deskthority

Please suggest nominees for the Best other (non-keyboard) human interface device in 2013. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion. It is not a requirement that the device was released in 2013. If you think a vintage device was the best, you can suggest it.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):

• RollerMouse Free2
• IBM Trackpoint
• Leap Motion
• Steam Controller
• Oculus rift
• Wacom Cintiq 13HD
• Wacom Cintiq Companion
• Kinect

Not new in 2013, but still the thing best to put the graphical pointer somewhere: RollerMouse Free2

Trackpoint (IBM) - the only way you could stay at homerow and move the cursor comfortable.

Leap Motion.
https://www.leapmotion.com/

Even though its not very useful for tasks as browsing (as it extremely sensitive and sometimes gets confused), it already has been used to control drones with hand gestures among other things. It is not a mouse replacement (not yet at least) but it is really promising.

Is that leapy thingi out of phantasy status and a real product now?

Its real and available

Steam controller, for reinventing (trying to) the joypad

Nagging a gamer friend to pick up some of those. I've been useless on consoles since thumb sticks became standard equipment.

No love for other input devices?

Oculus rift... not sure if it can be defined an input device, it's actually more output than input but of course it has motion sensors so it gets some input too.

matt3o wrote:Oculus rift... not sure if it can be defined an input device, it's actually more output than input but of course it has motion sensors so it gets some input too.

The motion sensors are only there to direct how the output should be formed - it does not affect the business logic of Oculus Rift applications, which is what proper input devices are for.

However, if the category would have been "Best other user interface device 2013", then it would have been eligible. Maybe we could consider having it changed the next year?

Also Wacom Cintiq 13HD http://www.wacom.com/en/us/creative/cintiq-13-hd
and
Wacom Cintiq Companion http://cintiqcompanion.wacom.com/CintiqCompanion/en/

edit: I may also add the spacepilot pro http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/spacepilot-pro.html

Findecanor wrote:However, if the category would have been "Best other user interface device 2013", then it would have been eligible. Maybe we could consider having it changed the next year?

I'll just add it and voters can make up their own mind in round 2.

Kinect i guess.. it sparked a lot of interesting custom projects.