ONE-HANDED CONTROLLER VERSION 1.0
Pistol Grip Motion Sensor One-Handed Ambidextrous Complete Gaming Controller
When you see most controllers today they all have something in common. Two joysticks, triggers, a D pad, and a multitude of buttons. But what can a person who only has one had do? Sure there are custom controllers out there that are specially designed for amputees but they are basically a standard controller reconfigured for one hand. These are often difficult to operate and hard to learn. I purpose the Ignis Manu (Latin for Fire Hand).
The Ignis Manu is a pistol grip style controller that has one joystick a D pad located directly below said joystick. Located near this area will be two smaller buttons to serve as the Start and Select buttons. On top and at the very front of the controller will be the power button. This will illuminate when the device is On. There will be one bumper button on the front face of the controller and a trigger located below this. Directly under the trigger would be a row of three buttons. Located around the edge of the controller is another row of three buttons. In lieu of a second joystick, we will use a system similar to what the Wii Remote has introduced to the gaming world. Near the top and bottom of the controller are the Strap Anchor points. Located within the center of the controller will be a small rumble pack to give the player that extra feedback that we have come to expect from today’s controllers.
Because of the motion detection, the controller would be wireless. It would be powered by two AA batteries or an optional rechargeable battery pack. The power source would be located inside of the Pistol Grip and accessed by a removable cover located on the bottom of the controller. There will be a small Sync button located on the front face of the controller, near the inferred sensors.
To ensure the controller is ambidextrous, the buttons located on the side of the controller can easily be switched to the opposite side. We would have small removable covers and ensure that the buttons could be removed as well. The circuit mapping would already exist. The owner would simply need to remove the covers and buttons and then place them in the corresponding slots on the opposite side. While this is not practical for someone who only has use of one hand, it will make mass production that much easier. It will require no technical skill to make the transition between a left or right handed unit. The Strap Anchors will also be on both sides of the controller.
This concept can be easily applied to the PlayStation or Wii console systems. A simple receiver for the motion detection would need to be developed for current use with either the Xbox platform or PC. This receiver would connect via USB.
Our controller will be constructed out of a hard plastic compound for durability along with a rubberized grip for comfort. The securing strap will be thick and soft so that it does not cause discomfort. We are estimating that the controller will weigh roughly 150 grams or about 5 ounces. The overall size of the controller will be roughly 1 ¼” wide, approximately 2” at its thickest (the top of the controller) but 1 ½” at its thinnest (the bottom of the controller). The device will be about 5” tall.
Please see the images below for a visualization of the controller as well as some generic control mappings for different game genres.
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The Joystick will be utilized for camera movement (looking around). We will utilize the motion sensing to actually move the player. We will use Pitch (tilt up or down) to move the player forward or backwards and Bank (tilt side to side) to strafe respectively. Other controls will be as follows.
Unlike in our FPS mapping, for a Platformer it will make more sense for us to use the motion sensing of Pitch and Bank to move our camera angles and the Joystick to move our character.
We will again use the Motion Sensing to control the camera movement, Pitch will move it up or down while Bank will strafe it left or right. The Joystick will be utilized to move the cross hairs. Here the D pad will also come into specific play. The Up and Down buttons will be used to Zoom In/Out. The Left and Right will be used to rotate the camera.
The Joystick will be utilized for camera movement (looking around). We will utilize the motion sensing to actually move the player. We will use Pitch (tilt up or down) to move the player forward or backwards and Bank (tilt side to side) to strafe respectively. Other controls will be as follows.