaped capacitive styli Dagi. The tips were transparent and made of polymer, so they were well suited for this role. The container in the form of a brass plate was placed in the box for the smartphone, part of which was a large contact pad, which served as the second fixed contact of the push-button switch common to all keys. The moving contacts of the buttons were rigidly mounted on the body of the buttons themselves, and connected to the terminals of the touch screen elements. For precise control it was required that the screen contacts were in reliable connection with the latter, but at the same time, when the device was equipped, the contact elements would not be damaged and the smartphone loaded into the gamepad would not be damaged. In order to meet both requirements, two spring-loaded levers were provided for in the design of the gamepad. When equipping the gamepad with a smartphone, on each of the device halves it was necessary to alternately press a button associated with a lever to lift the contact group above the screen level, then it just had to be released so that the spring reliably fixed the contacts. Muffin Knight was again used to conduct the experiment, and since managing this application required interaction with only four interface elements, there were also four contact elements. It was not necessary to dilute all the keys. in order to raise the contact group above the screen level, then it was necessary to simply release it so that the spring reliably fixed the contacts. Muffin Knight was again used to conduct the experiment, and since managing this application required interaction with only four interface elements, there were also four contact elements. It was not necessary to dilute all the keys. in order to raise the contact group above the screen level, then it was necessary to simply release it so that the spring reliably fixed the contacts. Muffin Knight was again used to conduct the experiment, and since managing this application required interaction with only four interface elements, there were also four contact elements. It was not necessary to dilute all the keys.

Nuances

More to talk about the intricacies of technology. First, it is the selected method of exposure to the screen. When thinking about the device circuit, when creating prototypes, I was faced with the fact that some electronic components, or rather push-button switches (for example, a clock button), could not perform their functionality. Such troubles made one wonder whether they should work at all in a scheme based not on the use of electric current, conduction current, in which charged particles move inside macroscopic bodies, that is, electrons through the metal crystal lattice. Concluding that there is no such current in the circuit, and it cannot be, since practically the same materials interact with each other, which are in the same physical conditions, it was decided that such components simply should not and will not work.

During the physical interaction of two bodies, a change occurs, depersonalization of their individual electromagnetic characteristics. During this interaction, a completely different electromagnetic field will be observed. That is, in our case, a key is needed to facilitate the best interaction of the fields when it is activated. This gave rise to a rather interesting question, is there a similar component base at all?

Secondly, in the context of considering the nuances, I will remind you of the dependence on the position of the interface elements of the target application, this limitation was a very serious problem. There are several solutions to this problem.

The first of these is the ability to customize interface elements, which was laid down in advance when creating an application. That is, now hundreds of applications are compatible with devices made by analogy with the described prototype.

The second is direct cooperation with game application developers, with the goal of creating an optional interface that is fully compatible with the gamepad. On this occasion, I want to appeal to competent readers - “How much easier is it to rearrange the interface elements than to prepare a gaming application for interacting with a Bluetooth gamepad?”.

The third option is to create universal software, to interact as an intermediary with any application, based on existing analogues, for example, GKM Touch and Game Controller 2 Touch PRO. This option is the most optimal, as previously reported, it was already possible to communicate with the developer of one of these applications. As a result of communication, it turned out that the possibility of creating an application for the re-coordination of the sensor trigger points is quite possible. This will enable the management of virtually any application, including non-gaming. As a result, the set of measures for the second and third options should provide the best opportunity for playing on mobile devices using the game controller being created.

Patenting

The idea seems obvious, very simple. Perhaps that is why it did not occur to the most experienced specialists of companies whose work is mobile accessories. As soon as the thought emerged that it was possible to come up with something really promising, it was decided to protect this idea.

Obtaining the first patent for this technology, stretched for 22 months, because of the subtleties of the terms used, I had to respond to the requests of the FIPS experts twice, greatly changing the formula, balancing on the verge of matching the description. The situation was saved literally by a few words of the latter, since this part of the application was quite detailed, since it described not something abstract, but the actual device itself. Therefore, useful advice for all applicants will not skimp on the words.



When filing the second application, as a result of the search conducted by the attorneys, the British patent of 2013 surfaced, describing the technology of mechanical transmission of interaction rejected by me. This document is best suited for opposition as the closest analogue, but I have not heard about the products based on this technology. Also, when preparing this application, we managed to create a rather extensive and interesting formula. This time everything went smoothly, there were no requests from the examination. And after 16 months, in November 2015, the decision to grant a patent came. This solution contained an interesting point: the search report quite naturally revealed the previous patent of my authorship. This pleased the realization that technology is evolving. Currently, three more applications are being prepared based on the ideas described above,





According to the first patent, an international application was filed, which is already at the national stage, because of the lack of funds only one country was chosen - the United States. The substantive examination is now underway, and in the near future it is necessary to submit an answer to the questions that have appeared to the expert. The second patent also filed an international application, the period of transition to the nat. the phase of which is December 2016. I hope that on this and subsequent applications the list of countries will be much wider.

It is worth mentioning briefly that there are a couple of patents of North American origin, describing a similar technology, but for some reason deprived of the attention of all experts related to the applications that I submitted. On the basis of one of these inventions, his author tried to promote a very specific product, very different in its format from what is described in this article. Because of its specificity, the product did not become popular, and why my colleague chose such a direction I do not understand.

Market

The problems of the industry have already been described above, but I did not touch the market part of the issue. Unfortunately, there are no clear data on the number of gamepads sold, as well as other statistics related to these sales. The statistics of the market of mobile games, smartphones and tablets, and other accessories helps to assess the situation at least to some extent. Also important is the fact that gaming accessories for mobile devices have been released by almost all the major players in the peripheral industry and some mobile PC makers. It seems that such steps were hardly groundless.

The numbers and facts about these industries are staggering. Most recently, major vendors have begun to promote smart watches and fitness bracelets, but time passes quickly, this market has emerged. According to information from Gartner, revenue from sales of these accessories will be $ 28.7 billion by the end of 2016. There was also a market for drones, X-copters and others. Its usefulness to this group of products has yet to be proved, but the most surprising thing is that the industry is already emerging, offering various systems and devices to protect against the appearance of these very drones in unwanted places!

As for gaming applications and players directly, the most diverse statistics are available here. I will highlight the main points:

1. The volume of the mobile gaming market in 2015 reached $ 34 billion. According to App Annie.
2. According to forecasts, in 2016 the volume of the mobile gaming industry will reach $ 41.5 billion.
3. The approximate number of players according to 2014 data is 1.35 billion. Source - Newzoo and AppLift
4. Over the past year, manufacturers have shipped a record 1.43 billion smartphones. According to IDC
5. According to a recent survey on w3bsit3-dns.com, to the question "Do you use gaming accessories for a smartphone / tablet?" 42% of those who voted answered that they are already using them or plan to start using them, only 2383 people voted.

Development

At the moment, the project has a lot of tasks. The primary of them is a small series of experimental devices that meet all modern requirements for design and functionality. Perhaps, the next task has almost the same importance - the creation of software. There is also work to expand the package of intellectual property. All this will require funds, although not large, but currently absent.

The combination of ready-made software, original design, ideas for which there are plenty, and, finally, a good market price, will allow the project to find serious investors. In turn, this will allow in the shortest possible time to enter the market and change the mobile gaming industry!