gamepads
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OtterBox gets into gaming with a new line of rugged Xbox accessories
Otterbox gets into gaming with accessories for your Xbox gamepad and a new phone case.
Where do you stand on the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller?
Did you buy a Pro Controller for your Nintendo Switch? Tell us all about your experiences with it.
PowerA’s cute Nano Switch controller is great for small hands
PowerA's diminutive Nano controller is perfect for small hands.
Nintendo's Switch has a retro gamepad option thanks to 8Bitdo
If you've got a Nintendo Switch and an 8Bitdo gamepad lying around, there's good news: the two can now play together. 8Bitdo has released a firmware update that will let its entire controller family connect to Nintendo's hot new console. That includes the NES30 Pro, FC30 Pro, NES30, Zero and N64 controller, all styled in homage to classic Nintendo models.
We hate Valve's Steam Controller because it's different
My stomach tied itself into a knot as I read the gaming community's first impressions of Valve's final Steam Controller. "It's cheap feeling," many of them said, "difficult and frustrating to use." Forum posts, tweets and reviews all bemoaned how different the touchpads felt compared to traditional analog sticks, accusing it of fixing something that wasn't broken.The general consensus seemed to be that the Steam Controller was a mistake: A drastic, unnecessary step away from the tried and true layout of the 16-button, dual-analog gamepad standard. I felt betrayed and even a little offended -- but it wasn't Valve's experimental gamepad that let me down (I love that little thing), it was the gaming community that decided to turn a cold shoulder to innovation.
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]
Google Chrome 21 stable release adds Retina MacBook Pro support, webcam use without plugins
Some Retina MacBook Pro owners have been waiting for this day for six weeks: that promised Retina support in Google Chrome is now part of a finished, stable release. Chrome 21 is now crisp and clear for those who took the plunge on Apple's new laptop but would rather not cling to Safari for the web. No matter what hardware you're using, Google has rolled in its promised WebRTC support to let webcams and microphones have their way without Flash or other plugins. Other notable tweaks like wider support for Cloud Print and gamepads tag along in the update as well. If you're at all intrigued by the expanded hardware support in Chrome, Google has an abundance of details (and downloads) at the links below.
SNES-001 Advance gives two retro gamers a screen to play, guarantees no fights for TV time (video)
There's been no shortage of SNES mods with built-in screens. They almost always tend to overlook one fundamental problem, however: with only one screen, gamers have to either share one tiny LCD or play solo, and neither option will make that Street Fighter II nostalgia trip a pleasant one. Frequent console modder Downing has offered a fix with a key trade-off. Although his Super Famicom-like SNES-001 Advance is decidedly non-portable, each gamepad has its own LCD to show what would normally go to one screen, even with audio. Both controllers are custom-molded creations that still plug in the old-fashioned, wired way. Downing certainly isn't hoarding his creation, despite it being one of a kind. An auction for the console (with a $500 buy-now price) is still well underway as of this writing, making sure that at least two Double Dragon fans will be happy without cutting into their less sentimental roommate's Netflix marathon.
Dual GamePad support won't be coming to Nintendo Wii U until 'well after launch'
Contrary to what we'd heard, it seems as if you and your friends won't be able to enjoy some of that dual GamePad play on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U -- at least not until some time after the novel gaming console launches later "this holiday." During an interview with Gamasutra, Reggie Fils-Aime (Nintendo of America President) said, "Games need to be built that can take advantage of the two GamePad controllers" and that "it's going to be well after launch for those game experiences to come to life." According to Fils-Aine, developers will have to first place all their focus on "asymetric gameplay," before eventually adding support for two GamePads on their titles. Notably, the revelation comes shortly after he himself confirmed the Wii U GamePad won't be featuring any multi-touch capabilities. Not all is lost, however, you'll just have to wait it out a little longer than expected, or make due with one of those Wii remotes you have laying around in the meantime.
Chrome to gain plug and play gamepad support and WebRTC video chat in 2012
Seems like Big G updates its browser of choice with fresh features every time we turn around, and one of Google's own, dev advocate Paul Kinlan, revealed that another spate of upgrades are arriving for Chrome early next year. The headliner is plug-and-play support for gamepads, but native support for cameras, microphones and open-source video chat framework WebRTC are on the docket too -- features that give Chrome some considerable gaming chops when combined with its existing WebGL and HTML 5 prowess and, he says, could bring OnLive to the web without plugins. If you thought Angry Birds on a browser was a great, we can't wait to see what's in store when a proper controller and integrated video chat are involved.
Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI, turns your phone into full game console
Take that, Xperia Play. USB gamepads are already supported in Honeycomb, so we had plenty of hope that Android 4.0 -- also lovingly referred to as Ice Cream Sandwich -- would offer the same functionality. We finally have the answer, and it's a resounding yes, courtesy of Google framework engineer Romain Guy's Twitter account. The cool part, though, is that HDMI's playing nice as well. In short, you could hook up an external gamepad to a USB-to-microUSB adapter on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, connect it to your TV and transform your handset into a fancy portable gaming console. It's definitely something we can see developers flock towards, and we'll expect some cool stuff to come out of it. Just in case you thought the Nexus wouldn't let you get anything else done around the house already, this pretty much seals the deal. Move below the break to see a screenshot from the SDK.
Mad Catz's Black Ops PrecisionAim gamepads and Stealth mouse hands-on
Mad Catz' Modern Warfare 2 peripherals won't know what hit them when Black Ops debuts this fall -- the quality of the company's gamepads has increased yet again, and of course, this year the Call of Duty-flavored lineup ships with a genuine R.A.T. mouse. We snuck down the streets of San Francisco for a top secret rendezvous to test these controllers out, and discovered a pair of the most comfortable gamepads we've tried for our trouble. Read our full impressions after the break -- totally declassified. %Gallery-101645%
The Creamy GUI Center Hardware Edition: Ideazon Fang Gamepad
Each week Matthew Porter contributes The Creamy GUI Center, a column aimed at helping you enhance your WoW experience by offering an in depth guide to addons, macros and other tools we use to play WoW, along with commentary on issues that affect how we all play.Welcome addon and interface enthusiasts to this week's The Creamy GUI Center. I hope my American readers are having a relaxing and safe Labor Day weekend. Because of all the positive feedback I received on my review of the Logitech G series gaming keyboard, I decided this week to look at another set of hardware accessories. In the coming weeks I'll be featuring more gamepads such as the Belkin Nostromo series, and Wolf King Warrior gamepad, but this week's showcase is the Ideazon Fang Gamepad and Merc Gaming Keyboard. How do they fair and will they be an asset to your WoW game play? Let's find out!
Oops! Sony declares SIXAXIS Emmy, Emmys say "uh-uh"
We weren't sure why the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences decided to give Sony's evolutionary SIXAXIS controller a Technology and Engineering Emmy and, evidently, neither were they. After Sony blasted out a press release proudly proclaiming the honor -- and after the internet rubbed its collective eyes raw -- we've learned that Sony wasn't alone in receiving an honor from the Academy. The list of Emmy Award winners for "Peripheral Development and Technological Impact of Video Game Controllers" include Sony Computer Entertainment of America and ... Nintendo! Did Nintendo's innovative Wiimote share the honor with the motion-sensing SIXAXIS? Not quite ... Séamus at Hydrapinion did some legwork and discovered that, while Sony had won an Emmy for Technology and Engineering, it wasn't for the SIXAXIS. Instead, Christine Chin from NATAS confirmed that Sony's Dual Shock as well as Nintendo's D-Pad (NES pad?) won "for the development of the generation of controllers that followed the classic joysticks." Oops! You know what they say happens when you assume ...[Thanks, Ben]Read -- SIXAXIS innovation Emmy - a joke? (UPDATE: Sony was wrong)Read -- Technology and Engineering Emmy Award Winners
Emerging tech conference looks at controller design
Tom Armitage delivered an interesting session at O'Reilly's Emerging Technology Conference last week called "From Paddles to Pads: Is Controller Design Killing Creativity in Videogames?" and we make money not art has taken the trouble of giving us a rough transcription. Armitage's presentation focused on the complexity of the modern gamepad, while finding salvation in the Revomote and various novelty controllers (Guitar Hero, Donkey Konga, Singstar Karaoke, Buzz, even Steel Battalion). Most interesting is that Armitage is not in the games industry, but rather a longtime gamer and, by extension, one who is presumably very comfortable with said designs. If you agree with Mr. Armitage's assessment, then Nintendo might lead their revolution from the inside out, attracting disaffected gamers as well as newly engaged onlookers. [Thanks, Eliot]
