Alright, we got a chance to check out
iGUGU's Gamecore setup, and we're simultaneously impressed and disappointed. The fact that for $80 you can get all the hardware necessary to beam your PC video to your TV wirelessly and control games with a full QWERTY wireless controller is just plain great. We also love the form factor of the controller, since it's basically a clone of the Xbox 360 controller -- a little shameless, but our hands and fingers don't seem to mind. Unfortunately, the drawbacks are many. First and foremost, iGUGU's software is pretty abysmal, and for all its seeming attempts at simplifying access to games and media in a "TV friendly" manner, it only serves to complicate such actions. The second problem is that we're just not sure a trackball could really serve to satiate the desire of most PC games for a mouse control. We tried out a FPS and would've much preferred a joystick nub for aiming the camera, and while there's an accelerometer built into the controller, it felt overly sensitive in the racing game we tested -- and has rarely been proven to be much beyond a gimmick in the console world outside of very specifically targeted software. That said, the Xbox-style triggers and shoulder buttons are great, and the QWERTY keyboard is uncomfortably cheap but very usable. Perhaps for lower-impact games that don't involve the precision of a shooter or a racer we could see this working, but we're unconvinced we'd really enjoy the majority of the "27,000 available PC games" at this thing's disposal. Check out a video of it in action after the break.
posted January 6th 2010 4:06PM
its seems to missing a "WTF" button.
I would be more interested in using it for a HTPC remote.
@TjK
your avatar is missing a WTF button
@tylersmyler lol ur the one to talk eh?
@TjK I was thinking the exact same time
I knew it was a fail, a few seconds into their promo video.
How dare they criticize the mouse and keyboard combo for FPS games? F.A.I.L. on that statement alone.
@TareG I couldn't agree more. That statement was a total failure. On the other hand, a controller is always awesome for games that aren't FPS, MMORPGs and RTS :)
That Controller Has Epic Fail written all over it. That shit is so ugly.
I rather us a wired 360 controller and or a Logitech Dinovo Mini
@Cg006 though a tad fugly, looks like a good option for controlling an HTPC in situations where a Harmony remote isn't so great (text entry, playing MAME & simpler games etc).
I don't really care about the accelerometer so much as not having to pull out a keyboard and mouse when I want to use my HTPC for something other than Windows Media Center and Boxee.
When was the last time I read a positive on engadget?
@oldpass56
With all due respect..
Tell us, if you do not mind....
1 positive thing about this controller -
@oldpass56
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/17/iphone-3g-s-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/11/iphone-3g-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/03/iphone-review/
I rather get OnLive if it is even coming out
The second I noticed only ONE analog stick... I knew it was going to fail..
@tylersmyler
Its got the accelerometer, so i'm thinking that plus the trackpad makes up for that...
I have been known to be wrong though, to mee, this is win, because its a bitch to use a controle and keyboard at the same time, which i often need to do as a PC Gamer
Any plans on them selling the controller separately?
For simpler gaming (MAME especially), occasional text entry on an HTPC, and navigation outside of Boxee and Windows Media Center (my Harmony One does that just fine), this looks like a perfectly cromulent option, and I'd take it over the way overpriced DiNovo Mini, and takes up way less space than any keyboard/mouse combo.
@Alan Strangis
If you dont like the Dinovo Mini (i have one and yeah its got its flaws)
Check out:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=11&id=3079&pg=2
Lenovos Media Remote
goes got about 60
@Cg006 I've actually been waiting for the Lenovo remote to become available on the Cdn Lenovo site, and will probably order it site unseen. A friend has the DiNovo Mini, and I was underwhelmed, especially given the price. If it were around the $80-$100 new, I'd consider it.
What I REALLY want is for MS to come out with native drivers for the 360's Chatpad under Windows. Then I could just move the Chatpad one controller to the other as needed. From all the searching I've done online, I'm far from the only one. ;)
@Alan Strangis I've seen it on sale in Hong Kong, so if you don't see anything soon, let me know ;)
D-Pad on the right, buttons on the left. Way to go! Doing something completely opposite of what everyone is comfortable with couldn't possibly ruin the chances for success.
@tineras
Yeah.. how is using that dpad ever going to work...
This would be useless IF Microsoft had drivers for their Chatpad on the PC.
Too bad Microsoft won't and this product fills the wide range of applications that are there
@chuck07 Heheh.
If you want a 360 controller with a ChatPad for Windows, you can do what this guy did...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgVxEUxQrGU
He slapped a Mad Catz PS3 ThumbPad on a 360 controller and called it a day. Not so elegant though... :)
@Alan Strangis
Yeah thats functional though.
It would just be soo nice if everything just worked!
Does it work with a mac?
What is out there equivalent and better? I'd like to play Diablo II (or III when it comes out) with this controller. Seems like it'd work well.. and, so? First product from the company is a market investigation to see how responsive people are. Successive generations would improve if there's adequate reception/buy in. If you want something along these lines to exist, you have to contribute to the competitive landscape of it to compel competitors, innovation, etc.. I applaud them. And yes, it might just be an interesting HTPC controller, except that it doesn't have conventional remote control hardware, programmability like a logitech harmony, and you couldn't type an email on that thing to save your life. But, to the company.. PLEASE CONTINUE TO REFINE THESE IDEAS AND PRODUCTS! Thank you.
OK, I know everyone here is going to disagree with me, just like when I brought this idea up a year or so ago. For those who prefer KB+M for shooters, but have gotten used to dual sticks to play console games, I reeaaallly think the trackball on the right for aiming could be an improvement over a stick. Reason being, it's already similar to how you play a dual stick shooter in terms of where you thumbs are and the range of movement for your thumb. But, you get the accuracy of the mouse on the form factor of a controller, due to the nature of a trackball being a not-constant form of input. With a stick for aiming, you are holding it down for a certain amount of time, which moves the POV at a constant rate. The trackball works the same amount, in that once you get a feel for the sensitivity, you move the ball the same amount that you want the POV to move.
"Trackball" is normally an instant turn-off for any PC gamer, but hear me out here. How bad is it controlling a mouse cursor with analogue stick? Really bad right? Moving a mouse pointer from one place to another with speed and accuracy is the same exact kind of movement you need for a shooter. Of course, 99% of us prefer a mouse over a trackball for browsing the internet, I'm willing to bet money that we'd all prefer a trackball over a stick for Firefox, if those are our options.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOKnoP11wXg
^ A clip from someone playing Unreal Tournment from a now defunct trackball based controller designed for Playstation 2. They didn't get enough preorders to manufacture the first lot, but I thought it was a fantastic idea. It looks like he's using a mouse.
Only, this concept really only benefits PC players trying to enjoy console games.
@Levi You're not the only one. Some people actually prefer a trackball for gaming - I don't know how good it is in person.
@Levi I mean, if people can learn to be experts with dual analog sticks, how hard can a trackball be?
I wonder if i can use my rechargable xbox controller batteries on this thing! surely microsot wouldn't mind if that took it a step further! haha