The much-awaited update for the Diamond Controller has been released. This update has taken configuring the diamond controller from transcribing a 300-page book by hand and turned it into hitting copy+paste in Microsoft Word. I am absolutely blown away by the update, including some features I wasn't expecting and was surprised at how useful I find them. First, a bit about the update:
Software:
- express font wizard
- quick reconnect
- master volume control
- real-time board settings
- built-in resources page
- undo and redo for the Effect Editor
- bug fixes
Firmware:
- ability to support 16 fonts instead of 10
- real time volume adjustment (there's no need for a mute font anymore!)
- quick menus with significant fewer voice messages
- improved rotation detection for the on-board menus
- reduced power off and menu exit time from 3 to 2 seconds
- bug fixes
P.S. A farewell note from Felicia:
"Enjoy your saber!"
Let me put this into terms that make sense to me. We got an express font wizard, better volume control over the various sounds in the font itself, undo and redo for the effect editor, and a resources page with a very detailed manual. On the saber itself, we got a significantly improved menu which is easier to navigate AND has more features, we got the ability to put on 16 sound fonts instead of 10, we got dynamic volume control (the new feature I mentioned...plus it comes with the ability to hold more fonts since you can mute any font), different sound fonts show different colors in their tag effect, and we can shut down the saber faster. Oh, and Felicia is gone.
The express font wizard is a huge boon compared to what we had to deal with before. The old diamond controller software is now called the
advanced wizard, but now we also have the express wizard. The express wizard lets you choose a sound font from any of the stock fonts you can get on the diamond controller, as well as picking your main color, pulse color, and flash-on-clash color. The express font wizard is not nearly as powerful as the advanced, but if all you want to do is pick a handful of colors, it is significantly easier to use. You can manually set the color with the RGB sliders, or you can pick from the easy tab which includes several pre-selected colors and then a 2-dimensional hue slider. Overall, this will let you quickly pick a color and sound font, of which you can have 16 now.
I am going to list some suggestions for the next update. These are not complaints, as we have moved very far from where we were in the last version, but they are suggestions to continue improving the Diamond controller. In relation to the express tab, I have these suggestions:
- The ability to check and uncheck which features we would like enabled at an overview menu for the font (such as the ability to turn off gestures, force effects, and spin effects by unchecking them)
- In the "Easy" tab, a quick list of the Ultrasabers factory colors by name
- A time setting on the pulse option
- A flicker setting for a more randomized pulse
- A software reconnect where clicking a button on the driver will reconnect the device, instead of requiring me to unplug and plug in wires to a running peripheral
On the flipside is the saber itself. The firmware update is very refreshing. In addition to 6 extra fonts (more if you count getting rid of the mute font), it also comes with a much better operating system. Previously, you would enter the menu by holding the button and twisting a couple of times. Once in the menu, you would use rotations to signal what you wanted to do. This was VERY cumbersome for a few reasons: 1) Felicia took FOREVER to say anything, and 2) sometimes it would read a clockwise rotation as counterclockwise (or vice versa). Now, you can hold the button and engage 2 hits to enter volume control, stab to enter font selection, or rotate to enter the gesture menu. Font selection is improved, too, as you see the colors of the font tag effect during the switch from one font to another.
In addition to what I've noticed, others have noticed various bug fixes, as well as optimized times connecting the saber to the launcher software.
Overall, I cannot think of anything negative about the update to the controller. Unless we find some new bugs, I cannot think of a single thing that was made worse by this update, and I am very resistant to change. The fact that the old launcher software is still available as Advanced is a very good decision. The only suggestions I have are ways to continue to improve the software.
I recently saw some recommendations on the forum to go with the Emerald+Obsidian boards over the Diamond board because of the difficulty using the launcher software as well as the clunkiness of the firmware. That is no longer the case. Granted, I haven't used the Emerald or the Obsidian, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Diamond saber to a newby or a friend who is technically savvy. The Diamond Board is made much better to use, both on the saber and in the software. This is an absolutely stellar software update, and I look forward to the next one.
