Say microsoft brought out a controller for the pc which you hold in your left hand, kinda like a xbox 360 controller chopped in half.

No...cause you need all the keys on the keyboard to control functions like switching weapons, reloading, melee, grenades, scores, objectives, commands, use, etc.

I got a gaming keyboard and its pretty sweet so no thanks.

If a PC game has situations where you might need to walk, they generally have keys bound to walking or walking is context sensitive. In most cases, walking is useless, you just run around like an idiot. Personally I don't think an analog stick and a mouse would be all that intuitive.

um, no.

Give up the keyboard for the sake of walking? No, no I wouldn't. Just get a gamepad if you want to play like that.

I think that idea is awesome, but then again that's only because I'm primarily a console gamer so I think that product would have no real market to sell to.

I've thought of this a few times before, but I don't know how it'd work.

I guess your idea would be possible, be kinda weird holding your left hand up and your right on a desktop. Plus like he said,  when my hand is at WASD there are probably 15-20 keys I can hit hella fast.

I've always imagined just having an analog stick right where your WASD would be, but it'd still be odd because you walk with keys using your fingers and with a stick you use your thumb.

I dunno, even though you can easily use a 360 pad for anything that suits it, in shooters that is the one thing that consoles have over PC on controls.

I imagine it would be almost impossible to get a full transition going, but it would have to be an entirely new kind of controller really. Keyboards are still the same thing they always were, something to type with.
It works pretty darn well as a controller in a lot of cases, but it isn't designed to be one.

Now the mouse isn't either I admit, but I don't know of any other way to get that kind of speed and precision.

Oh, look at this, http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/10/belkin-readies-hybrid-gaming-keyboard.

*edit* Nevermind, I guess that's just an 8-way D-pad with a stick on top, not real analog.

Either way, even if it was real, I doubt I'd buy it unless there was some new must have game that was using thumbstick + mouse control as some integral feature/gimmick.

Analog movement would be nice, but it doesn't seem like a game changer.

Na I wouldn't use it, the only games i have a problem with using a keyboard and mouse are racing games, if a game had the option of walking then simply pressing and holding down Ctrl while moving would work fine.

I don't only use the keyboard for WASD it has a lot of other useful buttons too. The idea is interesting though.

What about a keyboard with pressure sensitive WASD buttons? Would that work?

Sounds like a Wii.......


No, because I like being able to type while playing PC games.

Thumbs up for the pressure sensitive WASD keys..

Hmm...Reminds me of this. 

Hmmm, no because you need all the other keys.  But a console style analogue stick in place of WASD keys woudn't be too bad (the layout could be changed obviously.)