With Enable Viacam enables people who cannot control a computer mouse or trackball to control the mouse pointer and clicking through small movement of their head.
Prerequisites
Webcam capable of producing 30 frames a second
proper lighting
ability for controlled head movement
Indications
Muscular dystrophy
ALS
RSI
cerebral palsy
Multiple Sclerosis
Functionality
Using Enable Viacam with a standard WebCam that should be able to produce 30 frames a second it is possible to translate head movements into movement of the mouse pointer. The movements don't need to be big, in fact tiny movements work very well, too. It is possible to define an area in which the program looks for movement. Additionally Enable Viacam offers click-support. It shows the so-called click-window at the other edge of the screen and shows several buttons to activate or deactivate automated clicking as well as buttons to choose what kind of click the user requires, be it right, left, double clicking or click-and-drag. to fundamentally activate the click-window, it has to be activated inside the program options. Enable Viacam utilizes the so-called dwell-click. To perform a click the user just has to stop moving the mouse pointer and wait for a short period of time (the amount can be defined within the program's options). Since it can be a little difficult to stop movement the options menu contains a function that helps performing this task by simply defining a dead zone. Enable Viacam can be used within computer games, even in shooters though it might be a bit problematic to use the click-window as well. For beginners it might seem impossible to move the mouse pointer accurately but I can assure you that it is just a matter of training and a finding the correct settings. Just don't give up right away. Small movement can be achieved by nodding up, down, left or right.
some advice
to grant good performance it is necessary that the WebCam can see the user properly. Make sure the room is bright enough.
favorite will increase significantly when unneeded driver functions of the WebCam are disabled. Don't use picture optimization, color or brightness boost. Automatic exposure can kill frame rate.
just joined the site so still trying to get the hang of it all. i saw a article in xbox magazine and the idea sounded interesting . looking foreword to making some new friends and once i get this site down im sure ill have more to post right now im on a assassins creed brotherhood kick so if you own it and wanta play on xbl let me know.
Finally joined the Ablegamer site, and am looking forward to sharing some of the information on here with my readers over at Apparelyzed.
I've just set up a computer and video game section in my forum, so if anyone thinks they have a game which would be suitable for a Quadriplegic to play, please feel free to post.
If there are any Paraplegics out there who also have any tips, please feel free to post any tips.
Hey all,
Well, it's nice to see that one and only blog post got so many hits. I have a question... how do I add games to the Ablegamer's directory? I'd like to add games that are being overlooked.
As for upcoming games, for those that can play 2D fighting games, is anyone looking forward to Marvel VS. Capcom 3? I know I am. And for people with reduced modor skills, be happy that there's a Simple Mode, focusing more on tactics rather than button input with only two buttons you'll need to worry about. For those of you like me where modor skills is not a problem, however memorization is when you have to remember a ten button sequence and complete it before your enemy does, the game in normal mode only has a three-four button layout. Can't remember. Anyway, if you want something harder, try Street Fighter with a six button layout.
For Christmas, my brother got COD: Black Ops, and he of course has been going online and only touched the surface of the campaign. I, however, want to continue the campaign. Having read Rob's review on here, the AutoAim feature sounds nice at least. Will AutoAim aim at enemies that are nearest to me so I don't have to worry about range of weapon, etc? Not to mention friendly fire, which my brother has done a number of times already.
Another game I'm looking forward to that happens to be coming to consoles is a reboot of a classic Trivia series on PC. You don't know Jack. The main things to this new game is it's now four players instead of three that can be in a game at any time, Multiplayer support, trophies/achievements, an episode format, new questions to reflect today's culture, and downloadable content to keep the game fresh with updates.
Of course, I have to mention my most wanted game of 2011.
The reboot of the Mortal Kombat games coming out in April. Deep storyline, where you time travel back and play through events that took place in Mortal Kombat 1-3 story timeline, E.G. The MK movie.
Those are the thoughts on upcoming games and stuff like that. In conclusion, I'd like to recommend a Youtube video. It's not exactly a video, but it's music from BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. In my opinion, the BlazBlue games have the best story of any fighting game I've played in a while. Mortal Komat might be deeper when it arrives in April. But for now, in BlazBlue, the main character, Ragna, isn't too happy about an organization called The Librariam, and basically the whole story revolves around the rebellion of this organization. The story is so deep that on gamefaqs.com, someone made a guide on how to understand the story alone, let alone a walkthrough on the order in which it should be played.
