Ultimate FPS Controller Design & Build
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- čas přidán 11. 05. 2024
- This episode is all about making a custom controller for FPS games. Going through the entire design process from sketch, clay model, 3D scanning, surfacing, CAD engineering, 3D printing and finishing. Wrapping everything up with some play testing with data comparisons against standard gamepad and keyboard/mouse performance.
Merch Store
/ @pyottdesign
BG Audio Track
audiojungle.net/item/urban-be...
Aim training and testing with AimLabs
aimlabs.com/
Custom controller tuning with RawAccel
github.com/a1xd/rawaccel
Mouse/Keyboard play captured using NohBoard
github.com/ThoNohT/NohBoard
Controller play captured using HardwareTester
hardwaretester.com/gamepad
York University Paper - Gameplay Evaluation of the Trackball Controller
www.yorku.ca/mack/FuturePlay2...
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - FPS Aiming and Movement
02:23 - Design Research
03:20 - Controller Layout & Clay Model
05:32 - 3D Scanning & Processing
08:13 - Hardware Sourcing & Teardowns
10:25 - Build Strategy & ID
11:44 - Fusion 360 Engineering
16:55 - 3D Printing and Wiring
17:59 - Dry Testing
21:06 - Painting & Final Assembly
23:51 - Final Photos
24:38 - Play Testing & Data
27:38 - Close - Věda a technologie
Thanks to everyone for all the views and taking the time to comment! All the support has been amazing. Special thanks for the donations to the channel. Those were totally unexpected and mean a lot to me! Wanted to take some time to respond to some of the recurring questions below:
“Why didn’t you source an internal board for electronics?”
I’m trying to release project videos every 3-6 months which means I have to finish my physical builds in 3-6 weeks on top of my day job as a design consultant. Specifying and integrating electronics into this concept would have stretched my release schedule way beyond that timeline.
Leveraging off the shelf product internals isn't a pretty solution, but it makes it so I can quickly build out a design. It's a shortcut to quickly experience the ergonomics and design details of an early stage concept.
“Why no gyro control?”
I was looking into gyro options during the early research phase and have some experience with handling telemetry data on past projects
pyottdesign.com/product/skana
But, to be honest, getting the data stream out of the gyro sensor and passed into the Steam controller API would have been outside of my skill set. Pretty sure I could have gotten there and it's definitely something I want to learn more about but, again, that would have been more of a year long project instead of a multi-week build.
“Are your design files available for download?”
I had to cut a lot of things for time, but there was a bunch of Dremeling and manual labor that went into this build after 3D printing. There aren’t really “complete” digital build files for it. This controller was also made specifically for my hands and grip. Because of those reasons, I don’t plan on releasing the files yet. I am looking to revisit a variation on this controller design in the future, and I will (hopefully) include build files when I do!
“Can I buy your controller?”
Unfortunately, not at this time. This project was really about sharing my design process by exploring a fun working test prototype. I don’t want to totally slam the door on the idea, but it isn’t something I am pursuing right now.
“This will never beat a mouse/keyboard”
I was more curious about why alternative controllers aren’t more common and why the controller and MKB became the standards. I really like projects like this because they challenge my own assumptions on why different industries exist the way they do. I also just love making this type of thing 🙂
Thanks again for all the feedback, comments and great information everyone has shared!
This controller looks like it would be awesome with Kitten Burst. I would love to see how it works with the games demo!
I'm sure you've heard this many time over already, but this is an awesome project!
I want to congratulate you on your incredible creativity and the way you share your ideas with the world! It's inspiring to see how you explore new perspectives and challenge the limits of convention. Remember that creativity knows no limits or fixed rules; The important thing is to continue expressing yourself authentically. Your courage to embrace diversity of ideas is truly admirable. Keep shining with your unique creativity!With admiration,
Thanks for "sharing my design process"; I got some insights!
was the trackball any good at wide sweeping motions? like say a 180 or 360 degree turn?
Can I ask to have the trackball cradle?
The mouse vs. stick debaters keep ignoring the enlightened gyro-aimers.
gyro capable controllers is like mixed both worlds of m/k and controllers players. You achieve speed of fast joystick turning and precision of a mouse in one device.
the problem is that the average player either does not care or does not know about gyro aiming. it's a control scheme that requires a bit of fiddling about and they're often buried in the settings menu for some reason. i believe game devs need to better incentivize the use of gyro aim whenever possible and make it easier for people to transition
EDIT: excluding first-party Nintendo games like Splatoon of course, they've obviously mastered the tech
@@hi_its_jerry the main problem with devs is that they simply cannot put good gyro aiming in their games.
People just negatively associate gyro with waggle, that's th eonly issue
implementation has been getting better as of late though with Fortnite and COD having the best out there. The Finals and Helldivers 2 have pretty good gyro, with room for improvement. There's some games like Spider-Man 2, GoW:R and Dragon's Dogma 2 that have basic implementation, but is acceptable for their use case.
the numbers of individual skillsets combined in this project is simply amazing
Seriously. It’s the sign of a strong father and a loving mother for sure. I couldn’t hold a candle to this guys productivity. He’s very blessed.
@@somepoliticalgamer6459 lol
takes about 2 to 3 years to get those skills.
everything is on youtube.
people are just lazy nowadays
mechatronics engineering in a nutshell
@@hmcredfed1836
Some people are lazy, you're not wrong.
