A new real controller from ASUS is on the way with the ROG Raikiri Pro that features an OLED display, plus Dell get weird with the Concept Nyx from CES 2023.
Let's start with the real stuff shall we? ASUS have made the ROG Raikiri Pro, while it's for Xbox you know how it goes — Linux ends up supporting it anyway (and Steam Input no doubt will too). This has a built-in OLED display for some reason, with customizable animations, status indicators and more. It can also connect via USB-C, 2.4 GHz RF or Bluetooth, multiple buttons on the back and triggers that can have the triggers with short or full range modes.
Could be quite interesting? Although all the special extras would no doubt need someone to come up with a way to do it all on Linux too.
Then we have the really weird with the Dell Concept Nyx. It's not actually a real thing, although they have made and shown off some prototypes at CES. This is not really a controller you would use with a normal PC or even on another console, as it's designed to go along with the whole Concept Nyx system which is sort-of like a shared server that does everything for multiple people across different screens.
With the Concept Nyx Game Controller they added a finger print sensor to the middle of it, added dual-thumb scroll wheels to the bottom of it, put some paddles on the back and replaced the D-pad with what they call an Omnipad.
With the finger print reader, they suggest it's a way for it to quickly read your print and load everything up. Not exactly wild, since finger print readers exist for PC right now but on a controller to quickly get you into something when sharing the same controller with others? Interesting.
Dell also said they're experiment with "haptics and self-adjusting variable resistance thumb sticks" that can be adjusted to your liking, or be specific to each game. The touch pad sounds a little bit more like what we've seen on the Steam Deck, giving you access to a lot more options that can be configured.
The way they talk about it honestly makes it sound like something from a sci-fi film, with it being able to do entirely unique split-screen modes with each side having a different game and more. Sounds like something that in reality, will never become a real product, at least not any time soon.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: TermyI'm still amazed those high price controllers still use potentiometer sticks.
After trying out the Gulikit Kingkong, hall effect sticks just are on a whole other level and there is no excuse to not use them on anything that costs more than 30 or 40 bucks. If only the Kingkongs would work better on linux :/
I think you can pretty easily replace those sticks with hall effect sensors. There are even some for the Steam Deck. I saw something about this in a "Linus Tech Tips" video ("ultimate steam deck", IIRC)
Quoting: TermyAfter trying out the Gulikit Kingkong, hall effect sticksHall effect? "We used to have to game in a corridor!"
"Luxury. We used to game in a paper bag in t' middle of the road!"
Quoting: elmapulthis is like the dreamcast controller that use magnets to "work forever without drift" ?The Saturn analogue controller had this, too. Nightmare when the magnets came off!
Quoting: elmapulthis is like the dreamcast controller that use magnets to "work forever without drift" ?It really seems that dreamcast used hall effect - makes it even more absurd that it isn't the standard since then ^^
Quoting: elmapuli wonder if you can use the magnets to make the stick harder or softer to move without wearing it out, it would be a cool haptic feedback feature.I don't think so, the magnets are permanent magnets that produce a magnetic field whose change the hall sensor picks up.
Quoting: MayeulCI think you can pretty easily replace those sticks with hall effect sensors. There are even some for the Steam Deck. I saw something about this in a "Linus Tech Tips" video ("ultimate steam deck", IIRC)Yeah, Gulikit offers replacements for the Deck.
That's no help for other controllers though and absolutely no excuse for the producers of all the other controllers ^^
Quoting: MrowlJust wait for the Steam Controller 2, imo. Would also be cool if Valve let us use our Decks as a controller, somehow, like a Wii U GamePad for our PC.I would be surprised if someone had not already trie this. Doing a quick WiFi gamepad (read input events on the deck, send it off with UDP, play the events on a uinput device on the PC) seems like a 30 minute project.
If latency is an issue another alternative is Bluetooth:
https://github.com/xenogenesi/hidclient
(That's for a software keyboard/mouse but it should be similar for a gamepad)
A third option might be to use the Deck as wired USB gamepad. But it depends on if the Deck hardware supports USB Device Controller (UDC):
https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2019/02/18/modern-usb-gadget-on-linux-and-how-to-integrate-it-with-systemd-part-1/
Quoting: TermyI don't think so, the magnets are permanent magnets that produce a magnetic field whose change the hall sensor picks up.there is a thing called electromagnet, quoting from wikipedia:
is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by an electric current.
maybe it could be used to create stronger magnetic fields or weaker, to create a force feedback?
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