Mini Game Console Control Upgrade

Part two.

The more testing and redesigning iterations I did, the more and more convinced I became that either soft buttons were needed or I had to replace them with a joystick. It was a dilemma between searching and choosing button models or going for a single joystick. The latter also required some code change, which meant I had to do more testing on each game. I chose to rewrite whatever code I had to and try the joystick. I am glad I did. Fortunately, the code change was not as significant as I was expecting, due to my code design that allowed such a swap with minor changes. I wrote that code so long ago that I didn't really remember, but I am happy my concerns were in vain.

So now I had to redesign or add a new face cover that utilized joystick instead of four buttons. It took some trial and error before I came up with near perfectly matching slot for the joystick. I quickly printed the part to check for physical compatibility. Minor adjustments using a solder were required to melt the plastic into the required shape where necessary. After a few minutes, I had a beautiful front cover with joystick and only two buttons. I am thinking of making the whole mini Console to fit in one hand for single hand operation. Something like a Meta Quest controller, you know. That is coming next.

Currently, the mini console features a fully working game, joystick and rechargeable battery slot. I have a plan to complete the whole thing in a few more months. I will eventually release the whole project in a form of a DIY kit with full instructions in multiple languages. 

See you soon,

Digital Projections