Other people have other skills they cultivate instead, and I don't think there's anything wrong with saying that there are a lot of skill sets here, used in an amazing way to make something very cool. I have plenty of skills, some of the ones used in this video in fact, but I couldn't do this right now. So bravo to the creator as far as I'm concerned!
This is BY FAR the most professional and well designed homebrew controller I've ever seen. Your final product has so much care and effort put into it, the first question a person might have isn't "how long did this take to make", but "where did you buy this from?"
There is no professional controller for FPS games. Controllers are for arcade shooters with aim assists (even if subtle aim assists like in COD) and racing or button-mashing fighting games. Shooters are Mouse+Keyboard in E-sports for a reason.
kbm still better
@@GaijinGamerGirl I believe he meant professional as in MADE by professionals, not for use by professionals.
@@RosefMudson1414much better
Obviously and unfortunately we know all too well why the big companies won’t put effort in designing controllers like this, but I want to take the privilege of saying that a high quality product is a way better investment to us, controller users, rather than something that has always worked, still kinda works, but we have to replace every so often and no effort is put into designing “revolutionizing” tech… I would be certain that a lot of people would consider putting down the money for it as well and buy it. Guess I’ll have to wait a while longer before I would get my hands on something like this… But i’ll be waiting. I am fairly okay with the PS5 controller for now
Being able to control the right "stick" with a finger from under while using thumb to press face buttons is actually a game-changer for console I would say.
As he mentioned, he can still aim around while pressing the YXAB buttons, which is just so handy
@@karelpgbr that's literally what I wrote.
@@BlackVirtue Oh yeah, I just paraphrased it..
I’m stressed out man I’m sorry, I am burnt to a crisp hahaha
Reminds me of the PS-Vita and its touchscreen on the back
Using the claw grip on controller is another way to achieve this btw
Having the track ball accessible on the back of the controller is nothing short of FUCKING BRILLIANT
that's exactly what I thought! It's so annoying to try to reach the stick while also clicking the main buttons.
claw
@@ifalone surgery
@@meanmole3212 playing claw isn't a problem if you start at a young age. Your hand adapts to the position
You really going to try to aim with your ring finger? Yea right.
having all the requisite skills to prototype such a polished and actually potentially useful product is super impressive.
Yeah! I just started teaching myself CAD and when he got to that section i was astonished! So much talent!
Yeah. I really want one but lack that level of skill.
True Asmongold should make a vid for peep to know
"polished" is a very generous word for what this is.
@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 No. That is rude and unhelpful. Makes me think you have no skill in any area to create anything. Its so easy to criticize others when you can't do squat yourself.
As a designer in the game industry currently, this was really awe inspiring to watch. This was a fantastic piece of content. Really impressive.
As a homeless i too have to agree
Patent this ASAP. This is awesome! This is the first gaming creation I’ve seen that actually gives off ‘revolutionary’ vibes.
It has already been shared publicly, that means its too late for a patent.
Fuck that bullshit. Nothing should be patented. The moment something is patented is the moment that idea is forever fucked because no one is allowed to progress it or put it into action when the patent owner loses interest or is too lazy/poor
@@matttzzz2it’s almost like patents expire after 20 years or something. Also patents are rarely enforced beyond when other companies try to sell that product to get tons of money off of it anyway. They’re not gonna sue some Joe Schmoe who tweaks their designs.
@@longtoast6788Patents make as much sense as legislating the citizenship of ghosts.
@@matttzzz2yeah, then a big company patents it and puts in the drawer, never using it for a product. And even the original creator loses the right to use it.
He definitely should patent
An xbox 360 controller infected by the flood.
❤
Mr. Stalenhag?
That looks absolutely hideous. Playstation 2 is the perfect template for the best controller, and thankfully, all the good USB controller are made in the same design.
Lmao
let us know when playstation has games to play it with.@@EmeraldEyesEsoteric
As a Steam Controller/Deck trackpad enjoyer, something that basically kills this is that most games do not have support for mixed input so you can either use the mouse or stick, not both.
Trackpad/ball _are_ superior in controller form than to stick, but because they weren't looked at seriously until recent years they are so against the norm that even one of the biggest gaming companies in the world couldn't make people take it seriously.
Not to mention an analog stick is so much cheaper than a trackball setup. That being said adding a trackball is way more compelling of a change to me than the “adaptive triggers” they added to the ps5 controller
Tbh, gyro controls are probably the way forward for controllers. Trackballs require a lot of maintenance, and I'm not convinced that the thumb variety (the only kind that'd work in a controller) is very good for aiming at all. Take it from a trackball fan who games with one almost every day: I am a clean freak who washes his hands before every use (drying them with a clean paper towel), but still, my trackball inevitably has to be cleaned and lubricated at least once a week, more like every 5 days (side note: the best way to lube them is actually to rub the trackball on your cheeks/the bridge of your nose and then roll it around in your palms before you put it back in, assuming your face is recently-showered). The ~feel~ of your aim is always constantly changing as dead skin builds up around the bearings
trackball could emulate an analogue stick
@@HontoNeetthere it is. A shocking lack of mention for gyro controls despite them being the seeking next step for most controller based aiming as it just adds that granular control to bridge the gap between a mouse and a ‘dumb’ controller.
Agreed, love the Steam controller so much I hoard them. I set the trackpad as a mouse input rather than a joystick in Steam whenever possible, it allows much more precise movement and additional features like acceleration. It's always a bummer if a newer game doesn't support dual input but most seem to. It also doesn't help that games' configs all have edge spin set off by default, it makes a huge difference having Edge Spin set up properly.
