Review: Tilt FX Motion Sensing Control

[bandit]

Tilt FX Motion Sensing Control
Manufacturer: Datel
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $25.00

Overview : Tilt FX™ delivers a whole new gaming experience!

Take your games to the next level with the latest motion sensing control. Tilt FX™ works with all games by replacing the Direction controls with High Resolution ‘Tilt’ control so now the 3D movements of your PSP® actually control the game.

Tilt FX™ is easy to install. Simply use the PC software supplied. Once installed just connect your PSP to your PC via a USB cable and run the install software. Now snap in the Tilt FX™ ‘G’ sensor and your ready to play!

Tilt FX™ delivers real ‘Tilt’ control using the 3D movement of your PSP. The Tilt FX™ ‘G’ sensor features a 3 axis, high resolution MEMS accelerometer and powerful microprocessor that are designed to detect the motion of you PSP as you move creating a revolutionary way to play your PSP games.

Tilt FX™ not only delivers revolutionary motion controlled game play, it also includes cool special effects to make your games even more fun. How about Super High Jumps, Zero G or amazing in-game tricks?

Features :

• Play your games in a whole new way with Tilt FX™.
• It’s so simple – plug in the Tilt FX™ sensor and start the game.
• Tilt FX™ sensor features a 3axis high resolution MEMS
• Accelerometer and Microprocessor
• Works on PSP 1000/2000/3000
  Pack includes:
• Tilt FX™ G sensor
• Set-up CD

Quality/Usability : If you're using a PSP with CFW (Custom Firmware), this will NOT work! You can stop reading from this point but can read any of our other great reviews.

To get this running on a virgin PSP running OFW (Official Firmware), install the Tilt FX software CD onto your computer. Connect PSP to computer via USB cable and install PSP software. Register your PSP using the license key. Insert the Tilt FX to the bottom of the PSP where the headphone port is located and a game disc into the UMD tray. Once Tilt FX is installed and game disc is loaded, navigate to Tilt FX and start it from the memory stick. Once Tilt FX is loaded, select a game profile or a generic profile by simply tilting the PSP left or right.

After I reverted back to OFW from my M33 firmware and done a clean reboot using Pandora Battery as well as updating via network, the Tilt FX worked as it was intended to. I was able to control the motion of my vehicle or character by simply tilting the PSP.

To boot up the menu settings while in a game, hold down the 'R' bumper and press HOME button. From here, you can choose the sensitivity, calibrations and invert options.

Also, after you have loaded Tilt FX application, you can change orientation of games by pressing on the SQUARE button and the view is now vertical. Press the SQUARE button again and its back to horizontal.

For those on a PSP-3000 or PSP-2000 with TA-088v3 motherboard, I believe there is a GEN-C via HEN? I've been out of the loop in the custom firmware scene so I dont know what is out there anymore. (*NOTE: I nor DCEmu condone piracy).

But from what I have read on the web, a 5.03 GEN-C will not work if installed but if you restart to 5.03 OFW and run the Tilt FX application, the PSP will hang after the Tilt FX profile is chosen. But even that will not work. You will need to restore the original 'version.txt' file by starting GEN- C with the 'L' bumper button pressed. This will than make the Tilt FX work on 5.03 OFW as it there was no CFW ever installed. To return back to a fully working GEN-C, you will need to start GEN-C and hold the 'L' bumper button and reinstall GEN (replace version.txt). This is a hassle if you want to use the Tilt FX but when you're done and want to play homebrew, you have to change the files. A price you have to pay if you want motion control and homebrew.

Not being able to work with custom firmwares, homebrew coders can not take advantage of this neat device.

Balance Games

Tilt FX Menu

Racing Game

Pinball Game

Conclusion : Overall, the Tilt FX Motion Sensing Control worked as it should ONLY if you were using official firmware. It occupies the headphone jack so you can't use headphones anymore. It does not work with custom firmware, you have to register your PSP and if you sell the Tilt FX, you cant transfer the licensing key. The licensing key is good for only one PSP. There is just too many drawbacks on using it and when did accessories come with a licensing key and why would there be one for this?! It worked great on racing games, Loco Roco, Super Monkey Balls and many others.

I dont see this working on a custom firmware anytime soon as Datel would need approval and coding from Sony.

Also, Tilt FX does not work with the PSP Go!

Images via comments

[kgsws˜™]

It is possible to sniff serial communication between PSP and this sensor to reverse it's protocol and then create CWF plugin similar to theirs. After that you won't even need any serial key for CFW PSP's.