One-Handed Video Game Controller: Accessible and Enjoyable Gaming for All

1. The Grip Front Back Insert Name Assignment 3 Full Sail University Team Awesome Anthony Conger, Mark DellaCroce, Ashley Fournier, John Hudson, & Alexander Zimdahl

2. This presentation will set out to show that with our idea of a controller that anyone despite physical limitations can play video games, and enjoy them as much as anyone else does. This will be done through creating a controller that people with only access to one arm can use efficiently. Abstract

3. Video gaming has evolved, and will continue to evolve as more, and more people begin to play games. As designers, we must figure out new ways for every person, despite physical limitations, to be able to enjoy games. Our goal here is to create a new device that can be used by people who do not have use of both hands. We will be designing, and testing a controller that is to be used in only one hand while staying comfortable, and not putting much strain on the player. Introduction

4. I got my inspiration for the initial shape and design from the Wii’s Nunchuk attachment. The Nunchuk features a joystick at the top, front face of the controller, with a couple buttons on the back for the finger use. The other fingers wrap around the controller to hold it. We made use of those fingers by assigning them buttons. Alex’s Design Inspiration – Initial Shape and Design

5. Ashley’s Design Inspiration – Buttons Placement on Back I was inspired to place the alpha buttons on the back of the controller from another single handed controller. I thought this made sense, since the thumb is preoccupied by the thumbstick and fellow D-pad buttons. I also feel like the buttons on the back would be more comfortable and user friendly than placing it somewhere else.

6. I was struck by the need to make the controller not only ambidextrous, but comfortable for all age users. Rather than creating a controller that was fixed in one or two places, this design was inspired by the concept of a range of possible positions. Much like the shelf in the sink pictured below, the button slider can be placed in any number of positions, given the user the ability to customize the controller to their comfort. Mark’s Design Inspiration – Slider

7. The camera control being done through the controller itself, and not a second thumbstick was inspired by the Wii remotes motion controls. Using a Wii remote is simple, and takes a lot of motions for many of its games to be used; it works as a second thumbstick very much like the way our controller does. As the Wii remote is often used to control the camera, our controller will work the same way. Anthony’s Design Inspiration – Gyroscopic Device

8. My inspiration came from the way we hold and use our smartphones to increase stability and leverage while using them (Samsung, 2013). I don’t think there are any disadvantages to the addition of such feature, but many positives that increase usability. It would also provide controller stabilization and not only give the player more precise movability, and better range of motion, but also a place for the controller to rest. John’s Design Inspiration – Pinky Stabilizer

9. We had several different starting ideas that each team member had contributed. • We selected a starting design that solved one of the biggest problems of a one handed controller for a modern controller – that of the dual control sticks. It does so by means of a thumbstick and a gyroscopic device in the controller. Design Method

10. However, the model was not perfect. The team expressed concern about the original design’s plan to place the alphabetical buttons around the thumbstick as seen here in Figure 10-1. The would make it difficult to use the thumbstick and press the buttons at the same time. • We resolved that issue by moving the buttons to the back of the control as seen in Figure 10-2. Also note the different sized buttons to give the players clear tactile feedback as to which buttons their fingers are over without having to look at the controller. Design Method (cont.) Fig 10-1 Fig 10-2

11. However, because of the addition of two rows of buttons on the back of controller, the team knew that changes would have to be made in order to allow for an ambidextrous use. As can been seen in figure 11-1, the triggers and bumpers (LT,RT,LB, and RB) were placed on a slider, allowing it to be repositioned to a range of positions on either side of the fixed alpha buttons. • Lastly, in order to help support the use of two rows of buttons, a pinky stabilizer (as seen in figure 11-2) was discussed in order to give the player a place to better brace the controller when using it one handed. Design Method (cont.) Fig 11-2 Fig 11-1

12. Controller Schematics Front Zoomed Part 1 Thumbstick Front of Controller Back D-pad buttons surround Thumbstick Xbox Guide Start

13. Left and Right Bumpers Left/Right Bumpers & Triggers Slider Left and Right Triggers Battery area Front Zoomed Part 2 Pinky Stabilizer

14. Back Schematics Alpha Buttons (Y, X, A, B) Left/Right Bumpers Back Zoomed Left/Right Triggers Pinky Stabilizer Slider

15. Full Schematic of Controller Front Back Pinky Stabilizer Pinky Stabilizer

16. When coming up with the shape and initial design of a controller, I wanted to create a controller that will comfortably sit in the player’s hand. A basic cylindrical shape seemed to be the best starting point to build around because the hand can naturally, and easily conform around it, with the thumb on the front for the thumbstick control and fingers on the back for button pressing. Alex’s Design Assumption – Initial Shape and Design

17. Ashley’s Design Assumption – Buttons Placement on Back The Alpha Buttons are placed in the back for both convenience and usability. The buttons are supposed to feel natural to the user so they can use the thumbstick and buttons at the same time without any hindrances. The buttons can be used by the three main fingers and can get away with just the two. The index, middle, and ring fingers are best used for the alpha buttons. The best place to put these buttons for the fingers to use comfortably is the back of the controller. Since the buttons are located exactly in the back of the controller, users with any hand size are able to use the controller. This is also useful for the controller to be used by left or right handed users.

