Disciplines

Other Engineering

Abstract (300 words maximum)

The problem I am trying to solve pertains to the high entry costs and the requirements to fully enjoy driving games. Driving games always sound like a fun experience, but without the right controller the game feels lackluster, uncomfortable, and not quite immersive. The problem is, if someone wants a gaming experience that makes the game feel natural and sensory, they may need to drop hundreds to thousands of dollars. Furthermore, they don’t even know if the expensive equipment will provide them with the experience they want. These expensive controllers are set up in a way to be universal and familiar to the driving experience, but who is to say that everyone is comfortable with the way that driving is already set up? The solution to this is to show that the Xbox Adaptive Controller can be used to hook up an incredibly cheap, yet fully customized controller setup. Driving in games takes significantly more inputs than most other games require, so there can be merit to making a custom setup through an Xbox Adaptive Controller, making a wide array of inputs available to make driving in game easier and more intuitive. Furthermore, many off the shelf steering wheel sets don’t include enough buttons, switches, etc., to translate to meaningful real-life inputs, leaving players that want maximum interaction frustrated. It's important to say that a custom built controller, especially the one I am making, is not intended to be of the highest quality with the most advanced features. It is, however, a method of enough significance to push interaction to a whole new level beyond gamepad and keyboard.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

CCSE - Software Engineering and Game Development

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Henrik Warpefelt

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Interaction in Games: Custom Driving Controller

The problem I am trying to solve pertains to the high entry costs and the requirements to fully enjoy driving games. Driving games always sound like a fun experience, but without the right controller the game feels lackluster, uncomfortable, and not quite immersive. The problem is, if someone wants a gaming experience that makes the game feel natural and sensory, they may need to drop hundreds to thousands of dollars. Furthermore, they don’t even know if the expensive equipment will provide them with the experience they want. These expensive controllers are set up in a way to be universal and familiar to the driving experience, but who is to say that everyone is comfortable with the way that driving is already set up? The solution to this is to show that the Xbox Adaptive Controller can be used to hook up an incredibly cheap, yet fully customized controller setup. Driving in games takes significantly more inputs than most other games require, so there can be merit to making a custom setup through an Xbox Adaptive Controller, making a wide array of inputs available to make driving in game easier and more intuitive. Furthermore, many off the shelf steering wheel sets don’t include enough buttons, switches, etc., to translate to meaningful real-life inputs, leaving players that want maximum interaction frustrated. It's important to say that a custom built controller, especially the one I am making, is not intended to be of the highest quality with the most advanced features. It is, however, a method of enough significance to push interaction to a whole new level beyond gamepad and keyboard.