Background

Mobile gaming has transformed smartphones into powerful gaming platforms, delivering accessible, immersive gameplay to millions worldwide. Gamevice, an award-winning mobile console company based in Simi Valley, California, played a pivotal role in this evolution.

Gamevice kept their internal team small and focused but sought out SOE as a full-service engineering partner to add capabilities otherwise out of reach. Over the years, we’ve supported Gamevice across product roadmaps for multiple product lines.

GV190 at CES 2020

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world’s largest technology trade show and an unparalleled opportunity to generate excitement around new releases.

CES 2020 was the perfect place for Gamevice to unveil a new pair of controllers –  the GV190 for Android and the GV195 for iOS – co-developed with major gaming electronics company Razer. The GV190 was an improved version of both companies’ previous devices, featuring plug-and-play functionality, a redesigned form factor, and an updated trigger mechanism. 

After facing setbacks and schedule delays, Gamevice contacted SOE at the last minute to work on the electromechanical design and firmware of a “looks like, feels like” prototype of GV190 for the event. We modified existing Gamevice parts, schematics, and code to develop a functional GV190 for attendees to test – all within one month.

Redesigning electronics for a new form factor

The GV190 addresses its predecessors’ most common user feedback by featuring a configurable “mouth” for smartphone insertion and a slimmer form factor when collapsed. This design accommodates a broader range of device shapes and sizes and optimizes portability.

We adapted the electronics to integrate with the updated mechanical design to accommodate these changes.

Gamevice for iPhone mouth

GV190 mouth

Gamevice for iPhone thickness

GV190 thickness

Updating sensor technology to deliver an enhanced gaming experience

While most console gaming controllers have analog triggers capable of sensing variable distances, initial Gamevice models were limited to binary triggers. This restricted the market for mobile controllers since many popular first-person shooter and racing games (such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto) demand the finer precision and input an analog trigger provides.

Our team evaluated different methodologies for sensing variable distances, testing non-contact capacitive sensors, Hall effect sensors, and low-profile linear potentiometers. Ultimately, a low-profile potentiometer provided the necessary capabilities and, with some development, fit within the controller’s new, slimmer design.

Button trigger on Gamevice for iPhone

Variable trigger on GV190

Supporting direct plug-and-play

The GV190 allows users to plug their smartphones directly into the controller’s USB-C port. We modified existing iPhone and Android firmware to support this plug-and-play functionality and updated the production test system to accommodate the USB-C variant controller.

Results

We delivered the GV190 prototype in time for the reveal at CES 2020. It received widespread praise for its ability to connect to game streaming services with minimal latency and won the People’s Choice Award of the Best of CES 2020. 

Following the event, we continued supporting Gamevice to bring GV190 and GV195 to production-level units. Both products were ready for their intended summer 2020 release, with GV190 hitting store shelves in June 2020 and GV195 following three months later.