A YouTuber and designer has created the ultimate FPS controller by combining a typical game controller with a USB trackball mouse.
The controller versus mouse and keyboard debate is almost as old as gaming itself. Each has its benefits, and ultimately it can come down to preference. However, designer Charles Pyott has taken it upon themselves to take the best parts of both setups and combine the two to create the ultimate FPS custom controller.
In a recent YouTube video, modder Charles Pyott explained that he created the FPS controller to combine a trackball with a gamepad to get the “benefits of mouse aiming with the form factor of a console controller.”
“I wanted to explore making a controller that combines the best aspects of a mouse and a gamepad by combining a trackball for aiming and an analog stick for movement together in a single controller,” Pyott explains in his video.
The impressive custom FPS controller began life as a clay model, which was then 3D scanned, and refined using tools like Rhino 3D, to clean up and fine-tune the design. Pyott wanted the final result to be recognized as a standard Xbox controller, and USB mouse by his PC, so he combined the internals of those devices for the project.
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The final “ultimate FPS controller” project results in a device that features the left side of a typical standard gamepad, with the right side containing a USB trackball. The trackball is suspended in an adjustable cradle, with an added mouse wheel situated between the left trigger buttons. The finished project was put to the test through Aimlabs, an aim trainer shooting game on Steam.
Through Aimlabs, Pyott was able to significantly improve upon his controller performance. Pyott reached scores of 85%, 84%, and 93% when it came to spread, cluster, and dynamic shooting, beating out his respective 61%, 27%, and 76% with a typical controller. When it came to dynamic shooting, he was even able to improve upon his mouse FPS skills.
While it’s a lot of effort to improve aim, the controller and project is one of the most unique controller mods out there.