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.