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Android Bluetooth Controller

Ingenu

Ingenu

Newbie
Hi everyone!

I thought I would stop by and let everyone see what we at Ingenu are working on. We have a fully working prototype of a bluetooth gaming controller that works with Android 2.1 and up (including HTC phones) and does not require the phone to be rooted.

Hope we aren't breaking any rules by posting this here but here is a link to our youtube video which shows the controller in action.

Let us know what you guys think! We are open to any and all feedback.
 
This controller is great =) i really like it but is the final product going to have only those few buttons? what about something that would also work with the upcoming N64oid emulator an n64 remote has a total of 18 buttons including the d-pad and joystick if you remove the d-pad and use the one already their as a joystick then that brings it up to 14 probably just an extra 2 buttons next to the 4 already in place

something like this

http://www.zapsonline.com/36381-22027-large/genius-pandora-mini-game-pad-tvmul220.jpg
the shape is not too great but the button setup is cool

Either way ima purchase your finished product =) hope everything goes well
 
Thanks for the reply!

Our final mould design will be more akin to a PS2 controller. We just wanted to fiddle around with a truly retro design for our prototype. That will put this up to 8 input buttons as well as a D pad. Things are still up in the air for a joystick setup. As cool as that would be we just aren't sure how practical it will be right away.

We will be hosting more videos as this project advances and hopefully have a final design on this sometime come Summer!
 
Keep up the good work, you have one for sure buyer here...Just make sure it works with HTC and I'll be happy.

Can you reveal anything as far as what the price may be?
 
Glad to hear some folks are interested in it!

All we know on pricing right now is that we are keeping it under $50. We should know more about what the pricing will be as we get closer to the manufacturing point.

What do you guys feel would be a good price for this controller? Keep in mind that the bluetooth modules alone are pretty costly!
 
Hooray, my internet decided to screw up when I clicked to post! >_<

Basically what my last post said was as follows:

You've got someone who's DEFINITELY interested here. I really like the under $50 price, I'm thinking $30 would be my sweet spot for something like this.

Have you thought of adding a cradle to make it similar to this:

iPhone Game Controller is Funky Concept, Reminds Me of the Portable Xbox | Concept Phones

I realize almost all androids are different sizes, but if you just put a universal slot on the controller that cradles could be attached to, it's a win-win. People who don't want it don't have to pay extra as it could/should be sold separately, you could make a few different sized cradles very easily, and I can't imagine it'd be that difficult to implement into your currently plan. I'm thinking if you just made the clips similar to this Kingston mount I bought the other day, you would only have to make 2 or 3 different sizes at MOST because most android phones are pretty similar in width.

http://www.comegacity.com/images/dhcell-phones---pdas/DHK39256US.jpg
 
Appreciate the feedback Bam! We are actually going to be redesigning our website, facebook page and retooling our video to make it more appealing so stay tuned for more info!

Tha cradlet is absolutely something we are considering making as it would be the best way to fully enjoy gaming with a controller on android. I can't say if we will have that as soon as we will have the controller but a solution to what you would do with your phone when playing a game with your hands on the controller is something we have considered.

One route we thought of was making a case that had a kick stand in it like the Tbolt and Evo 4G does, however trying to find a cell phone case manufacturer that's not using the cheapest plastic possible is incredibly difficult. Still it is something we are kicking around for after the controller is launched!
 
Thee only problem with the kickstand cases its that just about EVERY phone would have to have a different case, this could be quite a pain. Also, I think I would prefer something that connects to the controller itself. I already have a windshield mount attached to my bedroom window that I would be more likely to use than a kickstand case, in all honesty. I'm sure that some people would like the case though.

I just thought off something else too. How are the batteries? Are they going to be rechargeable or replaceable. I have a handful out spare rechargeable AA batteries, so I'm fine with replaceable, but I think most people would prefer rechargeable if it wouldn't hike up the price TOO much.
 
Yeah honestly the kickstand case is kind of a defunct idea for now. Manufacturers just use too cheap of material and the ones that don't have all these goofy graphics on them. If anything it would be just a cradle device, something small and functional, that you rest your phone on while playing.

The controller will be rechargeable lithium ion battery so you wont have to worry about AA batteries and what not.
 
