Notes

GestureWorks' Gameplay Virtual Controller (Video).

With the exception of the Razer Edge, Windows 8 tablets are at a disadvantage when it comes to gaming -- most PC games are built using a keyboard, mouse or a gamepad in mind. While Civilization V and other select titles have special multitouch controls for the Surface Pro enthusiast, the majority of games are unplayable without peripherals. The solution? Find an intermediary.



GestureWorks Gameplay promises to solve the tablet owner's gaming issues on the go by creating an interactive virtual touch interface that emulates mouse and keyboard inputs. The software lets users build multitouch controllers that can be customized using virtual joysticks and d-pads as well as buttons, buttons, and swipe gestures that can be mappable. It's an interesting idea particularly when you think about the effort Android and iOS gamers make to avoid using touchscreens. We met with the company to take a brief look at beta versions of the application.



GestureWorks CEO Jim Spadaccini greeted us with the ThinkPad Helix. His son was also present, tearing through Castle Crashers on his Windows 8 device. A digital directional pad, as well as tiny buttons filled the lower part of the tablet's screen and were superimposed on the game as like native controls. It was easy and fun, but Spadaccini stopped us from jumping into a game -first, he wanted demonstrate how to set it up.



Gameplay's menus are straightforward, splitting its main screen between profiles available for download, and a list of locally stored layouts. The community currently has around 50 profiles available for download. Editing or creating new profiles is easy. Spadaccini simply tapped the edit button on Castle Crashers to pull up the same layout as the one displayed on his son's slate. With only a couple of taps, we were able to add the ability to move, resize, or add buttons. Buttons can be mapped to any keyboard or mouse input, and the virtual joystick can be added for direct cursor control. A gesture menu lets users to convert commands into swipes and pinches. We also were told that motion control options will be available in the near future which could lead to the possibility of accelerometer-based steering for driving. Users can save their profile from here, but if they aren't satisfied, the layout can be changed in game.



After creating a profile, users can connect the layout to the application it was intended for. This allows users to launch multiple games at once with the custom control configuration. Launching Castle Crashers alongside our host's young son was easy as pressing a play button, and the game's simplistic controls were well-suited to the touchscreen interface. Spadaccini referred to 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 different story and, while GamePad provides a relatively simple access to all the game's main commands managing them all with our thumbs was heavy. We also encountered some issues with the virtual joypad, which emulates the jittery input of a mouse rather than an actual analog joystick input. Despite these hiccups we were able to overcome some of GLaDOS's maniacal tests relatively easy, and were told by GestureWorks that the mouse emulation will improve prior to the final release.



Gameplay isn't a perfect application but it appears to be at the very least an acceptable one. It fulfills a need, and delivers the promises it makes and does so with an intuitive and easy to use interface. While the gamepads with touchscreens can't replace physical ones but they do provide Windows 8 tablets with casual gaming capability that isn't possible without the additional hardware. Some forums However, it does have one compatibility issue - it works only with games that use DirectX (that means there's no Minecraft, sorry youngsters!) GestureWorks Gameplay might be the right choice for you if you have a Windows 8 tablet and a Steam backlog. Visit the website of the company to sign up for the beta, or just wait for the full version is available on November 5th for $14.99.


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