Gaming keyboards are so 2010s. That's what ex-Razer developers at PLA Labs certainly think anyway, with plans to launch their new Alt Motion Controller to replace gaming keyboards the world over. Part keyboard, part gamepad, this gadget is designed to provide greater nuance in driving and fighting games which are notoriously difficult to play on keyboard where linear switches are the norm. It is also designed to be fast, responsive, and in many ways better for all sorts of competitive games.
That's the plan, at least.
The idea is to still play with a mouse for aiming, shooting, pointing and clicking, rotating turrets, and more, but the Alt Motion Controller would replace the keyboard. At least in your games. There are no keys for typing, but it has three joysticks which you push in different directions to achieve different goals. It's ambidextrous, and can be remapped to whatever game and controls you need it for.
Allegedly the controller can be learned very quickly, with intuitive movements making it quick to pickup and play from your first session -- although it may take a bit of relearning to get as good as you are with a keyboard. Particularly for games that use lots of hotkeys or macros.
Rocket League Controller Demo from Edward Larkin on Vimeo.
The PLA Labs Alt Motion Controller is coming later this year at will retail for around $250. That may make it a hard sell, but once a few pro gamers have had a go with it, it'll be interesting to see what it can do.