Corona and the game console in your pocket

14 February 2013

Corona and the game console in your pocket


News & Announcements

Green ThrottleYou may not realize this, but if you have a smartphone, you are carrying a game console in your pocket.

That old Xbox or PlayStation will be replaced by something you can carry everywhere you go. A lot of folks are seeing this trend and deciding to build Android-based devices to support them, like Ouya, Gamestick, and even nVidia’s Project SHIELD.

The big thing to realize with all these devices is that they all use console-quality game controllers. And that they use multiple controllers connected to a single device.

With this is mind, it should come as no surprise that these folks want great Corona apps to work with their device. It seems like every week, we’re hearing about supporting a new device.

One of the first controllers that we’ll be supporting is Green Throttle’s. These guys know gaming. In fact, one of Green Throttle’s founders was the co-creator of Guitar Hero.

What sets their controllers apart is they provide console-level precision and accuracy. For example, as a developer, you’ll be able to get joystick events where the direction is a full 360-degrees. By comparison, the worst controllers out there only give you up, down, left, and right.

We will be making this available as a plugin soon. In the mean time, check out this video. It features several developers, including yours truly.

walter
23 Comments
  • Nick
    Posted at 11:04h, 14 February

    Cool!

    And how about ouya so we don’t have to hack build settings and config files to work 🙂 heh. I know it’s early but projects are working already on ouya so only a matter of time 🙂

    Nice stuff.

    • Bret
      Posted at 12:22h, 14 February

      I agree with Nick, OUYA support from the start would be great! Developers have already started making their own ways around this, and posting them in the Code Share… which is just one thing that makes the Corona community great!

    • GreenCastle
      Posted at 12:55h, 14 February

      It’s my understanding that there has been contact between Corona and Ouya but likely no support for a while, Ouya official launch is in April.

    • Walter
      Posted at 23:27h, 14 February

      Yup, Ouya and others are on our radar. Greenthrottle is the first because they are writing the plugin.

  • Max
    Posted at 12:44h, 14 February

    That´s great but I hope you are going to support Ouya natively soon. My game does run on it but as Nick mentioned we have to “hack” our configs and .apk files in order to make it work :/

  • WideAwakeGames
    Posted at 13:28h, 14 February

    “That old Xbox or PlayStation will be replaced by something you can carry everywhere you go.”

    Not for me it won’t. I think the tablet has a better future as a gaming device than the phone format. However, portable will not replace the experience of a PS3 hooked up to my 59″ Samsung TV. Also, the best part of casual games is the touch interface when done right. Button mashing this controller while viewing the game on an iPhone doesn’t really appeal to me. Maybe it does to other gamers, I could be wrong.

  • Dave Baxter
    Posted at 14:02h, 14 February

    I think your wrong, there is no way the phone/tablet will ever replace xBox/PS3 etc… (not in my lifetime anyway). They can’t compete in any way and then this year there is the new consoles coming out (maybe) so they will be even further ahead. We have a little exp of most consoles in our house – 3 XBOX 360’s, 2 PS3’s, 1 Wii, 3 PSP’s, 3 DS, 1 DSi. We play a lot of games online and offline, tablets and phones can not compete. If things keep going the way of IAP I can see people stop buying games. The feedback Real Racing 3 has had has been terrible in relation to the IAP in the game.

    Also this controller ain’t exactly had the best reception from what I can see searching on Google. If they have some how give you money or something else to get you to make Corona compatible then fair enough but otherwise think you have wasted your staffs time getting the API built.

    Dave

  • Anderoth
    Posted at 14:53h, 14 February

    FYI the Green Throttle does have a connector to connect it to your TV just like a console. That is the point they make of “console in your pocket”. Anywhere you go, attach it to the TV. Just linking bluetooth controllers isn’t what makes them say that.

  • dyson122
    Posted at 14:53h, 14 February

    “One of the first controllers that we’ll be supporting”

    This is a surprising step in the right direction. I hope to see more controllers and systems supported soon. Seeing a Corona app up on the big screen would be a lot of fun. Getting a bunch of people in the same room in front of the same screen beating the pixels out of each other would be even more fun.

