Game UsabilityWeek 2

By:

Christopher Blackwell, Kyle Young, Brendan

Powell, Oscar Silvagnoli, Benjamin Showalter

Introduction

We are creating a controller that will be user friendly to someone that does

not have the use of both hands. It will be both accessible to either the left or the

right hand to insure that everyone is capable of using it. The basis of our

controller was we wanted to merge together the comfortable grip of a pistol

style grip while also maintaining the use of two joysticks. Making the buttons

pressable by the fingers that are mainly used in normal gamepads also makes

the controller more accessible to those who are used to using an Xbox or

Playstation controller.

Design Purpose

Our main purpose for designing this new controller is so that people without the

use of both hands can still enjoy video games. We are making it usable for both

the PlayStation and Xbox consoles and will have the flexibility for most games.

It has key features like 2 analog sticks, triggers, and face buttons all made into

an easy to hold grip. Games should feel the same to any gamer even those

that cannot use both hands. We are not trying to make this controller a new

standard however we are making this for the same audience, the gamer.

Christopher’s Inspiration

My main inspiration came from

modern console controller’s and

classic arcade joysticks. I like both of

these designs because they’re

comfortable to use by the player, and

they offer the sort of ease of use that

gives a player a sense of immersion in

the games that they play.

Right Stick

Left Stick

Oscar’s Inspiration

My inspiration came from a picture that I used to

see a lot in a gaming magazine that I used to have

a subscription to when I was a kid. I believe it was

an ad and it had this guy playing with the

controller backwards (buttons to the back). This

intrigued me and I always thought that it made a

lot of sense, since the other way around we only

use our thumbs to operate so many buttons and

we use our other fingers mainly to just hold the

controller. For this design I tried to use that to give

the one-handed players the ability to use as many

buttons as two handed players use by moving the

buttons to the back of the controller.

Ben’s Inspiration

My inspiration came from the Wii remote. This simple design allows you to feel

like you are using a TV remote to play games. The flow of the controller fits into

any hand and the feel is very comfortable. My favorite part of the controller and

what I feel helped was the trigger. This to me molds the controller for both grip

and playability, being able to use something like a gun made sense as an easy

concept.

Kyle’s Inspiration

My inspiration was a little different. During my time in the

Army I had the opportunity to handle a wide range of

weapons. I noticed that the shape and design of the

grips were contoured to your hand and also in a way

that allowed someone who was left or right handed to

comfortably hold it. I used this for my design inspiration.

I wanted to keep the controller small and light enough

for a person to be able to pick it up and not feel like they

are holding a weight with buttons on it. I felt the

ergonomic design of the pistol grip would allow a player

to be able to operate the buttons using the fingertips and

to use the shoulder buttons with your index finger.

To allow the player to have use of both analog sticks I

decided to place one (Right stick) on top of the controller

which would be used with the thumb, then instead of

using another finger to operate the left stick I decided

that I would make use of the Xbox Kinect/Wii(U) IR

sensors or the PS3’s tilt controls.

Brendan’s Inspiration

My inspiration for my controller design was all

based off when I started cooking in the morning. I

was cracking eggs and it seemed to fit my hand

really comfortably. This and with the idea of the Wii

remote, I felt that it would make a perfect

combination for a controller. With the way the Wii

remote was set up, it was easy to use for any gamer

and with the egg shape I thought of, it makes it fit to

your hand that much better. The buttons for the

controller would be on the side where your fingers

rest so it makes it feel even more natural to use the

buttons.

Design Method

While looking over our team’s controllers we went

with a focus on adaptability. We started off with

one team member’s controller, which had dual

joysticks and saw what we could add to it that

would benefit it more. While doing that we saw

that we could make the joystick better by adding a

grip feel. Then the triggers started lacking and had

just a button feel, now they have a curved gun

feel. The face button layout was then formatted to

fit comfortably with how the fingers griped the

joystick. Then lastly we made the stand curved like

an egg for comfort and stability. Our design started

off with making sure things can work with it then

we went through the phases to make sure it was

comfortable.

Schematic Diagrams

Schematic Diagrams (Cont.)

Christopher’s Design Assumption

When starting on this design, I wanted to

keep the use of the two 360 degree

joysticks from the console controller, and

fuse them both into the classic arcade

joystick. This would hopefully keep the

feeling of using a gamepad while giving

another range of control for the classic

arcade joystick.

