This gaming mouse splits in two and becomes a Joy-Con-style controller

[midian182]

First look: It's one of the longest-running conundrums of PC gaming: mouse-and-keyboard or controller? One company is trying to go the "why not both" route – in a sense – by creating a mouse that splits in two and can be used as a Joy-Con-style controller.

Called Phase, the device is startup Pixelpaw Labs' first product. It's being advertised as bridging the gap between a mouse, a controller, and a mobile gamepad.

The Phase is essentially a split controller that uses magnets and pogo-pin connectors to lock together and become a standard gaming mouse.

This design has the drawback of not being able to add a scroll wheel to the mouse. That would be pretty unacceptable for most users these days, so as an alternative, the entire clickable left side of the mouse is a touch-sensitive surface – just swipe to scroll.

The Phase's mouse mode also features a 16,000 DPI sensor along with wireless or wired (USB-C) connectivity. Meanwhile, a pairing button lets users connect Phase to up to three devices.

Pull the two pieces apart, and the Phase turns into its controller mode. This features a D-pad, face buttons, thumb sticks, and shoulder buttons – it's very Nintendo-like.

Other features include customizable controls and something Pixelpaw Labs is calling Layers. This allows users to assign a secondary function to every button on the Phase.

In both mouse and controller modes, Phase can link wirelessly to devices via Bluetooth or the included 2.4GHz dongle, the latter of which promises a 1,000Hz polling rate. It's compatible with Windows, iOS, Android, and Linux.

The company is also working on Phase Grip. These grips hold the Phase in its controller form and attach it to a smartphone, turning it into a controller for mobile games.

Pixelpaw Labs intends to launch the Phase as a Kickstarter project. It's certainly not cheap: $159, or $188 if you also want the Phase Grip accessory. That's about what you'd pay for some of the most high-end competitive mice on the market. But if you're determined, you can pay a $20 refundable pre-launch deposit that will give you 15% off the price when the Kickstarter launches.

While the concept is interesting, the Phase does look like a hard sell, especially at that $159 price. Being able to function as two or three different devices won't count for much if they all feel inferior to cheaper accessories already on the market. But maybe Pixelpaw Labs will surprise us. Let's see what happens with the Kickstarter.

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This gaming mouse splits in two and becomes a Joy-Con-style controller

 

[NumberNine]

That looks fun to clean.

 

[CMP01]

That looks fun to clean.

Isn't that the case for most gaming mice these days?
Not a huge surprise it might be so for something innovative like this but of course time will tell on if it's actually good or not.

I've run with Razer's Naga Pro and Viper Ultimate the last few years, which have done me proud and are also easy to clean (alcohol wipe once a week, when I dust the desk aso) I'll probably stick with them in some use or another until they die, which is inevitable eventually. Otoh I increasingly see gaming mouse designs that are literally full of holes and it's a no on that score whatever pros they might have elsewhere.

No scroll wheel here would be an issue for me though re the mouse part. They could've finagled it, offset or something, but then it would've been a one side only mouse instead of the ambidextrous design it's symmetry implies. Fortunately I'm a righty but my gf is a lefty and would hate not having an ambi option as well as no scroll wheel even if a mouse that is also joycons would totally win on cool points (especially if it comes in white or pink...)