Irrespective of how exhausting I strive, my earn a living from home setup is rarely actually full. There’s all the time a brand new gadget or gadget that catches my eye, and when this occurs, I instantly start pondering up ways in which I can use it to do extra with fewer mouse clicks or keyboard shortcuts.
Whether or not it’s an previous monitor, a mini macro pad or perhaps a foot pedal, I really like developing with artistic methods to repurpose all types of various units to raised go well with my workflow. Though I exploit a mechanical keyboard and a trackball mouse all through my work day, there are simply by no means sufficient buttons to customise to my liking.
Apart from earn a living from home devices, I additionally love attempting out new controllers, maybe much more so than truly sitting down and clearing my backlog of video games. That is why after I noticed 8BitDo’s newest controller, I needed to try it out for myself.
Whereas the 8BitDo Micro is attention-grabbing sufficient in its personal proper with its completely tiny footprint of two.8 x 1.6 x 0.55 inches, the corporate additionally highlights its multitasking capabilities. Certain, a tiny controller may be excellent for on the go however one you could additionally use to get some work finished had me bought earlier than I even ordered it.
I’ve spent the final week testing out the 8BitDo Micro ($25, Amazon) and determining a approach to remap its 16 totally different buttons to reinforce my workflow. Whereas issues didn’t fully go as deliberate, I’ve now provide you with a configuration that lets me management my pc and my browser with only one hand.
A tiny controller, now with extra buttons
With its new Micro controller, 8BitDo has managed so as to add all the buttons you discover on one of many greatest Nintendo Swap controllers right into a pocket-sized gadget that weighs simply 24.8 grams. It’s lacking joysticks, however this was finished deliberately, because the controller itself was designed with 2D video games like platformers, puzzle video games and even old-school RPGs in thoughts.
Though there isn’t help for iOS or iPadOS, the 8BitDo Micro works out of the field with the Nintendo Swap, Android smartphones and tablets in addition to with the Raspberry Pi. In relation to gaming, the primary platform the 8Bitdo Micro doesn’t help is Home windows because it doesn’t ship with XInput help. Nevertheless, you need to use it on PC, simply not in the way in which that you’d with one of many greatest PC sport controllers — however extra on that later.
In the event you thought this was 8BitDo’s first foray into tiny controllers, you’d be mistaken because the Micro is definitely the corporate’s third miniature controller. It began with the 8BitDo Zero again in 2017, adopted by the Zero 2 that got here out alongside the Nintendo Swap Lite.
The 8BitDo Micro builds on the Zero 2 by including a USB-C port for charging and much more buttons. With L2 and R2 bumpers and an precise residence button, you not want to recollect key mixtures like urgent Choose and down on the D-pad on the similar time to return to the Swap’s residence display screen.
In my case although, I wished to take full benefit of all 16 of the 8BitDo Micro’s buttons to do much more on my PC than I at present can with my Elecom EG-X Professional trackball mouse. Whereas I may have used the Zero 2 to realize one thing comparable, the toggle on the underside of the 8BitDo Micro makes it so I haven’t got to press R and Begin each time I need to use the controller as a productiveness device.
Not only a controller
In contrast to the Zero 2, the 8BitDo Micro has a toggle on its underside that allows you to change between totally different modes. S mode enables you to apply it to the Swap, D mode is for Android because it makes use of DirectInput to attach, and Okay mode is for utilizing the controller like a keyboard.
Out of the field, the Micro’s buttons are already mapped to keys in your keyboard whereas the D-pad is mapped to the arrow keys. I’m not fairly positive why 8BitDo determined to map the buttons to arbitrary keys like R, M, O, H, G, I, J and S however as soon as I noticed them seem on my Home windows PC after connecting the controller to it through Bluetooth, I instantly noticed its potential as a productiveness device. Nevertheless, I would wish to remap all the buttons and the D-pad first.
With 8BitDo’s newer controllers, you possibly can customise them such as you would with reWASD by utilizing the corporate’s Final Software program. Though it’s accessible for PC, you have to use the Android or iOS model to configure the 8BitDo Micro. As I’ve additionally been testing out Walmart’s new Onn. 11 Pill Professional, I loaded up the app and set to work.
