New Video Game Controller Invented by Professor
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- Category: Ms H. News
- Published on Tuesday, 06 March 2012 22:04
Video game controller invented by University of Utah professor
Mechanical engineering professor, William Provancher and three of his engineering students have invented a video game controller that not only rumbles when you play, but has thumb-sized joysticks where you can move your thumbs to simulate force feedback.
The video game controller is designed so you can feel, for instance, the tug of a fishing reel or the direction and impact of a video game explosion.
Basic force feedback was introduced by Nintendo 64 in 1997, followed by other gaming consoles, including the Xbox 360 and PS3 which have built in basic rumbles in the controllers.
The difference in the new controller and those currently available is it attempts to add immersion along with sight and sound. There are additional motors that move the tiny joysticks independently.
The professor and his students will be introducing the new controllers at a symposium in Vancover which is a conference about the physical feedback between computers and human operators.
Professor Provancher hopes to have the new technology implemented in the next generation of game consoles that are purported to debut in the next few years.