Multi-touch touchpads are amazing. 4-axis absolute position input by two fingers! I think that gamepad thumbsticks are ridiculous. Why not use (single-touch) thumb touchpads? I saw a research paper about modern touchpads. As gaming M&K players prove, as it was during Doug Engelbart's research, mice are still the best option. Touchpads are not as good as mice (so there are quite a lot of mobile mice on the market), but clearly better than thumbsticks.
Bad news: Many of us already have touchpads for PC, i.e. laptops. Nothing to make a hardware.
Touchscreens are cheap and versatile. It's only natural that everyone uses it. So I'm interested in all the areas (except gaming) where joysticks are still being used. Look at this:
This is a CCTV controller, a.k.a. PTZ controller. The joystick operates Pan-Tilt-Zoom. You can twist the joystick to zoom. I am not well informed in this area, but there are many machines on the market. There must be a good reason why a joystick is needed.
The joystick module is available at Alibaba. 350 USD for 10 pcs (MOQ).
The dimensions:
The minimum keyboard thickness is 30.7 mm. Bulky but manageable.
I looked for a good use for it, but couldn't find one.
Touchpads have two severe drawbacks: Susceptible to water and shock. Vehicles are a typical case. I don't want to ride an electric wheelchair with touchpad drive controls. In such cases, joysticks are the best. But my product isn't like that.
I think that CCTV monitor rooms are also free from water and shock. I couldn't find a good reason for using a joystick. It's a mystery. Static force feedback? Flat learning curve?
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