8BitDo Micro
8bitdo.com
8bitdo.com
- button press not always reliable if you use light touch.
- reliable range is < 2m. Works some time for 3 m.
- shuts down automatically after no input in something like 5-10 minutes. (unfortunate for my use)
Does anyone know tiny Bluetooth device with 1-2 buttons. Preferably pen shaped that you can hold in your fist.
There are also "smart pens" these days with Bluetooth but I've never tried one.
This part got me really excited...
> The mouse pointer part sucks in my experience
...but then this killed it.
So, follow-up question: is there anything like this which works well as a mouse pointer too? I love the experience of using the Wii Remote as a mouse, and I'd love a device like that which is made for PC and works without a fuss (or a sensor bar).
Many moons ago, I helped an older couple who unfortunately got vastly oversold on a Windows XP Media Center Edition computer from Gateway, when all they needed was a simple computer. The computer had a real nice Hauppauge capture card to act as a DVR, a neat amplifier looking PC case, and all sorts of bells and whistles. For a pointer device, Gateway included a Gyration mouse, which operated on 2.4 GHz RF, and worked surprisingly well. It used a trigger to activate gyroscopic mouse movement.
Turns out Gyration is still in business! https://www.adesso.com/product/gyration-air-mouse-go-plus/
From what I see in the comments here it looks like some people also use them to play video games!
The optimal setup is generally with a fixed, large-ish screen (tablet, laptop, desktop monitor etc) where you can see all the text and media in your cards and don't have to scroll all the time. Med school Anki decks have a lot of diagrams, long fill-in-the-blank sentences and so on; I learn languages so my cards have a lot of example sentences and sometimes lengthy explanations for idioms, cultural/historical terminology and so on.
It also helps that when you use a controller, your view of the screen and your grip on the controller become separate concerns. You can do stuff like lie in bed with the phone mounted above your face, and do reviews using the controller instead of having to raise your arms up to touch the buttons.
> With a controller you have tactile feedback and better ergonomics. Plus it's easier to stay focused if you're using the controller, since you won't just unconsciously swipe away into another app/window; all your buttons are bound to Anki actions, so unless you set the controller down, you're in Anki.
Thought that this could be the case :) maybe I'll give it a try someday
Do you make your own decks or do you download some existing ones, what do you put on it, etc.
I don't have any particular resources to share on this subject (but there is much discussion on /r/anki and /r/medicalschoolanki about it). Broadly I'd say that the most efficient way to use it is to use it consistently, but not to make it your one-and-only practice. It's passive practice, and it's useful for making sure you see idioms and words that might otherwise be uncommon, and it's extremely useful as a searchable database once you've built up your deck, but it can get tedious, and drilling works better as a complement to, rather than a substitution for, practical experience. The move is to limit yourself to ~30 min a day, and use the rest of the time you want to spend on languages for active engagement, like speaking/writing with other speakers of the language, or reading things you're interested in in the target language.
Would I trade this for a full-size at home? No, obviously not.
Please understand that I must bring Overcooked to every social function until the friend group falls apart.
This make hacking together a solution for niche use-cases a breeze.
The "Ultimate Bluetooth Controller" from 8BitDo apparently can wake up the switch, so it seems like a strange omission in all their other Switch compatible controllers.
Would it really be that expensive to include?
(Not sure about the N64-style controllers; I've never actually seen one of those in the wild)
Personally, I count the NES controllers as Joy-Cons, since they slot into the side of the system, as other Joy-Cons do. They don't fit in my Joy-Con charging dock or the Joy-Con grip that came with the system, though.
[1] https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...
[2] https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...
I really like 8BitDo for their Bluetooth hall-effect controllers[0]. It's a decent $70 and comes with a charging stand and 2.4G wireless adapter. I just wish that controller's analog sticks were both positioned on the bottom, like a PlayStation controller. The Steam Deck also has a symmetrical layout for analog sticks / buttons. I also wish 8BitDo controller had 4 back buttons like the Steam Deck.
PDP's Victrix Pro BFG controller[1] has the back buttons and configurable layout. Unfortunately, it lacks hall effect analog sticks and don't sell replacement analog sticks. The risk of permanent stick drift on a $180 controller is just too high IMO.
The PS5 Edge Pro controller[2] is an absurd $200, but at least the analog sticks are replaceable. I'd be tempted to buy it if it had 4 back buttons instead of 2.
I'm holding out for GuliKit's rumored PS5 controller[3]. They already make hall effect analog sticks for the Steam Deck & understand the desire for 4 back buttons. Fingers crossed.
[0] https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-ultimate-wireless-bl...
[1] https://pdp.com/products/ps5-pc-victrix-pro-bfg-controller
[2] https://www.playstation.com/en-us/accessories/dualsense-edge...
[3] https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2023/03/06/ps5-hall-eff...
I understand the business logic, but I wish the console manufacturers would allow more portability between them.
1) The thing is so small that it can fit in your pocket and you have it with you "all the time" to use with your phone/tablet/Switch console, whenever the mood strikes, even if you're away from home.
2) You have a cheap, perishable controller that you don't mind lending to visiting family/friends with small children who want to play your Switch console, but you're afraid they will break your $70 Switch Pro controller.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2013/08/30/impulse-bluetooth-c...
My day pack has a 8bitdo Lite 2 at I use ~1.5 times a month, which is a nice medium between this micro size & a regular controller size. It's very light & pretty thin, like a somewhat overwide pack of cards. I highly recommend it.
I've used the slightly larger 8BitDo Lite SE gamepad for that in the past, but a smaller unit with a nice d-pad would be nice.
(Assuming that it does in fact work with the Quest. Now I'm not sure..)
They do look good though!
You should try the 8BitDo Zero 2, should fit your needs. This also might work in one of those modes. I’d just buy it on Amazon so you can return it easily if it doesn’t.
That's a real struggle with any halfway-modern controller—there's so much to cram in that it's hard to make friendly to little hands. Even if you fit them on there, that's a lot of stretching.
The second challenge is that so many buttons and sticks and such confuse the hell out of kids that age.
The NES, with a real Nintendo NES (or NES Classic Edition) controller or credible knock-off, is probably the perfect place to start for very young kids. Only finger that needs to do anything on the left is the thumb, and it only needs to worry about a single D-Pad. Only finger on the right that needs to do anything is also the thumb, with just two action buttons to sort out (in almost all games—there are exceptions like Punch Out). Maybe some combos (hold-action-button-plus-direction-to-run in Mario) but they're minimal and rarely required to get started.
I remember being confused by and forgetting about all the extra buttons (those shoulder buttons!) on the SNES controller when I was just a little older than that, let alone any kind of modern controller.