In fact it eliminates the need to hold a controller entirely, just like the iPhone and iPad free users of mice and styluses.

ENGADGET: Switched On: Token gestures

As a general rule, styluses that are compatible with the latest gear will have a soft tip that gives slightly when you apply pressure.

WSJ: Putting Pen to Tablet: Using a Stylus With an iPad or iPhone

Some tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Note, have their own proprietary styluses, but we looked at models that will work with a range of devices.

WSJ: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Swipe

Different from Wacom's capacitive Bamboo Styluses available for iPad, iPhone and other touchscreens, the Bamboo Stylus feel delivers a powerful combination of "active" pen and sensor technology for a digital pen experience that emulates the feel of a traditional ball-point pen or pencil.

ENGADGET: Wacom outs the Bamboo Stylus Feel for adequately equipped devices, ships January 7th from $40

Most are simple designs, essentially a pen with a rubber tip that mimics the conductive property and shape of a fingertip. (Steer clear of styluses with fine, hard plastic tips, which are designed for older gadgets like the PalmPilot and won't work with today's touch screens).

WSJ: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Swipe

As OEMs also look to implement more flexible input options for consumers, the Synaptics ClearPad 3400 allows simultaneous pen and finger touch recognition, passive pen tracking with pinpoint accuracy, and linearity and jitter control that functions with any number of fingers and styluses as small as 2mm.

ENGADGET: Synaptics launches a pair of mobile touchscreens at MWC 2013