I was looking at Slashdot earlier and saw a post from someone who uses a headmouse (similar to mine, I assume) and was looking for ideas on games he could play. I skimmed the thread and was initially discouraged by all the trolls who posted brain-dead remarks. But then I dug deeper and found some comments from people who had thoughtful suggestions, thus restoring my faith in on-line communities. I even got a few ideas for games to try, if I ever feel so inclined. I’m actually surprised at the frequency at which disability-related questions are posted on /. Most of the postings usually deal with accessibility, either in terms of software or hardware. Which means that geeks are actively thinking about these issues, which can only mean good things for the future of assistive tech.
I followed your link from Slashdot, I am actually looking at getting a “TrackIR 3 Pro” which I assume is similar to your headmouse. I lost my left hand a few years ago and it looks like it may help with gaming.
The only other idea I have had is based on a product I once saw advertised which is a USB Dance Mat for those dancing games, I wonder if I can map the (3×3) pads of the dance mat to wasd and various other keys for jump, duck and the other actions so I can play FPS shooters better. I can use the keyboard with the end of my arm but as you can imagine I’m not that good.
What is the state of eye tracking devices? I remember they were going to be the Next Big Thing way back in the early 90’s, but haven’t heard of them since.
Surely they could provide a major advantage for FPS players !
Mmm, I’d be interested to hear if that dance mat idea works out, I know a couple of kids with CP who’d like something similar. Dave – if you don’t fancy trying the dance mat thing, then I suspect switches through a USB hub may be the way to go for you – round buttons that come in a variety of sizes, have a look at any assistive technology site. Dance mat would be more portable, though.
thewordnerd has just created gimpgamers, “a forum for disabled gamers of all types to discuss existing games in terms of accessibility, as well as to spread awareness of alternative gaming options and techniques”.