Glydr foot controller: a $299 pad that moves gaming to your feet

What is Glydr and how does it work?

Glydr is a customisable foot controller meant for games and everyday computer use. Warren tested it in Apex Legends, where he struggles with hand dexterity when toggling sprint and crouch on thumbsticks or reaching across a keyboard. Mapping those to his feet, he says, let him play for a long time and get tired of the game, not frustrated that his hands were too slow.

He argues that back paddles on Pro and Elite controllers still make your hands do the same work from a slightly handier spot. Glydr moves the load elsewhere.

Built to be kicked around

The body is aluminium, because the team wanted it heavy enough to stay put through hours of repetitive movement. It uses Hall effect sensors, which reduce drift and help it last. Rubber pads with tread work even if you wear shoes. It was designed with Create, a manufacturing studio in Taiwan. About 600 units are on the market, and Warren says only one has come back broken during play. Don't stand on it, he says, though he knows people will kick it.

Accessibility shaped the design. Early versions needed both feet, so Warren suggested making the pads run independently. The team worked with a professional Rocket League player with cerebral palsy, whose body is weaker on one side, so he could use one foot and one hand.

At conferences, Warren says, about 90 percent of sceptics who sit down and play come round within minutes.