Controller

The PlayStation DualShock controller has kept the same basic shape for over 20 years now, but they can be hard for kids to wrap their little hands around. Hori has unveiled the Mini Wired Gamepad, a licensed PS4 controller with a child-friendly form factor and a pocket-money price tag.

Microsoft just announced new hand controllers for its mixed reality VR headsets. They appear similar to Oculus Touch and HTC Vive controllers, except they don’t require any external sensors, beacons or cameras. They will be offered as part of an affordable VR bundle by the end of the year.

What if you could turn any real-world item into a VR prop? With HTC Vive's new Tracker accessory, it's possible to do just that. In an effort to jump-start its applications, HTC is giving away 1,000 free Trackers to Vive developers and creatives.

The new generation of iOS-friendly Gamevice controllers hits the market this month. The updated versions are lighter, Lightning-connected, and no longer need a battery of their own, instead running off the iDevice's power.

​Normally you’d keep your controllers as far from water as possible, but Microsoft has unveiled one for the pool. While people in the Northern Hemisphere are more likely to snuggle up with the Xbox Onesie for now, Australian gamers can now play at the beach with the Inflatable Xbox One S Controller.

A console that can transition between big-screen play at home and on-the-go gaming is great in theory, but does it hold up in practice? After a few hands-on hours with the Nintendo Switch, we can confirm that it is as cool as it looks – but it probably won’t solve some of Nintendo’s chronic issues.

From follow-me offerings to high-end professional drones with specially designed screens, there are a huge number of different takes on how to keep your drone in the sky. The latest comes from XDynamics, which has created the world's first dual-screen controller for its Evolve camera drone.

2016 has been another strong year for envelope-pushing musical instrument innovation. Each year it gets harder to choose favorites, but there have been a few products, creations and ideas that simply jumped out from the stack of contenders. Read on for our pick of the year's best music-making gear.

​​We’ve played a lot of video games in our time, but Objects In Space is the first we’ve had to start one with a key. With huge panels of LEDs, buttons and switches, the game deliberately slows down the pace of space dogfights and tasks the player with micromanaging their ship’s systems.

To try and make up for dehumanizing modern music by creating the LM1 drum machine in the 1980s, Roger Linn developed the an expressive interface called the LinnStrument. Now the electronic instrument designer has created a smaller and more affordable version called the LinnStrument 128.​

Sony has announced some chunky new third-party PS4 controllers from Razer and Nacon, designed specifically for the eSports crowd with added buttons, triggers, profiles, and a decidedly more Xbox look about them.

If you're looking for a digital music interface that lets the audience see what you're up to, has the sensitivity and playability of an acoustic instrument and doesn't require a university education to play, all of these boxes, and more, are ticked by the Mune.