What is a macro keypad?
Is something like this:
What can a macro keypad do?
You use it as a configurable set of buttons, assigning keyboard shortcuts or commands to be triggered when a button is pressed.
e.g.: a button can act as a copy/paste shortcut instead of doing Ctrl+C/V, open a web browser, and many more other things.
And in VAM?
In VAM, you can set keybindings for a global use with the session plugin Keybindings, and a scene use with the scene plugin Simple Keybind. Maybe other plugins exist, IDK.
Using a macro keyboard when playing VAM in VR
This is the scenario that I would like to explore more about.
I only play VAM in VR, currently using a lot of passthrough and the ocasional bigger accessory. I'm often looking for immersion experience improvements, and one thing that breaks it, especially at some crucial moments, is having to grab my controller, find the UI, aim well to trigger the button even if it's at an awkward angle from my position, to finally trigger what I want. Uffff...
Speech recognition could be an option, but it's a chore to get it right, to configure to scenes, to work consistently, and I would feel a little silly doing this
So I was thinking that for now, a macro keypad could be a decent compromise. It's reliable, it's small enough to put somewhere out of the way but within reach, and pressing a button barely "takes you out" of what's happening.
I'm currently exploring this option, will post more about it soon.
What about you? Do you use macro keyboards in VAM? What about other ways to trigger things in scenes without using the controller or have to hold it?