To get way better descriptions of characters, story details and move lists including detailed animation descriptions, visit http://blazblue.wikia.com
Now for that video. This one of the music tracks that plays when two certain characters fight. The music sounds a bit sad. Reason is Hazama, the evil boss of this game and is also at the top and runs the Librariam as Captain Hazama, orders Tsubaki to kill Noel Vermillion, who has been friends since their days at the Acadamy, which is basically the school maintained by the Librariam. I won't go into the details about how magic works, but you'll learn about it as you play the story.
So, both end up regretting they have to kill each other although Noel can't be killed I believe but depending on who's story you're playing, Noel or Tsubaki, there's a different outcome.
There's other situations like this one with their own theme music, but here's the one I was discussing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlV1N5JJit0
And here's Boss Hazama's theme music, just because it's cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0r2T3Kvqc8
Will be trying to blog regularly here regarding game updates, so stay tuned.
Last week I was searching for an alternative to the built-in gyroscope of the Emotiv EPOC and stumbled upon the gyro mouse MX Air from Logitech which works on the desk and in the air. I asked myself if it would work on the head as well. So I purchased one online for 65,-€
I mounted the Logitech MX Air mouse at the top of the Sennheiser PC 360 G4ME headset as follows. I attached a square velcro tape with superglue at the bottom of the mouse and wound a piece of velcro band round the headband of the headset.
Now you simply put the mouse at the top of the headset and it’s properly secured and safe. To click the mouse I use the freeware Dwell Clicker which also offers a quick swich between the different mouse clicks.
The MX Air works even better as the built-in gyroscope of the Emotiv EPOC as it is more precise and easier to hold the cursor still so you can click a button.
If you can’t move your hands and have good control over your head the Logitech MX Air is an affordable alternative to specific, expensive head mice.
So, I first want to say that I love AbleGamers, like something fierce. But, I've had to leave. In fact, I've sort of been gone for a while, and I know some of you have noticed.
So, why did I leave?
Well, for two reasons really.
1. I was insanely busy. I was working multiple part time jobs trying while applying to places to get a full time job, being a mentor to students at International Academy of Design and Technology - Detroit, trying to plan my wedding, and working with three other non-profits (International Game Developers Association, Orlando Science Center and Pursuit of Happiness Foundation).
2. When things finally started to calm down, I had gotten a full time job at Firebrand Games. What does this mean? Well, it means that I can't review anything anymore, or cover most news, because it becomes a conflict of interest. It's really as simple as that.
But, it's okay. Although, I'm not writing for AbleGamers anymore, I am still working for accessibility. I'm doing that both internally at my new studio (where I'm already making a difference) and by working with local colleges (such as Full Sail University- catch me speaking there on 12/14!!) and teaching developers how to be accessible. Loop Hole! As long as I'm not talking about particular games, and just ideas, it's not a conflict on interests.
Sadly, the stuff I can write about would be old news for anyone in the AbleGamers community. So, it's time for me to hang up the hat. I'm going to let Mark and Steven continue to be awesome leads to an awesome community, while I slip quietly behind the scenes.
I really wanted to say thank you to everyone that I have interacted with as a staff member. You guys are awesome and mean so much to me. It meant a lot that I felt I had to write something about my departure because you guys were still messaging me although I hadn't written for so long.
Maybe sometimes I will return as a guest writer (if Mark will have me), but until then, I'm just glad I can sit back and be just a small part of AbleGamers.
I'm a proud user of the Marble Mouse. I have been using it for years and its driver that was called Mouseware made it possible to change the function of any of the four mouse buttons. The best thing about it was that you were able to interchange the buttons to your liking.
Switching to Windows Vista/7 turned out to be a big issue because MouseWare didn't work anymore and it became necessary to use Setpoint the newly developed driver suite for Logitech input devices. To my surprise it was no longer able to interchange left and right mouse buttons. With Setpoint it is possible to assign a whole lot of functions but not the exchange of the left mouse button to the right one and vice versa.
How is it possible that a company changes essential parts of the drivers not only to do something different but to wipe it out completely? Maybe they never came to the idea that disabling some functionality has direct influence to accessibility issues? I don't know. Why don't they change it back after they have heard enough customers who demanded a change? I don't know either. Maybe it has something to do with the prominent position at the market. I hope it doesn't. Who knows?
