Just looking at this little thing makes our hands ache. But [Kirren] did do a great job of building an N64 controller inside a tiny project box. It’s not a mod, but a ground-up build based on a PIC 16F628 microcontroller.
It has most of the buttons found on a standard controller, and he assures us that you can play most games without missing the ones that didn’t make it into the design. You can just make out the analog stick to the left, but that silver ring on the right is actually a 4-direction tactile switch which stands in for the C buttons. He’s also included Start, A, B, R, and Z.
The link above goes to his Wiki, and there are more than enough details if you’re interested in doing this yourself or just understanding how everything works. Check out his writeup on the protocol, and you can even get a copy of his code. There’s also a video demo after the break which shows [Kirren] playing some Bond with the controller.
where’s my DIY Dick Tracey watch already?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/Dicktracy1961cartoon.jpg
So, that is pretty neat. I like how small it is and the clicky switches are nice. It seems he is only missing the directional pad, did any games really use that pad (and not allow the analog stick)? Also, he doesn’t seem to have played 007 in awhile.
FYI, to the editors, the analog stick quite plainly visible in the photo, but the second photo on his wiki is much better and shows the buttons on the top (shoulder) as well.
Won’t be playing the THQ wrestling games without a dpad :-(
THQ Wrestling, and Mischief Makers! are two games I know of that can’t be played without a d-pad.
More craftsmanship in this controller rebuild. Still not sure how comfortable it is to use though.
Not being able to activate multiple c-buttons at a time will make starfox a little difficult. You won’t be able to boost into a loop.
Zelda needs the dpad i said in in the other reduce size controller