There's no "Stay for Part 2" BS. You kept it in for so long, compiled it, and emerged to display your talents and visions with a bang! Keep your flight 👑.
This is nothing short of astonishing. A simple idea of fitting a trackball into a controller presented so many challenges that you are forced to innovate the overall design.... Thankfully, you're a brilliant engineer.
I would LOVE to see this thing passed around some professional FPS players, maybe even on-stream, so we can see their impressions.
Great idea. Loan it out to some top FPS streamers/youtubers and get them to do some impressions videos. Ideally with some benchmarking/stats tracking. That would be real cool and get more interest into this type of controller design.
@ulflonegren4870 get the right people using it, and it for sure would gain traction.
They wouldn't play verry well because they're used to play with a mouse and learning from scratch is hard.
Those who play FPS games with a controller they can play only for games that have aim-assist. This is where this controller is actually much better than the regular one, but it will not be better than a mouse for raw input FPS games.
@@Tealc2323 just need to find some who normally play on console
Any CoD or Halo pros would be perfect for this. Particularly CoD pros since a lot of them play CS/Valorant in their downtime.
Not that anyone cares but a KB/M player just got T4 (or maybe T6?) at the most recent Halo tournament, which is pretty well unheard of, so that's cool
Being able to control the trackball on both sides is a touch of genius!
literally
Gimmicky not really useful
@@DashzRightit was also a gimmick on the logitec trackman FX but damn it always looks cool
Nothing “gimmicky’’ about having more precise control. @@DashzRight
@DashzRight he said using your ring finger as a drag to control the resistance. That sounds very useful for fine aiming, ie sniping and longer shots where you'd need track a target with more precision.
How is this not a thing already? Amazing work, man. Beyond impressive.
This mans execution of this concept all the way through to the trackball software is GENIUS!!!!
This looks like the Xbox 720 controller I would’ve seen in concept videos made as slideshows in Movie Maker years, years back
its good when enemy is in the view but what about competitive games or when enemy is behind you ?
@@greatusername1668Why didn’t you just make a comment?
@@ninjirealbecause he has a great username
@@greatusername1668 Could say the exact same for joystick, or mouse even. Nobody using a mouse keeps their mouse down all the time, you pick it up. With trackball you flick it and grab, you can be pretty quick and a decent amount of older fps players would use trackballs. Mice are way better obviously but joysticks are not.
@@rcbuggies57 mouse is faster than thumb by a lot. in my setting I barely ever lift it up tho
Being able to access the trackball from the back is actually insane
I prefer a mouse.
@@ivaylozhelyazkov5979cool bro
@@ivaylozhelyazkov5979 no one asked mate
@@ivaylozhelyazkov5979 So, you've tried this controller?
@@ivaylozhelyazkov5979 you know that's a good point, maybe he should have just put the mouse sensor in the bottom of the controller so he can just drag the whole controller along the mouse pad 🙄
No one cares that you prefer a mouse. This is a cool as fuck idea and extremely well executed.
This video was phenomenal. You fully covered your whole process providing enough detail to follow along without drowning us in them or glossing over things. I look forward to more of your work.
breakout box idea is genius, and is a really useful way to get past hickups in projects. I've definitely taken note!!
PLEASE Send one to MetalSlug and see what he thinks!
He’s one of the bigger trackball players on CZcams!
I truly wanna see what results his testing would pull.
That would be very interesting to see
Thanks for the mention :) I would seriously be interested in trying this!
@@MetalSlug0390 You heard it folks
Indeed, I'd love to see a more practised and skilled gamer with this thing. The only thing I think might 'ruin' this is the quality of the electronics gutted to make it, at least once you get really near the limits for a human skill/precision anyway. But having played with the steam controllers 'fake' trackball mode heaps I really love this idea and expect it wouldn't be hard for me to adapt to - though many games will freak out big time if you keep mouse aiming and joystick moving. So much as i like this I don't think its going to be easy to use on many titles.
You just peak the interest of the console community, we just get overpriced anti consumer controllers year after year and now you’ve provided something that could tremendously change the future of console gaming. I love the controller and I am inspired by seeing you turn an idea into reality. ❤
I LOVE the look of it. It's got a bit of a 2000s Y2K aesthetic, almost alien. Companies wouldn't DARE to be this creative and unique
Y2k 😂
Tell that to Nintendo. I'd grant that the switch is only a little different, but the Wii was totally different from every other controller at the time
The Wii was made in 2006@@ericeaton3551
They wouldn't dare be this creative because it's too different from the standard that most people would think of it as a novelty
@@ericeaton3551 dude the wii was a rectangle. nintendo is not as innovative as people say, they're mostly just "do it cheaper and worse"
This was absolutely _fascinating_ to watch it go from a vague idea to a competitive viable product. Thank you for so much detail!
THIS IS SIMPLY CRAZY GOOD !
Damn ! Like, just wow. The idea, the results, the promising gaming performance, the MANY skillset needed to put this together, the pedagogy of the video, the pace of script, the editing, the overview various softwares used and their purpose and strenght...JUST WOW.
A video to be studied for ages.
Finally, someone who cares about:
1) Ergonomics
2) Efficiency
3) ACTUALLY EVOLVING CONTROLLER DESIGN
Ergonomics matters so, so much. This just looks comfy.
Who doesn't?
