Talking Zeemote JS1 controller with Zeemote's Jim Adams

One of our highlights at the recent Mobile Games Forum conference was finally getting hands-on with the Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth controller, which we've written about but not actually used.

Jim Adams, VP of sales and business development at the company behind it talked us through the device while we played on Zeemote-friendly versions of Fishlabs' Heli Strike 3D and FinBlade's new game, Fireworks.

First, the facts. The Zeemote is superficially similar to the Wii's nunchuk controller, with an analogue stick and a choice of buttons. It connects to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, and currently it works with Java handsets that support the JSR-82 specification.

However, Zeemote is also working on Windows Mobile and BlackBerry support. The version we played with at MGF was almost complete, and the device is due to go into production in April, before being available commercially in June.

Actually playing with the Zeemote for the first time blew us away, not least because there was barely any lag between controller and handset.

"The reaction time is pretty crisp," says Adams. "There is a tiny little lag, but the more the developer tunes the game, the more they can reduce that. Once you do this, it's hard to imagine using a D-pad to play the game."

The Zeemote certainly does solve the control frustrations of using a mobile keypad to play games, particularly action titles. We found the odd niggle â€" if you haven't overridden your handset's power saving mode, the screen will periodically go dark because it's not sensing any keypad input â€" but that can be changed.

There are other benefits. For example, you can pair two Zeemotes with one handset for multiplayer, as shown off in Fireworks (we took on Adams in a head-to-head match).

So who's developing games for the Zeemote? So far, Zeemote has publicly announced five firms: FinBlade, Fishlabs, Reaxion, Sega Mobile and AdME. However, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"We have currently set up about 22 developers, and the number of games being made Zeemote-ready is around 45," says Adams. "The goal is to get great games, rather than just lots of games. So we're talking to everyone, but being selective in who we sign up. Our SDK [software development kit] is quite small, so developers say it's easy to work with and fast to enable."

We assumed that the Zeemote had a rechargeable battery built in, but in fact it's powered by two AAA batteries. "Our focus groups told us they wanted batteries," says Adams. "They're cheap, and you can buy them everywhere. We also think the weight of the batteries adds to the device â€" it gives you a good feeling of substance."

Right now, the Zeemote doesn't have any motion sensors inside (so you can't wave it about to control a game). Could that be a future development?

"The answer is we're looking at all sensors," says Adams. "The founders and engineers at the company have worked with every sensor imaginable."

But the big question for us is how will the company get the Zeemote into the hands of lots of mobile gamers, quickly? Adams says that at some point, it could be sold standalone as an accessory, but this doesn't appear to be the focus at launch.

"Probably the best way to approach the market is through bundling," he says. "Offering the Zeemote, the games and the handset all together in one package, with our partners working out the economics and how to make it work."

In other words, in June you'll be able to buy a handset with a Zeemote thrown in, and some compatible games preloaded on the phone. It seems Zeemote already has at least one handset deal tied up, so who is it?

We think Zeemote would be a fantastic fit for Nokia's N-Gage handsets, although Nokia may be too focused on actually launching that platform to sign up in the early days. With that in mind, we reckon Sony Ericsson is the likeliest partner for that June launch. But watch this space.

In the meantime, Zeemote is putting the final touches to the controller including making small but potentially significant design tweaks, such as modifying the C button and adding a lip to the A button to make it more tactile.

"We've tried to make it work as well in the left hand as in the right, and we've focus tested with small hands, large hands, long fingers, and short fingers," says Adams.

With this amount of effort going into the Zeemote, it should deliver on its promise. Click 'Track It!' to follow our coverage of this intriguing device.