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Comment by Zigurd | Hacker News Reader

This is supposed to be the "innovation?" A static, physical, printed-on-a-touchpad input system for a touch device?

This input device was made to seem cool in an ad. In the real world the reaction will be puzzlement over why these controls are not implemented on the screen, where visual feedback and reconfiguration of the controls is possible.

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Exactly. The whole point of a tablet is to show the buttons you need when you need them (and only then), without an external device taking up space whether you need it or not.

For a couple times the price of the static physical dedicated device, you could buy a second device and program the app to use that as expanded-screen input.

Exactly. The whole point of a tablet is to show the buttons you need when you need them (and only then), without an external device taking up space whether you need it or not.

What if I want the buttons available without taking up space on the screen whether I need it or not? The information density of a screen collapses in on itself when it is completely crowded out by control surfaces, so your very argument can be used as a counter-argument.

There are of course exceptions to every rule. A specialized controller might be suitable for a few applications. When talking on the scale of Microsoft and general-purpose tablets, the market for such specialized controllers are vanishingly small; great for a niche, but a paltry offering from a company in desperate need of mass appeal.

Completely agree. You're better off just having a second screen like the Nintendo DS.

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