I'm sorry did I enter a parallel dimension where ergonomics means the opposite thing??
@@kazeem6419 Ergonomics noun. 1. The applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort. 2. Design factors, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by minimizing operator fatigue and discomfort.
Most game controllers utilize the same general shape that has been used in the industry since the early 2000's, and hasn't seen a large change from that point going forward. The only notable exceptions I can think of being the nintendo wii, and the switch, and those weren't necessarily great (or even good) changes.
@@houstonashley62What? This thing looks like it would be so uncomfortable to hold and use
I am not a gamer at all. I am simply amazed at the engineering skillset on display here. And this is without considering the added work to turn this project into a well documented CZcams video.
Awesome idea! I was sckeptical in the begining but wstching the design and crafting process was mindblowing. From an idea, an scketch, a clay model to a pc 3d model, 3d printing to a working prototype. Amazing.
It almost looked so easy but im sure it took several months of hard work.
Subscribed and liked .
I love this, it's fascinating. I always imagined we would continue to see ingenuity and alternatives for controllers, but they've been stagnant for so long. I really appreciate all the effort put in to this and hope it inspires others.
I don't even play FPS but the fact that you not only know what you're doing from start to finish, being very well-spoken in describing your process on top of the very clean video meant I was hooked for every second
Honestly this was very amusing to watch! Amazing video!!
Except for the design. Its bad af
@@thevikingsock8527I think that, as a concept, it delivers what it promised very well. My only criticism would be the choice of color, and the right handle being too short
Perhaps he dabbled in technical writing
bahahaha, the design was a product of function within the realm of the limits of the hardware he was using. The design was AS IT COULD BE.
You are asking for more custom pcbs, well sure, if he did that the design would change and get better....this was a proof of concept so well executed, we are left saying, 'where is the finished product?'@@thevikingsock8527
I think one thing people forget about mouse movement is you have 3 "gears" to let you be both fast AND precise:
High gear - Your forearm physically moves to make fast, large movements
Medium gear - Your wrist moves giving you a good balance between speed and precision
Low gear - You move the mouse in your fingers without necessarily moving your wrist. This allows you the most precision.
Position vs velocity control is part of it and it's what your trackball addresses but combining these different muscles is what lets you be simultaneously fast and precise.
Yes you need the whole arm to be precise & accurate…this product doesn’t improve much from original controller
The trackball being accessible from the back gives 3 gears too. Swipe, Smear, Pinch.
That's why azeron keypads are so powerful. They provide immediate access to 3 or 4 buttons for each finger and an analog stick at your thumb, while you can just use a mouse in your other hand. This does not compromise simultaneous access to keys, movement and aiming as well. It's perfect for games with demanding input strategies, such as doom eternal
A trackball gamepad is still great for basic fps games on the couch
This is why gyro + trackpad is so good, you can have all those gears basically
@@konradwright7725those are 3 different actions. What the original commenter is pointing out is that you have direct control over 3 parts of your body used to address different parts of aiming; flicking, tracking and micro adjustments.
Using your fingers to pinch, smear and swipe is no different to how a normal person adjusts their mouse slightly in their hand (using their fingers) to make micro adjustments. The issue is you are neglecting the rest of your arm when making movements with the trackball and you will primarily have to rely on your thumb for both tracking and flicking.
I have no doubt that people could eventually get good aim with a trackball but I do not think it will have any advantage over people who use a mouse. What motivated his design in the first place was the flaw he saw in using keyboard controls over a joystick, it wasn’t because he identified anything wrong with aiming with a mouse.
Thank you so much for putting the grasshopper definition on the screen when showing how you smoothed the mesh! Coincidentally right after I watched this video I started a project where I needed to do a similar thing and couldn't figure out a good way to do it until I remembered that you had done something similar in the video!
I need this in my life immediately. I really hope this comes to market in the near future.
The amount of skill it takes to build this thing from scratch is insane, incredible job brother
Very impressive work. I'd love to see a follow-up video in a handful of months to see how it winds up being for you after a long enough time to get used to it.
same! would love to know how it compares over time and any revisions you'd make.
this will never happen only little kids have time to play games the rest of us have to work 99% of the time
@@CHICKENmcNUGGIESMydude Fortunately not everyone is in your situation, and many grown adults have time to have hobbies in addition to work.
If you sincerely don't have any time outside of work, perhaps a career change and/or trade school would help
@@CHICKENmcNUGGIESMydude amazing bait
@@CHICKENmcNUGGIESMydude
Silence, peasant, people with more expendable income and free time are talking
definately very impressive. Your data (after creating an amazing custom brewed controller) confirms, the superiority of the keyboard and mouse in ALL aspects.
Brilliant… this same issue with midi controllers for music. The custom curves really shined here. Attention details. This man gets it
This ContRoller's design is straight from the late 90's
And thanks for showing the whole process. You're a genius
I can’t Ball-ieve what you did there 😂
I assume you were also a fan of the Assassin 3D / Panther XL.
Más parece el MANDO DEL XBOX 7899 Pro de un video DEL 2008LEAKFULL4KULTRAHD.FLV
This is iiiiiiiiinsaaaaaaaane. A gamer from 80’s here. This is like landing in the future. Great work.
i agree but also it feels like we have been held back for the last 10+ years
How it feels like to getting out of that Atari analogic stick to this huh?
Mad respect sir! As a fellow mechanical product design engineer I can only say this is amazing! Both the concept and the execution are beyond ‘on point’. Just… wow!
