One of those "presentation" mouses would hopefully do? They're a mouse but you hold them in your hand and wave them around to move the pointer, like a Wiimote but they pre-date the Wii. The mouse pointer part sucks in my experience but they do have two buttons and are comfortable to hold. Considering you're writing your own input parser you can ignore mouse events.
There are also "smart pens" these days with Bluetooth but I've never tried one.
> They're a mouse but you hold them in your hand and wave them around to move the pointer, like a Wiimote
This part got me really excited...
> The mouse pointer part sucks in my experience
...but then this killed it.
So, follow-up question: is there anything like this which works well as a mouse pointer too? I love the experience of using the Wii Remote as a mouse, and I'd love a device like that which is made for PC and works without a fuss (or a sensor bar).
Many moons ago, I helped an older couple who unfortunately got vastly oversold on a Windows XP Media Center Edition computer from Gateway, when all they needed was a simple computer. The computer had a real nice Hauppauge capture card to act as a DVR, a neat amplifier looking PC case, and all sorts of bells and whistles. For a pointer device, Gateway included a Gyration mouse, which operated on 2.4 GHz RF, and worked surprisingly well. It used a trigger to activate gyroscopic mouse movement.
You could make your own with an ESP32 wired to two buttons, then you can customize it exactly as you need it. It shouldn't be too difficult (famous last words, I know) if you use one of the BT HID libraries like https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/....
A more boilerplate solution would be to use something like ZMK (or a similar "keyboard") OS. ZMK uses Zephyr RTOS and is quite feature-rich. A macropad should not be very difficult to make. Reddit's r/ergomechkeyboards may be a good starting point.
I use an Elecom Relacon, a trackball in the form factor that you grip like half of a gamepad, or maybe a Wiimote, but it's Bluetooth with no gyro. LMB and RMB are the shoulder bumper buttons, scroll wheel is near the ball flanked by forward/backward buttons. Typically about $50 on Amazon, runs on two AAA batteries.
Camera shutter gadgets for mobile phones. Not exactly pen shaped, but pretty small, BT/BLE and usually between 1 and 4 buttons that simulate keypresses on a BT keyboard.
One of the most popular applications for these controllers, at least in the circles I run in, is doing flashcard reviews in Anki. It's super convenient if you have a controller since you can do the reviews while on the go, while huddled under the covers, while relaxing on the couch and so on. You can search `"8bitdo" site:reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki` or `"8bitdo" site:reddit.com/r/anki` and you'll get a bunch of results from people configuring these for flashcard reviews.
From what I see in the comments here it looks like some people also use them to play video games!
Yes but doing reviews on a phone can get tedious under some circumstances. Since a lot of people, particularly med students but really any dedicated learner who uses Anki, puts tens or hundreds or thousands of hours into Anki during their journey with it, making the experience enjoyable and comfortable really matters. (And for med students, getting the learning right is one of the most foundational important things they'll ever do in their lives, since everything they do as a doctor is a result of learning well and passing exams.) With a controller you have tactile feedback and better ergonomics. Plus it's easier to stay focused if you're using the controller, since you won't just unconsciously swipe away into another app/window; all your buttons are bound to Anki actions, so unless you set the controller down, you're in Anki.
The optimal setup is generally with a fixed, large-ish screen (tablet, laptop, desktop monitor etc) where you can see all the text and media in your cards and don't have to scroll all the time. Med school Anki decks have a lot of diagrams, long fill-in-the-blank sentences and so on; I learn languages so my cards have a lot of example sentences and sometimes lengthy explanations for idioms, cultural/historical terminology and so on.
It also helps that when you use a controller, your view of the screen and your grip on the controller become separate concerns. You can do stuff like lie in bed with the phone mounted above your face, and do reviews using the controller instead of having to raise your arms up to touch the buttons.
Ok thanks, I use Anki a lot for various categories so it sounds familiar :)
> With a controller you have tactile feedback and better ergonomics. Plus it's easier to stay focused if you're using the controller, since you won't just unconsciously swipe away into another app/window; all your buttons are bound to Anki actions, so unless you set the controller down, you're in Anki.
Thought that this could be the case :) maybe I'll give it a try someday
I make my own decks. Nearly all of it is word + pronunciation (for Chinese/Japanese) + definition + example sentences, with additional fields for words that have several pronunciations/definitions.
