This has seemed like the fastest year of my life. Some things have been so sad. Some things immensely rewarding, fun and hopeful. OneSwitch sends all readers warm wishes for Christmas and the new year.
Another recent switch adapted project for SpecialEffect I've built is the Wii Switch Interface above. This one is targeted for Wii-U use with New Super Mario Bros U.
By using a fully wired VGA-HD cable (15-core), it's possible to draw out a line connection to all buttons and the battery terminals to the external box. If anyone fancies trying this adaptation themselves, feel free to get in touch.
Seven years late perhaps (always playing catch up) I finally got around to adapting a Buzz handset for SpecialEffect. I went for the wired variety, which work on both PS2 and PS3 and have no batteries to worry about.
If I get time I'll post a DIY guide, but the gist of it is, you'll need to grind out the bottom half of the controller, enough to give you room for the five sockets. The main red push button switch contacts (encircled in yellow) need to be wired directly to their own socket. The group of four coloured push buttons all share a common ground point which makes things a bit quicker to wire up.
Worth mentioning is that with a switch accessible controller such as my C-SID you can use four switches to run your own Quiz show, with your own questions. You can also use Buzz to act as a mouse or keyboard using JoyToKey, and as such use it as a cheap switch or switch interface.
"The intrepid Dr Kevin Spingledash has one big fear....Jelly Blobs! Join him and his sweetheart Tallulah as they battle to save the earth from the return of the blobb!" - from the superb Shoot Your Mouth off Films.
French company Papoo recently posted the video above to show-case their proximity switch. In short, a switch that you don't even need to touch. Could be ideal for those struggling with the amount of force needed to operate a traditional switch.
There's plenty of mounting solutions on offer, detailed in part at the OneSwitch Accessible Gaming Shop, such as the superb Trabasack and Flexis.
Update: Of historical curiosity, Zambette Electronics of Southend-on-Sea, Essex used capacitive switches with their 'System 7' devices in the 1960s and 70s for environmental control and control over electronic toys.
In the back ground I've been working on my first book. Provisionally entitled "One Switch 100" it will highlight key and curious one-switch games and events from the 1960s to date.
The hope is that it will inspire people to track down some of the best one-switch games and hopefully create more.
I'm only about a quarter of the way through, with the hope of getting it finished by the 10th of June 2013, the 10th anniversary of OneSwitch.org.uk running as a business (although it was registered on-line in November 2002). I've always wanted to write a book (this one will be a freebie). Seems as good a time as any to do it. Maybe the first of a few I've got in mind.
The book is part of why things have slowed down here on the surface. That and becoming a foster parent, co-working on Thurrock POINT and working for SpecialEffect. Time to refocus I think...
Seeing how many great web-sites there are dealing with game accessibility now, I'm likely going to refocus this site on switch accessible leisure and items for the Accessible Gaming Shop from here on. Meanwhile, for those that do, have a great Christmas!
