The Gyroxus is a full motion video game control and part of the genre of video gaming known as "extreme gaming". Video gamers sit in the seat of the Gyroxus, use their hands on the specially adapted controller, and use their bodies to bank left and right, pull back, and lean forward.
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In most video games, a gamer's character is controlled by moving the left thumbstick of a standard butterfly-style game controller. Pushing the thumbstick forward and back moves the character forward and back, and moving it side to side creates similar motion of the character. The Gyroxus, however, is like a giant left thumbstick that a gamer sits in, which allows the gamer to control his or her character's movement with the whole body. This gives the gamer a greater feeling of involvement with the video game character since he or she feels the same motions as the character is going through on screen. Whether it is a plane, car, or soldier running around shooting people, the gamer gets the feeling of movement as your character moves through the game.
The Gyroxus requires no special tools to set up and can be easily dismantled and stored. It is compatible with PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Games for Windows, and it comes with customized controls for the various gaming platforms.
In 2009, the Gyroxus underwent a transformation and was released with a newer design, including a longer leg rest and new game pads.
Red Bull Air Races
The Gyroxus is the official gaming controller of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship, and was the official gaming controller of the 2009 Air Races, where race attendees can test the Gyroxus using the MS Flight Simulator of that particular city's actual air race route.
Set-Up
The Gyroxus is made up of two basic parts; the seat and the base. The seat is suspended on the base by four cables at an angle which gives the impression that the pivot point is several feet below the bottom of the seat. This lower pivot point makes the gamer's head move more in relation to the movement of the seat in order to increase the sensation of motion. There is a control arm mounted to the seat, and a connecting rod mounted between the seat and the base. This connecting rod is firmly attached to the seat, but at the base it is mounted through a bushing which allows it to slide up and down as the seat is moved. By moving the control arm, the gamer uses the connecting rod to leverage the seat against the base, causing the seat to move in the direction in which the control arm is moved. A sensor mounted to the seat reads the X and Y movement and sends those X/Y coordinates to the controller, which in turn sends them to the game. All of this happens in real time so there is no more lag using the Gyroxus than there would be just using the left thumbstick.
There are no motors, or hydraulics, or any other type of power assist of any kind. All of the motion is done by the gamer, moving the seat as described above. Since there are no motors, there are also no power cords; the only cable is the USB cable used to attach the Xbox controller to the console. The PS3 controller is wireless and uses a small USB transceiver to connect to the console. The Gyroxus will work with almost any game on Xbox 360 or PS3, and will also work on Windows computer with any arcade style game that uses a standard Xbox controller.
The Gyroxus comes with a controller for either Xbox 360 or PS3. Both of the controllers have an on/off switch and a switch that changes between the left thumbstick or the Gyroxus. On a standard controller, the left and right thumbsticks are spring-loaded so that they return to a "hard center" position when a gamer lets go of them. When a gamer uses a game console with a standard controller, the console looks at this hard center position when it is first turned on so that the console knows how to read the X/Y movement of the thumbstick. Since the Gyroxus is a full-motion control, it has no "hard center" and therefore the console can not read the center position on startup; the gamer will need to do a simple calibration when you turning on the console.
The Gyroxus comes out of the box assembled except for attaching the backrest, which simply slides into place, and the footrest, which is held in place with two bolts and knobs on each side. There is also a footrest, four feet in length, to give the Gyroxus a wider footprint and greater stability. The control arm is held in place by a bicycle seat style quick-release clamp, and is adjustable forward and backward in the bracket to accommodate for differing playing styles, or different sized people. The hand controller is also held onto the control arm in the same manner and is also adjustable. The backrest slides into one of the six slots at the rear of the seat. This adjustment allows for people of different sizes and weight distributions to find their center of gravity in the Gyroxus.
Specifications
Dimensions: Width: 26.25" (66.7 cm) Length: 48" (121.9 cm) Height: 30.75" (78.1 cm) Weight: 41 lbs. (18.6 kg)
Users: Maximum Weight: 280 lb (127 kg)
Compatibility: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Games for Windows
Recommended Age: 12 years and older
Development
Gyroxus was developed by 4th Motion, LLC, located in Santa Barbara, CA.