Funky Android Ltd. http://www.funkyandroid.com/

Coding for Android Consoles

Al Sutton, Funky Android Ltd.

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What is a console?

Designed for use on a TV

Discrete Controllers

No cellular modem

Mains Powered

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Why would I want to?

Video made by OUYA, Inc.

Hear the reasons directly from Developers;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdQZkh8Z-_E

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AvailabilityOuya is currently the main player in console focused

Android gaming

UK & US since 25th June

Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and more to come...

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AvailabilityOthers are coming, so there’s an opportunity to get it

right before the market grows

GameStick - 29th October (Monday) Mad Catz M.O.J.O - 10th December

GamePop - Unknown

Rumoured products from Google & Amazon (Google Android TV?)

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Aren’t they just ‘phones connected to a TV?

No.

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Aren’t they just ‘phones connected to a TV?

Seriously - No.

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Aren’t they just ‘phones connected to a TV?

Wrong orientation

No need for cellular data transfer “tricks”

No higher priority interruptions (e.g. incoming call during a game)

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What about WiFi Tablets connected to a TV?

Yes and No

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What about WiFi Tablets connected to a TV?

The “Yes” part

Right orientation

Same APIs

Many tablets offer a similar resolution to a TV

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What about WiFi Tablets connected to a TV?

The “No” partConsoles don’t have a touch screen

Tablets tend to belong to a person, a console tends to be shared

Not restricted by battery conservation measures

Overscan!

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Going console

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Google Android TV

• Not specially designed to be a games console, but shares a lot of the user experience issues

• Renaming indicates a re-focus on Android, so expect more information.

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Control

• No touch screen is the biggest change

• Not every game should be ported (gestures, object tapping, etc.)

• Think carefully, it’s users main method of judging your app.

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OEM SDKs

• Control methods tend to be connivence code rather than a requirement

• Button mapping(e.g. OUYA ODK BUTTON_O is mapped to Androids KEYCODE_BUTTON_A)

• Device matching (player x = device y)

• Main reason for using an OEM SDK : Monetization (e.g. In-App Purchasing)

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Control Sticks

• Stick movements are reported as MotionEvent objects passed to onGenericMotionEvent.

•MotionEvent.getDeviceId allows you to identify the controller

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Menu Navigation

• Use D-Pad controls

• Use the nextFocus.... XML attributes to control the flow

• Lots of useful tips at https://developer.android.com/training/tv/optimizing-navigation-tv.html

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It’s not personal

• Consoles tend to be shared.

• When storing personal/sensitive information allow for an unlock method.

• Don’t assume the next time your game is played the same player will be playing it.

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Local multi-player

• android.view.InputEvent; • getDeviceId to determine the device

• getDevice for more details about the device

• Device Id may change between device connections

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Local multi-player

• If possible allow drop-ins; Players who can join part way through a game.

• Long running elimination games leave people feeling left out.

• Look at a couple of minutes per round as maximum lock out.

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Battery Constraints

• What battery constraints?

• There are limits; Be nice to the hardware

• Batching transfers can cause stuttering; Background slow loading is an option.

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Overscan

• TV based; TV rules

• Visible to the app, but invisible to the user.

• No guarantee of a well calibrated display

• Edge information gets lost

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Overscan

• Rough guide; Up to 15% of the width and height can be lost

• Simplistic borders can make users think their unit is faulty

• Be creative

Funky Android Ltd. http://www.funkyandroid.com/

Funky Android Ltd. http://www.funkyandroid.com/

Questions?