Capacitive touch buttons for portrait view

[Metalzoic]

The ones I ordered arrived.
These ones here: http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-G...397013470&sr=1-1&keywords=steel+touch+buttons

I've only used them for a couple games so far, but they are pretty damn good, better than I was actually expecting them to be. For those of you wanting buttons in portrait they seem to be perfect.
They're very small and they seem to stick down pretty firmly and don't slide around at all. You wouldn't be able to throw them in a pocket without them getting knocked off, but they do come with a case to put them in.
They press easily, but really barely need to be pressed at all for them to activate. They have immediate response, probably quicker than the shoulder buttons are. So far I'm very happy I bought them!

Here's a couple pics so you can get an idea.

http://1drv.ms/1qrdrmy

 

[PoSTedUP]

!! great to hear. sexy white Vita, too. are they kinda clickie? and are there two different sizes? one more question: do you play better, like, do you feel in more control like with the shoulder buttons? im so getting these along with the nerf case!!!

edit: twenty dollars!?!? lmao. eh, ill still get them i guess.

thanks for the post and review my man.

 

[Metalzoic]

They aren't clicky, but they aren't spongy either. They seem to have a good feeling resistance to them. Button travel is probably just a hair deeper than the actual Vita buttons.
However you don't need to press them that far because they register with just the faintest touch.

It does feel good having actual buttons, but I already prefer the touch screen to the shoulder buttons. So these give the immediate response of the screen, but with physical feedback.
It wouldn't surprise me if I play better with these.

The kit comes with 3 buttons, all the same size and a d-pad that is so big you could only use it on a full sized tablet (which I'll give to my daughter for her iPad).

The Vita is actually black, but I put a white skin on it and different analog sticks.

 

[DrPinballs]

Nice, thanks for posting. I was wondering how much realestate it took on screen, and it looks really good. I'll wait a couple of months to see if they implement button controls ... I'd definitely get this if they don't.

 

[PoSTedUP]

nice, sounds like a buy. thanks for the feedback. they look like they work pretty well. the onther ones you or someone else posted looked like they would have obstructed the view of the flippers a little. these seem to fit perfectly, nice and small.

 

[Metalzoic]

So they made it through my workday, with part of that being my Vita tossed around in my work bag and they didn't come loose at all, so that's good.

They work really good and where they are on the screen means that I can keep them on and they also work with the Vita UI on screen buttons (back button etc...)

I played a few games of Zen switching back and forth mid-game between using these buttons and the Vita's X/Triangle buttons and these were just as responsive, but because they are placed further up on the system and have so much width between them, these buttons are actually easier to use and the system itself is much more comfortable to hold.

I'm still giving them a shakedown, but after a few hours of play with zero problems it's looking like they are the superior way to play.
Loving them so far.

 

[DrPinballs]

I don't want to start a new thread, sorry if I'm hijacking this one a little bit, but it is related. After all the portrait mode talk, I got TPA on my Nexus 7 tablet to have a look at it, with the only other previous mobile version I tried being the too small to play iPhone version. First of all, the Vita version is obviously a port of the Android version, with textures, objects etc. being exactly the same (excluding obviously some details from the new patch, like the new Genie model), so it's all familiar right there. Like in the Vita version, you get the best look at the details once the camera is zoomed in the most, in Camera 1 or 4 of portrait mode, and that's where the difference lies, because the screen size is just perfect and you see *everything*, even the smallest text. The immersion is unmatched (compared to Vita, iPhone, PS3), as I found myself looking around the table as if I was standing right in front of it in real life. The Nexus 7 size makes it comfortable to hold with one or both hands, with the thumbs reaching most of the bottom space of the screen, which you can't have with larger tablets. So the controls work perfectly, and after a minute I was immersed enough I forgot I wasn't using buttons. I was able to beat the Genie (TotAN comes free) after about 30 minutes total with the game, something I've only done 2-3 times total on the Vita. "Missing" the screen with my fingers like I do on the Vita doesn't happen here. The buttons you bought would obviously work great here as well.

Other advantages: manage tables, demos for all tables (one by one, not by packs), virtually non-existent load times

Downsides: a slight sound delay with most table sounds, which I also read about on the forums here, and it hasn't been fixed yet. Also, landscape mode is fairly useless, and awkward to hold

So, it's definitely the best way to play, especially if you prefer portrait to landscape. With Zen, I find it better for the Vita, because of Camera 6, and the overall visual consistency across all tables that TPA doesn't have (yet). If Farsight keep cleaning up the Vita version, it could be the best, but the comfort level of playing on Nexus 7 in portrait has no equal right now, making the best combo of controls/performance/visuals.

 

[Metalzoic]

It does sound like these buttons would be even better on your tablet.
I've considered picking up a tablet just for Pinball, but the fact that I had already invested $100+ (with kickstarters) in the Vita version kept me from doing it.
That plus I've been so massively pissed off at them for not fixing the broken mess the Vita version was made me not want to give them another cent.

However if an even better looking and running Windows 8 version comes out, then I will probably pick up a Surface Pro and buy it again for that. We'll see.

 

[DrPinballs]

I'm glad I didn't get Season 2 yet, and I'll wait and see where I'll buy it, with the refreshed Season 1 and the upcoming Star Wars pack for Zen enough to keep me warm for a couple of months.