I'm all for this, we've had the same controllers for 30 years, there has been other failed attempts at FPS controllers but this is the first time I see one that actually seems to work.
This man needs to be designing controllers for a major platform. This is one of the most well thought out controller designs I've ever seen.
No he doesn't he just needs to release the plans .stls and part list.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS HORRIBLE. What is wrong with you all? Playstation 2 had the best controller.
@@TravisHi_YT Yes, he does. Eventually Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft will knock to this man's door.
@@EmeraldEyesEsotericthat’s such a smart well thought out argument man keep it up ..
@@EmeraldEyesEsoteric explain why this is horrible and why ps2 controller is the best one please. enlight us
The way Splatoon does it is really good actually and helps make up for the controller disadvantage while being intuitive too.
Ah, I just wish stick control with motion controls on was more consistent. Without motion controls the stick feels snappy, it moves at full speed the instant I touch it and stops on a dime the instant I let go. Turn on motion controls and it feels so... floaty? Like the camera has physics now, and I gotta use the motion control to counteract the stick control.
@@squidkid6187 I tend to use both in conjunction. Stick and motion for fast movements like 180s and motion only for tracking. The motion functions for the precise movements while the stick covers the larger ones, much like moving the arm does large movements and the wrist does corrections and smaller movements with the mouse.
And yea it is snappy because if it accelerated you'd lag behind, this is what tends to happen on normal controllers.
Same. Also Fortnite has this too on the Switch. It helps to aim when sniping especially.
I do this by using a Nintendo pro type controller on PC. The hardest part is getting the settings right.
Man Splatoon is the hardest shooter I've ever played, and it's just because of how un-transferable other shooter skills are to that game.
i NEED it !Ich Spiele seid 20 Jahren FPS games ( Regelmäßig) , vor 9 Jahren der Umstieg auf den Controller und inzwischen bin ich im Zwiespalt. Das was du geschaffen hast Privat...einfach unglaublich! ich würde sowas Zugern in nächster Zeit auf dem freien markt sehen . Setz dich mit der Thematik Scuf auseinander, die Action tasten müssen auf den Rücken, Reaktionszeiten und vor allem Langlebigkeit. 5 Casual 5 Streamer 5 Pro`s 6- 12 Monate und du würdest den FPS Shooter Markt revolutionieren
You're a brave man bench-marking your controller after ALL that work you put in! This was a great video for an impressive project, it really makes we want to push my design skills to the next level.
It's always fun when a YTber with less than 25k subscribers puts out a true SLAPPER of a video, a VIRAL MASTERPIECE, which will very often place their subscriber count on a parabolic trajectory. You will have 200k subscribers within 2 months my friend, 1 million within a year. Easily. Love the controller. You just taught me how to design and build a gaming controller in a timespan roughly commensurate with an episode of Spongebob, I can't imagine that was a simple feat.
I appreciate how you went through the entire development process, and even labeled each section in the video! Very inspirational
Why is CZcams asking me to rate this comment’s contribution.. is this an ai comment hoping to seed the comments?
@@piedpiper1172 I can assure you I am a real person, I am honestly amazed my comment got so many upvotes tbh. I just write what I think and I indeed did find this video very inspirational, as I’ve wanted to build my confidence to make such things and it’s a scary process, so it’s great to have such clear directions from someone that has a great attitude about learning and iterations.
This is the first time someone asked if I was an AI bot and it’s kinda surreal tbh. I’m surprised how many upvotes my comment got but I can only assume others simply feel the same way I do. I’m trying to build my confidence to build stuff so this video had all the right things to do that!@@piedpiper1172
@@piedpiper1172nope, youtube is just asking to rate a real person's comment
@@Antboi4653 Yeah, @mezla5455 actually reached out via a video on my channel.
Super weird that this comment set off some sort of contribution review
Wow, just wow! My new hero! Incredible to see the process and genius in action.
Take my money. I've been seriously looking for this exact controller design for years; I had settled on a mouse and flight-stick combo but this is precisely what I want.
Saw the thumbnail and was immediately intrigued. Being able to adjust the trackball from both the front and back of the controller is inspired design.
I'm only at 10:32 in the video but I wanted to make everyone aware of the xbox adaptive controller. It's $100 but it's a very good tool for these types of projects. It breaks out the whole Xbox controller to 3.5mm TRS jacks and will even accept a lot of USB joystick inputs or let you tandem an additional second xbox controller. Then it takes all of that and outputs it as a single xbox controller. I'd definitely buy one if I was in the habit of making custom controllers.
Microsoft doesn't advertise if all of the remapping features are available on PC.
The xbox accessibility software lets you remap every controller except standards afaik. So you should be good to go, i atleast have the ability on PC to remap my elite completely
$100 can buy you two and a half KBMs. Like... Y'all. Why
@@ethanleino9926 It’s an accessibility product, for people who *can’t* use Keyboard and Mouse or a normal controller. That’s the whole point. It also lowers the barrier of entry to making new control methods a lot.
It may not be for you. It may not be for me, but it’s goated for the people who need it.
@ethanleino9926 you can say that about literally anything in life.
Such a talent man i'm blown away. Please Kickstart this amazing controller for the masses if funding is needed.
I have been looking for a controller like this for YEARS. Bravo, sir.
I like the idea of a trackball that's accessible from the top and bottom of the controller. You could use your middle or ring finger to move the ball while leaving your thumb totally free to press face buttons.
