Controllers and Mice at E3 2013
June 2013 – The aftermarket for higher design and performance controllers is growing with the launch of the new platforms in 2013. New lower latency devices for interfacing to the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 were plentiful. We also saw next generation of console accessories for the Xbox One and PS4 as well as for Android devices and the Nvidia Shield.
On the PC front, there were a number of new low latency gaming mice. The folks at Bloody Gaming have a number of next generation gaming mice. The mice also feature a low latency signal from the buttons to the PC. With a 1KHz sampling rate for button operation and a 2ms latency, the mouse is close to an order of magnitude faster than traditional PC mice that have 18ms-100ms button latency. The wired mice have a response time of 1ms. The gaming optimzed mouse also supports multiple “shooting modes” for the buttons. The left button can be set for single shot, auto-cycle shots with recoil suppression and 3 shot bursts with recoil suppression. The center scrolling wheel is lighted to red, green or yellow to indicate the mode. They were also showing the A4Tech Zero Delay mouse. This mouse features a 2.4GHz wireless interface that does not clash or falsely pass through packet traffic from 802.11a/b/g/n routers operating in a similar band. It also has a closed bottom surface, so there is a “HoleLESS” design over the sensor so it is sealed from extra light, dust and liquid which may disrupt the accuracy of the mouse. The wireless mouse features a built-in Li battery that is USB chargable, and operates at a software selectable 125/250/500 Hz sample rate.
PDP Afterglow Gaming Controller
PDP (Performance Designed Products) had a number of wired and wireless controllers for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The Rock Candy line of wired controllers is available in 7 colors and are available in console specific versions. The higher end wireless and wired systems are the Afterglow products. Available also in console specific versions, these feature 4 light up colors and allows for setting of the LED lights on, off and the vibration level for the haptic feedback on the controller. These licensed products conform to the original feel and shape of the console controllers. To supplement the wireless controllers and also to retrofit the OEM controllers, they provide a rechargable batter solution from Energizer. These power packs, can be used in 1-up and 2-up charging cradles. Similar charging accessories are available for the Wii, WiiU and the Playstation Move peripherals. To help bring convenience to the gaming market, they also have introduced Qi based inductive charging that use a flat charging surface where the controller only have to be laid on top to recharge the batteries.
Nyko, the industry leading peripherals company for the consoles, had a number of high profile products at the show. Although they were not showing them, they indicated they will be making controllers for the PS4 and the Xbox One that will be available near the time of the platform releases. This includes new single and dual charging stations for the new controllers both from the OEM and from Nyko. Another interesting “no comment” was for thier top selling Zoom lens system for the Kinect. This product allows for a shortened play area, so the Kinect will work in standard sized rooms. They would not say if there was a new or equivalent product being developed for the 2nd generation Kinect that is incorporated with the Xbox One.
Nyko Playpad Pro Bluetooth Controller
At the show they were demonstrating thier accessories for the new Nvidia Shield platform and for Android gaming. The Playpad Pro2 is a Bluetooth connected game pad for Android platforms that support he HID gaming interface. This includes phones, tablets and the Tegra based Shield. The device uses only high quality components including an analog joystick from Japan that give an improved motion, and game play over digital joysticks. For the Shield, they also had a soft and a hard device case. The Playpad Pro2, like the Playpad Pro is designed to be a full motion controller for the android games and a second player controller for the Shield.
A current product that was recently released is a smart phone holder for your phone / tablet for use when runing the Microsoft Smart Glass second screen application. The holder supports upto a 5.3″-5.5″ phone/phablet. This provides a fixed viewable location for the second screen and allows the user the position for game play without having to tie up one hand on the second screen.
