Game Controllers -- What works?

by seanlumly on May 3rd, 2014 18:10 PM

I am in the process of building my own VR headset, and am interested in purchasing a controller. The MOGA PRO POWER controller seems to be well built, very popular, and optionally has a cradle mount for smartphones for a portable-gaming-system setup. Many dive games seem to support iDroid:con, but I'm less interested in this controller as its quality seems so-so and reviews are mixed.

So my question is this: [size=150:3cl5sntl]will the Moga Pro Power controller work?[/size:3cl5sntl] I know that the controller has an HID mode, but if/how this will function in an actual dive game is unknown to me. Does anyone know? I would hate to spend $79.99 for something that will need to be replaced for use with VR games!

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by Sephiroth on May 3rd, 2014 19:01 PM

Depends entirely on the phone and individual app. The gamepad needs to be compatible with the phone and the app needs to have mapping for the controller. The Moga is definitely your best bet. I have a moga pro and HID mode worked fine on the Tuscany demo which I think uses Unity's standard input manager. In the Dive Plugin section of the forum we're trying to put together a plugin that will map all Android gamepads

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by seanlumly on May 3rd, 2014 22:40 PM

Thanks sephiroth!

I'm very interested in the Moga Pro Power which looks like a solid controller with great battery life, and I'm assuming that the HID mode interfaces directly with the Android API. I should note that my device (Nexus 7 2012) is not rooted and I would like to avoid this step if possible (besides, Durovis seems to be catering to the casual market, which are unlikely to root their devices). I also plan to get the Galaxy Note 4 at some point in the future.

In your experience, is the Moga Pro compatibility limited to working with the Tuscany demo? Have you tried other VR demos/games that work with the controller?

This information is nowhere to be found online, so this thread will help many people that, like me, are interested in joining the mobile VR revolution!

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by madfortech on May 5th, 2014 11:20 AM

Hi,

I can confirm the mpga pro works with all the demos / games so far. It is not directly compatible but by downloading the nova universal driver app rack button can be configured to emulate a keyboard button, it took me less than 5 minutes to map a seperate profile for all the games. Seems like the preferred control method at the moment is by keyboard or idroid. I am hoping that the standard input will eventually be universal or support Moga since Moga is without a doubt one of if not the most popular control available and as you say it is very well built and favoured by the likes of gameloft and madfinger. Anyway the point is it works a treat and is very easy to set up. A couple of the games supported it natively but can't remember which, the others took just a couple of minutes to set up.

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by Stefan on May 6th, 2014 09:06 AM

we are working on a generalized solution to the controller problem. I think the the best strategy until then, is to rely on Unity Input and add custom support for devices that need a special plugin .

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by Sephiroth on May 6th, 2014 11:13 AM

"Stefan" wrote:
we are working on a generalized solution to the controller problem. I think the the best strategy until then, is to rely on Unity Input and add custom support for devices that need a special plugin .

Hey Stefan,

Any more details on this? Just wondering if it is worth continuing the development of InControl for the Dive.

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by Stefan on May 6th, 2014 12:49 PM

multiple options are always good since the controller problem is not really solved which can be seen by the multitude of different controllers and sdks for controllers out there.

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by seanlumly on May 6th, 2014 13:47 PM

"madfortech" wrote:
Hi,

I can confirm the mpga pro works with all the demos / games so far. It is not directly compatible but by downloading the nova universal driver app rack button can be configured to emulate a keyboard button, it took me less than 5 minutes to map a seperate profile for all the games. Seems like the preferred control method at the moment is by keyboard or idroid. I am hoping that the standard input will eventually be universal or support Moga since Moga is without a doubt one of if not the most popular control available and as you say it is very well built and favoured by the likes of gameloft and madfinger. Anyway the point is it works a treat and is very easy to set up. A couple of the games supported it natively but can't remember which, the others took just a couple of minutes to set up.

This is great news! Thank you very much for the feedback. Just to confirm, you are using the Moga Pro, and not the Moga Pro Power, correct?

The reason I ask is that I'm now considering getting the slightly cheaper Moga Pro. How do you find the battery life? Can it be used as a corded controller as well?

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by madfortech on May 6th, 2014 14:01 PM

Hi,

It's the Moga pro power A I'm using. My brother has the cheaper Moga and says he totally regrets not spending the extra money! Controller really does feel premium and console like. Generally speaking the battery lasts me around a couple of weeks using it a few times a week for a few hours at a time. Sorry I can't be more specific but I never paid to much attention to it. I can say though that I was surprised by how long the battery lasts and I definatley have no problems with its life. Not sure where you are but it's £39.99 on Amazon and worth every penny. The built in phone holder is really handy too (i travel around Europe a lot on the train etc)
There is a lot of support for Moga now and when using it with the phone it's like having an nvidia shield and if you mhl to the tv it's console quality, with added hid and key mapping it's definately the one to go for.
Steve

Re: Game Controllers -- What works?

by madfortech on May 6th, 2014 14:04 PM

Sorry forgot to say, I've only ever used it wirelessly, haven't seen the need to try wired as it only takes an hour to charge. You might be able to use it otg but I'm not sure, maybe someone else will know?