The idea of using a thumbstick with buttons instead of keyboard is not new and there are many products offering just that. Tivitas Interactive attempts to provide something new with their Sinister controller which is modular and provides haptic feedback. The device is advertised to have a high quality haptic feedback, which should feel better than a simple rumble. While this feature sounds interesting, the final quality will depend on the in-game support.

The adaptive capabilities of the controller are the most interesting ones. The buttons and the thumbstick sit on several platforms, which can be detached to put them in another place. The ability to do it at any time, even while playing a game may make this feature useful, as trying multiple possible configurations will be fast. The whole controller itself can also change shape to fit the grip of the hand. Finally, two hardware switches allow selecting how the PC will recognise and treat the controller – as the gamepad or as a keyboard. That allows the controller to have full functionality without additional drivers. The Sinister Controller is currently in early development and the developers ask for $100 thousand CAD in financing in a month. The idea looks promising at the moment and it will be interesting to see how well the final product will work.