Yeah that is exactly what he said and showed to us :D Thanks for repeating, i almost forgot while watching.
@@nicoschroeder5379Thx for your german humor.
@@nicoschroeder5379you are incapable of love or being loved and will die alone
XD as a german i can say joa das wahr schon ein Schenkel klopfer@@FunFreakeyy
great idea. it would be super comfortable to do precision movement with it
As a person who has been using the steam controller as my sole input method for my computer for several years now, I have worked out a few interesting point to add to your findings:
- The benefit of a track pad over a track ball or even a joystick comes from three places:
1. The track pad is one big digital sensor / button. This allows you to add multiple inputs on it in various different ways. For example, I can have my right pad set to a track ball mouse (which is my usual method) and have a full D-pad underneath that activates when I click the touch pad. This allows me to use a full set of face buttons without taking my thumb off my aiming input.
2. The track pad has no moving parts. This reduces the wear and allows the touchpad to last basically forever assuming you don't get one that is faulty due to a manufacturing defect.
3. The track pad is able to emulate a joystick very well, and because it has such a large surface, I am able to get better accuracy than a joystick.
- Pair these three points with a gyro scope, and you have a setup that is 1-1 with a mouse. All you have to do is set the gyro to activate when you touch the right touch pad and you can use both the touch pad and gyro at the same time. This lets you use the touchpad in track ball mode for wide quick turns, while using the gyro for fine point aiming. Getting used to actually using both inputs at the same time took me about a month to get used to, but once you do it is a skill you can not unlearn.
- My final point to note, is that many games at the moment unfortunately do not support both keyboard + Mouse and Controller inputs at the same time. A lot of them do to some degree but for the ones where you have to choose, the track pads are a bit more versatile than a joystick as you can map it to a "no click d-pad" (this just means you touch the pad to activate it rather than having to click it) this joystick can have your WASD mapped for the instances where you are unable to take advantage of analogue movement along with mouse aiming.
P.S Love your work, I think what you are doing is amazing, and its always good to see people out there pushing whats possible.
you input your soul into your computer?
@@dingusuhum 🤣🤣🤣
I would love to be able to do this. I got the steam controller when it came out but i don't use it
"sole" not "soul"
@@paninipizza1806 Ah yes thank you for the spell check. Im not very good at it myself XD
I love this because I had the same idea in mind for building my own controller. It makes total sense if you're a competitive FPS gamer and I don't know why more companies haven't produced competitive game or controllers like this. Keep up the good work! I haven't built mine yet lol
Awesome video! So cool seeing the whole process come together and produce the final result!
i dont play FPS shooters
i have no idea why this was recommended to me
but this was FASCINATING and I love it
Jesus loves you my friend, happy easter
It was amazing to see! Genuinely would love this controller myself
first person shooter shooters
same here, I am an rts and grand strategy gamer. This is a welcome video though
neither do it. in fact i hate them..... and ironically have thousands of hours in sea of thieves lol. but i play single player cause im a filthy cheat so fps vs ai isnt as bad as pvp sweats
I know this product isn't meant for mass production, but I've thought of a few improvements I would make to the design/internals;
1) Utilizing hall effect sensors for the left joystick as well as the triggers. PowerA is strange in that it uses physical copper potentiometers on the triggers instead of the standard hall effects. PowerA parts are also notorious for failing and causing unwanted input registration.
2) Replacing two of the face buttons with rear paddles/buttons or even just adding rear paddles/buttons in addition to the 4 front facing buttons. This would help relieve your right hand a bit more, as it's constantly going to be using the trackball and a lot more motion is going to need to be exerted than if it were a standard controller due to the increased surface area and other buttons being further apart.
3) The extended right handed shoulder buttons is a cool idea but I believe it could be expanded upon. You could make them adjustable so that you can remove the shorter buttons and/or clip on longer buttons so they extend further to the right for smaller hands (this seems to be something you've accounted for as the buttons appear easily removable)
These are just some minor (and somewhat subjective) improvements to what is ultimately an awesome project. This was a great video
The way you had access to the trackball is so engenious! Moving a mouse usually you'd use your thumb, ring finger, and middle finger. Now you can use the ball with those same fingers, while you use your index and middle finger for the right bumpers that simulate the feel of a mouse click. This is a nice blend of a purely functional mouse controller. I'd take this over its look anyday!
This is an absolutely mind-blowing dream project and I cannot exaggerate how much impressed I am! This is just fantastic in every way, from documenting the process and introducing us with the toolchain, the thought process to the final product itself. It's just sad that there isn't a Kickstarter yet, to fund production. I would fund this in in an instant.
I started using Fusion while in highschool and throughout many different projects and a few years on a robotics team I feel like I've gotten pretty good at it. I've probably spent a few thousand hours modeling across a thousand or two different designs and I can't even begin to compare to how incredible your designs are! Seriously, this is some of the most fantastic modeling I have ever seen, mixing mechanical design and organic/ergonomic modeling is possibly some of the hardest stuff I have ever attempted doing and you pull it off flawlessly with what looks like ease!
I am just in continual awe at each of your projects, I have some general ideas of what can be accomplished with some of this stuff but with each video of yours I see, my conceptions of where the limits are get completely blown out of the water... Thank you for these fantastic videos, being able to see the full product design process from start to finish is unbelievably informative. I can't believe you don't have more of a following by now!
