buy a Steam Deck and use it as a Steamcon
buy a DS4/Dualsense
VNC/Parsec/screen share via phone/laptop
actual sane recommendation: use KDE Connect (OS app and phone app) and use your phone for mousing and typing
6 Likes
I was expecting a āSteam Controllerā thrown in but I just looked and they sell for $50-$90 nowdays. What hole have we fallen into
4 Likes
nintendo driving a new wave of gyro romantics
4 Likes
I guess my major use case is honestly probably controlling the steam deck in desktop mode from the couch? At least thats the most annoying thing right now since I have no way to type on it from the couch without undocking it atm. The thing is, Ive been using it for a lot of different stuff and one control setup probably wonāt fit all these use cases anyway.
My partner has been using it to go through some of the puzzle games shes been interested in but never got around to from my steam account, such as world of goo and portal and despite having controller support those games were just terrible on the ps4 pad. She gave up on world of goo and I had to take over the last few levels of portal so she could see the ending; even then I had to awkwardly use a wireless mouse in one hand and the ps4 pad in the other to make it through.
Yeah definitely, I also hate this. Also cant stand analog stick or even dpad for stgs, gotta have arrow keys or arcade stick.
This is actually a great idea for controlling desktop stuff, Ill try that out first and see where it gets me
1 Like
I havenāt had a console for a few years and generally move my computer to the TV. I prefer the Microsoft All In One Media Keyboard to the similar Logitech ones.
You might want to look at the hand-sized keyboards with thumb typing. I have a little Rii 4 keyboard, itās got a backlight, a touchpad, and a phone-style direction pad with confirm in the middle. Itās really nice for what I use it for, selecting and configuring standalone boxes like the MiSTer.
6 Likes
personally never found DS4/DualSense trackpad at all useable for anything other than fumbling with the mouse cursor in an amiga game that was supposed to be fully playable with a joystick 
(basically: it can help if you need the mouse in a pinch if youāre using it for e.g. MiSTer, but iād absolutely never use it for a mouse-driven game. would not even consider it)
even just trying to use it on the PS5ās on-screen keyboard is hugely worse and less accurate than just using the d-pad and buttons
2 Likes
Hmm probably normal sized keyboard with built in trackpad fits the majority of my needs, the hand size ones are nice for their form factor + very cute but Ive always found them a little difficult to type on.
If I end up really hating the trackpad I can always just fall back to my current wireless mouse on end table strategy.
Also Im probably the only person who feels this way but I still yearn for the red track ball on thinkpad keyboards aka the nub aka the lenovo nipple. That was an ideal laptop mouse substitute for me
4 Likes
lenovo nipple was a legend in its own time. rest in pepperoni
2 Likes
Iām honestly surprised Iāve never seen a visual gag of someone going down on a thinkpad. am I gonna have to birth that into the world
6 Likes
they still exist! I think only on the ThinkPad brand?
2 Likes
I never said anything about using the touchpad 
3 Likes
5 Likes
I had no idea they were still making standalone, let alone wireless!
This looks just like an updated version of the model I stole off of a derelict server rack in the abandoned manufacturing wing of one of the old IBM offices.
I absolutely love this thing but several of the keys have gone stiff and the nub is a little busted so its not really usable. Also it only has an SDL jack so it needs a Y split conveter to PS/2 and then a converter from that to usb to work with modern stuff
8 Likes
thatās not quite so bad as my apple display bus ā teensy ā USB jank but o7
4 Likes
sturdy folding table and a proper desktop kb & mouse are the only good solution imo, joke answer
https://www.amazon.com/Rii-Multifunctional-Controller-Rechargeable-Vibration/dp/B07STY21PS
1 Like
comedy answer 2: buy a long ass HDMI cable and hold the Deck at the couch
regardless, you should grab a keyboard just to make doing anything in terminal feel not terrible
I still advocate for a DS4/Dualsense as a stand-in for KBM if all youāre doing is chill gaming on the couch (look I donāt care if the guy who made flick stick goes into CSGO or Fortnite lobbies, thatās a hell of a lot of muscle memory to relearn just to say you killed some kids on pad)
1 Like
itās a terrible little rocker with barely any feedback, definite pass.
i have not tried the hori octa or similar modern clicky pads but my money for ābest tactile thumbstick for microswitch pervertsā is on the PDP Versus Pad. there are PS3, Xb360, Wii models.
itās a bit of a monkey paw situation because the quality of the shell is poor: it feels hollow and cheap in the hand, the electronic parts donāt seem reliable (one that i used for sf4 for 3 years suddenly and inexplicably died one day), and itās textured on the back with that nasty faux rubber that turns to sticky goo with age (talcum works for a temporary solution, stripping it with isopropyl is probably best).
caveats aside it is tremendously satisfying to use, the clicky thumbstick is perfect and a couple ebay sellers seem to be sitting on a healthy supply of new old stock of the PS3 model which works fine over USB on PC/Steam/myriad emulation boxes, and so i have gladly tasted my share
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174992623113
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132742311900
never been able to find the wii model, would drop a regrettable sum for one or ideally a pair of these tbh
7 Likes
I had no idea there was a Wii version!
I need to treat the rubberized coating on mine. I havenāt used it in about a year and a half because it was starting to get sticky. It if didnāt feel so cheap, itād be the perfect pad.
1 Like
Me neither. Neat.
1 Like
I think Iāve found my favorite top for a stick, the bullet top. Feels so good for my giant hands.
4 Likes