This controller looks awesome, i have been waiting for a good quality bluetooth controller. I will definitely be purchasing this, also the idea for a universal cradle sounds awesome. I would kill for a cradle and awesome bluetooth controller. I can't wait to see the finished product.
 
what about something in the direction of the Bluetooth game gripper. I honestly don't know about price point but im no good at making prices i either choose too high or too low x.x hopefully its something affordable for a 17 year old with a part time job ha ha ha jk your product your price like i stated earlier im sold =).
see how it has a little lever you pull up and it hooks the controller what about something where you pull it up and it locks at different heights wouldn't that make it universal? like if you added a lock in accordance to different phone sizes? he uses a little spring with is really cool and ingenious =D what about that ingenu?

YouTube - &#x202a;The Bluetooth Game Gripper&#x202c;&rlm; skip to 0:25 seconds the video also talks about how he got the bluetooth chips or something like that.
 
Thanks for the feedback B2L and Crisiscorex and thanks for the link to that video.

See the trouble with that gamegripper is that manufacturing something like that is a lot more intricate, and we feel unnecessary, than just making a functional controller. There does come in the problem of 'docking' the phone when you are using the controller but, we can easily solve that with a cheap cradle made with like MPE style plastic (the stuff that feels like rubber). That bluetooth project never made it off the ground for that guy, that we are aware of, the guy raised something like $35,000 in backing money but fell short of his goal which I believe was about 2 times more than that. To us that says as cool of an idea as it was it was also very expensive to make!

What we want to provide is good quality products that help you enjoy your Android experience and wont break your bank. We aren't business guys by any means, just three dudes who like phones and video games!
 
makes sense thanks for the quick response just trying to throw ideas out on something that is universal for majority of every phone, and the game gripper idea looked awesome cause it makes it look like a game boy or something xD ha ha ha anyways enough of my babbling im sure anything you do will be awesome.
 
Alright, crappy photoshop "skills" to the rescue! :P I decided to whip something up that would show how this thing looks in my mind. It's basically this, the PS3 controller represents your controller. That is sold as one separate component. If people so choose, they can buy a cradle for their phone that attaches their phone to the top of the device. If you look at the cradle in my photoshop, you can see that it grabs the phone by the sides and can hold a large variety of phones. Kensington also made it so that you can turn the part that actually holds the phone to change between portrait and landscape. VERY nice touch, IMO. The Kensington dock I got cost like $20, so I can't imagine it cost a lot to produce...

I'd buy the separately sold dock for SURE.

ImageShack&#174; - Online Photo and Video Hosting
 
Thanks for the responses guys!

Wow awesome concept there Bam. We kicked that around in a meeting last night and definitely have it dog eared to come back to once we get the controller off the ground.

Our developer Rich is beginning work on our second prototype, this one with some different components. This is the slow going part but, in the meantime I am heading up our Twitter base and we are retooling our video, website and Facebook page.

Last month we had a contest where folks on our Facebook page could submit a Haiku in the hopes to win a free month of Gamefly. Unfortunately we only got one participant... What do you guys think about contests that require participation like that? I thought our prize was great but, apparently not Haiku worthy to some folks. Would love to get feedback from you guys on that, we will be doing another contest soon and want folks to participate!
 
Hey guys we have some news to give ya!

We finished our third prototype version which includes a lower cost bluetooth module that works just as good as the previous one. What that boils down to is a lower cost to manufacture this thing, which is a win win for all of us!

Proud to announce we have also included a lithium ion rechargeable unit for this thing! That is going to be key here, no more buying batteries for us all!

There has been some more interest from folks who are following our progress but, we need more exposure to get this thing off the ground. So I am hoping some of you can help us out. What we need is to be featured on N4G.com or Gizmodo or some major news outlet so we can see that there is enough interest to warrant making our first batch of these controllers for everyone!

If any of you can assist us please let us know, we are open to all advice and avenues to get our name out. You can PM us here or visit our site Ingenu - Bluetooth Gamepad for Android, Android Game Reviews, Your Android Source! and join our mailing list. I should let you all know, once we see enough interest in this thing we will begin making more prototypes and holding a lottery to allow users to beta test them and provide feedback!
 
Hi there,
Have been looking for a bluetooth controller for my non-rooted lg optimus 2x for a while now and have found that nothing works due to the bluetooth drivers on the phone.
Would your controller be any different?

Many thanks
Ladington 2
 
Hi there Ladington! Yes our controller will work on your phone. Our controller will work on all phones Android 2.1 and above, without requiring the phone to be rooted.

Head on over to our website and sign up for the mailing list to be kept up to date on info from us!
 
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