Motion sensing controller for mobile devices

[manux]

Read this morning from local newspaper that a small company nearby where I live has developer rather nice controlling scheme for mobile devices and games. Basically the thing they were showing was a ball that could detect rotation and pressure on balls(controller) surface. That device was used to control a small game. Connectivity to host devices seems to be bluetooth based so this could work very well with things like mobile phones. Here some links to it and more info about sdk and so on.

companys home pages
Original article I noticed

So what do you guys think? Wiiiii-ii IIiii like controls for mobile platforms? Would you really game which such controller i.e. in bus? Will it actually work in none static environment, i.e. shaking bus? How does this compare to mobile phones that already have motion sensing capability inside?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Looks like sixaxis motion control in a golf-ball. The technology could readily be applied to mobile devices. Motion detection has been used before. GB had a few motion controlled games where you tilted the handheld, and there are, or at least I saw demo'd a prototype, mobile phones where you can scroll through pages of text or a map with a tilt of the handset. PSP also was to receive an ill-fated motion adaptor.

The idea has lots of potential, especially in a gaming platform. Some situations like the bus may pose a problem, but you could design a bit around them, as tilt is less likely to be affected by a vehicles motion than lateral movement - the handset moves up and down more than it twists. I guess what surprised me most is neither PSP or Nintendo's machines have really embraced motion control.

 

[manux]

Seems really like traditional motion sensing in golf ball. One nice thing they actually have as extra is the pressure sensing which makes things somewhat more interesting as you can actually detect how strongly the ball is squeezed. Also the bluetooth inside makes insta compatibility for platforms already having a bluetooth controller inside.

One funny idea for those balls would be to have some 4-5 balls and create a juggling game where some master device over bt (like ps3) keeps score. Hope the guys behind da ball manage to commercialize it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Seems really like traditional motion sensing in golf ball. One nice thing they actually have as extra is the pressure sensing which makes things somewhat more interesting as you can actually detect how strongly the ball is squeezed.

That's a nice touch. The design is elegant and provides a lot of manageable input with an ideally simple interface. Would be great for interfacing with 3D worlds, with a squeeze representing a button press to 'grab' something. Pressure sensing is something I'd like to have features in a controller. eg. Sixaxis would be nice with some handles that feel tension. Should be able to get some good emotional feedback on how the player is feeling, and do some games of nerves - you have to relax to win, but in trying to win the player will be tensing up.

Mostly this seems something better suited to home devices rather than mobiles though. A phone you wave around and squeeze seems a trifle unconvincing