Oscar’s Design Assumption

When I came up with this design I wanted to give the

player a similar feeling of what it is like to use a one

handed controller by not changing too dramatically the

placement and order of the buttons, instead just

moving them to another place. This not only keeps it

simple and relatable for the player, but it also allows

him/her to use most fingers of his/her hand to operate

the buttons instead of just using them to hold the

controller. The arm stability mechanism also helps with

that by keeping the controller in the players hand so

that every finger can be used to operate the controller

and also avoid the accidental push of a button while

holding the controller and playing with only one hand.

Original Arm Stability

mechanism sketch

Ben’s Design AssumptionWith adding to the teams design I was more

concerned about feel for the controller. My design

was centered around a trigger that was comfortable

and added to the grip. We implemented that idea into

an existing idea among the group and it fit in nicely. It

added a real feel and a common concept as if you

were firing a gun. A lot of the new controllers coming

out for the next gen consoles have also started using

a similar trigger. The older controllers use to feel like

a normal button that was just enlarged, but now they

flex like a real guns trigger using the curve design.

(Stuff.tv, 2015) My whole design centered on making

the trigger both comfortable and common feeling.

Kyle’s Design Assumption

Most current joysticks are designed either in the most simplistic way possible or

they look like they could be used as a Sci-Fi movie prop. Both have their merits

but neither designs really allow the player to use them comfortably over long

gaming sessions. By using an ergonomic design the joystick will feel more

natural in the player’s grip but also reduce wrist and hand fatigue when playing

for long hours. I really thought it was important to focus on a design that gave

the same level and function as a standard controller, it was important to not

exclude a player from any one genre.

Brendan’s Design Assumption

With my idea being added to the teams, it

is nice to know that it will be comfortable for

the player. The base of the controller will be

weighted and provide greater stability and

allow the player to rest their hand on the

base while not sacrificing the comfort of

placing your wrist elsewhere. I wanted the

egg design to be a main focus but we

decided on a much greater idea and am

glad we stuck with it.

Game #1 - Halo

Halo is a game that can work well with the way our controller is made. Our

controller can compete with regular xbox controllers since we have all the

buttons required for Halo and it still feels as natural as it would on a regular

xbox controller. This being said, you can relax while playing because it only

takes one hand to play instead of needing both. When it comes to the FPS

genre, the pistol grip allows for the player to be more immersed into the action

of the game.

Game #2 - Dark Siders

Dark Siders can be played easily with this controller. The way our controller is

set up, it feels more natural when looking around since our analog

stick/controller is different. This allows the player to feel like they are in the

game and not just on the sidelines. Dark Siders is an adventure style game and

during the fast paced action, the retro style of our controller, and the button

placements makes it move way more fluid.

Game #3 - Forza Motorsports

Forza is a racing game that became very successful when it came out for the

Xbox. Our controller has that old arcade style feel to it and that will make

driving that more comfortable. You will feel the turning sensation on the road

while driving the most expensive cars that money can buy. Racing genre’s are

a must when using our controller since it completes the experience. With our

controller layout it will make the player feel as if they are truly controlling the car

and if the player believed enough, they could possibly feel the wind blowing

through their hair.

Prototype v0.9

Current build of the prototype without the correct base or arm straps. This was

in order to test comfortability concerning buttons and for initial playtesting.

Playtesting Findings

Through playtesting using the prototype, a couple things

were found out that ended up improving our design. First, it

felt more natural to the player if the joystick functions were

switched, making the top joystick moving, while the bottom

was looking. Second, making the top bumper button have a

texture to it allowed for a tactile reference for the middle

finger, so it quickly and easily knows which bumper it’s

sitting on.

References

Prototypes Of The Wii Remote, Nunchuk, And Classic Controller - Siliconera. (2009, April 23). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/04/23/prototypes-of-the-wii-remote-nunchuk-and-classic-controller/

Mame - Mame Arcade - Arcade Emulator - Arcade Games. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from

http://www.arcadeemulator.net/cgi-bin/shop/cp-app.cgi?pg=cat&ref=Joysticks

Xbox Forums. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://forums.xbox.com/gfw/forum_faq/f/250/t/24449.aspx

Xbox One vs PS4 – controller showdown. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.stuff.tv/features/xbox-one-vs-ps4-

controller-showdown

DesignNTrend– Xbox One vs. PS4 Release Date, Specs, Price, News: Will the PS4 Feature Backwards Compatibility?. (2013,

October 1). Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.designntrend.com/articles/8287/20131001/xbox-one-vs-ps4-release-date-

specs-price-news-will.htm