Hardware Startup Pixelpaw Labs Shows Off “Phase” Split Game Controller That Doubles As a Mouse

Gaming has largely been split into two camps: mouse-and-keyboard gamers and controller gamers, and while devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and the new Joy-Cons on the Nintendo Switch 2 blur those lines, the Phase project, recently shown off by a new startup called Pixelpaw Labs, is attempting to blur those lines even further. The Phase is a split game controller that combines using magnets and pogo pin connectors to become a standard PC mouse. The goal behind the project is to “bridge the gap between a mouse, a mobile gamepad, and a controller,” all in one device that can be carried with you when you might do both work and play away from home. Phase has not yet launched, although Pixelpaw Labs aims to launch the project as a Kickstarter, and it is currently offering a $20 refundable pre-launch deposit, which also guarantees a 15% discount when the Phase launches on Kickstarter. Kickstarter launch pricing is slated to start at $159 or $188 with the Phasegrip accessory.

Given that this is Pixelpaw Labs’s first product and the fact that there is an inherent risk to Kickstarters, it would be impertinent to not mention that there is non-zero chance that the project never makes it to production. That said, the design and concept are interesting, as are some of the workarounds that the designers behind the project came up with for some unexpected problems. For one, the Phase doesn’t have a scroll wheel when the two controller halves are in mouse mode—instead, the whole left click button is a touch-sensitive surface. The mouse connects wirelessly or via USB-C while in mouse mode, and it features a 16,000 DPI sensor—likely something like the PixArt PMW 3389 or PAW 3335, both of which are commonly found in gaming mice, even if they are somewhat outdated.

The Phase’s Gamepad mode features a typical layout with ABXY buttons and a joystick on the right hand and a joystick and d-pad on the left controller. Both controllers also have a shoulder button and a trigger, and the ergonomics seem very reminiscent of something like the Nintendo Wii Nunchuks, except with more controls. The Phase will have 2.4 GHz, with 1 kHz polling, and Bluetooth wireless connectivity in the Gamepad and mouse modes, and Pixelpaw Labs is promising customization of the controls in a custom driver software, replete with a customizable layer button on the controllers that allow you to map things like system controls to the controller without losing any other buttons. Pixelpaw Labs says it is also working on a product called the Phasegrip, which is a docking solution for the controllers that will operate the same way as a mobile controller for mobile gaming.