Ian Crosby, Sales and Marketing Director, Zytronic
New generations of electronic gaming equipment can increase profitability and deliver better experiences.
New generations of electronic gaming equipment can increase profitability for operators and deliver better experiences for gamers. The touch-sensitive user interface is an important enabler for these emerging classes of machines, but owners and game players expect the highest standards of performance, reliability and dependability.
By replacing mechanical switches, levers or buttons with touch-sensitive user interfaces, the latest generations of electronic slot machines can alleviate the high costs to maintain conventional mechanical machines. Traditional table-top games such as blackjack and roulette are also going electronic using touch technology, which enables continuous operation with minimal human intervention and thereby increases revenues for owners.
Modern gamers, for their part, are comfortable with electronic terminals, and are able to enjoy large, bright, intuitive interfaces with high-definition graphics and advanced features. In addition, easy access to a wide variety of games and terminals in any given venue delivers extra convenience and choice.
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However players will not tolerate slow or inaccurate responses from new generations of gaming equipment. At the same time, owners need the assurance of very low levels of downtime, to achieve the anticipated revenue growth and minimize maintenance overheads. Although a great deal of innovation is taking place in the development of user interface design, an unsuitable touchscreen solution could prevent the equipment delivering acceptable results for either group.
No Room For Soft Touch
Factors such as environment and location, as well as aesthetic qualities and operational criteria are crucial considerations in the gaming industry. Since many gaming terminals are situated in public areas such as casinos, arcades, bars and clubs, the touchscreen must be able to continue working if the front panel is scratched caused by items of jewelry, coins or bags, and occasionally deliberate damage.
Tabletop games are even more vulnerable to scratching hazards, and must also perform accurately in the event of a drink spillage or if items such as glasses or ashtrays are dragged across the surface. Along with this requirement for improved durability comes an increasing need for terminal designs that are attractive and compelling, and that invite frequent use.
Touch solutions compatible with smooth, pure-glass fronted designs are becoming increasingly popular as these combine an easily cleaned surface with a stylish, sleek appearance that appeals to today’s generation of gamblers.
Touch Technology Selection
A wide range of touch technologies offer designers a variety of attributes when considering the most suitable touchscreen to use in a gaming application.
Front-surface touch solutions such as acoustic wave (SAW), infrared (IR), traditional capacitive and resistive touch sensors are all susceptible to damage, dirt and drink spills. In many cases a bezel or frame is needed, which can not only detract from the aesthetics of the original design, but also acts as a trap for dust and liquid.
A game whose touch performance has been impaired or even rendered unusable as a result of scratches, dirt and liquid spills will quickly become a major turn-off for users, and a liability for operators.
In order to meet the challenges facing designers of modern gaming equipment, and deliver touchscreen functionality into a broad range of uncompromising usage scenarios, Zytronic developed a range of sensors using its proprietary Projected Capacitive Technology (PCT) sensing.
Each variant has at its heart a matrix of ultra-fine 10 micron diameter capacitors (Figure 1) arranged into a XY grid. Coupled with interpolating firmware embedded within the PCT controller, the sensors are capable of detecting the lightest touch both rapidly and accurately by monitoring the extremely small capacitance changes induced in the sensing matrix by the approach of the user’s fingertip.
As the sensing element can be mounted 10 or more millimeters behind or between layers of glass, acrylic or polycarbonate the sensor (and display) can be rendered effectively immune to any physical harm. This avoids expensive in-field repair or replacement, which is commonplace with alternative touchscreen solutions in identical gaming environments.
A further advantage of PCT is its near limitless ability to be quickly customized, satisfying gaming equipment designers’ growing need to create unique, stylish hardware that matches the increasingly sophisticated software and graphical user interfaces on show. Sensors may be designed to fit into flush or frameless terminal designs, and permanent borders or logos can be screen printed directly on the rear of the touch sensors. Engineers are also able to specify a wide range of special treatments, such as anti-reflective coatings or privacy filters.
Combined with the inherent high levels of durability and reliability, this ability to customize touch sensor design has proved compelling to an increasing number of gaming equipment manufacturers. As result, PCT sensors such as ZYBRID are now operating in casinos, arcades, malls, restaurants, bars, and similar entertainment locations throughout the US and worldwide.
PCT Gaming Action
ACE Interactive (a subsidiary of Aristocrat, a global leader in gaming technology), has employed ZYBRID in its Indago video lottery terminals (Figure 2). The dual 22-inch widescreen display specified in this project gives each terminal an eye-catching appearance and a broad selection of playing features.
The upper screen shows the state of play with striking visual effects, while the lower touch-enabled screen (which integrates a ZYBRID PCT-based sensor) allows each player to select and participate in a selection of games. By working closely with the Aristocrat product development team from the outset, Zytronic was instrumental in the creation of a unique, printed bezel-free design, with accurate touch sensing capability in a defined zone of the single glass panel, combining stunning design in a rugged interface.
As these terminals are intended for operation in variety of public areas, with potentially poor levels of illumination or conversely strong sunlight to overcome, there was a clear need for extremely high light transmission and anti glare features. All of these were criteria that Zytronic was able to meet.
The Ecast EQ (Figure 3) product, winner of the Self Service Excellence Award for the Best Gaming/Entertainment device at KioskCom Expo 2009, also features ZYBRID technology within its 40-inch touchscreen supporting a graphic rich interface with 1080p high-definition resolution. Major customers are venues such as such as bars, restaurants and nightclubs, where Ecast EQ attracts users to interactive content such as music jukebox application, games, and advertising campaigns as well as social media including texting and photo sharing.
The product takes advantage of the large screen sizes supported by ZYBRID to maximize ease of use and customer engagement, benefiting from the high durability and reliability of PCT touch sensing. ZYBRID also enables the Ecast EQ to operate effectively in any ambient lighting, including daylight, bright indoor lighting, or darkened areas.
ZYTOUCH, another product in Zytronic’s range of PCT-based touch sensors, enables an extremely hardwearing and durable solution suitable for use in the most hostile environments. These include unsupervised gaming locations, as well as various types of payout games and pay-to-play scenarios that invite enthusiastic player participation.
In a recent application, Zytronic built a 19-inch ZYTOUCH sensor incorporating a front panel of 6mm-thick thermally tempered glass to provide a high level of protection for the sensing element. In practice this has assured the operator of long-lasting performance and resistance to attack, as an inherent advantage of a highly differentiated entertainment terminal.
Support For Innovative Design
PCT touch is chosen in a wide range of applications besides the gaming sector, including industrial equipment, interactive signage, point-of-sale terminals, ATMs and security equipment. In all situations, toughness, reliability, an attractive appearance, and low cost of ownership are key objectives for the specifier.
PCT meets these requirements through its unique combination of abilities. These include long-lasting, maintenance-free operation, the choice of front-panel materials ranging from tough and lightweight polycarbonate to highly secure glass, unimpaired functionality even when heavily scratched, support for standard and non-standard screen sizes up to 82 inches, and freedom from frames or bezels.
By solving the performance and environmental challenges facing designers of equipment including gaming machines, PCT delivers better cost of ownership and extra freedom to create innovative features compared to alternative touch technologies.
For more information visit www.zytronic.co.uk.