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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Keyboardist on Mon, 02 November 2009, 18:52:55

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: Keyboardist on Mon, 02 November 2009, 18:52:55

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).

(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:c44SFYXxOXPcGM:http://www.broken-dpad.com/DPad.jpg)

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: Hak Foo on Mon, 02 November 2009, 19:40:31

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

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: zwmalone on Mon, 02 November 2009, 20:09:29

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

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: Keyboardist on Mon, 02 November 2009, 20:21:30

Thanks for the replies. Zwmalone, do you mean the round thing at the bottom of this (http://www.bobbylane.com/eBay/Compaq/Pic4.JPG)?

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.

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: zwmalone on Mon, 02 November 2009, 20:44:19

Quote from: Keyboardist;130011

Thanks for the replies. Zwmalone, do you mean the round thing at the bottom of this (http://www.bobbylane.com/eBay/Compaq/Pic4.JPG)?
.

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

Title: Keys that double as D-Pads?
Post by: Rajagra on Tue, 03 November 2009, 07:11:54

The Enterprise computer didn't mess about...

(http://www.g-ray.co.uk/pictures/Enterprise_64_System_s1.jpg)