Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Perfect FPS Controller?


mLani Studios is gearing up for a spring release for the MoBi, a wireless PlayStation 3 and PC controller that's one part mouse, one part analog stick.

The MoBi basically takes a PlayStation 3 controller and splits it in half. Movement is controlled by the analog stick on the bit held in the left hand, while a 2000 DPI, 500 megahertz laser mouse takes the place of the right analog stick. It's mouse and keyboard control, only without the pesky keyboard taking up all that room. Of course you'll still need a flat surface for the mouse, but that's what TV trays are made for. On a PC, the MoBi functions like any other laser mouse, with the WASD keys mapped to the analog stick on the left hand device.

It really sweet looking, and the concept is great, but will the price and actual performance of this thing make it worth buying? Im not sure. A normal controller is by far the most ergonomic way to interact with a game; using a mouse for hours on end can really stress you finger and hand muscles as many of my MMO dedicated friends will testify. But the other reality is, you just cant play Unreal 3 very well with a controller. The game is just too damn fast. It built from the ground up for M&K controls. So for fast, competetive online FPS games like Unreal 3, CoD4, and Killzone 2, this looks like it could be a very effective solution for PS3 owners, and a cool alternative for PC gamers.

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