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GestureWorks' Gameplay Virtual Controller (Video).

Windows 8 tablets, with the exception of Razer Edge, are not ideal for gaming. Most PC games are developed with keyboard, mouse, or a gamepad. While Civilization V and some other titles offer multitouch controls that are perfect for Surface Pro enthusiasts, most games simply cannot be played without peripherals. The solution? Find a middleman.



GestureWorks Gameplay promises that it can solve tablet owners' issues with mobile gaming by creating a virtual touch interface that mimics keyboard and mouse inputs. The suite lets users create multitouch controllers that can be customized with virtual joysticks and d-pads aswell as buttons, buttons and mappable swipe gestures. It's a curious proposition especially when you consider the efforts Android and iOS gamers go through to avoid touchscreen controls. We spoke with the company to take a brief look at beta versions of the program.



GestureWorks CEO Jim Spadaccini met us with a ThinkPad Helix and his son, who was ravenously tearing through the world of Castle Crashers on his own Windows 8 device. A digital directional pad and a small collections of buttons filled the lower part of his tablet's display and were superimposed on the game as like native controls. Spadaccini made it look simple and fun to play with them, but he stopped us from engaging in a game. He wanted to show us how to set it up.



Gameplay's menu is easy to navigate. It splits its main screen into profiles that can be downloaded as well as an array of layouts that have been stored locally. The community currently has about 50 profiles that are available to download. Editing or creating new profiles is simple. Spadaccini simply tapped the edit button on Castle Crashers to pull up an identical layout to the display on his son's slate. With just a few taps we were able to add, move, or resize buttons. Buttons can be assigned to any input from a mouse or keyboard and a virtual joystick can be added to allow direct cursor control. A gesture menu allows users to map commands to swipes and pinches. We were also informed that motion control options will be available in the near future which could lead to the possibility of accelerometer-based steering for driving. The profile can be saved from this page. CITY 2020 However, if the user isn't happy with the layout, they can change the layout in game.



After creating a profile users can link the layout to the program it was created to be used with. This makes it easy to launch multiple games simultaneously by using the customized control setup. It was as easy as pressing the play button to play Castle Crashers with our host's son. The game's simple controls were compatible with the touchscreen. Spadaccini called simple side-scrolling games like Castle Crashers the program's "sweet spot," and indeed, they worked like a charm. Portal 2 and Borderlands 2 were quite different -- while GamePad provides a relatively simple access to all the game's main commands managing them all with our thumbs proved to be a bit cumbersome. We also encountered some issues with the virtual joypad, which mimics the jittery input of a mouse instead of an actual analog joystick input. Despite these issues, we were able to resolve a couple of GLaDOS"maniacal" tests with ease and were told by GestureWorks to expect improved mouse emulation prior to the final release.



Gameplay isn't an ideal application but it appears to at least be an acceptable one. It fills a need, delivers on its promises and does both with a intuitive and easy to use interface. Its gamepads that are touchscreen will never replace a physical device however they do provide Windows 8 tablets with a casual gaming mobility that is otherwise impossible without the additional hardware. That said there is one compatibility issue: it only works with games that run DirectX (that means there's no Minecraft, sorry kids!) If you own a Windows 8 tablet, a Steam backlog, and don't mind that compatibility stipulation, GestureWorks Gameplay just might be right for you. Visit the website of the company to sign to the beta program, or simply wait: the full version will be available on November 5th, and will cost $14.99.


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