Read the first few posts from members about this. Very surprised at all the hate. It sounds like a very cool idea! If they can create a solid mechanism that reliably protrudes/retracts the home button, that is awesome. I'm sure developers can make great use of that, for both games and other applications.
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iPhone Home Button That Transforms Into Gaming Joystick Shown in Apple Patent Application
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whoever came up with this idea never had the original PSP
This will never work because the home button is far too slick to use for more than a couple minutes as an analog stick, once your thumb starts sweating it will be practically impossible to use. The PSP stick sucked because it would get too slick, and it was a convex aggressively textured pad, not glossy smooth plastic.
It needs to be made of rubber or its unusable.
This will never work because the home button is far too slick to use for more than a couple minutes as an analog stick, once your thumb starts sweating it will be practically impossible to use. The PSP stick sucked because it would get too slick, and it was a convex aggressively textured pad, not glossy smooth plastic.
It needs to be made of rubber or its unusable.
teslo
macrumors 6502a
i wouldn't be so sure you can easily compare a little piece of metal with an as-yet unknown mechanism (or two) on a 5 month old smartphone to a full fledged electronic controller with 10+ buttons from 1996...
edit: i understand you're focused on the analog stick - i didn't mean to imply that you were comparing the whole controller to the iPhone patent (if that's what mentioning the 10+ buttons alluded to). i just meant that a) the controller is now 2 decades old, and b) the overall 'ux' of the controller (with its many buttons) dictated much of the physical design: the stick itself was meant to fit and function about 3/4" tall on a controller that was proportional to the average human hand. so the two devices (n64 controller and iPhone home button) are just leagues and leagues apart. too much so to assume anything about the other in a comparison.
i picture this iPhone controller being more like the mechanical sheaths that close and open on high-end point-and-shoot cameras. flush with the body, smooth in motion, and, if designed well, durable as hell.
remember the rumors apple was playing with graphene? maybe this patent is an indication of what they're trying out with all of the new crazy materials that are still relatively unknown to the public - whether or not it sees the light of day.
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Was thinking the same thing myself. Honestly, added mechanical complexity to a device like this adds unneeded cost for a minority who will use the feature. We already have fingerprint sensing on the home button, this makes the plumbing way too complex. My take it is a prototype inside Apple that was part of their regular IP sweep inside where legal finds items to patent. I doubt this will head into product anytime soon.
Seen this in several button designs. The most successful I have seen are "bowl" buttons where you have a convex button, a simple center push clicks the main "home" button. Presses angled around the inner edge of the bowl clicks the up/down/left/right in an eight position manner.
Of all of these multi-angle buttons, the most impressive I have seen are in industrial controllers with some very nice tactile feedback. These buttons are typically connected to pendants of front panels and cost around $20 a piece just for the button.
In which this placement is logical - you'll still need on screen buttons or screen tapping? just seems half baked.
TsunamiTheClown
macrumors 6502a
Yes. This is an idea, a patent. Not a real product. Apple, like most tech companies, is constantly researching and developing ideas and solutions, many of which may never see the light of day, but may contribute to the formation of other ideas. R&D
himanshumodi
macrumors 6502a
why stop at just the home button. Put buttons all over the bezel and edges of the phone that pop out for gaming.
Adding too much to a button that's already heavily used?
It may work fine for the ipod touch, but please don't bring it to the phone.
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Do you upgrade often?
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Joystic + spring = 2 moving parts too many.
It may work fine for the ipod touch, but please don't bring it to the phone.
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Do you upgrade often?
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Joystic + spring = 2 moving parts too many.
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
The screen (especially on the Plus) is larger and higher resolution than any actual 'mobile gaming' device out there - PS Vita and 3DS XL included.
Many people play "real" games on the iPhone. FIFA, GTA, Real Racing, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Call of Duty... Many of these games are significantly enhanced by the use of an analog stick. Now I'd like to see pressure-sensitive shoulder buttons (volume up can be one, just put another on the 'bottom left edge' of the iPhone, too,) and maybe add a couple of even capactive-but-dedicated face buttons up near the earpiece/cameras. (Backlit, they don't appear until you've popped up the analog homestick.)
STUPID!
I play ZERO action games on my phone. The few games I do play do not require anything but my brain.
Keep it simple, Apple. I know you want a device that can do EVERYTHING, but that's not always a GOOD thing...
I play ZERO action games on my phone. The few games I do play do not require anything but my brain.
Keep it simple, Apple. I know you want a device that can do EVERYTHING, but that's not always a GOOD thing...
So, this transforms into some sort of "spring loaded Home button that double's as a Touch ID ?"
First flaw of its spring loaded, users will break it... more. (u can almost count on it)
This would be a givin, and take the pressure of all those nay-sayers that say using touch controls are too hard... when playing Prince of Persia...
(As usual, they'd have to be right 😛)
Next thing you'll know Apple will say this is "so popular" and bring it to iPad, at which time i'll cry.. You just know that anything successful, Apple will make it across all other devices..... Why would they not ? Its their game to do that.
First flaw of its spring loaded, users will break it... more. (u can almost count on it)
This would be a givin, and take the pressure of all those nay-sayers that say using touch controls are too hard... when playing Prince of Persia...
(As usual, they'd have to be right 😛)
Next thing you'll know Apple will say this is "so popular" and bring it to iPad, at which time i'll cry.. You just know that anything successful, Apple will make it across all other devices..... Why would they not ? Its their game to do that.
jsmith189
macrumors 68000
Hahahahah. Yes.
Anyway, I wonder if they'd ever use this functionality as a navigational tool? The OS would need some re-working, but it could be an interesting accessibility function. But yeah, I'd be worried about the cleaning of it too. Granted you'd only pop it out when you needed it, unless the previously mentioned controllers, but still.
springsup
macrumors 65816
Apple doesn't always bring all popular features to all devices. There is no smart cover for the iPhone, Magsafe is Mac-only, etc. Since Apple's most popular devices are all broadly in the same category (mobile computers), lots of stuff does transfer but not all of it.
Adding parts may make the part less reliable, or it could alternatively help with a lot of the stuck home-button issues people have reported from time to time. Only Apple; who research their products extensively as well as patent things they never use, can really say either way if it would improve or impede reliability.
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Typical Samsung bloat...
Please Apple, do away with the home button. So much space lost, could cut down on it the size and still keep it 5inch+.
JeffyTheQuik
macrumors 68020
One of these...
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Is that your joystick button popping, or are you glad to see me?
-Mae West, 2018
