A handheld input apparatus comprising: a body portion; a spoke plate fastened within the body and having multiple spokes (1304a-1304c) that extend radially from a center of the spoke plate toward an interior surface of the body, each of said spokes including a respective sensor element (602a-602c) configured to measure strain applied to a corresponding spoke (1304a-1304c); a shaft positioned in the center of the spoke plate and extending longitudinally from the spoke plate toward a nose portion of the body; a tip fastened partially within the shaft and extending through the nose; multiple haptic elements (1302a-1302c) that are each positioned on a different respective spoke of the multiple spokes; and a haptic circuit including multiple haptic contacts (1504a-1504c) that are each attached to a different respective haptic element of the multiple haptic elements (1302a-1302c), the haptic contacts (1504a-1504c) each being configured to conduct electrical current to a different respective haptic element such that each haptic element is independently activatable to control a haptic response of the tip; wherein the handheld input apparatus is configured to indicate, responsive to a radial load on one of the spokes (1304a-1304c) being measured to be greater than that on the remaining spokes (1304a-1304c), a relative direction of movement of the handheld input apparatus, and to apply a corresponding haptic mode, said haptic mode comprising vibrating, by modulating the voltage applied to the said different haptic elements (1302a-1302c), the tip in the determined direction. a body portion; a spoke plate fastened within the body and having multiple spokes (1304a-1304c) that extend radially from a center of the spoke plate toward an interior surface of the body, each of said spokes including a respective sensor element (602a-602c) configured to measure strain applied to a corresponding spoke (1304a-1304c); a shaft positioned in the center of the spoke plate and extending longitudinally from the spoke plate toward a nose portion of the body; a tip fastened partially within the shaft and extending through the nose; multiple haptic elements (1302a-1302c) that are each positioned on a different respective spoke of the multiple spokes; and a haptic circuit including multiple haptic contacts (1504a-1504c) that are each attached to a different respective haptic element of the multiple haptic elements (1302a-1302c), the haptic contacts (1504a-1504c) each being configured to conduct electrical current to a different respective haptic element such that each haptic element is independently activatable to control a haptic response of the tip; wherein the handheld input apparatus is configured to indicate, responsive to a radial load on one of the spokes (1304a-1304c) being measured to be greater than that on the remaining spokes (1304a-1304c), a relative direction of movement of the handheld input apparatus, and to apply a corresponding haptic mode, said haptic mode comprising vibrating, by modulating the voltage applied to the said different haptic elements (1302a-1302c), the tip in the determined direction. to indicate, responsive to a radial load on one of the spokes (1304a-1304c) being measured to be greater than that on the remaining spokes (1304a-1304c), a relative direction of movement of the handheld input apparatus, and to apply a corresponding haptic mode, said haptic mode comprising vibrating, by modulating the voltage applied to the said different haptic elements (1302a-1302c), the tip in the determined direction.