GestureWorks' Gameplay Virtual Controller (Video).
Windows 8 tablets, with the exception of Razer Edge, aren't ideal for gaming. The majority of PC games are developed 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 not playable without peripherals. The solution? Find a middleman.
GestureWorks Gameplay promises to alleviate tablet owners' gaming problems on the move by creating a virtual interface that simulates keyboard and mouse inputs. The program lets users create custom multitouch controllers with virtual joysticks, d-padsand buttons and even mappable swipe gestures. It's an intriguing idea, particularly when one considers the effort Android and iOS gamers put into avoid touchscreen controls. We spoke with the company to take a short look at beta versions of the app.
GestureWorks CEO Jim Spadaccini greeted us with a ThinkPad Helix and his son, who was ravenously tearing through the world of Castle Crashers on his own Windows 8 device. A digital directional pad as well as small buttons dotted the lower edge of his tablet's screen, superimposed on the game as if they were native controls. It was easy and fun but Spadaccini slowed us short of engaging in a gamefirst he wanted to show us how to set one up.
Gameplay's menu system is pretty straightforward, splitting the main screen into profiles that can be downloaded, and a list populated by locally stored layouts. The community currently has around 50 profiles available that are available for download, but editing or creating a brand new one is easy. Spadaccini simply tapped the edit button on Castle Crashers to pull up an identical layout to the display on his son's nearby slate. From there we were able add, relocate , or change the size of buttons with just a few easy taps. You can map buttons to any keyboard input or mouse input. A virtual joystick is also available for control of the cursor. There's also a gesture menu that permits users to map commands to flicks, swipes or pinches and we were informed that motion control options would be added in the future, opening the door for the use of accelerometers to steer driving games. The profile can be saved from this page. If the player isn't satisfied with the layout, they can modify it in-game.
After creating a profile users can connect the layout to the program it was designed for. This makes it easy to launch multiple games at once with the custom control configuration. Launching Castle Crashers alongside our host's young son was as easy as pressing a play button, and the game's simplistic controls worked well with the touchscreen configuration. Spadaccini described Castle Crashers as the program's "sweet spot," and they worked like charm. Portal 2 and Borderlands 2 were quite different and, while GamePad gives you access to all of the game's primary commands, managing them all with only our thumbs proved to be a bit cumbersome. We also had some trouble with the virtual joypad, which emulates a jittery mouse input rather than an actual analog joystick input. Despite these glitches, we were able to solve a couple of GLaDOS"maniacal" tests without difficulty and were told by GestureWorks to expect improved mouse emulation prior to the final release.
Gameplay isn't the perfect app however it appears to at least be a good one: it fills a need, delivers on its promises and does both with a user-friendly and intuitive interface. Its touchscreen gamepads will never replace a physical device, but they do endow Windows 8 tablets with a game-like experience that is otherwise impossible without the additional hardware. That said, it does have one compatibility issue: it only works with games that utilize DirectX (that means no Minecraft, sorry kids!) If you have a Windows 8 tablet, a Steam backlog, and don't mind that compatibility issue, GestureWorks Gameplay just might be the perfect fit for you. Visit the website of the company to sign to the beta program, or simply wait: the full version launches on November 5th for $14.99.