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Experience Hands-on Using GestureWorks' Gameplay Virtual Controller (Video)

Windows 8 tablets, with the exception of Razer Edge, are not ideal for gaming. Most PC games are designed using a mouse, keyboard, or a gamepad. Although Civilization V and other select titles have special multitouch controls that are designed for the Surface Pro enthusiast, the majority of games are impossible to play without peripherals. The solution? Find an intermediary.



GestureWorks Gameplay promises to alleviate tablet owners' gaming problems on the move by creating an interactive 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 as well with buttons, buttons and swipe gestures that are mappable. It's an interesting proposition particularly when you think about the effort Android and iOS gamers make to avoid using touchscreens. We spoke with the company to get an inside look at the beta version of the program.
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GestureWorks CEO Jim Spadaccini was there to welcome us with a ThinkPad Helix. His son was also there, playing through Castle Crashers on his Windows 8 device. The lower part of Spadaccini's tablet was covered with an electronic directional pad as well as tiny numbers of buttons. They were layered on the game as native controls. The experience of playing with them was simple and enjoyable but Spadaccini slowed us from engaging in a gamefirst, he wanted demonstrate how to set them up.



Gameplay's menu is easy to navigate. It splits its main screen into profiles that can be downloaded as well as a list of layouts that have been stored locally. At present, the community has around 50 profiles available for download, but editing or creating a new one is easy. Spadaccini tapped the edit icon on Castle Crashers to pull up the same layout as the display on his son's slate. From here we were able to add, relocate , or change the size of buttons with just a few easy taps. Buttons can be mapped to any keyboard or mouse input and a virtual joystick could be added for direct control of the cursor. A gesture menu lets users to map commands to swipes and pinches. We also were told that motion control options would be available in the future and could open the door to the possibility of using accelerometers to steer for driving. Users can save their profile from here, but if they aren't satisfied the layout, it can be changed in game.



After creating a profile users can link the layout with the program it was intended for. This allows users to launch multiple games simultaneously by using the customized control setup. It was as easy as pressing a play button to play Castle Crashers with our host's son. The game's basic controls worked with the touchscreen configuration. 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 a slightly different story -- while GamePad gives you access to all the game's main commands managing them all with our thumbs was heavy. We encountered some issues with the virtual joypad as well that emulates a sometimes unsteady mouse, but not the real analog joystick input. Despite these hiccups we were able to resolve a few GLaDOS"maniacal" tests with ease and were informed by GestureWorks to expect improved mouse emulation prior to the release.



Gameplay isn’t perfect, but it appears to be a decent application. It fulfills an unmet need and lives up to its promises. The interface is intuitive and simple to use. Although the touchscreen gamepads won't replace physical ones but they do offer Windows 8 tablets with casual gaming capability that isn't possible without additional hardware. However there is one compatibility issue - it is only compatible with games that run DirectX (that means no Minecraft, sorry kids!) If you have a Windows 8 tablet, a Steam backlog, and don't mind that compatibility stipulation, GestureWorks Gameplay just might be the perfect fit for you. Check out the company's website to sign up for the beta or just sit tight: the full version will be available on November 5th and costs $14.99.


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