Freedom Controller
greentooth
Guys, I don't post much unless I have something useful to say, I hope you guys will read this and give me some useful feedback:. Polycount has always been an inspiration to me, and many of you are great artists and developers:
The link is about the Exis freedom console controller:
The link is about the Exis freedom console controller:
Replies
Also, I don't really understand why you included the Wii in your comment about console controllers. It's main selling point is not using "an uninspired and outdated controller design." Yet you listed it alongside the 360 and ps3.
While I'm on the subject...
[soap box]
I'm not so sure I like the flavor of the thread. It tastes a bit too much like "oh I know a forum where I can get my oddball idea in front of a few industry types". It's almost like the guy you just meet and he finds out your in the industry and just has to tell you all about this great game idea he wants you to make. First I have my own game ideas I want to make long before I start doing requests, second no one thinks mixing tetris and Madden 07 is a good idea.
I bet if I hit a few other forums I would find other long time lurker first time poster threads about this same subject. I'm all for the promotion of new and novel ideas but on the other side I don't like polycount being solicited...
[/soap box]
That said, I don't think your approach here is going to help things. You've got a good product idea, and you should appeal for support on those grounds. The "us vs. them" thing... Microsoft is already not in your corner, and painting them as your enemy isn't going to change that. You'd be better served trying to present this to Microsoft as a "look what I can do for you" situation - the classic Dale Carnegie approach. Grassroots support is great, but you need to appeal to MS in a fashion other than disgruntled developer who is slagging them on his website.
Were I you, I'd build a prototype, get the bugs out, and then try to situate myself in front of various developers who have some stake in this beyond MS. You wanna play Warcraft3? See if you can get an audience with Blizzard's guys and see what they think. Can you make it work with Halo2? Pay Bungie a visit. If you impress the developers with it (who stand to profit from more games sold, if a better control scheme means more PC players migrate to consoles), they can lend their influence to your proposition with MS. If you're able to persuade the people who make the games, Microsoft has a much higher incentive to help you out than if you go it alone.
Talking about 'oppression' from people you want to do you a favor... that's just not good business. Also, I assume you have patented this idea? If not, you really ought to take care of that before anything else.
Games need to be designed to fit consoles, not retrofitted onto them. Attempts to retrofit games that NEED a mouse and keyboard onto a hand controller have traditionally done poorly. This is nothing new.
Games that require custom controllers to play, traditionally don't perform well in the market place. DDR and Guitar Hero are exceptions, not the rule. This is nothing new (it goes all the way back to the old 8 bit days).
Even if your half and hand controller were properly human engineered to be a useable mouse, you still end up with the same problem that you have with a mouse and keyboard -- a need for a stable platform for their use while sitting in front of the family media center. Making them smaller doesn't make the need go away. This is nothing new.
Developers and publishers are very reluctant (for a variety of reasons) to look at unsolicited or "over the transom" type submissions. It's not just a Microsoft thing. You would likely have gotten a similar response from just about any hardware developer that you contacted. If you showed up with patents in hand for your inventions, you might have been treated differently. And once again, this is nothing new.
maybe its the next blockbuster controller, cheers.
I do think the whole blog approach is a tad silly, if you're posting a blog saying Microsoft is oppressive, will this really help your cause in getting them to sign off? Also, I don't think posting this on forums is going to help much either, you'll get a lot of people criticizing you and your idea, and as you seem to be doing, you'll get wrapped up defending yourself. It does feel like you're soliciting our support like a door to door salesman, when what you really need to do is going through the proper channels to get the product prototyped, tested and on the production line, then see how we react to the final product. If you want to take user polls on who might be interested..well start the topic with a poll, this whole article on issues with Microsoft seems downright unprofessional for someone wanting to get a product accepted BY microsoft.
Have you seen the Phantom keyboard & mouse thingy? Its basically a keyboard with a mouse & mousing surface attached designed for console use. I cannot pretend to be an expert about it, but there is a potential competitor for you, and a console industry precident. I dont know if its hit store shelves yet or not, but its on its way.
An Engadget blurb about it
Your first post was very vague, it basically said "polycount I like you, click my link". A little more info would have been nice. I personally don't click on funky links unless I have a good idea where I am going or who they are from.
whenever you see [soap box] [/soap box] you can pretty much ignore it or at the very least don't take it all seriously. I do that for comedic value and to blow off steam. While there is a hint of seriousness there just skip over it, it wasn't a personal attack, take a deep breath relax. When it comes down to it, I like your idea and I would probably get behind you and support you, but your tude so far and the "I'm going to bite the hand might feed me, HEY join me won't you?" article isn't a good way to recruit people.
Do you actually need MS approval to put it into production? There are tons of 3rd party controllers out there and I'm pretty sure they come with disclaimers "not a MS product may burn your house down, you can't sue us HAHAHA!" but in legal jargon. I'm pretty sure the smart joy is not officially endorsed by Microsoft, but you can still get it and use it.
As for the question raised of "you need a place to use it" I have the following answer:
If it is sensitive enough you can use a very small space, such as your thigh. Its not hard to get used to if you're a mouse user, which is this devices target audience. Try it with your own mouse, see, not so crazy now is it. I guess you could come up with a small hard mousepad that rests easily on your thigh giving you a stable enviroment to mouse on. Or you could scrap the whole detachable mouse idea and just go with a laptop touch pad in the center of the controler?
Anyway you go, you might want to get a bussiness manager to handle the PR stuff, declaring war with your bed fellows is an easy way to find yourself out on the street. Peace buddy and good luck I hope it works out for ya.
Regarding using it on your lap, you're 100% correct. I made a prototype for the PC, and I tried the mouse on my lap all the time to make sure it worked.
MS is one of my favorite companies, I like most of the things they create; But after almost 2 years of being spun around in "official channels", I hope you can understand my frustration. For them to tell me "no wireless contollers" and then have Logitech put one out with their blessing seems unbalanced to me. I'm no logitech, but I find it bad form to tell me I don't have the right to make my controller because it's against company policy , then have logitech make their wireless with no problem.
Paul J: I often use a wireless mouse on my sofa, cushions, my leg, the wall, practically anywhere. You don't particularly need a stable surface. Infact the worst place I found to use the mouse is on the floor or ontop of my wacom. My desk is far too cluttered for a mouse.
http://www.Exisinteractive.com/exiseffect/
Just scroll down a little.
[Mel Gibson impersonation] Freeeeedoooooooommmmm!
Oh wait...you need their permission to build it? Why the fuck should you need that? And you approached (harassed) them about it and now you're shocked that you're stonewalled?
and cep?
You mean like this?
http://bodielobus.com/
Ive been using that style of mouse for years.(thumb on ball)
Thanks for the link, I don't understand why it hasn't cought on yet.
I don't understand why it hasn't cought on yet.
[/ QUOTE ]
Because trackballs suck.