18. A study done in 2013 looked into the relationship between controller ease of use and the participants hand size. The studies authors found a significant relationship “between hand size and ease of use over all controllers”(Brown & MacKenzie, 2013). This means in order to increase user satisfaction with your controller, you should accommodate all hand sizes. The adjustable slider allows for smaller and larger hands to both comfortable use this controller. Mark’s Design Assumption - Slider

19. The camera control will make the controller as a whole function better. Without the motions, many games would not have a lot of the functions they normally do. The camera controls of the controller will make a lot of the movements more intuitive than if two thumbsticks were used. There are tons of games that could benefit from the more precise controls that the player could make that its hard to do with a thumbstick. Also, a second thumbstick would be incredibly hard to use with only use in one arm. Anthony’s Design Assumption – Gyroscopic Device

20. The pinky stabilizer is designed to provide stability, comfort, and a resting point for the hardcore gamers who spend extended amounts of time playing. Without a place to rest the controller or way to grip it while the other fingers are at use, sloppy gameplay would most likely be created. As mimicking play in Call of Duty with one hand on a Wii remote using all fingers, but the pinky, it is clear that the controller would move around too much (G4TV, 2010). With the pinky stabilizer being open ended and not a fixed hole it allows for everyone, big and small, to be able to play comfortably and efficiently. John’s Design Assumption – Pinky Stabilizer

21. Call of Duty Black Ops 2 is the sequel first person shooting game to Call of Duty Black Ops, and is put in the near-future. The play is similar to like most other first person shooters that are dominating the video game market and is a good standard representation of our controller’s usability with the game style. Summary Game Example – Call of Duty Black Ops 2

22. Control Mapping Gyroscopic Device (not shown) Tilt controller for Look, Hard, forward shake for Melee Attack Modified D-Pad Inventory Thumbstick Move, Click to Sprint Game Example – Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Back Scoreboard (Multiplayer Only) Start Objectives Menu Xbox Guide

23. Game Example – Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Control Mapping (cont.) Left Bumper Throw Special Grenade Switch Weapon Right Bumper Throw Frag Grenade Use/Reload Left Trigger Aim Down Sight Jump Crouch/Prone Right Trigger Fire Weapon

24. Our controller has been designed in a manner that is versatile and easy to use while playing games such as Call of Duty Black Ops 2. Each of the former buttons have remained with their same default assignment. Cause for concern may arise in the Melee Attack function, but the controller’s gyroscopic devise will be able to tell a difference between a normal controller tilt for camera control and a strong, forward thrust for the Melee Attack. Compared to Standard Xbox 360 Controller Game Example – Call of Duty Black Ops 2

25. Street Fighter 4 is a 2D fighting game with 3D character animations. The game is in the same series as other Street Fighter games, and revolves around fighters around the world, fighting in a tournament to crown the best street fighter. The player controls the characters on screen making them do various combo moves in hopes of draining the opposing player’s health. Summary – Street Fighter

26. Back Button Joystick Up – Jumping straight up Down - Crouch Left – Move backwards/High Block Right – Move Forward Up and right/left – diagonal jump Down and right – crouch Down and left – Crouch/ Low Block Xbox Guide Button Controller Mapping – Street Fighter 4 Start Button

27. Left Bumper/ Left Trigger – All attack Right Trigger/ Right Bumper – Heavy Attack Y/B – Medium Attack A/X – Light Attack Controller Mapping (cont.)

