Mini USB gamepad for those with small hands

by Christopher Grant { Sep 7th 2006 at 10:45AM }

Tell us this doesn't look exactly like that other mini folding USB gamepad we blogged back in February. There's only one way to crown a king in the battle for world's smallest portable USB gamepad ... a size off!

The USB Pocket GamePad measures 3.93x1.81x0.47 inches, and weighs only 0.07 pounds. Total volume: 3.34 cubic inches!
The Buffalo USB Micro-pad measures 3.93x1.85x0.47 inches, and weights only 0.11 pounds. Total volume: 3.42 cubic inches!

It was a close battle, but the cleverly-titled USB Pocket GamePad took the lead. As much as size matters, we'll concede there are other distinctions to be made. For example, the Buffalo comes in two varieties, one with the classic D-pad and another with a PSP-style thumb-nub (pictured above). But, uh, that's about it. Otherwise, we're talking about the same button arrangement, layout and, for the most part, ergonomics. So the real question is price and availability which, alas, we don't have for the Buffalo USB Micro-pad yet.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: Buffalo, controller, Gamepad, USB Micro-pad, UsbMicro-pad

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Brandon @ Sep 7th 2006 11:04AM

Not a bad idea, I'd use one if I played that many games on computer. Seems to lend itself nicely to emulating old games. For some reason, it remind me of GameBoy Advance Micro. Kind of the shape and design...

John @ Sep 7th 2006 11:05AM

lol what's it used for? pc games?

.ed @ Sep 7th 2006 11:10AM

i had a ps1 pad nearly identical to this in 1996, from china, made by a company called HSIduo.. thats 10 years ago.. the ONLY difference is the color, mine had a dpad instead of the joystick and the connector was proprietary but it came with a keychain and ps1 or joystick port cables...

seriously identical buttons and layout ...10 years ago.

it was ok then, i wouldnt ever be excited about this now.

Swifty @ Sep 7th 2006 11:12AM

Lol!! Don't you think thats bit too small for pc games? Woo my Comp now has handheld controls :P

32_Footsteps @ Sep 7th 2006 11:12AM

Well, it's good to see that someone out there are making products for smaller people. They go through enough as is in a world that isn't sized for them. It's not difficult and there's a reasonable market for miniature devices like this.

Now all we need are larger controllers for people that are taller and we'll be all set.

mykie @ Sep 7th 2006 11:14AM

I guess this would be for the mini-gaming fetishist, like the atari "keychain" from yesterday:

http://www.lowdown411.com/2006/09/retro-atari-2600-keychains.html

mykie @ Sep 7th 2006 11:17AM

32_footsteps

they already have a controller for larger-statured people.

Behold, the original xbox controller:
http://www.insomnimania.org/gallery/albums/gamez0rz/week0_inspiration.jpg

32_Footsteps @ Sep 7th 2006 11:23AM

Heh, someone came along and completed the joke faster than I had anticipated.

In all seriousness, taller people have such a hard time finding good controllers outside of the Duke. I won't even get into handhelds - the sole reason I bought a DS the day it came out was because I wanted a backlit system that played GBA games, and the GBA SP was too small and gave me hand cramps after about 5 minutes of usage.

Probably the worst drawback of the thinking that video games are for kids is that not enough products are built for those of us who are much larger than most kids. To be honest, I wonder how anyone over 6'3" could play most video games without having the worst case of carpal tunnel ever.

Steve Roger @ Sep 7th 2006 11:30AM

Wow, 7 million subscribers. Another million lemmings just went over the edge.

Michael @ Sep 7th 2006 11:36AM

@32_Footsteps:

I am 6'3" and, after playing video games on consoles and computers for most of my life, have severe joint problems.

Frankly, the original XBox controller was the most comfortable for me (though the XBox 360 controller comes in a close second). My hands get all numb or cramped up playing with these controllers made for smaller-handed children (or Japanese people). The most uncomfortable for me is the PS2 controller. Probabaly why I don't play my PS2 much, sadly.

