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
News
Apr 19th, 2024
Week in Views - The search for skills, billion dollar birthdays and terrific transmedia
News
Apr 19th, 2024
Get practical tips into key game development tools and methodologies at the Dubai GameExpo Summit
News
Apr 19th, 2024
Week in Views - The search for skills, billion dollar birthdays and terrific transmedia
Feature
Apr 19th, 2024
New release roundup: Take That: This is Life, Neopets: Tales of Dacardia, Persona 5: The Phantom X and more
Feature
Apr 19th, 2024
Speaker Spotlight: Xsolla's Chris Meredith on making the most of D2C and today's revenue opportunities
Events
Arts DAO Fest 2.0 | Middle East | Apr 20th |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Popular Stories
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
46 top mobile games in soft launch: CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, Candy Crush Blast, and more
News
Apr 17th, 2024