Keys that double as D-Pads?

[Keyboardist]

Has anyone ever heard of a keyboard key that doubles as a video-game D-Pad? (it either tilts around like the D-Pad shown below, or presses down like a normal key first, THEN tilts around)

If this exists, I'd like to try it out, because I'm designing a keyboard, and need some way to see if the idea actually works (comfort/functionality).

[Hak Foo]

ISTR some laptops, in the 386 era, might have had such a key-- sort of a halfway step on the development of eraser pointers.

[zwmalone]

My newer laptop (circa 2002 or so) has one too... Compaq 705US...

[Keyboardist]

Thanks for the replies. Zwmalone, do you mean the round thing at the bottom of this?

What I'm thinking about is more in the realm of gaming, where you could have a regular old keyboard key that also has directional functionality. (so, you press it down, THEN tilt it around for more abilities... like a way to open the Crysis suit-mode menu, then choose a mode by tilting)

But, for now, I'm not looking for anything necessarily THAT specific... A normal-looking key that tilts in ANY way is a good place to start.

[zwmalone]

Thanks for the replies. Zwmalone, do you mean the round thing at the bottom of this?
.

yep.  Works pretty decently for about anything.  I use it to scroll with and have it mapped to functions in a games and such.

[Rajagra]

The Enterprise computer didn't mess about...