USB Compass, why cant I find such ?

[MindBuster]

I'm looking for some sort of a USB Compass, I would have imagined they would come as some cheap USB Gadget, but all I can find are some small development boards for robotic users, at insane prices of $150->$400, and that's without any cables or software, you have to figure that out afterwards.

Why is it I cant find some simple and cheap solution, like a cheap gadget ready to plug into USB and read the direction it's pointing. ?

 

[Blue Fox]

You can get a compass with I2C connectivity fairly cheap. Add in an inexpensive USB to I2C adapter and you're set. Sparkfun has both items for ~$30 each.