Surely Zeemote will just release an API that games may use if they wish to use it natively as opposed to mapping directions on to keys? And isn't the accelerometer an analogue sensor?
Yes, they can release an API, in fact they have done as there are some Java games which have been written specifically for the Zeemote.
The problem is that the Zeemote's userbase is so tiny that it's unlikely to be used by many mainstream devs. Even people who have a Zeemote are likely to only use it when the phone is connected to a TV, and will use the phone's own digital controls when on the move.
The accelerometer is analogue (I think!), but it's also built into phones as standard which the Zeemote isn't. The userbase for the Zeemote is a tiny fraction of the accelerometer's userbase, so devs are much more likely to write with the accelerometer in mind, but even that's unlikely as most phones don't have one yet.
This could all change if the Zeemote can get itself established and a standard bit of kit for phone gamers. If the TV Out/Zeemote setup becomes common then maybe devs would start writing for it specifically.
If Nokia makes it an official N-Gage accessory and adds Zeemote support to the N-Gage SDK that could also increase support for the Zeemote's analogue stick.
My comment was just about the idea of playing a game single handed. It seems... wrong. As other people have mentioned.
It's not that different to the computer joysticks of the 1980s or the Wiimote of the 2000s, single-handed controllers have a pretty good track record in gaming history. In fact quite a few computer games have deliberately used single-hand controllers so that people could adjust settings on the keyboard with the other hand, sort of like a mouse keyboard combination. (I wonder if we will be able to use the Zeemote in combination with a Bluetooth keyboard? That would be pretty useful...)
Also bear in mind that many phone games have been written with one hand in mind, as they're mostly controlled entirely through the direction pad. Even on N-Gage you can play most games with the d-pad alone.
Having said that, I totally agree that they ought to do a two-handed version of this controller, with extra buttons to allow more functions to be mapped to it. It would not only make a better gaming accessory but also a better phone accessory in general.
The idea of a bluetooth device that does this is interesting though. I don't see why another bluetooth device couldn't be used for similar functionality, by writing an application. e.g. another phone, connected remotely to the phone running the game, letting you play it at range with TV-out.
Well, the problem there is that you might as well use the phone's own controls. The point of a dedicated controller is to have a gaming-specific layout, but AFAIK there are no gaming-specific phones any more. The last one was the N-Gage QD, and those are pretty hard to come by unless you want to buy one second hand.
