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 Your Source for Performance News and Reviews! VOrb - SpaceOrb 360 comes to the Mac!
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Summary:
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I recently received the VOrb gamesprocket and adapter cable from Vivistar to use with the PC SpaceOrb 360 controller I owned from my early Quake days. The SpaceOrb had been collecting dust for the last few years since I rarely use the PC anymore (no time for games with all the site mail and work). I've always thought the SpaceOrb controller had a lot of potential as the ultimate controller and for those that are willing to practice, it could be exactly what you're looking for. The SpaceOrb controller is unique in that it has a large rubber coated ball that senses pressure applied in any direction (up/down/twist/forward/backward). Pressure is measured on 3 translational axes and 3 rotational axes with 10 bit precision. The SpaceOrb also has 6 buttons that you can configure to replace keyboard commands for incredible control and customization. It is a well made unit that feels great in your hands, with all buttons and controls well placed. It is one of the best designed controllers ever made in my opinion and well worth the time it takes to become accustomed to it. For a closer look at the controller see my SpaceOrb page. Installation: The image below shows the adapter cable that connects to the Mac's serial port and the SpaceOrb controller. Note the 9V battery (supplied) is required to power the controller. Vivistar suggests a rubber band be used to secure it to the cable. Connect the cable *only* with power off of course. You then copy the gamesprockets VOrb extension (assuming you have gamesprockets installed from a previous game like Unreal) and reboot and you're ready to use the VOrb in your gamesprockets-aware game. Installation on the PowerBook G3 was fast and I was up and running in Unreal in no time. Note it's not just for games, as it can also provide view and control functions in apps like 3D World.
Before you start using the controller, I suggest you read Vivistar's Games and Applications notes page for tips on configuring the VOrb in Descent II, Unreal, Quake, Marathon and 3D World. Configuration: To configure the VOrb's functions, I selected the mouse/keyboard configure option in Unreal. The following panel appeared (note the VOrb is shown selected in the left column list of controllers to display its control settings in the right pane of the panel). Update: The latest 1.1b1 beta extension download includes a config folder with predefined sets for Descent II, Quake, Unreal and Marathon. I'd requested these when talking to Vivistar last week - great to see they reacted so quickly. Use the "Import" button in the configuration panel to load the new configuration set. Make sure you save the set so that you do not have to import it again. Vivistar's Unreal config set works very well. This is big bonus since it allows new owners to immediately use the SpaceOrb without having to spend any time configuring it. Great job on the update Vivistar!
VOrb Gamesprockets Configuration Panel
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Configuring Control Functions: The Unreal game set included with the 1.1b1 download worked great in the game. The A and B buttons were configured for fire and alt-fire and C and F buttons forward and back. The D button activates the translator and the E button switches weapons. The ball fuctions were mapped just like I wanted - pressing down on the ball will crouches, pulling up is jump. Turning the ball will turn the player in that direction, and tilting the ball up and down causes the player to look in those directions. Basically you use the ball as the player's head, which works very intuitively. It's easy to change the settings if you desire, and there's also a new Tweaking option to adjust sensitivity of each axis for those that want to experiment. But don't let all the options intimidate you - most people will find the predefined settings in the supplied game sets will be all they need. In fact, I'm currently using their Unreal set instead of the one I created. You get the best of both worlds - a preconfigured set that will satisfy most players, yet an amazing array of options for those tweakers that want total control and customization options. The image at the right shows the options available in the drop-down menus of each button/axis. Here you select what function that button or movement in that axis of the ball will perform. The axes listing can be confusing at first, but now that they supply preconfigured sets you don't need to mess with the axis settings. With their supplied game sets I no longer have to use the mouse and keyboard in Unreal and Quake. It's rare that I have to touch either of them while playing these games now. You can concentrate more on the game and less on the controls with the SpaceOrb - a big plus!
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I highly suggest reading Vivistar's Games notes page for tips on configuring specific games if you decide to modify the supplied sets or want to create a new set from scratch. Rx and Ry axes for instance are best set to 'delta' inputs in games like Unreal and Quake. It wasn't clear to me what delta settings were until I spoke with Vivistar - delta settings will be the first of the two identical function names in the pop up menu (see the above image). If you're using their supplied sets you can ignore all this and just start playing.
Save Customized Sets for Single or Multiplayer: The "Sets" dropdown menu at the bottom of the configuration panel (see the full size panel image above) allows you to save and load configuration sets on the fly. If you decide to modify their supplied set, you can save it under another name to preserve the original configuration. This makes experimenting easy without risking losing the original configuration. For instance you may like to create different sets for specific levels or modes of play (one set for solo games, one for multiplayer games for instance). The Controller: The next page has a look at the SpaceOrb controller. It even works well in Kay's tiny hands. |
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