Stinkyboard Lets You Play with Your Feet

[IanDavis]

Stinkyboard Lets You Play with Your Feet

A new footboard peripheral puts extra buttons at your feet.

Lets face it: your feet have better things to do. Right now, all they do is sit under your desk, threatening your life with deep vein thrombosis. SteLuLu Technologies intends to give your limbs new purpose with the charmingly-named [a href=http://www.stinkyboard.com/]Stinky Footboard[/a], a controller for your feet. The idea isn't just to give you more buttons to press, but to let you press more at a time. A PC device, it uses software to translate toe taps to keyboard commands, just like those [a href=http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga]massive gaming mice[/a].

Chalk up another invention made possible by crowdfunding. After a [a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/289858283/stinky-the-gaming-footboard-step-up-your-game]successful Kickstarter[/a], SteLuLu Technologies raised almost $80,000 to get its company off the ground. It farmed out a few units to various publications for quotes, with the most honest one coming from Maximum PC's Paul Lilly, stating that the product is "potentially brilliant." While they've yet to announce the actual release of the product, Kickstarter backers could score a Stinky for a $99 pledge, with an estimated delivery time of July 2013.

Games with lots of buttons that demand quick reflexes might see most of the benefit from this odd add-on. Instead of fumbling for item keys, a MOBA player could simply slug a potion with a tap of his foot. While it might not become a standard PC peripheral, it might find appeal in the right crowd. Also the idea of combining it with an Oculus Rift seems too good to pass up.

Source: [a href=http://www.stinkyboard.com/]Stinkyboard[/a]

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[mixadj]

This is new? They have had foot pedal boxes available for secretaries for years and I regularly find them in pawn shops for cheap. Granted those things are ugly as mud and use old PS/2 5 pin din connectors but this seems like the same thing repackaged with a shiny plate on top.....

 

[Waaghpowa]

Personally I'd think that this would be pretty awkward to use, but based on some articles from people who are using it. Some of the articles I've read from people using it seem to say that they couldn't believe how they lived without it.

For a hundred bucks? I'd consider it.

 

[templar1138a]

I'd have to unlearn over a decade of hand training, but I could see myself using that to replace WASD. If I could do that, then I'd be able to take advantage and more easily execute difficult acrobatic moves that require you to move while pressing at least two other buttons.

 

[MasterProcrastinator]

Props on the thumbnail.

 

[Revolutionary]

Kind of cool, I mean I'd never actually use it. But if people want to use it then more power to them.

 

[Alfador_VII]

I only clicked on this because of the thumbnail. Nice work guys!

As for the product itself, not really interested at all

 

[Smooth Operator]

Could probably function as a WASD/arrow key replacement, but they are asking $120 for a 4 button controller... that is beyond absurd, not to mention how large loud and clunky it is.

Sure I would try something like this once it's done properly, this plainly isn't.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I'd have to unlearn over a decade of hand training, but I could see myself using that to replace WASD. If I could do that, then I'd be able to take advantage and more easily execute difficult acrobatic moves that require you to move while pressing at least two other buttons.

That's what I was thinking. It's a cool idea to replace WASD but it depends on the game; it might not work too well on something with heavy platforming but on something like a Fallout game (where you spend a lot of time exploring environments) that would be great.

Don't know if I'll kickstart for it but if it comes out well, I might buy one.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

I like the idea, very much so.

I don't like the name, though. Not at all.

 

[antipunt]

eww eww ewww ewwwww!

Imagine how fast it'll get dirty D:

/ocd rant