E3 2006: BodieLobus Hands-On Report at IGN
Monday, May 15th, 2006 by StevenIGN gave the Bodielobus (formerly whitefusion) controller a great hands-on review!
"With all the commotion surrounding the Wii and PS3 controllers at E3, it’s hard not to get the feeling that motion tracking is the only new controller innovation out there. Fortunately for Gear, that’s not the case. BodieLobus is a young company with a pretty new take on the traditional console controller, and we got a chance to go hands on with the Reflex Control unit … Once my brain learned not to compensate for an analog stick’s acceleration, I attained a level of accuracy I had never experienced without a mouse and keyboard combination."
Full article: http://gear.ign.com/articles/708/708054p1.html
May 17th, 2006 at 5:58 am
Eh, PS2? We’re on xbox360/PS3 guys!
May 17th, 2006 at 9:59 am
Yeah, I think this will be a good proof of concept, though, and it should help generate some buy-in from consumers and game developers. I have to assume Bodielobus has next-gen controllers in the works.
May 19th, 2006 at 4:49 am
Probably. However, I do feel that bodielobus needs to get more out of the bushes. There have been times when I’ve thought that the company had folded. A new webiste and perhaps a forum would help. And a new less boyish “yes, we now have our own company” style of communication would also send some more credible signals
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January 5th, 2007 at 1:29 am
looks like bodielobus might get beat to market… finally. Check this one out…
http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/Computer-joystick/a/9000000075082.htm
I want a trackball controller bad. So I bought a trackball “mouse” that is controlled with the thumb and used it with my playstation controller to see what it felt like controlwise. Obviously not the exact same as it was two seperate pieces. But I got an idea of what it could be and its awsome! Im a console gamer mainly because I prefer a controller. But Id prefer to use the computer for all my entertainment needs. The trackball really brings console and pc gaming together! I played battlefield online with it. I did a lot better than just using the analog ps2 like pc controller. Built into the controller as one unit would be very nice!
January 5th, 2007 at 1:32 am
quick edit to last post in the second row where I put “my playstation controller”. I meant I used the track ball with a ps2 like controller that is made for the pc. (left hand ps2pc controller for walking right hand thumb guided trackball for direction)
April 24th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Just for general information ,
I placed a request on Xbox site :
http://forums.xbox.com/19872442/ShowPost.aspx
I pasted it and a response below.
please read , I think the idea to collect signatures of interested customers is valid . please
contact any interested customers for the product and lets start an online petition. and contact
hardware developers directly (Microsoft, MadCatz, Logitech, Nyko, Pelican, etc.) and offer
the petition to get our controller .
Victor . please email me if you have any ideas or can do this v.reventlow(at)Att.net
=====================================================================
Please replace right D’pad on game controller with a trackball for console games especially
first-person shooters
for years now tried to find , or get made , or have the console makers create a
game controller for the Xbox , to include a mini tracball on the right of the pad (replacing the
right thumbstic) on the Xbox gamepad. . something developed for a while , Somone even
started to manufacture the item , I and many others pre-ordered and pre-paid for them. but it
all ended without result ( they returned our money ) then it ” fizzled ‘ out . here is some of the
history for anyone (like Microsoft !!!!) interested, I would really like to see this controller
finally made . Please read on and support . there is a good conseptualised image and more
history and detail at: see also url:
The trackball is a better
control mechanism for console first-person shooters I’ve occasionally heard people say
“thumbsticks are just different – Once you get used to them, they work as well as a mouse”.
But those who have used both extensively will tell you that there are major differences. Here is
what we know: With joysticks, you do not directly control the position of your cross hairs.
You control the rate and direction at which it moves across the screen. For example, if you
move the joystick slightly to the left and hold it, the cross hairs will move slowly until you bring
the joystick back to center. That means that every movement of your cross hairs actually
involves two small movements in the joystick. This is a subtle difference, but it is multiplied
thousands of times when a game is played. Second, and perhaps more importantly, cross hair
movement speed is capped with joysticks. “Twitch” movement is all but impossible when using
a joystick to control your view. In fact, the higher the maximum speed allowed with joystick
control, the more imprecise the joystick becomes. Theoretically, the same is true with mouse
or trackball control (ever maxed-out the sensitivity of your PC mouse?), but to a much lesser
degree. With a mouse or trackball, you control the rate and position directly. If you roll the
mouse to the left and hold it, the cross hairs will do the same. This is a fundamental advantage
in usability, as there are less movement decisions to make and less potential mistakes overall.
Although there is a theoretical limit to cross hair speed/sensitivity with mouse and trackball
input, accomplished users can achieve near-instantaneous “twitch” movement with them.
Obviously, this is not desirable in every game, but the speed can easily be limited by game
developers, when appropriate. Good things happen when game developers are given more
freedom. A trackball controller will allow for other game genres on consoles Real-time
strategy games like Warcraft would benefit greatly from a trackball gamepad. These types of
games were originally designed for PC’s with mouse input, and that is still the best platform
for them. Click-and-drag, multiple-selects, and clicking way points are fundamental to RTS
games, and mouse-style input is the simplest way to do it. Adding a trackball to controllers
and gamepads opens up new possibilities in game design. Imagine being able to play classic
trackball-based arcade games like Centipede and Golden Tee the way they were meant to be
played. Developers would be able to create new golf, bowling, and other types of games
well-suited for trackball input. Trackball controllers would be better for the console maker
By now, just about everybody you know has used the internet. If you’ve ever used an internet
browser, you’ve used a point-and-click interface. Game and console developers could decrease
the learning curve for their software by taking advantage of pointer-driven interfaces. This is
primarily a benefit to the console maker, because a shorter learning curve ultimately opens the
doors to a wider market, and creates a competitive advantage. A neat additional benefit of
implementing pointer-driven interfaces in console games is that user interfaces could be
standardized between PC and console software. This would naturally decrease development
time for games developed for both platforms.
04-23-2008, 7:39 PM
nCogNeato <http://gamercard.xbox.com/nCogNeato.card controller with a trackball for
console games especilally first-person shooters
The trackball is an interesting concept. I couldn’t say for sure I would
buy it, but I would definately consider it if they used it on their kiosk stations. However, since
the production has been approved, initiated, and shut down a number of time, I have to say
there simply isn’t enough public interest for the device. This users in this forum is a drop in the
bucket to the numbers required to catch the eye of hardware developers. I would recommend
starting an online petition. Once your numbers reach into the 10,000s area, contact hardware
developers directly (Microsoft, MadCatz, Logitech, Nyko, Pelican, etc.) and offer the petition.
They could probably estimate 1/4 of the signatures as possible sales. If overhead and sales
adds up, you might catch the right eye. In the meantime, if you really desperate you can pay
Ben Heckendorn to custom-build one for you. Hello Mr. Neato
FAMILY SUBSCRIPTIONS!