Peripheral Vision (ARTICLES)

Gaming peripherals have come a long way since the Commodore 64!

Peripheral Vision

Many moons ago, when games came on a tape, the only thing I had to play my chosen title with was a mouse and the monitor. Fast forward 20 years and I find myself looking at the amount of gear I have stowed away under my gaming  desk (yes im lucky enough to have a dedicated desk -thanks wife!). An assortment of 360 controllers, headsets, keypads and dedicated controllers such as my Rock Band Keyboard, all lie in the chaos of wires that im accustomed to. The market for gaming peripherals has never been bigger, with gamers of all types wanting the latest gadgets and gizmos to highten the gaming experience or to get that competetive edge, it’s almost unheard of for people to simply have one control pad anymore. I can’t imagine myself playing games without the use of my headset, the immersive experience it brings, the chance to fully appreciate the stunning audio that some games have to offer, it would be fair to say I have almost become reliant on it to game. In the same way I need my control pad, I need my headset. 

Now, I know I’m not alone there, but headsets only scratch the surface of what’s on offer to the casual and the hardcore gamer. From dedicated Game Chairs with built in speakers, to extension grips for your PS3 triggers, chances are, if you want it, you can get it. Long gone are the days when a simple controller, keyboard or mouse are enough to satisfy the ever hungry consumer.  The everlasting quest for today’s game and hardware developers is to make the most immersive and interactive games possible. As we are not quite at the stage where we can plug ourselves into the Matrix, developers have looked to peripherals to enhance the Gaming experience. The birth of the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360’s Kinect hold testament to that, now ‘you’ are the controller, with things on screen reacting to voice and body movements. A huge leap in the quest for a truly immersive experience, and something that many feared would be the end to the traditional controller, which im sure, was the initial plan for developers of these products. Now however, we are seeing a shift in direction. Kinect is now being integrated as something to enhance traditional control methods, not replace. Mass Effect 3 utilises its voice functionality, Halo 4 is set to be utilising it along similar lines, the tag line ‘better with Kinect’ is commonplace amongst new titles. A powerful gaming peripheral indeed.

Despite the great ways PS Move and Kinect allow you to interact with games, they lack the immersion that people so desire, with many of their titles geared toward ‘family time’ the more hardcore gamer is simply not catered for.  The competetive scene has paved way to a new outbreak of peripheral development, customisable keyboards and mice, button extensions, even tinted glasses to reduce screen glare, we are also seeing a retro revival in amongst fans of fighting games. ‘Fight Sticks’ are now readily available, based on the old arcade machine layouts, designed for competitive play. Now, the question is, have we as a consumer base, become inadvertantly dependant on gaming peripherals? Have you? I certainly think so, wether it be a Gaming headset, or a steering wheel, we are constanly seeking new ways to enhance our experience, to be more competitive or to simply just ‘give it a try’ It is true that nobody knows what the future will bring, but one thing is for certain, the Gaming Peripheral will continue to develop and to grow. Already we are seeing developers trial goggles that contain LED screens, 360 degree TV’s, virtual reality rooms and new ways to control what you see and hear, or even smell.

With technology like that, what could be coming next to heighten our games? What would you want to see? If total immersion and interaction are the ultimate goal, is the idea of the Matrix really that far fetched?


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