Once upon a time the joystick was the king of any serious gaming setup, but with the decline of the flight simulator genre, and the raise to glory of more user-friendly but less immersive control schemes, the old dear flight sticks have been phased out from the desk of all but the most hardcore gamers.

Piranha Games is now developing MechWarrior Online, and no self-respecting Mech pilot would ever aim his Autocannons with a mouse, let alone a Xbox 360 controller. That's why the developer partnered with Razer to create something a little more fitting: The Razer Artemis.

While the Artemis is just a concept for now, so we know nothing of release dates, pricing and availability, it's hard to deny its charms. It combines a force feedback Joystick, a mechanical keypad and an integrated screen to display vital information like maps and gauges.

Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President of Razer USA released a statement:

The original MechWarrior PC game franchise was a formative milestone for my gaming growing up. When it was announced that a new MechWarrior Online was in the works, Razer was more than excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Piranha Games and Infinite Game Publishing. We’re going to bring our own take to a concept controller that will pave the way for a new generation of robot destruction.

Russ Bullock, President of Piranha Games added:

It is my pleasure to work with Razer in designing an exclusive MechWarrior Online gaming peripheral. MechWarrior Online is a title that fans have been waiting a long time for, and allowing them the best peripheral options from the highest quality partners like Razer is something we’re excited to offer. Fans of MechWarrior know how important precision controls are for their Mechs and we think this is going to be a great option for them.

I seriously doubt that this lovely piece of Inner Sphere tech will be highly affordable, but honestly I don't really care. Please just take my money already.