The skills displayed in this video are nothing short of incredible. To have such strong understanding of so many different elements of the design world, from concept to execution is amazing.
Background: Computer engineer, been researching FPS and fighting game controller designs. Used Fusion 360 to model and print my own fighting controller. Have tested playing competitive FPS games with gyro using Steam input, reWASD, and in-game gyro control for over two years now.
Suffice it to say I think how we control games plays an extremely important role in how we feel about the overall experience.
This controller you've made... is nothing short of magical. Thr trackball usage and ergonomic shoulders allow free movement while accessing a bunch of buttons, instead of relying on face buttons that naturally decouple your aiming hand to use them.
My one itching feeling though, and I say this even after seeing how fast you became with it, is that this controller would be much more accurate with the use of two gyro sensors like the Alpakka along with the trackball outputting a more linear curve for reliable yet fine adjustment. This would allow macro control on the gyro level with simultaneous, granular correction from the trackball. I can use my desktop almost as fast as m/k using Dualsense's gyro with reWASD, while his demo showed his controller perform at about hald the speed of his m/k desktop use. Just my useless 2 cents.
could you make a mouse with control stick for superior movement and aim in games?
I'm not sure - as an actual competitive player, I'm not sure how something that has a stick can pass as usable. It's a lot better than a base controller, but to still be *that much* worse than keyboard+mouse just makes it feel wasted to me, especially considering hall effect keyboards
@@kirasmith1147I agree. Also as a comp player, this design will probably not come close to, let alone surpass, keyboard+mouse. However, there is a very real possibility that this controller will outperform current gen competition from XBox/PlayStation from the playtesting data and analysis of the design.
One thing to think about, though, is his testing process and lack of playtesting data. Playtesting his own design with objectively few sessions, only a few hours of playtime with the new controller, and a long history (bias) to m+k all point to a flawed testing process. These points imply that this new controller's objective effects on game performance are unclear.
At the end of the day, designs like these that pioneer and push boundaries are conducive to a growing and healthy gaming culture, not only in comp, but in the industry as a whole. I'm excited for what this could be, and I'm astonished by this man's innovation. Truly brilliant.
@@harisonsharp8271Yeah... he'd need to send it to a more professional player that does use trackballs to see it get some field work
@@karisasani7006 There is no professional player that uses a trackball
This man might single handedly change the controller scheme paradigm. THIS seems like the ultimate controller, you have the easyness of traditional controller and the precision of a mouse. I unironically believe if mass produced, this would change the controller industry
WASD is exactly why I use a Razer Tartarus Pro on every single game I play. That and the added feel of ortholinear (grid) key setup vs traditional staggered is more comfortable, in my opinion. The left thumbstick works as an 8-way directional instead of true analog, but it’s the closest I’ve come to using an analog stick while having the benefit of aiming with a mouse and applying WASD to my thumb which leaves so many more combos for the rest of my hand on the keypad itself. This is such a cool and informational video, happy to see so many others enjoying this subject!
The biggest hurdle is figuring out an alternative way to emulate how a mouse gets its precision. Using the fingers, the wrist, the arms, the shoulders, there's literally more muscle groups and bone joints, bigger range of motion, etc., being used to control the precision of where you want the mouse to move to. In contrast to controllers that mostly use thumbs. Less muscle groups, less joints, smaller range of motion is much more difficult to scale for precision. The closest compact controllers has ever gotten to incorporating as many muscle groups and bone joints as a mouse is the implementation of gyroscopic controls, which I think needs to be at the center of designing a controller for FPS games.
Great Point.. The Software Just Isn’t Prepared For That.. You Would Have To Find The Right Balance And Maybe Input That Or Maybe A Develop A Whole New Program..
I’d rather play with this track ball hybrid than gyro hands down.
exactly. he was on the right track trying to figure out why its more precise but he didnt flesh it out enough..
Track balls can be extremely precise and fast with practice. I remember back in the 90s when they were huge a lot of people played competitive FPS on them and were god tier with them.
The technique is to set the sensitivity quite low, then flick the track ball with your finger at high speed and let it free spin and set your finger back down onto it to precision stop it. It allows you to have very precise slow movement but also extremely fast transversal movement.
I never mastered it myself but I have mastered it with my free spinning mouse scroll wheel and I can't go back to a standard scroll wheel now.
Not entirely true - the trackball is a fingertip device with no physical limits on its rotations, and the fingertips are more dexterous and sensitive, where the mouse is very much a whole arm aiming that will run out of reach/mousepad - relatively course level of positional accuracy possible and you do have a limit to the range of motion. Where with the flick and brake of a trackball you can spin around as fast the game can render it for what approaches infinitely (and actually would be infinite if you turn friction off in the Steamcontrollers trackball mode) - in effect there is no range of motion limit at all, the only limit is for the extra fine positional aim stuff and this access from both sides trackball kind of fixes that too as you can keep the ball moving even when one digit has reached the end of accessible ball surface...
That said I do sort of like gyro from my experiments with the Steamcontroller, and think it could improve the performance ceiling I can reach. But I find I don't play enough of any one title or style of game and its nowhere near as intuitive as turning it off and playing pure trackball mode for me. I'll just get to the point I feel the gyro is actually helping rather than hindering and then not play a similar game for so long it goes back to being hindering...
The Steam deck’s trackpads have a trackball mode! Aiming with the trackpad after a while is so intuitive, it’s crazy! 🎉
Wait 'til you try the gyro.
