The plot of the super popular game Angry Birds is based on the confrontation between birds and pigs who stole their eggs. Having appeared as a mobile application for the iPhone, the game is now adapted for all PC operating systems and is available as an online version. So far, this app has been downloaded over half a billion times. And images of the game's characters began to be printed on T-shirts, badges and other souvenirs.
Usually control in the game Angry Birds is carried out with a finger or a computer mouse - it all depends on what you are playing. More recently, however, students at the Copenhagen Institute for Interactive Design (Denmark) Andrew Spitz and Hideki Matsui created a controller specifically for this game. It was based on the Arduino platform - an electronic board with a processor that allows you to connect and control additional components. In order for the joystick to be organically combined with game actions, its creators hacked the original version of the application and performed a series of complex calculations.
The controller, dubbed Super Angry Birds, consists of two devices. They are connected to a computer via a USB port. The first gadget is designed to control birds in flight and has the functions of a virtual slingshot from the game. It is based on a motorized fader from a mixing console. By adjusting the tension of the slingshot with its help, you can set the speed and trajectory of the throw of the attacking bird. The second device is a small box that simulates TNT - a block for detonating dynamite. When you press a button on it, the special abilities of the birds are activated - acceleration, division into three parts, explosion, dropping an egg-bomb. These devices can be connected to stationary computers and laptops. No version for tablets has been developed.
The emergence of news about the joystick for Angry Birds caused quite a stir on the Internet. But it remains to be seen whether Rovio, the game's developer, has shown any interest in the invention of Danish students. However, the authors of most reviews believe that such a joystick will greatly diversify the game process, and its launch into mass production will sooner or later happen. In the meantime, the model exists as a prototype, and you can get it only by ordering from the creators.