Remapping the 8BitDo Micro for my workflow
Since I deliberate on utilizing the 8BitDo Micro in my left hand with my proper hand resting on my mouse, I had initially wished to have its D-pad going through upwards. Nevertheless, as 8BitDo additionally features a wrist strap that goes on the left aspect of the controller, I needed to have the buttons going through upward as an alternative.
Arising with assignments for all 16 totally different buttons on the 8BitDo Micro took a bit of labor on my half, however I finally got here up with a plan. As I continuously use a number of desktops on Home windows all through my work day, one in every of my favourite Home windows keyboard shortcuts is Ctrl + Win + the left or proper arrow to maneuver between them. I wished to have this keyboard shortcut set to the left and proper buttons after which map the D-pad to the arrow keys for scrolling vertically and horizontally.
Whereas 8BitDo’s Final Software program is kind of strong, you don’t have full entry to all the keys on a keyboard when remapping the Micro. As a substitute, what you possibly can map is split between letters, operate keys, numbers, symbols and the keys on a numeric keypad. Though the Others part has all the arrow keys and Ctrl, it doesn’t have the Home windows key.
I believed the Key combos part may need what I used to be searching for however I used to be as soon as once more out of luck because it has Ctrl, Win, all the operate keys and letters however not the arrow keys. After a little bit of artistic pondering, I got here up with an answer.
Right here is how I remapped all 16 buttons on the Micro to keyboard shortcuts and different keys on my keyboard. To simply change between desktops utilizing the controller, I mapped R to Win + Tab to tug up Job View however I nonetheless wanted a approach to change between them. To do that, I mapped A to Tab, X and B to the left and proper arrow keys and Y to Enter to substantiate my choice.
There are a number of different Home windows and even a couple of Chrome keyboard shortcuts mapped to my Micro although. These embody Ctrl + N to open a brand new Chrome window, Ctrl + Tab and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to leap between tabs, Ctrl + T to open a brand new tab, Ctrl + W to shut a tab and what many think about to be the holy grail of Chrome keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl + Shift + T, to reopen beforehand closed tabs. As for Home windows keyboard shortcuts, I’ve Win + E to open a brand new File Explorer window.
Whereas sophisticated, I did discover a approach to make this tiny little controller do nearly every thing I wished it to. Nevertheless, should you’re studying this 8BitDo, please add arrow keys to the Key combos part of the Final Software program app.
The wi-fi macro pad I didn’t know I wanted
Now that I’ve obtained the 8BitDo Micro utterly arrange in keyboard mode, I’ve spent the previous few days utilizing it alongside all of my different work-from-home devices. Whereas I nonetheless depend on my belief keyboard mouse, I’ve discovered myself reaching for it to modify between desktops and tabs in Chrome. It has additionally been actually helpful for shortly opening new Chrome and File Explorer home windows and I’ve even used the D-pad to scroll via web sites and information articles.
The way in which that I work is probably going very totally different from your individual workflow. Nevertheless, whereas remapping the controller, I’ve additionally provide you with some methods to make use of it for various workflows.
For example, should you’re a digital artist and like drawing on one of many greatest tablets, you possibly can maintain your stylus in a single hand with the controller within the different. With 8BitDo’s Final Software program, you possibly can map repetitive actions to the controller like undo and even use the arrow keys to modify between layers. Likewise, video modifying is one other area the place keyboard shortcuts are sometimes used, and you’ll map the controllers buttons to insert keyframes or to have clips snap to sure factors in your timeline. The probabilities are nearly infinite.
Although I solely have a small, two-key macro pad that I exploit to regulate my PC’s quantity, it’s turn into an important device for me all through the day. I’ve considered upgrading to a bigger one with extra keys to customise, however now that I can do the identical factor with the 8BitDo Micro and use it wirelessly in addition, I’d maintain off on doing so.
Then again, I could cease utilizing my 8BitDo Micro as a productiveness device however even then, I can nonetheless use it as a really transportable controller for my Swap and even my OnePlus telephone. Nonetheless although, keyboard mode is a superb addition to 8BitDo’s newest tiny controller and who is aware of — they could do one thing comparable with the following model of their 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox. Now that might be one thing, an arcade stick you need to use as an enormous macro pad.