A well-designed phone case will protect your phone from everyday bumps with only as much style flair as you’d like. While protection is usually the only real function of a case, some designs — like [Gabbelago]’s Emucase — add specific utility that you might not have known you needed.
Contrary to most cases, the Emucase fits over your phone’s screen, and the resulting facelift emulates the appearance of a Game Boy for easier — you guessed it — Game Boy emulation play on your smartphone.
Cannibalizing a USB SNES gamepad for its buttons and rubber contact pads, Gabbelago then threaded some wire through the contacts, securing it with copper tape and glue; this provides a measurable level of capacitance to register on the touchscreen. Using heat to bend the sides of the 3D printed case so it can attach to the phone is probably the trickiest part of this cool project. Check out his build instructions for any pointers you need.
Gabbelago notes that you don’t need to 3D print the case, as something as common as a cardboard template will mimic the Emucase. If you want to make one for your own phone, some clever design work to account for any side buttons and ports would allow you to reverse the Emucase to be used as a regular case when you aren’t gaming.
Feel like you need some tactile feedback when texting or browsing? This QWERTY keyboard is another classically functional and excellent case.
[via /r/3Dprinting]
I think I need this. I also think I need it to be reversible, and function like a normal case when not in use.
… I think I have a new weekend project!
I think I’m going to order 10,000 units from China, this is a cool idea!
I think I need you to sell me one on ebay. I also think that I need it to be reversible aswell.
A very cool Idea. Never thought of bending printed parts, done it with acrylic before and it was easy enough!
Re- the pad does it register multiple simultaneous button pushes.
How can I assure a catch if I don’t simultaneously mash A+B while the pokeball flashes.
I dont understand where the electrical source for the capacitance comes from. Doesnt it need to come from your fingers? Looks like the top of the buttons dont contact the copper wire.
I think you misunderstand how capacitive touchscreens work. You can read here, hopefully it sheds some light for you. :)
http://scienceline.org/2012/01/okay-but-how-do-touch-screens-actually-work/
I would pay for a decent flip case with this implemented.
That way your phone is always protected and you can play games whenever you want without hassle.