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Comment by Arjuna | Hacker News Reader

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Arjuna

I believe that you will find this interesting...

https://www.google.com/patents/US8241126

Video game controller having user swappable control components

Original Assignee: Valve Corporation

Abstract:

A game controller is provided. One or more main control input interfaces on the game controller consist of generalized sockets. A variety of modular input interfaces can be plugged into these sockets. Hardware specific to the input type of the modular input is contained within the modular input itself, and plugged in via an interface. This allows for dual analog sticks, a combination of analog and trackball, or further any combination of touchpad, directional pad, or additional components.

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This is why I love HN. Were you randomly looking up Valve-assigned patents and happened to stumble on this?

"This is why I love HN."

Thank you... same here!

I'm just very interested in the game industry (and a lot of other fields). I tend to R&R (Read and Research) a lot!

Edit: Valve Corporation patents, for those interested:

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=pts&hl=en&q=%22Valve+Corpo...

I don't know of R&R and a search comes up empty...anyone have a link?

It's not a technology. It's how that user describes spending their time.

Like, "RTCHN - Responding To Comments on HN"

It's also a pun - R&R would normally stand for "rest and recreation."

Hardly a HN exclusive. :)

From 2012: http://kotaku.com/5890372/is-this-valves-control-pad-design/

It was posted here too. What's cool in this case is that user X asks about the relevance of P, and user Y comes up with many months olds news on Q that happens to be the perfect missing piece in the puzzle.

This stuff happens all the time. Why is R this way? CEO of R Inc. comes up to tell you. Why is S not in space? It just so happen that a engineer from the space program is reading the comment and answers with a detailed insightful post.

When that happens, HN is awesome.

Other fun Value patents:

Player biofeedback for dynamically controlling a video game state: https://www.google.com/patents/US20110009193 - Responsive play

Dynamically providing guest passes for a video game: https://www.google.com/patents/US20080234043 - Steam Sharing?

A bit of a crappy pattent. Already been done: http://www.madcatz.com/mlg/ps3_controller.htm

That's not really the same.

I'll bet this will be their 3rd announcement.

Why not just buy two-three gamepads with different layouts? Surely that would be cheaper and easier!

You're right. That's what leads me to guess that they have significantly more than 2-3 layouts in mind.

Imagine selecting your weapons physically as well as in-game before going on a raid with some gamepad-plugins offering better control over in-game weapons or accessories than others.

BenHeck had invented this as far back as 2007, 2 years before this patent was filed.

that's awesome! good find!

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