Robotic arms, integral in domestic care for individuals with motor impairments, enable them to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) independently, reducing dependence on human caregivers. These collaborative robots require users to manage multiple Degrees-of-Freedom (DoFs) for tasks like grasping and manipulating objects. Conventional input devices, typically limited to two DoFs, necessitate frequent and complex mode switches to control individual DoFs. Modern adaptive controls with feed-forward multi-modal feedback reduce the overall task completion time, number of mode switches, and cognitive load. Despite the variety of input devices available, their effectiveness in adaptive settings with assistive robotics has yet to be thoroughly assessed. This study explores three different input devices by integrating them into an established XR framework for assistive robotics, evaluating them and providing empirical insights through a preliminary study for future developments.

Microsoft has announced a new, slightly more sustainable Xbox controller. Arriving as an Earth Day promotion, the Xbox Remix Special Edition wireless controller uses recycled materials from old gamepads, auto headlight covers and reclaimed CDs (among other sources) to give each accessory a unique look – but no special functionality. Microsoft describes the combination of recycled resins with regrind as creating "custom, earth-tone colors with subtle variations, swirling, markings, and texturing – giving each Remix Special Edition controller its own look and feel." While it's hard to see that on the press images, it should result in a satisfying textured pattern on the bumpers and side grip. The company also bundles an Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack with each gamepad, ensuring fewer AA batteries head to landfills.

The original Nintendo 64 controller is an outlier in ergonomic design. Shaped like a dinosaur foot, it revolutionized 3D gaming with its analog stick. It also had strange C buttons for use as camera controls or a host of other functions. As remapped for the Nintendo Switch, the Joy-Con's X and Y buttons now function as the left and bottom C buttons respectively, and you can hold the Joy-Con's right trigger and use the face buttons as C buttons in any direction, while the B and A buttons remain stubbornly at the bottom. If that sounds confusing, it very much is, and as an avid Nintendo 64 player, it hurt my brain trying to rewire my muscle memory.

Do you like to keep your mind busy with numeracy, literacy and memory games? If so, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch could be a great way to give your brain a workout, even if you don't normally play video games. Whether you played the original version on the handheld Nintendo DS console in 2006 or you're new to the series, this updated Nintendo Switch game, which was released in January 2020, offers classic and new exercises to help strengthen your mind. The £22.99 game features a series of daily exercises that challenge your information processing speed, short-term memory and self-control to calculate your brain age. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training could be a great way to give your brain a workout You can also play multiplayer and challenge friends and family by using one Joy-Con each.

Nintendo's popular crossover fighting game is finally coming to the Switch on December 7 with'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.' "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," the latest version of Nintendo's popular cartoon fighting game series, is one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year. After playing the final version, out Friday, I can also say it is one of the best Switch games yet. The latest in the long-running franchise, "Ultimate" brings together iconic characters from a wide variety of games including Nintendo's own Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Zelda and Pikachu, as well as other well-known ones such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man and Snake from "Metal Gear Solid." In total, there are 74 playable characters in the game, with five more available for purchase in 2019 as downloadable content. The game has two main gameplay experiences: "Smash," the popular head-to-head fighting mode where you can compete with friends or battle the computer, and "Spirits," a story-like game mode called "World of Light" where you need to battle to free characters from a mysterious "hand" deity that has captured them.

Over the last week, I've spent more than 20 hours folding and assembling cardboard, and I've learned a few things. One: You don't want to follow exactly in my footsteps. And two: Nintendo's Labo is ingenious. It's something few other companies could have produced and turns the Switch into so much more than a game console: With Labo, it's an engine powering a whole new world of DIY creations. Building Labo kits can be a pretty huge time sink. But for some, that might be a good thing.

It's not every day that I get to spend an entire afternoon building a piano from scratch. But that's exactly what happened this past Monday as I spent time digging into Nintendo's Labo variety pack for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo unveiled its do-it-yourself Labo activity bundles earlier this year ahead of their official launch on April 20. Labo kits allow Switch owners to create handmade playful accessories for their console by folding and fastening cardboard pieces together. The concept sounds simple, but these playsets may very well be among the storied gaming company's most creative products yet. The variety pack I tried includes supplies for making five different types of accessories, which Nintendo calls Toy-Cons, named after the Switch's Joy-Con controllers.

We're incredibly optimistic about the Switch's future and believe it sets a new standard for game systems. If you don't own one yet, we've got your back. Below are all the current Nintendo Switch deals and bundles we could find. We've also added some games you should consider and essential accessories you'll need. The standard Switch bundle is still the best way to buy into Nintendo's hybrid handheld system.

Weird Nintendo is often the best Nintendo, or so it is said. After all, two of its biggest successes (the Wii and the Switch) are far from ordinary consoles. Now, with a year of huge Switch sales behind it, Nintendo is getting even weirder with Labo -- cardboard accessories that kids can built themselves and use to immerse themselves in a game's world. So far, Nintendo has shown off a mini piano, fishing rod, robot fighting suit, remote-controlled robot walkers ... and what amounts to a cardboard house with your Switch screen built right into the middle. All of these are controlled in some way by the Switch Joy-Cons.

Ever since Nintendo unveiled the Switch about one year ago, one message was immediately clear: The ability to interact with the console in a variety of different ways -- docked to a TV, held in your hands, or propped up on a table -- was going to be the device's distinguishing characteristic. Nintendo is now taking that idea one step further with the announcement of Nintendo Labo, a new line of do-it-yourself products that lets Switch owners build interactive cardboard add-ons for the console. Nintendo Labo involves sheets of modular cardboard cutouts that when assembled can take the form of various Switch accessories. The company calls those accessories Toy-Cons, a reference to the console's Joy-Con controllers. The $69.99 Labo variety pack comes with five different kits, including two RC cars, a motorbike, a fishing rod, a house, and a piano.