Gun-Shaped Controller With Dual Thumb Levers For FPS Directional Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumer game controllers are not designed to intuitively handle the specific directional inputs required for first-person shooter (FPS) games, leading to a disconnect between the player's real-world sense of direction and the game's perspective, which can cause frustration, especially for inexperienced players when encountering enemies unexpectedly.

Innovation Solution

A game controller with a specific shape allowing both-handed use, featuring a barrel equivalent portion, front-side and rear-side holding sections, trigger, direction input sections, and a detection mechanism to control game character movements and actuations, providing intuitive and smooth operation inputs for FPS games by aligning the player's hand movements with in-game actions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a universal game controller is used for FPS games, then the controller can be used for various types of games, but the directional input does not align with the player's sense of direction in the game

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontroller versatilityVSAvoiddirectional input intuitiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The controller design allows dynamic adaptation of control schemes. The right holding section can be configured to control either character movement or line of sight direction depending on the game type, enabling the same physical controller to optimize for different gameplay genres while maintaining intuitive directional input for FPS games

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If a gun-shaped controller is used for FPS games, then the operation becomes more intuitive, but the controller structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveFPS game operabilityVSAvoidcontroller structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gun-shaped controller integrates multiple functions into a unified structure. The barrel equivalent portion serves as both the directional indicator and the structural core, while the holding sections accommodate various input mechanisms. This multi-functional design achieves intuitive FPS control without requiring separate specialized devices for each function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If the controller has multiple input sections for precise control, then the directional input accuracy improves, but the controller becomes harder to hold and operate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedirectional input precisionVSAvoidcontroller handling
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Different input sections are strategically positioned on the controller body according to their functional requirements. The front-side direction input section is placed on the barrel equivalent portion within easy reach of the right hand, while the rear-side direction input section is positioned on the rear holding section for left hand operation. This localized placement ensures each input section is accessible without compromising overall controller balance and ease of handling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP1902760B1Storage medium and game device
Publication Date: 2014.11.05 BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC
  • EP1902760B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1902760B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1902760B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A gun-type controller (1230) includes a main grip (1236) and a subgrip (1238) respectively provided to the rear portion and the front portion of a barrel (1232). The view point direction of a view point camera CM is input using a main lever (1250) provided at a position reached by the thumb when holding the main grip (1236) with the right hand, and the moving direction of a player's character PC is input using a sublever (1252) provided at a position reached by the thumb when holding the subgrip (1238) with the left hand.