28. The basic controls for Street Fighter 4 would work perfectly with our controller. The game would stay unchanged while using our controller. The controls would all be mapped out in place the same way they are with a normal controller. No moves in the game use the second thumbstick, and the camera control of the gyroscope wouldn’t effect the ability to do any of the basic things in the game. Standard Controller Comparison – Street Fighter 4

29. Burnout Paradise is an open world racing game that focuses on “tight controls and an overwhelming sense of speed.” (Roper, 2008) • Accordingly, a control scheme for such a game has to be well defined. The keys to playing the game are being able to steer, accelerate, and boost at the same time. This is accomplished on this controller via steering with the thumbstick, pressing down the right trigger with the ring finger, and pressing the boost button with your middle or index finger. The use of the pinky stabilizer makes holding down the right trigger natural and comfortable for long periods of play. Left Button: Rear ViewLT+RT: ShowtimeShowtime: Hard Left Y: Change View Right Button: Next EA TraxLT+RT: ShowtimeShowtime: Hard Right e X: E-brake / Handbrake Left Trigger:Brake / Reverse A: Boost Showtime: Ground Break Right Trigger: Start Engine / Accelerate B: Not Uaed Game Example (Burnout Paradise) Fig 29-1

30. Prototype

31. Prototype (cont.)

32. Tester’s Thoughts • Kevin completely understand that this controller is made for someone with the use of only one hand. • First take: • Looks innovative for sure • Feels weird • Realistic design • The younger gamers will really like the design • Older gamers will adapt Controller Playtest ResultsTesting done by: Kevin Chance

33. Tester’s Thoughts • First person shooter would take some getting used to, but mastery of the controller and game seem very attainable by all ages. • Racing games feel more realistic than with normal controllers and would be easy to play once used to the controls. • Fighting games would have quite a long learning period to even figure out, but is achievable. • Would like to be able to move both sets of buttons on the back to increase play preferences. • Would be tough to use up on the direction pad while having to use the joystick, but just fine for occasional use. • Some sort of strap attached to it that would secure to your hand for extra leverage. Controller Playtest Results (cont.)Testing done by: Kevin Chance

34. Playtest Images

35. What Went Right Meeting early and often. Divvying up work among team. Playing to people’s strengths (Ashley's drawing, Alex with PowerPoint, etc.,). Meeting with the teacher. What Went Wrong Not too much. Slight hiccup on the starting early before reading all the instructions / listening to the presentation. Minor communication issue on button layout.  Lack of agreement on terminology leading to different names for same thing throughout first draft of the presentation. Post Mortem What We Would Do Differently Establish a dictionary of terminology before going off to do our own separate pieces. Go through the assignment line by line, after listening to the presentation.

36. Activision Publishing, Inc. (2012). Game controller [PDF file]. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Xbox 360 Manual. Retrieved from http://www.callofduty.com/content/dam/atvi/callofduty/blackops2/cod-bo2/manuals/Manual_X360_EN.pdf Activision Publishing, Inc. (2013). Overview. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Retrieved from http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2/features Brown, M. A., & MacKenzie, I. S. (2013). Evaluating video game controller usability as related to hand size. Proceedings of the International Conference on Multimedia and Human-Computer Interaction - MHCI 2013, pp. 114.1-114.8. Ottawa, Canada: International ASET, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.yorku.ca/mack/mhci2013c.html Capcom (2009) Street Fighter 4 Owners Manual Retrieved from http://static.capcom.com/manuals/sfiv/SFIV_360_DMNL_EN.pdf Clagett, Lisa. (2011, October 18th). Sinkopation.KB Culture. Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.kbculture.com/2011/10/sinkopation.html G4TV. (2010). Call of Duty: Black Ops Wii. Information retrieved from http://www.g4tv.com/games/wii/63792/call-of-duty-black-ops/ Heckendorn, Benjamin. (January 25th,2007). Single-handed Xbox 360 Controller Revision 2 –Right Hand. [Photograph] Retrieved from http://benheck.com/01-25-2007/single-handed-xbox-360-controller-revision-2-right-handonFebruary 20th, 2014. MahaloVideoGames. (2009, February 17). Street Fighter IV Gameplay Montage. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fveOPeYLHoA Nintendo. (2006). Wii Remote [Image] Retrieved from http://www.btframework.com/wiimote.htm Nintendo. (2014). Nunchuk. [Web Image]. Retrieved from http://www.nintendo.com/wii/what-is-wii/#/controls Play testing, discussion about controller, and pictures of Kevin Chance were all done by and approved by him. Roper, Chris. (2008, January 16th). Burnout Paradise Review. Ign.com. Retrieved February 22, 2014 from http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/17/burnout-paradise-review Samsung. (2013). Galaxy Note 3. Photo retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/guide-to-galaxy-smart-devices/galaxy-note-3.html?cid=ppc- SpazGamingHD. (2012, March 20). Burnout Revenge- Road Rage(Back when EA made good games). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNvtnLVhux8 TBNRfrags. (2013, May 16). NUCLEAR?!- The Dream Team v7- Call of Duty Black Ops 2. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCeyXokPo-M References