controller-mod
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Evil Controllers kickstarting a Li-Ion powered 360 controller
Evil Controllers, makers of controller hacks such as the evil d-pad and the accessible Adroit "switchblade" controller, have recently taken to Kickstarter to fund a lithium-ion-powered Xbox 360 controller mod. The battery can keep the same charge for weeks, according to Evil Controllers CEO Adam Coe, though the Kickstarter page also lists an expected battery life of 10 hours of non-stop use. The updated battery charges over a provided mini-USB cable as well as Microsoft's play n' charge cord.A $50 pledge to the project nets donors a backplate for their Xbox controllers with the battery included. It takes a fairly large donation, $150 and $200 to be precise, to receive a fully-modded Evil Controllers gamepad. The project's funding goal is $15,000, which Evil Controllers hopes to reach by December 2.
Joyride to joystick: Atari controller custom-built from car seat adjuster
So you've survived the robot revolution and you're waiting for either a full-blown apocalypse, or Mr. Anderson. But how are you going to kill time when our new masters are eating controller PCBs for breakfast? With a steampunk joystick, of course. Jason Torchinsky from Jalopnik has done just that, making an Atari 2600 controller by repurposing a power seat control switch panel from a 1980s Oldsmobile. It's no Avenger Controller Elite, but it certainly does the job, and due to a standardized wiring layout it's functional on other hardware of the same era. And for all you MAME heroes, Jason says it would be no more complicated to hook it up to a PC or Mac using a USB keyboard encoder. Follow the source link for a neat walkthrough of the project and jump over the break to see a video of the seat switch in action, shot in the mancave of yesteryear. Update: We've removed the video at the owner's request, but you can check it out at the source link below.
N-Control's Avenger goes Elite, keeps classic good looks
Competitive gamers are always looking for a way to sharpen their edge, but few solutions provide leverage like the N-Control Avenger, a controller attachment known for rigging gamepads with actual levers. This quirky clamshell impressed us last year with its customizable trigger pulleys and finger flickable appendages -- allowing us to command the controller's face buttons without taking our thumbs off of its analog sticks. Today the outfit silently unveiled the Avenger Elite, a familiar looking successor that promises to offer more of the same, albeit better. Company founder David Kotkin explained that the new unit features higher quality materials, a more sensitive hair-trigger system and a new "spring against spring" button depression to give its button levers some extra oomph. The new unit's arms are also stronger, says Kotkin, and shouldn't have to be adjusted between sessions. The Elite sells for the same steep $50 as the original unit, although N-Control is offering a discount on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier when bundled with the plastic peripheral, $75 nets you both. Kotkin was kind enough to send us a few shots of the unit ahead of its May 5th Update: May 12th launch date, check them out in the gallery below, or click past the break for the official press release.
N-Control's Avenger for PS3 begins pre-sale, officially debuts November 8th
Been just a teensy bit jealous of your 360-owning, Avenger-toting friends? Well, Playstation owner, that resentment ends now -- sort of. Having promised a DualShock 3 version by the end of 2011, N-Control's gone and soft launched its controller appendage with a limited production run before it officially goes on-sale. Apparently only 5,000 of the $48.99 extras will available early, which means you'll have to act quick to get one. Those of you missing the pre-sale will have to wait until November 8th, when it'll hit retailers alongside the release of Modern Warfare 3. In the interim, hit up our review of its Redmond-friendly relative to see the gaming greatness that awaits you.
Ben Heck splits and condenses a pair of Xbox 360 controllers for the disabled
That crafty Ben Heck is always up to something, like whipping up an Xbox 360 disk changer for the laziest of gamers. But, on the latest episode of his hacking and modding show, Mr. Heck is back to helping those in need and crafting accessible controllers for the disabled. During the 15-minute hackathon, the modder extraordinaire creates two different Xbox 360 remotes -- a split model for those with limited arm motion, and a one-handed version for people with use of only one set of digits. If you've got a smidgen of soldering experience (and ideally access to a CNC) these projects are probably even simple enough to tackle yourself. Check out the entire episode and full PR after the break.
XCM's F-1 Converter lets XBox 360 players get behind G25, G27 racing wheels (video)
We've never been shy about our affection for Logitech's G25 and G27 steering wheels, and now we can share our love with our friends of the Xbox 360 persuasion. With the brand new F-1 converter from XCM, die hard Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Slim fans can get behind the same wheels we've been behind since 2006. If that wasn't reward enough, the F-1 also sports a built-in combo-attack memory function for fighting games, and rumble support is baked in for good measure. So go ahead, ye of the XBox 360 ilk, plug her in, caress the contours of her beautiful leather-wrapped curves, feel the way she kicks -- we'll try not to get jealous. Video game voyeurs can check out the F-1 in action after the jump. [Thanks, Roadography]
Portable NES modded into a cartridge, hearts modded into love
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Portable_NES_modded_into_a_cartridge_hearts_modded_into_love'; We've seen NES mods that incorporate a screen and controls into a cartridge in the past, but this example from Airz in BenHeck's forums is just so clean and well-polished that we had to give it some love. Inside Airz says it's just a generic Chinese media player that can play NES, Gameboy, and Gameboy Color ROMs, along with the relevant controller bits, a 2.8-inch LCD, 4GB of storage, and a rechargeable battery. Oh, and if you're feeling particularly retro, you can hook it up over TV-out and play on the big screen. Not bad -- and it's for sale if you're as in love as we are. Video after the break.[Via 8bitfix; thanks, Gusto]
Ben Heck realigns Xbox 360 pad for improved awesomeness
If you've spent any time on Engadget before, you'll be aware that we're big fans of Ben Heck and his tireless modding, tweaking and hacking (or is it Hecking?) of console hardware. The latest feather to his cap comes in the form of a customized Xbox 360 controller, which sees its D-pad and action buttons swapping places in an effort to help a handicapped gamer get his proverbial groove on. The trigger buttons are also flipped, but the pièce de résistance is the inclusion of four extra action buttons along the bottom of the controller that make one-handed gaming totally feasible. Check 'em out after the break.
