> The happy hacking keyboard has a variant with a trackpoint, but it’s hardly ergonomic and is missing various modifiers.
I'd like that too. I've seen a few other split custom keyboards that offer options for a trackpoint, ball or game controller thumb stick in the thumb panel position of a split. I think I recall seeing something like that as an option on a Moonlander keyb but it may have been someone's custom add-on or a mock-up. I think the reason there's not a standardized add-on is that the case edge geometry of these ergo splits varies so much between models.
Over the years I've purchased a few small, standalone modules with a ball or stick to put in the middle between the split halves - and I've seen lots of photos of people doing the same. I never use them very long. While they kind of work, the control needs to be tucked in close right near the thumb and it also needs to be attached to that side of the split so it moves as a unit.
Another complication is that I think a lot of us like granular control over tilt angles and that means the 'leaf' holding the thumb control needs to fit into the overall adjustable angle scheme so it can be secured at an ideal angle and distance offset below the main panel. And 'ideal' will vary per user hand size, mobility and preference.
As a related aside, I recently learned there are now high-end game controller thumb sticks which have adjustable height and stops. This isn't just telescoping stick height above the ball but actually moving the entire ball up and down inside the controller. On some models it can be changed in-place by turning the outer ring surrounding the stick clockwise or counter-clockwise.
I'd like that too. I've seen a few other split custom keyboards that offer options for a trackpoint, ball or game controller thumb stick in the thumb panel position of a split. I think I recall seeing something like that as an option on a Moonlander keyb but it may have been someone's custom add-on or a mock-up. I think the reason there's not a standardized add-on is that the case edge geometry of these ergo splits varies so much between models.
Over the years I've purchased a few small, standalone modules with a ball or stick to put in the middle between the split halves - and I've seen lots of photos of people doing the same. I never use them very long. While they kind of work, the control needs to be tucked in close right near the thumb and it also needs to be attached to that side of the split so it moves as a unit.
Another complication is that I think a lot of us like granular control over tilt angles and that means the 'leaf' holding the thumb control needs to fit into the overall adjustable angle scheme so it can be secured at an ideal angle and distance offset below the main panel. And 'ideal' will vary per user hand size, mobility and preference.
As a related aside, I recently learned there are now high-end game controller thumb sticks which have adjustable height and stops. This isn't just telescoping stick height above the ball but actually moving the entire ball up and down inside the controller. On some models it can be changed in-place by turning the outer ring surrounding the stick clockwise or counter-clockwise.