Infineon Goes Gaming with a PSoC 6-Powered XENSIV Magnetic Sensor Gamepad Evaluation Board
Just short of $180, this controller aims to show just what Infineon can do in the gaming and industrial control spheres.
Infineon is getting its game on — after a fashion — with the launch of a gaming controller based on its PSoC 6 microcontroller system-on-chip platform, designed to showcase the company's XENSIV magnetic switches and joysticks.
"The XENSIV Bluetooth game controller integrates advanced Infineon products in an innovative design," the company claims of its creation. "Leveraging XENSIV magnetic position sensors, the joysticks deliver exceptional precision without succumbing to sensor drift. XENSIV switch triggers, CAPSENSE buttons, CAPSENSE presence detection, and a SPIDER+ rumble driver are all seamlessly integrated with the PSoC 6 BLE [Bluetooth Low Energy] microcontroller to implement a low power, plug & play game controller."
The device, dubbed simply the "XENSIV Game Controller" and brought to our attention by Linux Gizmos, is effectively an evaluation board for a range of Infineon's technologies. The main one: its XENSIV Hall-effect magnetic sensors, which drive the physical trigger buttons and dual analog sticks — the latter promising zero drift, a common problem of the current generation of commercial game controllers.
A somewhat less welcome demonstration of Infineon's technologies, at least for those who plan to use the controller to actually play games, comes in the face buttons: a four-way direction pad to the left and four fire buttons to the right, plus a menu button in the middle, are all based on the company's CAPSENSE capacitive sensing technology — meaning a finger-feel of just tapping a flat, unyielding PCB. To compensate, the controller also includes SPIDER+, the company's vibration feedback system.
The controller is now available in-channel and from Infineon direct, priced at a premium $177.41 plus shipping; additional information is available on the official product page.