Touchscreen Keyboard Maker Swype Teases Expansion Into Controllers

In announcing the closing of a new, $6 million round of Series C financing today, touchscreen keyboard software maker Swype mentioned plans to integrate its technology into game controllers in the future. Swype's predictive technology lets smartphone and tablet users enter text on a touch screen keyboard more quickly by swiping their fingers over the letters, rather than lifting and tapping. The technology is already loaded into 100 million cell phones -- including nearly 50 percent of all Android handsets -- produced by 15 different hardware makers, according to the company. But the company said today new funding will aid in its efforts to "adapt the technology beyond phones and tablets to additional platforms such as game controllers, TV’s and in-car displays." Swype did not name any specific gaming partnerships, but such software could play a role in streamlining input for touch-screen controllers in upcoming hardware like the Wii U and PlayStation Vita, or on existing systems like the Nintendo 3DS. Swype could also theoretically integrate such technology into proprietary controllers for consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, allowing users to enter text more quickly than a standard on-screen keyboard.