It used to be about buttons, keyboards, mice and joysticks, but now hardware can be driven by inputs ranging from touchscreens, to cameras, accelerometers and gyros, and other haptic devices.
That's why the Khronos Groups has announced an initiative that will look to standardise the way high-level semantic inputs as well as low-level device management capabilities are handled.
Standard aims
Khronos, which is a non-profit consortium consisting of the likes of Google, Apple, Nvidia, Intel et al and controls standards such as OpenGL, has created what it describes as a StreamInput working group that will look to put out a public release within a year.
Chaired by TransGaming Inc, Khronos is aiming for the group to serve up a cross-platform API that will support a general-purpose framework for consistently handling new generation sensors and traditional input devices, and provide sensor synchronisation for multi-sensor applications such as augmented reality.
The idea is, by standardising how such inputs are accessed, the number of apps and their portability will be vastly increased.
AR on the up
It's a particularly salient aim given the current interest in augmented reality titles, most of which make significant use of such features.
"Input devices now range from simple keyboards, through 9-axis motion positional sensors, to depth ranging cameras with sophisticated image processing," saiid Khronos president and NVIDIA veep of mobile content, Neil Trevett.
"A robust input API is essential to drive the market adoption of advanced sensors by enabling input fusion innovation under a common API that provides portability to application developers.
"This initiative will also enable advanced applications such as augmented reality that need to process and synchronise multiple sensors for a truly seamless end-user experience."
[source: Khronos]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Related Articles
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024