Anyway, I definitely recommend the smaller tablet, 7-inch, because of the grip, which is about the length of a PSP held in landscape. Bigger could be better, but I suppose it's how you hold it.

I manly use the tablet for reading, didn't play any games on it at all until now. I bought it after having bought all the Season 1 DLC for Vita.

 

[Kratos3]

I have to admit, the Android version on a Nexus 7 is really good. I also play on my iPad, which is equally good.

 

[DrPinballs]

Any difference in graphics between the two, Kratos? Which one feels better to hold?

 

[PoSTedUP]

nice, thanks for the info. sounds like a tablet is an excellent platform for pinball. that all makes sense, too. only thing is the delayed sound would bother me. and thanks for the touch pad button info. sorry my responses may be a little half assed, new job has me tried as hell everyday recently.

i like both landscape and portrait, so ill pro go with the vita. but i deff see myself getting an Ipad specifically for pinball after i pay off all this debt. i do most of my reading on my vita and wouldnt really have use for a tablet, but woukd deff get one if pinball is that much better on it. ^_^.

 

[DrPinballs]

The sound thing sounds worse than it actually is, but you take like 5 minutes to adjust, and then it's fine. It's not jarring like sound/video out of sync in a movie, for example.

 

[Kratos3]

Any difference in graphics between the two, Kratos? Which one feels better to hold?

iPad, Nexus7, or Vita?

Graphically, they are very similar, IMO. The Nexus is super comfortable to hold, but I love the bigger screen of the iPad. I actually feel like the graphics of the Vita closely competes with both of them. I do prefer physical buttons, though, which is why I prefer the Vita overall. Especially now after the patch, I'm not so jealous of the graphical quality of the other platforms.

Is there any reason Sony doesn't make a tablet that can play PSN games? It would be perfect. Gaming on a 7 or 10 inch tablet with native Sixaxis, or Vita, controller support.

 

[PoSTedUP]

The sound thing sounds worse than it actually is, but you take like 5 minutes to adjust, and then it's fine. It's not jarring like sound/video out of sync in a movie, for example.

haha, i was gonna say, i cant stand it in bad movies or porn videos, haha. good o hear its not like that.

 

[PoSTedUP]

iPad, Nexus7, or Vita?

Graphically, they are very similar, IMO. The Nexus is super comfortable to hold, but I love the bigger screen of the iPad. I actually feel like the graphics of the Vita closely competes with both of them. I do prefer physical buttons, though, which is why I prefer the Vita overall. Especially now after the patch, I'm not so jealous of the graphical quality of the other platforms.

Is there any reason Sony doesn't make a tablet that can play PSN games? It would be perfect. Gaming on a 7 or 10 inch tablet with native Sixaxis, or Vita, controller support.

they might! PSnow streaming service i think is going to hit all sony platforms (phones, tablets, consoles, vita etc.)

 

[Kratos3]

they might! PSnow streaming service i think is going to hit all sony platforms (phones, tablets, consoles, vita etc.)

I just looked it up, and Sony just came out with the Xperia Z2 tablet that has Sixaxis control for gaming. I believe it's Android though.

 

[DrPinballs]

It took me days to remember what this site was called. I bought a couple of things for PS2 years ago for dirt cheap. Anyway, it still exists, so click click

http://www.dx.com/c/iphone-ipad-ipod-299/gadgets-206/game-gadgets-228

edit: You'll have a strong urge to pleasure me sexually after this, but please restrain yourselves.

 

[DrPinballs]

haha, i was gonna say, i cant stand it in bad movies or porn videos, haha. good o hear its not like that.

I take back what I said, after a while sound issues get really annoying. My second impression is far less favorable. The sounds throw off my timing, so it affects gameplay. I installed all the demos and played them all. Just like the Vita version, ToTAN looks superior to all tables (and it's the one that happens to be free), with most of the DLC (especially after the Monster Bash-Gorgar pack) looking less detailed, and you can only see detail perfectly when the camera is in ideal position, because for some reason it doesn't scale down well, creating this odd effect of detail being less sharp when you move away ... which is odd. The sound issue was apparently there from the start, and all Farsight have done is the same they do with the Sony versions, which is ... blame it on Sony (in this case, blame it on Google). So, I'm mad at Farsight all over again. If the iPad version is good, then that + buttons is probably the way to go, but Android should be avoided. Back to the Vita version for me.

 

[Metalzoic]

UPDATE:
So I was out of town this whole past week in Colorado and these touch buttons have stayed stuck firmly to the screen the entire time, from checked baggage getting thrown around to my carry on getting tossed around. In and out of jacket and jeans pockets etc... not once has one of these things come off or even slid out of place.

However... One of the buttons did not survive a security check at the airport. I don't know what happened because I didn't notice it until we were well past security, but one of the buttons was missing from the button mechanism.
The button base, outer part was still firmly stuck in place on the vitas screen, but the actual button itself that you press down was gone. I don't know if they popped it out themselves, or if it was just some fluke, but it had vanished without a trace.

Thankfully the kit came with 3 buttons total so I'm still in business! And after bajillions of games played with them they are still working and sticking like champs.