A new 360-degree immersive game controller

Abstract

In this demo we present a novel approach that enables to use mobile devices as six degree-of-freedom (DoF) video game controllers. Our approach uses a combination of built-in accelerometers and a multi-camera system to detect the position and orientation of a mobile device in 3D space. The sensor fusion approach is low-cost, accurate, fast and robust. The proposed system allows users to control games with physical movements instead of button-presses as in traditional game controllers. Thus the proposed game controller provides a more immersive gaming experience, letting the users feel that they are the players in the game instead of controlling the players. Compared to other accelerometer-based game controllers, the proposed system also detects the yaw angle, allowing the controller to work as a pointing device. Another featured strength of this design is the ability to provide 360-degree gaming experiences.