Sunday 21 February 2010

XBOX 360 Controller Modding


This is my own xbox 360 controller. A you can see from the pics its very different from the standard design.
The ideas behind this evolved over time. I had seen modification where modders had put two buttons under the controller so that they could use they're index fingers for some of the buttons. This helps a gamer as it means they dont need to take there thumbs away from a stick to press them, very useful. I tried out the mod myself and found it honestly did help. After a while i became frustrated that I would still occasionally have to use one of the original abxy buttons. So I started to think about moving two more to the underside.

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Once this was done I then realised that the right stick was not in the most natural place. Moving it in line with the left seemed like the next logical step. So with the help of some filler and a dremil I modded the controller into the configuration seen in the final design.



For some people when they see this the reaction is that it would be uncomfortable or confusing to use, but the truth is quite the opposite.
I wonder if this design was ever considered by microsoft or any controller manufacturer. Its seems odd to me that controller design is focused on using no more than 2 thumbs and a max of 4 fingers. From my experiments using different designs I can say that certainly for myself I am easily able to use all of my fingers and thumbs. Its a lot more natural feeling and means that I can react much quicker than before. I also wonder what advantage this would give a real pro gammer.
I do think there is a market for tailor made controllers. With each one being the exact specs that most compliment the gaming style of the user.
I would estimate it took me a day or so of gaming to become used to the new lay out and for my gaming to start to improve.
Judging from the feed back I have had from my original post about this and the subsequent video (seen at the end of this post) there is a large market out there of people wanting to be able to purchase a controller like this.
This project has been featured on several sites including boingboing, distructoid, and gizmodo.
I am now wondering what the future may hold for this mod. I am beginning to formulate ideas about starting a small business with controller modding as the flagship product. I'd love to get some feed back on this idea.

1 comment:

  1. Do you sell these? and if so how much, and would i be able to tell you exactly where i want the 4 button placements so my fingers dont have to extend/scrunch up slightly to hit these new button positions?
    vertefeuille00@yahoo.com

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