FPS Controller Hacks Getting Easier

It used to be a major production to build a gun-form-factor FPS controller but commercial tech has adopted many of those traditional hacks over the years. Now, [Nirav Patel] is playing Cube with a Wii zapper and a SpacePoint. All that was really required to make this happen is a patch to Cube, the open source FPS.

[Nirav] has plans to make this controller wireless using a BeagleBoard. We’re wondering if there’s support for using the Wii motion plus? We’ve seen motion plus Arduino connectivity, as well as direct PC connectivity. The Wii remote already connects to Linux, what about pulling that data down from the Bluetooth connection? If you’ve done this, send us a tip about it.

12 thoughts on “FPS Controller Hacks Getting Easier

  1. Awesome, simply awesome. And yes, Doktor Jeep, it would make an excellent weapons training system; it reminds me a bit of a trainer made by a former employer of mine, but theirs had a built-in LCD monitor; this is slimmer and could be fit to hardware that would most accurately replicate the feel of the weapon. It would rule with a brighter projector.

  2. I think this is pure novelty. Mounting an LCD makes more sense to me, at least then you always have it right in front of you with no corners or fading due to bad placement of the pico projection.

    I see keeping focus and jerky movement being the bane of this idea. This is a cool idea don’t get me wrong I just don’t see it being all that fun holding your arm completely still at the right distance for this to work. FPS games can cause you to react quickly therefore jerking.

    Sorry this one just doesn’t pan out for me.

  3. @Ho0d0o

    That’s why he used the microvision laser projector, it is always in focus at the distances he’s working with and thus no having to hold your arm still.

  4. @Ho0d0o/Heatgap

    It’s a laser picoprojector. There is no concept of focus; it is “in focus” at any distance.

    It is mostly a novelty though, because the projector is pretty dim. It needs a smallish completely dark room to be playable.

  5. Sweet! I thought pico projectors were coming down in price? $600 seems high still. I thought around $200…yah Google shows 3 versions under $200. Almost worth it.

    Doom 3D would be great with this. Flash light style projection in complete darkness!

    His video doesn’t look to bad. Being tethered to a PC is probably the worst part. Need to get a wireless setup…

    Like Physics-Dude said, wide angle projector. Or better yet 360 HD projector on the ceiling. With a modified “stretch mode” or “fish eye mode” so that it looks nice. Then you dont need to have it on your gun. use the gun for aiming but be able to see everything around you…. just a thought ;)

  6. How about just mounting a light weight screen on the end of a aluminum rod and counter balance it? that way it’s always flat and in front of you and allows you to do 180 turn arounds too.

  7. either flashlight simulation or mounting the projector on the head makes sence to me
    with the right lense and a bit of further coding one could create a sort of hemisphere projection with very low resolution^^

  8. I would think that mounting a projector to a robotic ball head hung from the ceiling with a couple of cameras and having it track you. Your head controls the viewpoint and the gun would control the aiming. The whole thing would have to be in a spherical room.

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