What if a real-life fist bump could make something in a game explode? Or if playing a co-op game required you to scoot over to your partner and literally join hands with him/her? Sounds crazy? Well, then call the folks behind Combiform crazy.
Yes, the hybrid gamepads being crowdfunded on Kickstarter can be used as standard gamepads. They've got Bluetooth, so you can pair them up with smartphones or PCs. But the craziest thing about the Combiforms is the way they merge twitchy physicality with gameplay. Dig the gal and guy at doing the crazy Switch thing at 3:00 in the Kickstarter video, for example. And those games where you shove your controllers onto another player's to beat them in a competition. Don't play with someone you hate!
I am no stranger to the terrible experience being peddled with the Xbox 360's Kinect. And let's not even discuss the quiet, embarrassing withering of the PlayStation Move. And the Wii U is a move back towards hardcore game experiences for Nintendo. So, yes, it's easy, fun and even a little correct to diss motion-control nowadays.
But what's tantalizing about the Combiforms is the idea that all motion control really needs to do is to evolve. If a device could mutate into form factors that serve more than one purpose and become easier to use across platforms, then you might see more acceptance for video gaming that happens in physical space. Insane, maybe? But it also might be awesome.
Combiform [Kickstarter]