Gmenu idea: analog sticks for radial menus

[Gilrad]

So it was brought to my attention at the ubuntu thread, that the analog sticks could be used for radial menus. Here's my take on it:

Left-stick: context sensitive menu sets
right-stick: system menu, multitasking, and 'start menu'

So say you're in the gmenu file browser. Your left stick could then bring up the following tree:
Go
--up
--back
--forward
--to...
----folder A
------folder a
------folder b
----folder B
----More folders... (in the case of say 10+ folders)
File... (for when a file/folder is selected
--Cut
--Copy
--Paste
--Rename
--Move
----up
----to... (etc)
Bookmarks
--Bookmark folder 1
----bookmark 1
View
--Icon size
(etc)


The right stick, however, could bring up more system-like options, such as...
Tasks...
--Task 1 (change to)
--Task 2
--Task options
----Task 1
------Kill
------Force to front
System configuration
--Audio
--Video
--GUI
My Menu
--Games
----PSX emulator
----GBA emulator
----Bob's Game
--Apps
----Notepad
(etc)

To enter subtrees, you could either hold your analog stick fully extended in the correct direction for a moment, or you could use the L/R buttons to click into them.
To enter the radial menus from any program, you could press the Pandora button (or whatever button it is people decided the 'drop everything and enter the OS' button was), where the program would freeze, and your analog sticks and L/R buttons would be given control over the app. While I'm sure most programs would have a way to manually freeze it so you can multitask, it would be useful to have an override in case the program is misbehaving.

What are your thoughts? I don't expect it to replace all menus, though it can make things like file navigation and manipulation, multitasking, and simple actions pretty easy, I think.

 

[fischju]

A great idea

 

[PokeParadox]

I will mention this to Ryo, although I do think this may be a future addition rather something prepared for launch.

 

[Vorporeal]

That's a fairly inefficient way of using dual-analog radial menus though.

Have the first analog used open a radial menu to select another menu, which you navigate through and choose an item from using the second analog. The user could choose which is the "first stick". If the other stick was used first, it could just pull up a file/edit type menu (or a nested file/edit type menu).

It gives many more options. This could be used to have a group of menus on the first stick - system, shortcuts to programs, etc.

 

[Gilrad]

So you're saying the inactive analog stick could be used to navigate deeper into the menu trees? I like it!

Of course, whatever stick you use first could still bring up either the 'conext-sensitive' menu set or the general menu set.

All in all, I think this would be a very unique and (if done correctly) intuitive way to navigate menus.