**4.1 Force feedback wheels**

Although drivers obtain a substantial amount of information from driving from vision, information from other sensory modalities may also provide relevant information about the state of the car or even the surrounding environment (Liu & Chang, 1995). Force feedback steering racing wheels provides mainly realistic resistance to the wheel rotation and providing precise throttle response. This is achieved by emulating the real steering system through a mechanism that also provides vibration feedback. From a tele-operatiing system perspective, the energy which flows between the driver and the vehicle front wheel through the mechanical linkage can be considered to be mainly effort and flux exchange which corresponds to force and velocity (Mohellebi et al, 2001).

In addition driving-simulators fidelity is usually defined by the quality of its visual and motion cueing system (Katzourakis et al. 2011). Katzourakis experimented that the quality of driving-simulator's haptic cues are very important and rely on the hardware and control properties of the system design. Despite the hardware characteristics there is also important to consider the model of vehicle dynamics. An experimental work was carried out by Toffin et al in order to answer questions such as how do drivers use the force appearing on the steering wheel when driving in curves?. Well, they have found that a wide range of adaptation results that occurs mainly at the haptic level rather than in the internal model of the vehicle dynamics. Many features provided by commercial force feedback steering wheels is based on exclusive design and technology proprietary of IMMERSION Technologies.

In 1992 Thrustmaster Enzo Ferrari Force Feedback Racing wheels was released which did not provide a satisfactory sense of precise force feedback for some users. In 1998 Logitech the leading company of gaming controllers for PCs and consoles released the Logitech Formula™ Force GP racing wheel with more than one million sales worldwide and actually it was the first force feedback wheel found in any game console. The force feedback in racing wheels attracted a more sophisticated method for racing aficionados immersed in more realistic playing environments.

In 2002 Logitech introduces a Speed Force Feedback wheel for GameCube. In 2005 the R440 Force Feedback Wheel from Saitek has busted open the doors to affordable racing fun. In

The Role of Haptics in Games 225

is to transmit and amplify the force from the motor to the shaft. One thing that differentiates force feedback joysticks from traditional joysticks is the lack of a centering spring. This spring keeps the joystick's neutral position in the middle (at 0,0 in terms of the x- and y-axis). Force feedback joysticks do not have the traditional centering spring; instead they rely on small

In 1977, the Atari 2600 game console was launched with a joystick that had one button to use. In 1978 a patent was released which disclosed a joystick controller that includes a plurality of pressure actuated switches disposed about the axis of the joystick handle. The ZX Interface 2 was a peripheral from Sinclair Research for its ZX Spectrum home computer released in September 1983. It had two joystick ports that were mapped to actual key presses and the hardware came with ROM cartridge which was very limited. Released in 1987, the Atari XE Game System (XEGS) came with a detachable keyboard, joystick, and light gun. Essentially, the XE was a repackaged Atari 65XE, hence the compatibility with almost all

In 1989 a joystick handle which is telescopic like a car antenna was released. This joystick can save space when not in use and it can save space when packed for shipment. The joystick length is customizable to the individual user's input needs as described. Another type is a miniature joystick incorporated into the functional area of the keyboard. This miniature joystick has been successfully incorporated into a number of laptop computers. In 1995, Dear Ace Pilot The Phoenix Flight and Weapons Control System by Advanced Gravis is getting lots of raves among gamers. It's fast, ergonomic and completely programmable

Microsoft's latest Force Feedback 2 Joystick comes complete with feature rich enhancements and new force feedback effects. The most practical aspect of the force feedback in this game is that if the plane stalls in flight, the stick will shake just like in a real aircraft. You can also feel the thud when the landing gear retracts. The force feedback for these events is rather small - while you can feel the stick shake when the gear retracts, it isn't something that is going to disturb your control over the joystick. It's the small details like these, the added

In 2004, Logitech is introducing its latest controller for the PlayStation 2 - the Logitech Flight Force joystick during the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. For an immersive experience, the three-component Logitech Flight System G940 features a force feedback joystick, dual throttle and rudder pedals and has more than 250 programmable button options integrated into a fully featured HOTAS (or Hands On Throttle-and-Stick)

It is the most common kind of game device that provides input in a computer game or entertainment system used to control a playable character or object. Its design was conceived to be hold in both hands with thumbs and finger used to press buttons to provide input. Thus the main goal of game controller is to govern the movement/action of payable body/objects in a video computer game. Gamepads usually feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left. Later on some common additions

to the standard pad include shoulder buttons placed along the edges of the pad.

servos or motors to push the joystick into the center of the range of movement

with 24 buttons that can map to keyboard or joystick functions.

sensations, that will add to the gaming experience.

**4.3 Game pads** 

Atari 8bit software and hardware.

2006 more realistic racing simulators and more affordable appeared in the scene. For instance the Logitech G25 wheel offers advanced features which, until now, could be found only in specialized or custom-made racing simulators that sometimes cost thousands of dollars to assemble, thus introduced the industry's first two-motor force-feedback mechanism with the G25 wheel console, providing stronger and more precise feedback as well as 2 1/5 rotation feature(900 degrees). With a second motor, the directional forces are more realistic and evenly distributed throughout the wheel – drivers will feel everything from the banks in the road to impact with walls, structures and other cars.

In 2007 things were tuned up with Forza Motorsport 2 on the Xbox 360 using the Microsoft Wireless Force Feedback Wheel. Force feedback is an extremely useful haptic interface. It provides real-time info on several key aspects of Forza Motorsport 2's physics model. Obviously, force feedback simulates the steering wheel torque created by having the front tires on different terrain types, such as asphalt, rumble strips, or grass. It also simulates load balance between tires as well as slippage. At the end of 2007, Saitek has launched its new R660GT Force Feedback Wheel, a USB racing wheel with force feedback and switchable gearstick. The R660GT wheel comes with a solid G-clamp to securely fix the wheel to a desk, and the soft handle finish ensures a strong grip. Its setup includes pedals that can be customized to suit the driver, so that they can operate independently of each other or can be combined to suit different games or a player's driving style. Unlike most other driving wheels, the R660GT pedals accurately reflect the positioning of pedals in a real car, pivoted from the top rather than the bottom, whilst the brake offers more resistance than the accelerator. 2009 is the era of wireless, therefore Logitech Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel Works With EA's Highly Anticipated Racing Game Need for Speed™ Undercover.
