[Hazer] managed to take a PlayStation 3 SixAxis controller and modify it so that all of the buttons can be remapped in hardware. Aside from this being really cool, he had a good reason for doing it. Regular readers should remember the feature regarding [Chuck Bittner’s] internet petition calling for button mapping as a feature in all games. As the industry still hasn’t taken up the torch in this area, [Hazer] developed this mod for [Chuck] to use and has released it for any others out there who wish to give it a try.
The hardware alterations are pretty hardcore. On the left of the image, just below the rumble motor, a DIP microcontroller is nestled dead-bug style. This is a PIC 18F14K50. It’s running a bootloader, and has its own USB port on the opposite side of the controller. By cutting traces and soldering to vias, this chip intercepts button presses and shoots them off to the controller’s processor based on alternative mapping stored in EEPROM. There’s a helper app that lets you plug the controller into a computer to specify what each button does, including features like toggle for the buttons. Check out [Chuck’s] thoughts on the hardware in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV6MaHB1pO4&w=470]
[Thanks Matt]
Serious bit of work. For those without those skills, XCM sell a remapping device which although not perfect, is a great gadget:
http://www.gamebase.info/magazine/read/one-handed-fps-play—ps3_726.html
this is awesome. i totally agree that it should be a feature across the board. only problem is the obvious enabling of auto-fire triggers, but cheaters gonna cheat anyway so why not level the playing field.
@Eggman Couldn’t they just use the data they have to identify people using auto-fire with an algorithm and warn them once, then auto-ban them from the game/network?
wouldnt there be some delay introduced by the micro? i know its basically nothing, but still.
it is nothing, especially compared to 20-30ms from TV lag
Love this idea. I just wish someone would mod a PS2/PC-only Logitech wheel to work on a 360…
There is this
http://pingus.seul.org/~grumbel/xboxdrv/
You could combine it with
http://spritesmods.com/?art=xpad
and reverse the process
This remapping is fantastic! It’s a god send for the disabled who without this mapping technique would not be enjoying the PS3.
Credit to the guy who made it happen!!!