Ideas required for one handed button use

[StrangeUK]

Hi Folk,

First my right arm is paralysed, I can usually develop my own workarounds by trial and error but I’d rather not try on two many cases for button positions. I’m already down one case through my own tool fumbling.

I’ve decided that I can probably deal with D pad and ABXY in the usual positions. But I’m uncertain on L & R. The usual rear positions aren’t going to work. I don’t want to add them as an extra set of buttons on the front and I think that would be awkward to deal with using index and thumb anyway.

My other option is not have them and deal with on,y having games that don’t use L & R. I’m definitely of the right original era, and then some, shall we say but I actually didn’t have any handhelds or consoles growing up so I’m unsure what games will be accessible without L & R. Obviously all DMG01 games, GB Color, NES. Do all GBA games use the L & R? What about consoles?

Any other options or thoughts grateful welcomed.

Thanks,

S

PS for those thinking this through yes tool use and particularly soldering is awkward one handed but you get used to it after 20+ years and I have some bad habits.

[hartsmooth]

I think it depends what your grip is. If you're playing with the gameboy sitting on your lap/table with your pinky/ring fingers working the dpad, middle/index working the ABXY, that seems to put your thumb near the bottom of the case. A logical place for L/R might be two buttons to the right of the headphone jack. Again this assumes left handed use. You may have to play around with battery size/placement and maybe come up with a custom bracket solution?

If you're playing with middle/index on the dpad and thumb for ABXY, maybe you could have L/R on the left side of the case where your pinky/ring could reach.

I think any placement is possible with a little engineering. I would try to imagine how it would work best for you and what would be the most practical/comfortable.

[StrangeUK]

Thanks hartsmooth. I really appreciate your thoughts. I can tell you picked up a controller and tried yourself. You are right it is about trying it and seeing where my fingers lie. I’ll definitely try out your suggestions. I did wonder if there might be any thoughts folk would have that were totally off the wall but might be a creative way to deal with the situation.

For example I play PS4 using a combination of left side of controller and foot switches. One of which is a PS1 kidstation with a micro controller emulating a HID like the Teensy is in some GBZ builds. The kidstation is like a jumbo action button set each button 3”/75mm in diameter. This all goes into a Titan Two controller mapping device often used for keyboard and mouse on a console but allows scripts and macros to be setup specifically for a game.

Clearly that setup isn’t going to work on a portable unit. But maybe I could rig up a HID device with additional buttons that I can plug into the USB port when I play games that need extra buttons. It could well be my kidstation controller but I think something portable would be neat.

I had thought of putting ABXY on the battery compartment lid so that I can use thumb on D pad and a natural hold with my left hand put fingers in a position to use the buttons on the back. However I realised L & R are often used in games as modifiers and not just additional action buttons. At least in my PS4 games. Is that how GB advance and SNES use them?

There is an aspect of my build that is about cosmetic design and preserving as much of the original design as I can. I’m willing to then work with the limitations of games or whatever that might impose. Hence me asking about what games this might limit me to. So I am still interested in that.

Thanks

S

[Gizard]

For L & R, I suggest discluding R entirely and including L1 and L2. L1 can be your L and L2 can be your R.

I think that you should put ABXY under the D-Pad for maximum comfort.

[StrangeUK]

Thanks Gizard, may I ask why you suggest L1&L2 please?

Interesting idea about ABXY positioning.

[Kichinokimi]

heyhey I'm not sure if you are familiar with 8bitdo controllers, but the 8bitdo zero is
1. tiny enough to use with one hand
2. easy bluetooth
3. well built


This might not be exactly the solution you are looking for but I use my zero more than any bluetooth controller I own and I own quite a few. AND it really is easy to use with one hand.

The more I think about this, I bet just making some sort of box that just uses bluetooth for controls entirely and has a screen would be pretty sweet

[StrangeUK]

Kichinokimi, thanks. No I’ve not heard of those. I can see joe the d pad and action buttons would be easier but I think I’d have to try one to see if the should buttons were usable with one hand whilst using d pad and or action buttons at the same time. I like the controller anyway so I might buy one as anything small like that I love!

S

[hartsmooth]

For example I play PS4 using a combination of left side of controller and foot switches. One of which is a PS1 kidstation with a micro controller emulating a HID like the Teensy is in some GBZ builds. The kidstation is like a jumbo action button set each button 3”/75mm in diameter. This all goes into a Titan Two controller mapping device often used for keyboard and mouse on a console but allows scripts and macros to be setup specifically for a game.

Clearly that setup isn’t going to work on a portable unit. But maybe I could rig up a HID device with additional buttons that I can plug into the USB port when I play games that need extra buttons. It could well be my kidstation controller but I think something portable would be neat.

Well depending on how ambitious you are it wouldn't be that hard to make your own miniature version of that. You could grab some small/flat enclosure, follow a guide like this, and have your own little stomp pad with some L1/R1 buttons or whatever else you wanted to add. Would certainly be easier to fit in your bag, might even be able to squeeze it into one of those DS cases people have been using for their Zeros if it's small enough.

[StrangeUK]

Hartsmooth, yes it’s something I’ve been thinking about. It’d be an interesting project. Technically it’s something I’ve done already so that would be no issue, it’d be getting the right size and type of buttons that would mean its practical yet still portable. If limiting to two buttons I think that could be done.

[Gizard]

Thanks Gizard, may I ask why you suggest L1&L2 please?

L1 = L

L2 = R

That way you can use L + R with just your left hand.