Controller Concept
The /AIR BEAT controller was prototyped, but unfortunately could not be implemented at the moment. The controller should have a piano-like touchpad with 16 distinct areas, which is used to play the notes that appear on the /Air Beat screen. In addition, the controller should have a height sensor, which can determine the position of the hand when playing vertically. This sensor should allow notes to be played not only directly on the touchpad, but also in the area immediately above the touchpad. For example, a note can be struck on the touchpad and then continued to be played vertically by moving up and down.
Keyboard & Keybindings
In addition to being controlled via a touch screen, /AIR BEAT can also be played with a conventional PC keyboard. For this purpose, individual menu elements and the eight rows in which notes can appear were each mapped to individual keys on the keyboard. This means that /AIR BEAT can be played to a limited extent even without a touchscreen.
The controls in the /AIR BEAT menus are mapped to the keyboard as follows:
