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    Multitouch

    Concept »

    The technology that allows a single touch screen to read from more than one input, whether it be a stylus, fingers, or otherwise.

    Short summary describing this concept.

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    Gaming touch screens that support multi-touch include the Mitsubishi DiamondTouch PC interface device, mobile gaming devices such as the iOS and Android platforms, some arcade games such as the DJ Max Technika series, the PlayStation Vita handheld, and the Wii U controller.

    The Nintendo DS does not have the ability to support more than one touch input, as it uses a resistive touch display (pressure sensitive) rather than a capacitive (reads electrical impulses from the skin) touch display. The Nintendo 3DS also lacks multi-touch support.

    Multi-touch displays are absolutely vital for gaming on a device that only uses a touch screen for input, such as the iPhone or iPad. Without allowing multiple inputs at once, things like a virtual joystick would be impossible to pull off for touch controlled games. The ability to play a game with on-screen controls requires that multiple points on the screen can be activated at once. Imagine if you had to play a regular console game by only pressing one button or joystick direction at a time!

    Multitouch Multiplayer

    Many games on the iDevices, particularly the iPad, use multitouch to enable split screen play in games. On the iPad, a game will split the screen in half, with one player on one side and another player on the other side. Because the iPad supports up to 11 touch points at a time, it allows both players to compete with each other without losing any multitouch abilities. The iPhone and iPod Touch only support 5 points at a time. Some developers have expressed a desire for Nintendo to add 2 multitouch displays to the Nintendo DS to support this kind of play, but as of 2010, Nintendo has never announced anything about the matter.

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