It can be very relaxing to play games with a controller, but it is also very limiting compared to keyboard and mouse input and while there have been attempts such as the Steam controller to bridge this, I can’t say that I liked it very much – mine has been collecting dust pretty much since release date. However, independent Russian peripheral developers Alex Nesmeev and Eugene Nesmeev might have cracked the code and created that very well could be thé game controller that combines the best of the two worlds. The universality and usability of the keyboard with the relaxed game experience that a controller provides.
So far it is just a prototype, but it is working and it is working well from the demonstration videos posted on their official youtube channel. Whether it is for First Person Shooter (FPS) games such as Doom or Counter Strike, or MOBA games such as Dota2 or even older building games such as Age of Empires 2 – the R-Handle handles it.
The R-Handle provides a thumbs stick and plenty of buttons for the left hand and a mouse-styled end for the left hand which also is equipped with buttons for both fingers and the thumb – effectively letting you used the whole hand for control. You don’t need a desk for a keyboard and mouse setup (or Sony TAC Pro setup) and you are not limited the same way as the controller by needing both thumbs for control and buttons at the same time.
Currently, the two developers are considering crowdfunding options for the device and me for one really hope that it will hit the market very soon. I could definitely see myself gaming with this device – if it’s sturdy/durable enough and comes at a fair enough price point. You can watch some videos of the controller in action below and check out even more on the duo’s YouTube channel.
It looked pretty decent for mouse movement type actions. I’d like to see someone very good at Counter Strike test it out to see what it can really do for games like that.