C. Grant @ Sep 7th 2006 11:48AM

I'm 6'4" and have no problem with the current crop of controllers. Maybe I just have small hands.

Dignan17 @ Sep 7th 2006 11:55AM

Wow, nobody sees the real use for this? It's not designed for you desktop at home, it's supposed to be portable.

I bought one of the previous folding gamepads (before the Joystiq article, actually), and I keep it in my laptop bag at all times. I only need one miniUSB cable for this and other devices I take around with me. I use it for emulators all the time.

There might be one advantage to the Buffalo version, though. If it comes with software (mine didn't), presumably you'll have use of all the buttons. If you merely plug mine in, Windows's built in joystiq configuration doesn't see the two buttons to the right of the D-pad. It sees all the others, though.

Art Guy @ Sep 7th 2006 12:01PM

I hate small controllers, they hurt my hands. Why doesn't any third party make larger controllers rather than smaller ones?

The Duke is definately one of the most comfortable controllers I've ever used, but the 360 controller is overall my current favorite with the button layout and size.

I can't even use the GameCube for more than 30 minutes at a time because of how small everything is. If they had made a bigger GameCube controller I would have played more games on it. As is, I never even finsihed ANY of my GameCube titles because of how badly the controller was designed. Just the thought of trying to hit the Z Button or trying to use those miniscule analog sticks makes my hands cramp up.

32_Footsteps @ Sep 7th 2006 12:09PM

I'm only 6' even, and even I occasionally have issues. My hands are small for my height, but I still have issues with some controllers.

One thing that makes it worse is that taller people are more likely to have joint problems - it's a side effect to having such large joints and having more mass to support on them.

There are certainly some (like Chris Grant) that can hold current controllers/handhelds without a problem. There are some, like me, that restrict themselves a bit and also learn techniques to ease the tension (I personally keep a very soft grip on any controller, but this is a bit of a balancing act at times). But Michael's problem is something I've seen all too often.

One thing that doesn't help is that the most reputable peripheral manufacturers typically just copy the first-party sizes, making it a pain for us to find something that fits. Even if you have to order it online, there should be a reliable controller to fit larger hands readily available.

Truth is, smaller people (like the Little People of America) have similar problems, although the recent trend towards shrinking all electronics mitigates this somewhat. I note that my 5-year old nephew (even though he's big for his age, is only about 3 feet tall) has his own PS2 controller sized for him, so there are options for those with less stature.

Of course, there's still specialty controllers to consider. DDR pads have long been sized for only a certain size range. Though with the success of Guitar Hero comes another controller that is too large or small for some.

MaHe @ Sep 7th 2006 1:49PM

I own Logitech's Cordless Rumblepad 2 myself and I don't have a reason to use anything else. Simply put, it's probably the best PC/Mac oriented game controller out there. Even the response times are on the level of the cord-based ones. And besides it has a button to quickly switch between the D-PAD mode or the analog stick mode.
And the software which can tailor just ANY piece of software to suit your needs (yes, even Notepad!). There's lots more, but point being - I have still relatively small hands, but the damn things sits flush in them (and in the bigger hands as well). I even carry it to my grandpa's/friend's and frankly, portability has never been a problem. Maybe the only thing that sucks about it is that the analog stick's field of movement is limited is square-ish, but that's about it. In my opinion, a perfect controller. I don't want to have anything else, and especially that one with the ability to fold looks pretty bad...

Regards, MaHe

P.S.: I haven't tried out the XB360 controller yet, so I cannot compare these two...

blau @ Sep 7th 2006 2:23PM

This would rock with 2 gigs of flash in it mmmmmmm

DannyHibiki @ Sep 7th 2006 6:16PM

They already made these for the PS2 like four years ago.

epobirs @ Sep 7th 2006 10:31PM

This could be kind of cool to tuck away in a laptop bag, esepcially in conjunction with a Gametap account.

What it remainds me of is the original Amiga joystick. The company had a line of game controllers to raise money while designing the Amiga (nee Lorraine) chipset. It was tiny, a precursor to the D-pads that would appear a few years later.