Pandora Controller Project?

[double7]

There will be our Pandora with gamecontrol input devices, USB-host and USB-client mode. Well, the start of the final mass production is getting closer and inspired of one of the first analog nubs demo videos i forged the following ideas.


Why not using the Pandora itself as the most powerful Game Controller for any game-machine with USB or bluetooth interface?


This "Game Controller Emulation" have to

-identify itself as a game input device on the USB cable or via bluetooth
-take the inputs of the d-pad, analog nubs and buttons
-and simply send them correct to the USB cable or bluetooth


Stupid idea, eh? We have a powerfull mobile game console on our hands, why should we emulate such a simple thing like a gamepad?


Because it may be simple? Just imagine the possibilities.

Do you carry your favorite gamepad with you all the time?
Do you carry your pandora tv cable with you all the time?
How many console owners may own an USB cable too?
Your friend don't want to buy another bluetooth game controller?
Your favorite store got the newest ultracoolest game on an actual generation console running, but locked away the controllers?
No problem if you get your own pandora controller out of your pocket.



It may be possible to emulate console-game-controllers for pc-console-emulators.
That way you could use the Pandora as N64 controller on a PC with a N64 emulator. The Pandora could emulate a N64 controller pak, that way you could play with only one single save game on both pandora and PC.

The next extension of the idea is recording the inputs, modification of the inputs, combination and playback of those records mounted to the pandora function keys. Given a nice GUI the pandora will be the highest and comfortable programable game controller ever.


Pandoras game controller emulation isn't limited to game controls. Your office workmates are hiding your mouse for fun? Why not emulating a USB Keyboard and mouse? Pulling your pandora you are back to buisiness in no time.
The touchscreen could be used like an Input Tablet for CAD or Paint software.


Please don't tick me off, i know i'm not the first one with this idea, it was mentioned here
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/51196-openpandora-usb-game-controller/page__hl__usb%20controller%20gamepad%20bluetooth
before, but the main thread there was finding a game pad for kids.

It continues here:
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/51398-pandora-as-a-bluetooth-peripheral/page__view__findpost__p__797804
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/51832-pandora-and-ps3/page__view__findpost__p__809428
including bluetooth or ps3 variants. I apologize, may be there are others, i didn't read those over 200 findings in detail.

My forum activity concentrates on gp2x.de, where similar ideas were been found recently. Looks like tiniest mind snippets build by published facts lead into the same ideas. I thinks its time to give this idea a name. Please vote and or drop a note.

The german version of this poll can be found
http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=9134,
if you like to look over the fence.

Edit: Link to gp2x.de added.

 

[Nintendo]

the name of the project is stupid, see my posting for a better name. (1 votes [100.00%])

Pandora iController

 

[rabidpoobear]

Yes, your situations where you'd want this aren't contrived at all!

Actually it doesn't sound that hard to implement and recording and playing back sequences would be pretty baller, especially if you could edit them and such, would be good for doing perfect, automated live run-throughs of PS3 games and such.

[edit] name should just be Pandora Controller or something, pantroller sounds like you're rolling around in your pants man.

 

[darionapole]

i'll just say YES, the name doesn't matter to me. But being able to use the pandora as a blutooth gamepad would come handy for those moments when you are at a friend's house and want to play something on the real PC or console and he doesn't have a spare gamepad.

some ideas


This "Game Controller Emulation" has to

-identify itself as a game input device on the USB cable or via bluetooth
-take the inputs of the d-pad, analog nubs, buttons and keys
-be able to use the d-pad as buttons
-be able to calibrate, remap, ajust the range of action for each axis
-able to remap each button
-turbo, macro, scripts
-and simply send them correct to the USB cable or bluetooth

 

[DaMummy]

this should only be a last resort if no pads are available, as even a basic NES controller is more comfortable as a pad than the panda....

 

[Tom`]

If you're saying "someone should implement a way to use the Pandora as a HID," then I think this is a good idea - I don't suppose it would be even that difficult, since the PSP has IIRC had the ability to do this via homebrew for a long time now. More than that, the possibility of using the Pandora to emulate a USB CD-ROM drive and switch CD images on the fly has also been proposed - I don't know if this has ever been done, but it seems like a related idea.

 

[darionapole]

If you're saying "someone should implement a way to use the Pandora as a HID," then I think this is a good idea - I don't suppose it would be even that difficult, since the PSP has IIRC had the ability to do this via homebrew for a long time now. More than that, the possibility of using the Pandora to emulate a USB CD-ROM drive and switch CD images on the fly has also been proposed - I don't know if this has ever been done, but it seems like a related idea.

talking about related ideas. Maybe the best would be to start a unified proyect. "The USB Box" sounds cool
It would be a base for the usb port / blutooth and then a plugin for each function (plugin for gamepad, plugin for CDROM, plugin for serial, paralell, external display,sound card, keyboard, you don't know till you need it)

 

[taylor-madeak]

I like the idea, actually. It would be like having a PSX gamepad to plug into your PC, but no adapter required - just a plain old USB cable.