Thank God there is a solution that works quite good. It's not from the makers of aforementioned drivers but from a person who obviously thought that something had to be done. So if you have a proble with Setpoint, take a look at uberOptions. It puts a lot of functions back into the driver so that you are in control again.
We've been fiscally sponsored to produce a feature-length documentary about the military's involvement with the video gaming industry, ie. America's Army, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, etc. The documentary will focus on how the military aids in the development of these games, as well as other games used for simulation and training purposes.
We are seeking Veterans willing to discuss the similarities/differences between their own experiences and those portrayed through these types of video games.
This is a non-biased documentary. We are hoping to gain a broad perspective through the testimonials given from Veterans, gamers, developers, researchers, and other military personnel. While we've already begun filming most of these groups, it's the Veterans themselves (especially those disabled) who haven't had their voices heard at this point.
We are willing to travel to where you are to avoid any inconvenience. In addition, compensation can be offered should there be any additional difficulties on your end.
Please contact Paul @ ferris830@hotmail.com for more information.
Thanks for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!
I was flipping through the pages of Fast Company magazine when I found an article about World Community Grid. WCG is a computing grid that "takes on projects that benefit humanity." It uses your computer to process information in bite size quantities, and then links it up to the central server. This way your computer is working on a segment of a research project that is connected to over 500,000 other computers.
If you're concerned about WCG stealing your processing power, have no fear. On the default setting your computer only computes when it is idle, and uses up to 60% of your processing power. However for the benevolent, you can set it to use up to 100% of your processing power and set it to compute all the time.
Once your sign up you can decide what study you want to be a part of. Want to conquer Cancer? How about cure Muscular Dystrophy? Choose a study and watch your progress bar tick up to 100%, all while getting points online, and climbing the rankings. Best of all, they support teams. Can an AbleGamers team climb the rankings? I'm putting my money on yes.
So what are you waiting for? Register an account, choose your study, and start processing!!!
Greetings all, I wanted to share with you the latest post from the AbleGamers Foundation (the nonprofit that runs this site). We put this YouTube out for the game industry.
Transcript for vision impaired readers
What is the lack of accessibility in your game costing you?
Has the thought even crossed your mind?
Mobility Impaired Gamers
Hearing Impaired Gamers
Vision Impaired Gamers
Cognitively Impaired Gamers
[Image: Color Blind Test] Heck, 1 in 7 men are colorblind
Let’s do the math
NEW SLIDE [Image: $100 bill][Image: Mario One-up Mushroom] In the United States…
About: the video game industry
The Video Game Industry was worth
$9.7 Billion in 2009
Down 8% from 2008's $11.5 Billion
NEW SLIDE [Image: Handicap parking sign][Image: Map of the US] 41,300,000 Americans are disabled...
4.3% of all Americans reported a sensory disability
25 million people reported a physical disability
That is almost one in ten Americans
5.8 percent reported a mental disability
NEW SLIDE [Image: Earth] In the whole world there are 98 million disabled people
10.6 million in the UK
8.6 million in Germany
5.1 million in Japan
Let's put this in perspective....
NEW SLIDE [Image: Monster from World of Warcraft] Like it or not, World of Warcraft is a very popular game...
It has 10 to 12 million subscribers.
That means in the United States alone, the number of people with disabilities is...
NEW SLIDE [Image: More WOW Monsters] 5 times the subscriber base of World of Warcraft
I am hard-pressed to think of anyone who would not want to have 5x the subscriber base of WOW as potential customers...
Not a fan of World of Warcraft?
NEW SLIDE [Image: Halo 3 fighter] There are 7 times more disabled people in the US than the number of copies of Halo 3 sold last year..
[ZOOM IN ON IMAGE] that's a lot of people to help with the Covenant
NEW SLIDE [Image: dollar bills] If the target audience for video games is the 5 - 64 year olds
and 6.4% of 5 to 15 year olds are disabled...
not thinking about accessibility could be leaving...
$1,122,900,000 in potential revenue on the table
and the number really gets big when you look at the 16 to 64 year olds...
$2,482,200,000 in potential lost revenue
for a total of...
NEW SLIDE Over $3 Billon in unrealized sales in the US alone...
Don't think you can afford to worry about Game Accessibility?
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Last week I was searching for an alternative to the built-in gyroscope of the 
I mounted the 
and it’s properly secured and safe. To click the mouse I use the freeware 
The MX Air works even better as the built-in gyroscope of the Emotiv EPOC as it is more precise and easier to hold the cursor still so you can click a button.
