Racing games are a great way to test drive that Ferrari you can’t quite afford yet, and the quality of simulations has greatly improved in the last 30 or so years. While there are all manner of high-quality steering wheels to connect to your PC or home console, many gamers still choose to play using a typical controller, using the thumbstick for steering. What if there was something in between?
What we have here is a tiny steering wheel you can print for an Xbox One controller, that mounts to the controller frame and turns rotational motion into vaguely linear horizontal motion on the thumbstick. It does come with some pitfalls, namely blocking a button or two and it also obscures some of the D-pad. However, for those of you driving in automatic mode without using the buttons to shift gears, this could be a fun device to experiment with. Files to print your own are available on Thingiverse.
It’s a neat hack, and there’s plenty of room to take the idea further and personalise it to suit your own tastes. While you’re there, why stop at steering? You could make your own custom buttons, too!
[via Gizmodo, thanks to Itay for the tip!]
This could be perfect for Beamng.Drive, I might have to try it! Shame that it covers the other analogue stick though…
I don’t play video games, but it looks clever. I take it you have your choice of the two wheels.
I think this is great, don’t really care if it works well or not cause it’s just so damn clever!
If I were clever enough if shit for having the wheel be on the left side RC car transmitter style. Leaving the buttons and triggers free to use.
Er.. rather “I’d opt for having”.
This is on my printer right now
This absolutely blew up on Reddit earlier in the week. I don’t think it’s because the thing is that good of an idea, or even works very well (look how sloppy the lateral motion is even in this GIF), but because it’s one of those designs that’s so intricate that it almost certainly never would have happened without 3D printing.
That you can come up with these, for lack of a better word whimsical, designs and put them into production is really one of the true values of 3D printing compared to traditional manufacturing.
Also enabling for differenty abled people too?