Don't know if it's possible, however. I'm no programmer. I would like to see an attempt made.

 

[Tom`]

The PSP thing I was thinking of uses Wi-Fi: http://imk.cx/psp/wificontroller/

If it can be done via Wi-Fi, I don't know why using USB would be impossible...of course, I have no idea what is involved in developing a driver.

 

[mitosis]

Definitely an awesome idea... and one I've had myself as well.

I think it would be cool to be able to use USB or bluetooth to plug the Pandora into a pc/console and use it as a controller. It could function as a combination keyboard/controller/mouse using the keyboard/controls/touchscreen. ...pretty much what laharl said.

edit: programmability is a MUST! Key re-maps, macros, turbo, sensitivity adjustments, and emulating a ps3 or 360 pad (as in making the device appear to a console as a "legit" controller by mimicking the USB messages of whatever pad you're emulating) ...I mean, if it's not programmable then the whole idea would be kinda pointless.

 

[mali]

Too lazy to search if the above posted links contain it, thus I post it again
http://www.valeriovalerio.org/?page_id=174

 

[Kimundi]

Funny how different people periodically come up with the same ideas :rolleyes:
I swear, I have AT LEAST seen 5 threads containing this one, Including one I started...

Anyway, my Idea would be to put the Pandora in a fully configurable Slave-Mode, basicaly so you can route any type of input/output from/to the pandora.
For example:
-routing the keypad and nubs/ts to usb/bt to appear as a hid keyboard-mous combo (or over wifi, if you run a small client on the host system)
-routing Gamepad/Nubs to usb/bt/wifi to act as gamepad
-routing screen data from a virtual screen to the pandora, and thus using it as a (unaccelerated) auxiliarity screen for your pc
-routing audio to/from the pandora, for usig as a sort of wireless speaker box/headset terminal
-etc...
And all that configurable through an easy ro use gui were you can litterally draw a connection from one part of the system to another.

 

[torpor]

This is totally possible to do using a gadget-joystick driver (over USB Gadget) or using Bluetooth .. the only tricky bit would be the recording/playback behaviour, which is actually a fantastic idea and I hope it gets some love from someone with the mojo to do it ..

 

[kuru]

I'm all for it. Names sound weird though. How about something techy-descriptive I can't come up with atm?

edit: pandora remote interface

 

[Pleng]

I'm spending a decent amount of money on a Pandora.

A USB Controller costs about a fiver.

If the USB controller breaks through wear and tear I'm out for a fiver. If I manage to damage Pandora whilst using it as a USB controller I'll be *sooooo* pissed off with myself I'll probably never be able to look at myself in the mirror again!

 

[kuru]

I'm spending a decent amount of money on a Pandora.

A USB Controller costs about a fiver.

If the USB controller breaks through wear and tear I'm out for a fiver. If I manage to damage Pandora whilst using it as a USB controller I'll be *sooooo* pissed off with myself I'll probably never be able to look at myself in the mirror again!

on an occasional glance that might sound like a reason but actually it's nonsense.

 

[Tobs]

Wouldn't it be easier to do over software?
Just have the Pandora send changes in key/nub state over tcp/udp to a computer running some simple server software.
I did something like this for a home-made guitar hero controller a while back.
If someone has a calender, PM me when Pandoras start getting delivered and I'll whip up something to do this.

 

[Ollonk]

this should only be a last resort if no pads are available, as even a basic NES controller is more comfortable as a pad than the panda....

I really hope you have never held one before. Because if that's the case, we're all wasting nearly $400 on something that is advertised for being a game machine.

 

[kuru]

this should only be a last resort if no pads are available, as even a basic NES controller is more comfortable as a pad than the panda....

I really hope you have never held one before. Because if that's the case, we're all wasting nearly $400 on something that is advertised for being a game machine.

Well, I can give the point in which the Pandora being used as an input-only device will have a disadvantage compared to almost any pad: weight.

 

[Ollonk]

I can see the weight, but if it's uncomfortable to play games on, even compared to a NES controller (which I HATE), it wouldn't be worth buying. (I mean, the keyboard + Ångstrom is awesome, but I would feel cheated out of the gaming side of the spectrum.)
That said, I agree it wouldn't be an effective replacement for PS3/Wii/Xbox unless we were talking macros.