Gamepad keyboard (again)

Controller keyboard idea! I need to write up the rest of this, but the new thought here is: screw the optimization for now (I know, I know, it seemed really important) and instead focus on picking some layout, setting it up, and testing it out. Just settle for a DualShock 4, and figure out if there’s a portable mapping thing, ideally that’s plug-and-play?

I’m starting to get tired wrists, and anything is probably an improvement over what I’ve got right now.

But don’t do it right now, you’ve got work to do.

Some recent ideas:

• DS4 means two triggers per hand. Oh well! Three can come later (and unfortunately, the SteamDeck is really fatiguing for the rear triggers).
• Is it better for “layers” to be per-hand (i.e. left thumb only impacts left triggers)? Or should each thumb position on each hand shift to a totally distinct layer across all trigger buttons?
  • Pros for per-hand: seems a little more fluid, you can be moving one hand into position while the other is typing something. Also might be easier to get the hang of how different positions generalize to different things.
  • Pros for global layers: exponentially more buttons available. With 6 “slots” per thumb, you get 12 * 4 = 48 distinct keys. And maybe you allow some repeats or something.
• D-pad still makes sense as arrow keys, I think.
• Maybe L3 is Shift, and the face buttons are global layer switches (e.g. one of them puts you in numbers mode, then left stick lets you do layers and Shift still, one of them gives you function/top-row keys, maybe one is where we stick open/close brackets?)
• Could also have A -> Return, B -> Esc, X -> Tab or something?
• If L3 is Shift, R3 is probably Space.
• I was thinking that there could be “home row” keys if you don’t have any thumbstick pointed anywhere, but maybe those should be for mouse usage instead (left mouse, right mouse, maybe scrolling stuff or Mouse3/4?)
• I do quite like the SteamDeck scrollypad thing.