@@qchtohere8636 For me combination is best. Trackball mode set to low/none friction for fast changes and gyro for precision headshoots. And with none friction you just give slow nudge to the trackpad and you have similar panning like with joystick.
First time I’ve seen Rhino used outside of a class I took a couple years ago woo!
The early prototype was literally a real trackball
so what is the difference? except that you are using place surface instead of hemisphere
Absolutely fascinating seeing something go from idea to fully functional in 30 minutes.
I love this look. The shape and colors make me think of 2000s electronics in the best way.
Man out here mastered like 15 different skills to create the ultimate controller
This is pretty sick. I'll buy one if it ever goes to market!
amazing one man team doing everything on your own. the most fascinating bit of the design is the trackball being accessible from behind. incorporating the scroll wheel and adding levers are ingenious as well!
Kudos for making everything in one video. Amazing skills in making real what many of us wish to see accessible for consoles.
I love odd control schemes, I'm reminded of a Nerrel video on gyro control for fps games
Gyro isn't really that odd in 2024. It's supported by pretty much all shooters on Switch, and most recent ones on PS5.
gyro is amazing, works great for steering in the new Gran Turismo games too
@@dc-vw4qm gyro works even better in fps games
@@AgielTVNerrel's gyro video wasn't released in 2024
@@M.F.Hafizhan That's not what he said chucklefuck
I love this. As a thumb trackballer I've been looking for a controller that offers a similar experience and and your design checks all the boxes with the added thumb and ring finger functionality. I also dig the retro-funky 90's aesthetic
I have imagined this many times, my best idea with out building something new was a flight stick in one hand and a mouse in the other but this is amazing
This is just...awesome. I've used a trackball for FPS (well, everything on PC) instead of a mouse for about 25 years. Having a controller WITH a trackball is the ultimate gaming combo for me. I'd buy one without hesitation! Or print and build...
I am so grateful to the algorithm for suggesting me this video. I like tinkering, optimising existing designs and stuff like that. I learned a lot from watching this project and I like how it was divided into proper sections, explained why those particular sections and how you kept arising chalenges in and talked through overcoming them. Watching this was really inspiring and with my depression it really means a lot to me. I look forward to watching the rest of your content and learning form it. I work in healthcare and I sometimes think about designing gear and devices that would improve workflow and patient care and I think watching your videos is gonna help me in achieving that. I wish you all the best :)
Same here, I have no idea why the algorithm recommended this but it was really interesting.
Same
I wish your videos got more attention, it's so clearly presented that you'd think it would be easy to create a controller as a single person :D I really like it!
Awseome process, such a creative approach on the trackball, congratulations!
This is absolutely astonishing. Your skills with all the different disciplines here are incredibly impressive. The controller design & implementation are equally impressive & I for one would happily back a crowdfunding push if you were ever to attempt to get this into production.
Thank you for sharing your talent & creativity with us 🙂
This was the most useful case for aimlabs ive ever seen
skill issue
Holy shit i feel like you could get insta-hired by a whole lot of big companies with a vid like this. The sheer number of different skills on display is nuts
Dude. You are the most informative person! Every single detail! Talented CZcams builder I’ve ever seen… subscribed!
This is proper early iteration design for a product. I love it when proper engineering and product design makes it to CZcams. This is inspiring work that makes me wish my job was half this interesting. Subscribed.
I don't know how possible gyro would be for this scope and size capacity, but it would help a lot with small precise movements, while you could mostly use the trackball for larger movements
Stoked to see innovation in the controller space, even if it's just one guy on youtube. I've had hour long discussions with friends dreaming up new designs and features but I'm no engineer so seeing someone do the same but then actually make it is inspiring!
This has got to be one of the top product design videos I have seen on CZcams. Well done sir! Even if the controller failed, the process was incredible to watch. In a sea of mindless bullshit, thank you for putting out something that really hooked me in
Seriously amazing that you were able to do this yourself. So, designer, engineer, and CZcamsr. You got my sub.
this is OUTSTANDING - the whole video, the showing of the process you used along the way, just a great video. Thanks!
I have no idea how i got here but I'm not complaining.
Great work and fascinating to watch.
Take my money please! Need one ASAP! Excellent work. Very well thought out and from concept to completion. Hope this makes you a truck load of money
I like how everyone is coming to love an update on the controller.
Being a product designer is such a gift on its own! "What ever you, think you make it"
Forget about the market or brands to tell you whats best for you. You make it to your convenience. Hats off!
That comma is not supposed to be there
This guy has way more skill sets than most product designers. Seriously impressive stuff!
This guy has way more skill sets than most product designers. Seriously impressive stuff!
My thump
@camwoo the pos at work needs a thumb war.
Amazing stuff, love the explanation on the process behind your build. Keep it up!
This is genuinely a genius concept and needs to be implemented into mainstream gaming asap
Wow. This is the first of your projects I've seen. I enjoyed seeing the entire design process. The controller looks great! I have big hands, and I feel as though I would really like a controller as big as that one.
This was such a cool design project and I love how you took us along for the entire journey. I've always been surprised at how little innovation there seems to be in controller design and I wish we saw projects like this come to market more often.
Randomly watched this whole thing for no reason but science. The levels of skill each step tool is respectable
Being able to pinch and move the track ball precisely is crazy. I wish I could try this thing.
Wow this is amazingly well executed. I love the little right joy stick sticking out from the control box. I'm impressed with your well polished prototype!