  • beckslash
    Posted at 17:25h, 14 February

    That’s cool. A new potential market (although I have my doubts about this product).

    But a new market is only as good as we can monetize on it. And I think the resources put into creating this should’ve been used to improve the lack of monetization options and missing features for the mobile platform we’re already working with.

  • iCOOLgeeks
    Posted at 17:25h, 14 February

    I love that Corona is going to start supporting these android console devices. I’ve already pre-purchased the Ouya device. I just checked out the Green Throttle site though, and tried to pre-purchase one, but they say they’re designed to work with Kindle Fire HD. Is that all their designed for? Will they work with other android devices, or iPhone/iPads? What’s the deal. All the promo videos show them talking about smart phone devices, but you go to buy one and they only seem to support kindle fire hd.

    • iCOOLgeeks
      Posted at 17:31h, 14 February

      The other thing I see, is that Ouya has their own marketplace, which is why I wanted to try and be in on that from the ground floor. I don’t see that green throttle is planning their own marketplace at all, which may be a mistake. So, even though you make your game work with green throttle, it’s still buried under half a million other apps, never to be found. Unless you dedicate 15% of your valuable key word characters to now include the words green and throttle, and hope that someone searches for it.

  • Scott Shapiro
    Posted at 17:48h, 14 February

    Will this plugin support iOS Devices?

  • J. A. Whye
    Posted at 19:59h, 14 February

    I personally don’t like playing with a controller, I’m a touch snob, but I think I’m a minority among game players. So I’m looking forward to being able to add real controller support to my games along with touch. It can only serve to expand the pool of potential buyers of my games.

    Jay

  • Alex M
    Posted at 20:57h, 14 February

    This is so typical of corona labs. We want OUYA support and instead get green throttle support. Just like the feedback form crap… we want Mac apps, 3D, an officially supported level editor, but as usual no matter how much feedback is supposedly requested corona labs continues to do what works for them, not for their users.

    • Walter
      Posted at 23:29h, 14 February

      Alex, see my above reply. Also, you are jumping to conclusions. Greenthrottle is the first, but that doesn’t mean they are the last.

    • Dean
      Posted at 02:36h, 16 February

      Alex M, I can’t agree with you more, I think this is happening too many time.
      I suggest that you teach those Corona guys a lesson and go to a competing SDK, use their level editor publish your 3D game on the Ouya and make crazy money.

      I think enough is enough, Corona really doesn’t deserve your valuable input and support.

  • Noob Choob Games
    Posted at 23:11h, 14 February

    This is great news! I have mine, just cant wait to create something that uses them. I think the stereotypical tap to play games will not benefit but personally I find a game that requires controls has a weakness on the touchscreen platforms in the fact that you can lose most of the display area by the time all your buttons are in place.

  • Chris H
    Posted at 23:29h, 14 February

    Lovely. So how about adding iCade support as people have already been asking for quite a while now. Bluetooth keyboard support is all it would need as that is what it emulates.

  • russell
    Posted at 06:35h, 15 February

    I wonder how lousy my artwork will look on a 70″ TV.

  • Joe Luna
    Posted at 15:20h, 17 February

    Will Green Throttle be offering a developer discount for those of us who wish to experiment with inclusion within our games?

  • David
    Posted at 05:57h, 18 February

    Nice. Ouya is definitely the big name coming up, but there quite a few new…

    I’d never heard of Green Throttle, but I’m guessing that being the first one Corona Labs “supports” has a lot to do with them doing the ground work for the plugin. I think we’d all like to see Ouya support next. If Corona actually has to write their own plugin, I think that’d be a good investment.

    Keep it up, guys. And, of course, please don’t suddenly charge more just because you support more devices. 😉

    D

  • Dwayne
    Posted at 21:53h, 07 March

    Hello,

    I am currently working with Ouya and Corona to develop a plugin.
    Ouya really wants to help Corona developers but I hit a snag with the Corona SDK . The SDK is blocking the “real” events that are sent from the controller. I notified Corona Development Team and they were looking into it (last I heard).

    Sincerely,

    D