The classic keyboard and mouse setup is a tried-and-true staple of gaming, but it means there are two other appendages slacking off under the desk – your feet. Gaming brand MSI is now launching the Liberator, a programmable foot pedal that can be used for any action in any game.
The Liberator has three buttons within easy reach of a foot resting on it. The main input is a big flat panel under the ball of your foot, while two bumper keys can be hit by flexing your foot left or right. MSI says the response time is a zippy 100 milliseconds. Open Switch And Closed Switch
The Liberator runs through PC software that lets users assign each of those three buttons to different actions in games or other programs. They can even be assigned macros – single-button shortcuts to replace longer chains of button presses, like combos in fighting games.
Some of MSI’s suggestions include using the Liberator as an accelerator in driving games, a push-to-talk button in chat apps like Discord, to snap screenshots, or tapping the left or right buttons to lean out of cover in shooters. The pedal could also come in handy in video, audio or image editing programs, or for coding.
The device is weighted to keep it on the floor, and covered in a tread pattern to keep your foot from sliding around. It’s angled at a comfortable eight degrees, and the button caps can be switched out depending on the size of a user’s foot. And of course, no PC gaming accessory is complete without being covered in gaudy RGB LEDs, even if this one will spend its whole working life hidden under your desk.
Up to four Liberators can be linked together, giving users a buffet of up to 12 extra buttons to play with. How you’d navigate four pedals blindly is another question, but we can see having one for each foot being a fun setup.
An established company like MSI turning to Kickstarter to launch a fairly safe product like this seems a bit weird, but the campaign page says the company challenged the product team to “generate pre-sales and to connect and build a community of excited fans.”
Foot Operated Switch If you’re still on board, Kickstarter pledges start at US$159 for one Liberator, or $279 for a two-pack. The campaign has already raised over $120,000, far surpassing its modest $5,000 goal, with 25 days remaining. If all goes to plan, shipping should begin this December.