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A look at the evolution of modern video game controllers
If anything's kept pace with how video games have changed over the years, it's how we interact with them. Our biggest touchpoint with virtual worlds is the gamepad and -- akin to how games themselves have evolved from simple 2D affairs into 100-hour-long labyrinths in three dimensions -- controllers have changed to accommodate that. What you'll find in the gallery below is a comprehensive look at gamepads from the past 30-plus years of gaming, including high points and missteps alike. [Image: Adafruit Industries/Flickr]
Custom-built Katamari controller is made from yoga ball, DualShock 2 pad, power of the cosmos (video)
Conventional wisdom would suggest that making a for-real Katamari Damacy ball would be tricky, but that didn't stop Chris McInnis, Ron LeBlanc and Tom Gwozdz from taking up the challenge. As part of the Nuit Blanche festival in London, Canada (which also included some building-projected gaming), they were able to fashion their very own Katamari ball from a yoga ball, some stickers, wood, an Arduino microcontroller, several optical mice and a dissected DualShock 2 controller. See how it steers after the break.
Report: GameStop no longer accepting PS2 trade-ins as of June 1st (update: confirmed)
Now that the PS2's started taking steps toward retirement with Sony ceasing its production in Japan, it seems GameStop doesn't plan to keep the console under its roof for much longer. According to a leaked in-store display posted to Reddit by eGORapTure, the gaming retailer will no longer accept the 12-year-old system for trade-ins as, effective June 1st. Our friends at Joystiq contacted multiple stores to confirm the news and many said the policy is indeed set to go into effect. Unsurprisingly, PS2-related accessories and titles will also be refused for trade-ins once the date rolls around. We've reached out to GameStop's corporate representatives for comment and will let you know what we hear back. For now, you can find more info at the via and source links. Well, they gotta make room for those PS4 boxes -- however they end up looking, right? Update: We confirmed with GameStop corporate that the June 1st date is correct. More information is available here.
Modder hacks PSP for DualShock 2 control, proves kids aren't worthless
Okay, so there's at least a sliver of a chance French modder Flasheur got his inspiration from an eerily similar mod last year that involved Sony's PlayStation Portable and an original DualShock controller, but hey, progress is progress. This time around, we're looking at a rather dashing blue PSP and a DualShock 2, and while the actual modding process looks to have taken a different route (three connections on the rear versus one on the side), the end result is the same. Bliss. Pure bliss. Hop on past the break for an entirely-too-lengthy video demonstrating the hack in action, and hang tight for a DualShock 3 iteration to surface in 5, 4, 3... [Via Slashgear]
PS2 controller hack simulates fatigue to make games more realistic
We've seen more than our share of game controller hacks in our day, but few as devious as this creation by the folks at Near Future Laboratory, which promises to make games more "realistic" by simulating fatigue. That was done with the aid of the ever-versatile Arduino platform, which was wired to the DualShock 2's analog sticks and programmed to tweak the output signal ever so slightly so that the longer you play, the slower your character moves. Madness, we know, but if you want to give it a shot yourself, you can find the details and necessary code at the link below.[Via MAKE:Blog]
Midiator lets you use a PS2 controller as a MIDI controller
We've seen plenty of attempts to use game console hardware as MIDI controllers, but they've usually involved complicated hacks and strange software kludges, so we're pretty curious to see if Curious Inventor's Midiator actually works as promised. The nondescript black box is supposed to map virtually any PS2 controller -- including wireless models and partial support for Guitar Hero axes -- to various standard MIDI controls, including use of the analog sticks as pitch bends and modulators. Not only that, but if you don't feel like buying the assembled kit for $79, you can get the schematics for free, and if you're handy with a soldering iron, you can even earn some cash by adding requested features like pressure-sensitivity and direct USB support to the unit. Check it all out at the read link, and make sure to cruise past the break for the sweet demo video.[Via MAKE]
PS2 controller on Xbox 360, keyboard n' mouse too
At $79.99, TeamXtender's XFPS 360, a keyboard and mouse adapter that also sports a PlayStation 2 device port, is no impulse buy. But, aside from being an obvious investment for PC-trained gamers, XFPS 360 promises some bizarre possibilities by way of its PS2 port. Never mind that wielding your Dual Shock 2 to rip apart the Locust is so inappropriately rad, dude, try pluggin' in your (Guitar Hero) guitar and thrashing RAAM to death!The XFPS 360 is scheduled to ship in early January via Video Game Advantage (official retailer of TeamXtender products).[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Dual Shake may rumble still
Skin of your teeth, white-knuckle and overly elaborate escapes can be made all the more engaging and memorable by the subtle rumbling of the controller in your hands. Of course, having just stolen a Dual Shock 2 from the lonely demo unit in your local games retailer, palpable excitement is something you have in droves, not to mention rampant kleptomania. The vibration emitted by most of today's controllers also adds an extra level of immersion to games like Silent Hill and Halo -- just ask Immersion, they named their company after the idea. Don't ask Sony, however, since it's a touchy subject. Currently appealing against a court ruling in favor of Immersion's claims that they treaded upon specific patents when they created the Dual Shock controllers (like the one you stole), Sony has come under some fire for dropping rumble functionality from the PS3 controller entirely. An accusatory finger was pointed at the newly implemented motion sensing technology, a move interpreted by some as Sony being unwilling to hand licensing fees over to Immersion. Whether or not that's the case is still up for debate, though Immersion has now unveiled new technology which indicates, at the very least, that a rumbling Dual Shake may still find its way into hands (especially thieving ones).The "TouchSense" technology for use in next-gen controllers promises added realism in addition to full compatibility with motion and tilt sensing devices. "Because the speed at which a user moves the controller is much slower than the frequencies generated by TouchSense technology, the two signals can be differentiated using filtering and other techniques." Their statement goes on to say that Immersion "offers engineering services to implement the technology within a particular console system." Will Sony grab this opportunity, or let it slip through their fingers? Is it really that big of a deal?[Via PS3 Fanboy]
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
