Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Finally, a word about using other kinds of popular Bluetooth controllers. I wanted to include
in this chapter support for the PlayStation Sixaxis
®
and the Xbox 360
®
controllers. Along with
the Wiimote, these are the top three game pads out there and chances are that you have
one of them. Unfortunately, I was not able to do so.
First of all, the PS Sixaxis does not follow the standard handshake protocol described by
the Bluetooth API. Sony has taken some liberties with the handshake even though they
use Bluetooth API calls to do it. This makes the BlueZ API in Android incompatible with the
Sixaxis. As a matter of fact, it will require changes to the core BlueZ API to support it. This is
not likely to happen any time soon.
Then there is the Xbox 360. Microsoft is well known for rejecting open standards in favor of
their own APIs. It is sad that one of the most popular gaming platform controllers cannot be
used to play games in Android. The Xbox 360 uses its own wireless protocol to access the
controller and will not work with Android at all.
To test this project I used the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 mobile device.
Summary
This chapter has been for the hardcore gamer in you. You learned how easy it is to integrate
a wireless controller with your game; in the process you learned about the Bluetooth API, the
inner workings of the Wiimote and Zeemote, plus a little about JNI, asynchronous threads,
and more. I used the two most popular wireless controllers available today, but there are
many more. The next and final chapter explores the future of casual gaming: augmented
reality and Android TV. It is a technical introduction to two brand new and buzz-wordy
technologies coming soon to your living room. Check it out.