Homebrew Street Fighter IV PS3 controller stands up on its own two legs
Anyone can go out there and put their hands on a couple of commercially manufactured Street Fighter IV joysticks, but there is something really cool about a simple, well executed homebrew mod. This PS3 controller may not be the cutting edge of industrial design, but it does say: "I can't wait for the new Street Fighter. It's gonna be sweeeet." Previously a wooden TV table and some controller stuff, the proper holes have been drilled, the innards affixed to the bottom and a picture of Chun-Li thrown in for good measure. We wouldn't recommend placing a drink on the thing (we know how carried away you get) but who has time for a beverage when you're consumed with vengeance? %Gallery-43740% [Via PS3 Maven]
Mod turns GameCube controller into a Classic Controller
This may not be the most groundbreaking mod around, but it's one that would allow you to play things like Mega Man 9 with your GameCube controller. Created by Marcan42, the above mod uses a special adapter which plugs into the Wiimote just like a Classic Controller, allowing him to trick the system into thinking the GameCube controller is a Classic Controller. Check out the video above to watch the mod being used with Mario Kart Wii.%Gallery-31614%[Via Go Nintendo]
PS3 gamer overcomes disability with custom controller, triumphs in l33t3st way imaginable
Yeah, we here at Engadget are hardened cynics -- our cold, black hearts have closed off to all but the most extraordinary tech-related stories, and we don't talk about the triumph of the human spirit a lot, but PlayStation 3 forum user KitsuneYume has us stepping outside our usual box today. With the help of an engineer, he made an "adaptive controller" that allows him to game with the pros despite serious disabilities. 20 out of 25 functions are accounted for by the system, and he uses his fingers, toes, and even his tongue to play -- your regular, everyday controller mod it ain't. The creator said he uploaded the pictures to make sure folks who might need it are aware the technology exists, as he contacted Sony a while back and they weren't able to tell him where to look. We hope this helps gets the word out, because we think everyone should have and chance to lie, cheat, and steal their way through Fallout 3.[Thanks, Jason]
No button 360 controller mod
We've seen lots of controller mods around here. We've seen voice recognition controllers. We've seen controllers with hidden buttons. Until now though, we hadn't seen a controller with no buttons. Okay, technically it does have the start, back and Guide buttons, but just follow along, mkay? The mod you see above -- created by one Mactastic Mendez -- uses tiny digital joysticks located under the controller for face button input. How does all of work? It's quite simple really: magic. Well, that, a soldering iron, and some handy crafting skills. Check out a video of the controller in action after the break. Then head over to AcidMods to see how it was made.
Guitar Hero controller mod integrates a 7-inch touchscreen LCD
As go the real guitars, so go Guitar Hero controllers, and hot on the heels of that axe with integrated visualizer we just saw, Cyberpyrot over at the AcidMods forums has managed to stuff a seven-inch LCD with touchpanel overlay into a GHIII controller. The LCD shows a mirror of the game itself, but its location means that the strummer had to be replaced with a magnetic switch controlled by a metal "pick." The touch overlay allows players to activate the whammy simply by sweeping across the screen, and Cyberpyrot says the next step is to add optics so the guitar can play itself. That ought to add some fuel to the real-guitar-vs-Guitar-Hero debate, we think. Check a vid of the guitar in action after the jump.
Carbon fiber 360 controller is fast, furious
This sweet Xbox 360 controller mod comes to us direct from Germany, where a forum reader called MueMue used the shell of an extra wireless controller to shape a sporting new carbon fiber case. He's also replaced the original removable battery pack with two built-in 1100mAh cells to preserve the lines and coloring of his work, and we think it came out looking pretty hot -- we'd definitely take this bad boy over the eh-so-it's-black 360 Elite controller.[Via Make]
360 tilt mod: 360AXIS?
The mod lovers over at Xbox-Scene discovered this tilt sensing mod for the Xbox 360 controller. Created with an accelerometer and some digital-to-analog wizardry, the controller functions in much the same way as the PS3 SIXAXIS controller. The tilt fuctions are mapped to the left analog stick, so tilt input will be limited to movement. Of course, all of this sounds great on paper, but most of us just want to see it in action. Lucky for us all, the mod's creator, Adam Thole, captured a video of the tilt controller in all its glory. Check it out after the break.
A stiff and sticky D-pad mod
People will go to extreme lengths just to get a decent D-pad for their 360. It's fairly common knowledge that the D-pad is the worst feature of the otherwise outstanding 360 controller. Xbox 360 Fanboy regular, SuicideNinja, has submitted a simple, non-destructive method for improving this unfortunate problem. All that is required are the tools to crack open your control and some double-sided mounting tape. The tape is applied underneath the base of the D-pad, with only the bottom adhesive exposed. This mod focuses on making the D-pad stiffer, rather than broadening its range of movement. According to SuicideNinja, the mod is strange at first, but can improve games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat significantly. Any brave souls willing to try this out and give us a report? Follow the "read" link for full instructions.