I don't have any particular resources to share on this subject (but there is much discussion on /r/anki and /r/medicalschoolanki about it). Broadly I'd say that the most efficient way to use it is to use it consistently, but not to make it your one-and-only practice. It's passive practice, and it's useful for making sure you see idioms and words that might otherwise be uncommon, and it's extremely useful as a searchable database once you've built up your deck, but it can get tedious, and drilling works better as a complement to, rather than a substitution for, practical experience. The move is to limit yourself to ~30 min a day, and use the rest of the time you want to spend on languages for active engagement, like speaking/writing with other speakers of the language, or reading things you're interested in in the target language.
Thanks for that honest answer ;) It's indeed my experience from using it to learn Chinese, helpful but not transcending... I didn't look into it much so I was wondering if I was just doing it wrong.
I use the predecessor, the 8BitDo Zero 2 to study my Anki Decks. A recommendation I found on TikTok by medical students. The Device can pair as different devices, which makes it flexible. For instance, it can enter a Keyboard mode, where the Gamepad doesn't send Gamepad API buttons, but presents itself as a keyboard with buttons being mapped to keys like k, l, h, j, etc.
This make hacking together a solution for niche use-cases a breeze.
This actually looks perfect for me. I travel often with my steam deck, and sometimes pack an xbox controller or two to play local multiplayer with friends but this is a much less bulky alternative.
I could see keeping a pair of these in my backpack as a nice way to game with my son if the opportunity arises. Assuming the context is appropriate. Airplane, train, waiting room, etc.
Would I trade this for a full-size at home? No, obviously not.
Some people have tiny hands. Kids, for example, have tiny hands. It looks similar to a Switch controller. Not something you can go all day on, but good enough for a few rounds of Mario Kart.
In the small print it says in does not support "console wake", which is the main problem I have with these controllers when used with a Nintendo Switch.
The "Ultimate Bluetooth Controller" from 8BitDo apparently can wake up the switch, so it seems like a strange omission in all their other Switch compatible controllers.
Nintendo doesn't include it in all their controllers either. Kind of a pain when you have to walk over to the console to turn it on if you're going to use the snes controller. Also frustrating that only some games will let you access the home menu with those, even if they otherwise work fine. (Especially the Nintendo provided emulators! Game boy works fine with a snes controller, but if you want to switch to something else, it's a hassle) F-Zero 99 supports it well though!
But there is no home button on Nintendo's first-party NES or SNES-style controllers, which I think are the ones more directly comparable to what we're talking about here.
(Not sure about the N64-style controllers; I've never actually seen one of those in the wild)
It looks like the N64 controller has a Home button [1], as does the Genesis [2] controller. Which makes it even more curiouser that the NES and SNES controllers don't. :(
Personally, I count the NES controllers as Joy-Cons, since they slot into the side of the system, as other Joy-Cons do. They don't fit in my Joy-Con charging dock or the Joy-Con grip that came with the system, though.
I've been searching for the perfect Steam deck controller. 8BitDo is high on my list.
I really like 8BitDo for their Bluetooth hall-effect controllers[0]. It's a decent $70 and comes with a charging stand and 2.4G wireless adapter. I just wish that controller's analog sticks were both positioned on the bottom, like a PlayStation controller. The Steam Deck also has a symmetrical layout for analog sticks / buttons. I also wish 8BitDo controller had 4 back buttons like the Steam Deck.
PDP's Victrix Pro BFG controller[1] has the back buttons and configurable layout. Unfortunately, it lacks hall effect analog sticks and don't sell replacement analog sticks. The risk of permanent stick drift on a $180 controller is just too high IMO.
The PS5 Edge Pro controller[2] is an absurd $200, but at least the analog sticks are replaceable. I'd be tempted to buy it if it had 4 back buttons instead of 2.
I'm holding out for GuliKit's rumored PS5 controller[3]. They already make hall effect analog sticks for the Steam Deck & understand the desire for 4 back buttons. Fingers crossed.
For what it's worth, I have the 8Bitdo ultimate for my Steam Deck when it's docked, and I love the thing. It didn't actually work on release and I returned it, but I heard that 8bitdo and Valve did some work to iron out the kinks and it's pretty much plug-and-play now. It's really nice how the charging dock works, too. Pretty seamless to just pick up and play.
I've been searching for a great quality PS5 controller that has the left thumb stick in a neutral position and doesn't cost $250. On the rare days when get a chance to play a longer session, I can use the Xbox or Switch Pro controllers for hours without issues, but I hardly touch my PS5 because the left thumb stick requires such a stretch that my thumb tendon already starts to get sore after 15 minutes.
I understand the business logic, but I wish the console manufacturers would allow more portability between them.
