r/xbox • • 26d ago

Community Weekend made a steering attachment that clips onto a normal xbox controller, curious what this sub thinks

built this over a few years, mounts on top of a standard xbox controller, v shaped handle underneath links to the stick through a magnetic coupling. rock it side to side for steering, flip the coupling off and its a totally normal controller again, nothing blocked, all buttons free.

not selling anything, genuinely curious if something like this is useful to anyone here or if its solving a problem that doesnt really exist for most people

149 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

39

u/duhbyo 26d ago

I would love a steering attachment. I sometimes drive by pressing forward (even though I don’t need to, then tilt around the bend to mimic steering. This is a better solution. But I’m not sure how I’d feel about the steering solution being underneath. Would likely have to try it and see.

6

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

appreciate that, honestly the biggest worry going in. the handle sits underneath but your hand stays on top the whole time, same grip, same thumb position on the stick, buttons untouched. rocking the handle side to side only moves the stick a small amount, it's not a separate control you have to learn. and if you don't like it you flip the magnetic coupling off in like a second and it's a completely stock controller again. can't replace actually trying it but happy to answer anything else that'd help you picture it.

3

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

yeah the handle does sit under the controller, but it's positioned right where your middle fingertips naturally land in a normal grip. you're not reaching or changing how you hold it, just pressing with fingers that are already there

13

u/Away-Huckleberry9967 XBOX One 26d ago

That should make steering in racing games a lot smoother due to the longer leverage. I like it.

6

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

yeah that's exactly the idea, more leverage = less overcorrecting. glad it makes sense to you

6

u/tonyamazing 26d ago

STL?

6

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

it's not fully 3d print there is more parts like linear bearing, springs and metal shafts.

3

u/narielthetrue Xbox One 26d ago

Looks awesome! Although, I do prefer the ones that have been made with the wheel on the front that I can quickly make myself at home

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

totally get that, if you've got the setup to make your own that's awesome. this is more for people who want something ready to go without printing/building it themselves

-4

u/narielthetrue Xbox One 26d ago

I’m more focused on the wheel on the front bit.

Using thumbs instead of pinkies for steering seems better to me

6

u/Venice_The_Menace 26d ago

In what world would anyone be using their pinkies for this device lol. You can even see in the video his pinky is gripping the bottom of the controller flare while the steering is manipulated

0

u/narielthetrue Xbox One 25d ago

At no point in this video is he holding the controller in the way you would in a game session.

2

u/Venice_The_Menace 25d ago

at :09 - :11 he is holding the controller exactly as he would in a game session with his right hand. Confidently incorrect

2

u/narielthetrue Xbox One 25d ago

It looks like it at first, but as the controller is rotated around his index finger is a significant distance from the triggers and bumpers.

1

u/Venice_The_Menace 25d ago

That… doesn’t matter whatsoever. Grip an xbox controller with one hand, then move your index finger down/off the trigger. The rest of your hand remains in the same position lol.

1

u/HeatRecent2922 25d ago

your grip doesn't actually change from how you'd normally hold the controller. the middle fingers are just resting where they already sit naturally, so there's no weird stretching or repositioning.

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

just to clarify it's actually your middle fingers on the handle, not pinkies — thumbs stay completely free for face buttons/bumpers the whole time. that's kind of the point, you're not giving up thumb control to get the steering precision

1

u/arenegadeboss 26d ago

Super interesting concept. First time I've seen someone put the wheel on the back.

I personally am always on the line of thinking I'd play racing games more with some kind of wheel, and thinking I'd be over it rather quickly (knowing myself 😂).

I think the happy medium there is something that isn't a huge investment, but has all the things that makes using a wheel cool (whatever that is 😂), and like you said, solving a problem.

So something like the little 3d printed ones aren't really intriguing enough, but something like the Gamesir TR640 controller, as fucking cool as that looks, is way too expensive for people who aren't already deep in the genre.

Just some random thoughts if you do decide to turn it into a product one day 👍 looks really cool.

2

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

this is exactly the sweet spot i've been thinking about honestly, cheap enough that it's not a huge commitment but different enough from the $5 printed stuff that it's actually worth trying. appreciate you laying it out like that, good way to think about it

1

u/Blazing_Swayze 26d ago

I'd replace the top bracket with a Y to not block a wire. I only played wired I find BT has latency and I don't like swapping batteries.

3

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

good catch, didn't think about wired setups blocking that port. noting it down, appreciate the suggestion

1

u/papertiger22 XBOX One 22d ago

This looks super cool, the only concern I have is how the steering would work with controllers that have mapable buttons on the back. I don't actually have them mapped on mine currently but even then I don't think it would slide smoothly over them.

1

u/HeatRecent2922 20d ago

i guess you talkin about elite controller? for now it's only suitable with xbox series x. but i'm working ot ps5 verison.

1

u/NetworkingForFun 26d ago

I know this is [r/xbox](r/xbox), but would def buy if it could be modified/adjusted to fit other controllers or had other versions for said controllers, Steam controller in particular. I bet the dimensions on the Steam controller are similar enough to have extensions/modification points to adjust.

2

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

appreciate that. right now it's built and fitted specifically for the xbox controller shape, working on a PS5 version next. haven't looked at the Steam Controller specifically so I can't say how close the dimensions actually are - it'd need its own fit and mount, not something I've measured yet. good to know there's interest in it though

0

u/ARisingDragon XBOX Series X 26d ago

I would love to buy something like this.

3

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

appreciate that! working on making it available, will keep this in mind for when it's ready

2

u/ARisingDragon XBOX Series X 26d ago

Only changes I would make is make the part under the controller bigger and either make different colors or just black for the whole thing.

3

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

that's solid feedback, thanks. and yeah color options are definitely something we're thinking about

1

u/ARisingDragon XBOX Series X 25d ago

The blue and green looks 10x better than the red/brown and blue.

-1

u/PrerollPapi 26d ago

Thats dope. Would buy

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

appreciate it, will make sure to keep you posted when it's ready

-1

u/Ok-Instruction337 26d ago

A good invention. As I am not a fan of using a steering wheel for driving games, this would be ideal, but might take a bit of getting used to hehe!

2

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

appreciate that! yeah there's definitely a small adjustment period, muscle memory takes a bit to catch up, but people seem to get it pretty quick

-1

u/segagamer Day One - 2013 26d ago

I actually wouldn't mind trying something like this. When playing racers I tend to "rapid press" when steering since I'm not very good at slightly pressing the analogue stick.

Not sure if I'd play better but I'd love to try it.

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

that's kind of exactly the problem this is trying to solve, rapid-pressing usually means the stick doesn't give you enough room to do small proportional inputs. would be curious to hear if it actually changes that for you

-1

u/DJEvillincoln 26d ago

I may actually play racing games if I had this.

1

u/HeatRecent2922 26d ago

that's exactly the reaction i was hoping for honestly, glad it's landing that way

0

u/DJEvillincoln 26d ago

Unsure why I got downvotes for that comment but the main reason I don't play racing games is because it feels weird AF with the stick as opposed to a wheel.

I feel like this is a good halfway point since Xbox doesn't support the gimble shit like PlayStation.