Day 20 – Wireless Xbox controller works with Surface Pro and Worldwide Telescope
Teaching and Learning with a Windows 8 Tablet3/31/2013
Welcome to Day 20 of working with a Microsoft Surface Pro Windows 8 tablet for educators.
Just a short entry today as it is Easter Sunday.
I noticed when I setup the Worldwide Telescope program that it made reference to using a Xbox controller. Being the curious person I am, I just had to try it for myself.
I used a wireless Xbox controller and hooked up the receiver to the USB port on the Surface Pro. I installed the controller software that came with it and then started the Worldwide Telescope program. I paired up the controller with the wireless receiver and was ready for testing.
It works!
This essentially turns the Worldwide Telescope into a game-like experience that anyone using an Xbox will be familiar with. I can use the triggers on the controller to zoom in and zoom out and the directional stick to move about in 3-D space. The D-pad can be used to rotate a planet on its axis.
There are some things the Xbox controller cannot select so you will have to use the touch interface on the Surface Pro to navigate some of the options in the program. Using the Xbox controller feels very much like you are controlling a spaceship as you navigate throughout the solar system, pretty cool! I used it to zoom from planet to planet and it was interesting changing viewpoints to see the moons orbiting a particular planet. It gives you a sense of perspective as I was able to navigate around Planet Earth and see Saturn in the distant background floating in Space. This experience gives one pause to ponder the vastness of Space and just how tiny we are in the scheme of things.
This success has also left me with another question. Now that I have the wireless Xbox controller working in the Worldwide Telescope program I would also like to use it for navigating around Desktop applications like PowerPoint.I have not been successful with PowerPoint although I have found some hacks on the Internet that might work. If anyone out there has already solved this problem please email me at techtalk@eiu.edu and let me know a solution.
All I am wanting to do is use the Xbox controller to move the mouse around on the Desktop and be able to use the right click and left click mouse buttons mapped to the Xbox controller. I would think that Microsoft would have a driver already mapped for this, anyone know?Until next time...
Keep on Learning,
Keep on Learning,
Tom Grissom, PhD
Follow me on Twitter @tomgrissom
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