The Pro controller has a Nintendo style button layout, compared to the Deck itself and Xbox controllers. Not a super big problem with Steams fantastic remapping but the labels will always be "wrong".
I have the Pro 2 and the analog sticks are at the bottom, but yeah the button remapping can be an issue. Not sure about the Pro 1 but the 2 also has an app to configure the settings. Op, one thing to keep in mind regarding the Ultimate vs the Pro/2 is that the ultimate lacks a distinct mode switch that the 2 has (modes being Switch, Android, D-input and X-input).
In my experience 8BitDo makes nice products, but given the audience I have to ask... did anyone else's hands preemptively cramp just looking at this thing?
A couple thoughts on what it's primary use-case might be:
1) The thing is so small that it can fit in your pocket and you have it with you "all the time" to use with your phone/tablet/Switch console, whenever the mood strikes, even if you're away from home.
2) You have a cheap, perishable controller that you don't mind lending to visiting family/friends with small children who want to play your Switch console, but you're afraid they will break your $70 Switch Pro controller.
I'm enjoying mine. I bought a sheet of mini suction cups and attached them to the back. Now I have a gamepad small enough to keep in pocket I can stick onto my phone screen to give me real buttons for on the go gaming.
I’ve had one of these since it launched, and it is much nicer than its predecessor, the Zero 2. I admittedly haven’t used it much, but plan to try this little hack out that uses adhesive suction cups: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/17g6ykp/android_...
I have one of those and it’s exactly what I expected it to be. A fun gimmick but nothing I would use for more than 5 minutes at a time. It’s probably good for little kids.
It reminds me of the iMpulse controller I got on Kickstarter almost a decade ago, but at least this one has a chance of being decent considering 8bitdo's history.
I have yet to use mine but pretty nice feel & build. I was going to buy the earlier & similar Zero 2, but this came out just before & has nice-to-have extra shoulder buttons & more configurability.
My day pack has a 8bitdo Lite 2 at I use ~1.5 times a month, which is a nice medium between this micro size & a regular controller size. It's very light & pretty thin, like a somewhat overwide pack of cards. I highly recommend it.
This looks like a great option to keep around for using with the Quest headset. Meta's VR controllers don't have a d-pad, which is awful when you want to play Tetris Effect in VR.
I've used the slightly larger 8BitDo Lite SE gamepad for that in the past, but a smaller unit with a nice d-pad would be nice.
(Assuming that it does in fact work with the Quest. Now I'm not sure..)
All the 8bitdo controllers I have tried had issues pairing (Bluetooth yuck), staying paired and constant flaky drop outs. They now live in their respective boxes.
Might appeal to some but for my money, the 8BitDo SN30 Pro is already the perfect travel companion. Great size for kids’ hands but entirely usable by adults without cramping. Has analogue sticks, too.
I wish this had Apple TV support like the other controllers. I was trying to find a controller that’s the right size for a 5 year old and this was perfect minus the Apple TV support.
> I was trying to find a controller that’s the right size for a 5 year old and this was perfect minus the Apple TV support.
That's a real struggle with any halfway-modern controller—there's so much to cram in that it's hard to make friendly to little hands. Even if you fit them on there, that's a lot of stretching.
The second challenge is that so many buttons and sticks and such confuse the hell out of kids that age.
The NES, with a real Nintendo NES (or NES Classic Edition) controller or credible knock-off, is probably the perfect place to start for very young kids. Only finger that needs to do anything on the left is the thumb, and it only needs to worry about a single D-Pad. Only finger on the right that needs to do anything is also the thumb, with just two action buttons to sort out (in almost all games—there are exceptions like Punch Out). Maybe some combos (hold-action-button-plus-direction-to-run in Mario) but they're minimal and rarely required to get started.
I remember being confused by and forgetting about all the extra buttons (those shoulder buttons!) on the SNES controller when I was just a little older than that, let alone any kind of modern controller.
iOS & tvOS support any controller that can appear as an Xinput Xbox Controller, PS4/PS5 controller, or Switch Pro controller. 8BitDo just doesn’t call out this compatibility for some reason.
You should try the 8BitDo Zero 2, should fit your needs. This also might work in one of those modes. I’d just buy it on Amazon so you can return it easily if it doesn’t.
- button press not always reliable if you use light touch.
- reliable range is < 2m. Works some time for 3 m.
- shuts down automatically after no input in something like 5-10 minutes. (unfortunate for my use)
Does anyone know tiny Bluetooth device with 1-2 buttons. Preferably pen shaped that you can hold in your fist.