Microsoft Surface Used as a Big Games Controller

This seems applicable for flight simulator, but portal looked very strange with those controls. I think it would be best if there were more specific control schemes for various games.

I dunno if I like this; leaving a tangible interface doesn't sound ideal

interesting... not sure if its really useful as your hands will hide part of the screen all the time. and appear to not be comfortable in a horizontal position. certainly more powerful in a vertical one.

maybe another touchscreen at the bottom of the device (like a keyboard in a laptop) will be better.
In fact 2 touchscreens... then you can play with somebody else in front of you while sit on a comfortable chair (and you share the surface between the 2 users).
Will be incredible for a wargame, you can have a touchscreen with some information in front of you and you can type commands here, and you can point the map on the surface itself to move the units...

The idea of having a touchscreen instead of a keyboard could be really great, no more keyboard shortcuts but real dynamic icons, like an RPG game where you have your shortcut bar with your actions, these actions can be displayed on the "virtual keyboard" as well as life, stamina etc...
(I think some next gen laptop will be like this)

But I like the controller on the screen, appear to be really dynamic.
is it working on a tabletpc ?

I dont like it, at least not yet. I will cling to my sticks and buttons for a bit longer. I wonder how responsive it is, and perhaps how comfortable as well.

This would be awesome for a game like DCS: Black Shark with its clickable cockpit buttons! Just imagine looking around with your trackir, flying with a joystick, and reaching up and pressing the buttons/flipping the switches in the cockpit, total immersion! Then again a normal touchscreen would do just fine as well.

+ 1 to The crystal Method

Controllers aren't going anywhere; at least not as a result of touch screens. Hell, keyboard and mouse circa 1980's is still the king for controlling most games.

Sure if you want to play farmville or pong, touch screen is good enough, but that won't hold true for "real" games.

This plus the table thing they have should be interesting. Unless it gets beat to the punch by the iCoffee Table and the iHave My Hands on Said Coffee Table...

I see it being good for menu's, view screens, turning on ecm jamming in a flight game etc, but the point of a similator is to simulate and having a ch throttle and flight stick or a stearing wheel / foot pedal etc can never be replaced by touch. I can see having something that sits like at an angle above your keyboard and below your monitor for switching settings, viewing maps , etc would be great without having to switch to these screens and then finding your button to push... Starcraft / warcraft II type games would be interesting........just my thought

They keep trying to have touch screens and games put together. Unless you create a different game than what exists today, it's not going to merge properly. When you plan a first person shooter, you need a controler of some kind, to mimic real life. If you plan a RTS, then you need some kind of mouse, touch screen sounds good but your arms will get tired and you will miss visual cues as you'd have both hands over the screen managing things.

I guess I lack the imagination necessary to see where a touch screen is useful for gaming.

I think this would be a very situational controller. For RTS games, this would be the holy grail of controllers. For FPS games, RPGs or pretty much anything else, I would take a mouse and keyboard over it any day.

Until and unless people start playing games "in our heads" Johny Quest style, the mouse and keyboard is here to stay.

Sounds like fun, but ill still evacuate more heads with my keyboard and mouse.

I can see this being useful for an RTS, but not other game types.

While it's an interesting concept, it looks like it impedes game play more than advances it. A mouse+keyboard is much more efficient and less distracting.

Though useful for some things (hitting the buttons in the cockpit, flipping switches), it's terrible for others (FPS games need total precision).

Touch is great, but motion is the future. Both still have a LONG way to go before they are ideal.

I can see MMO gaming on a ouchscreen would be useful, select target and acess to more movs than a specialty mouse or keyboard can allow.. less clicking means better mmo players

note I'm saying for the mouse only you'de still move most efficiently with keyboard controls and hot keys

Smearing dirty fingers on the screen is never cool!

This needs a second input device like Nintendo DS. It's not a new concept!!

Just imagine playing Axis and Allies on one of these....

... for starcraft maybe, but no... any Korean will kick my ass with keyboard and mouse...

now you're thinking with surface.

Ergonomics much?

Looks very uncomfortable to be honest.

Even with the incredible advance of technology, they still haven't found a way to replace decades old technology like the mouse and joystick. Touchscreens are useful for certain task but the computer mouse is proving to be very resilient.

Flight sim doesn't seem like the best game to replace the physical interface. The whole point is to use a joystick (like a real plane). I was thinking that they would just make the cockpit buttons all touch-interactive while keeping the joystick real.

It's an interesting concept but might need game developer support to really have a chance at replacing gamepads or joysticks.
Until then a dedicated game pad/joystick and maybe some support programs like www.touch-buddy.com seem to have the edge in overall usability.

Great technology and is a step in the right direction. BUT ergonomics is the flaw. The screen must be able to tilt since I cant imagine people hunching over an old school style game table. Of course this is a prototype so far from a finished product.

I cant wait until I can fully control a game with my mind, but until then this may be a step closer ;-)