RKS has recently designed the Wikipad, the high-end tablet with a detachable gaming controller. The firm led the design effort for the product, interface, branding and packaging.
"Wikipad posed some unique ergonomics challenges," explained Nour Malaeb, designer at RKS. "We knew that gamers spend hours playing on the tablet and will have high expectations for the hand-held experience."
As a result, the thickness of the controller is optimized to offer enough grip for all sizes of hands without making the portable device bulky and heavy, which would cause muscle fatigue during use. The center of gravity is positioned in such a way that the arms are perfectly relaxed, inducing people to maintain a healthy posture while holding the device at eye level.
The buttons, bumpers and triggers are configured in a way that is already familiar to gamers, letting them focus more on playing, less on holding the device. "Holding a 7-inch screen in your hands creates its own virtual reality effect," said Lance Hussey, creative director at RKS. "Everything but the screen fades into the background, making it like living inside the game. The technology comes to life in your hands."
Beyond gaming, the Wikipad functions like a high-end Android tablet once the controller is detached. This duality was captured in the design of the logomark, which can be read either as a directional pad or as the contours of a tablet.
"The Wikipad tablet can be used at work during the day, then inserted into the controller to serve as a gaming console at night. The brand reflects this contrast," explained Ben Hickman, Designer at RKS. "I feel we created a unique experience with Wikipad. Now, the consumer will be judge."