The next time you screw up playing Flappy Bird, remember: It’s not you, it’s science.
Professor Antti Oulasvirta and Dr. Byungjoo Lee, researchers at Finland’s Aalto University, put touchscreen controls to the test and found them lacking when it comes to reflex-intensive games that require precise timing.
This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s tried playing the likes of Street Fighter IV or Grand Theft Auto III on a smartphone instead of with a conventional controller.
As impressive as games on Android and iOS are these days, the team at Aalto University propose three main design flaws in touchscreen controls that hold it back from its buttoned brethren.
Damn fingers
First, keeping a finger hovering when not pressing on the screen causes a delay in the player’s reaction speed, reducing chances of nailing that jump or blocking an attack with exact timing.
“The finger is always moving, and even the slightest movement hampers our ability to time precisely,” the researchers explain in a press release. “By contrast, when using physical keys, the finger rests on the key, eliminating this source of error.”
The second flaw is the lack of tactile feedback on a touchscreen means it can’t communicate if it a movement …read more
Source:: techradar.com – Gaming
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