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Games Entertainment

Modding Game Controllers For Greater Grip 208

Posted by simoniker from the use-superglue dept.
japala writes "Fast-paced videogames require a steady hand and great reflexes, it's generally agreed. But some game controllers and pads just don't seem to fit in your hand, and sometimes they slip and slide, making you miss the action. So Metku.net has tried coating videogame controllers with chemical rubber - it seems to improve grip, and possibly even your score."
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Modding Game Controllers For Greater Grip More

Modding Game Controllers For Greater Grip

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  • my game controller is QWERTY (Score:5, Funny)

    by krog ( 25663 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:05PM (#9942461) Homepage
    because my game is nethack!
    • Actually I have a rather serious problem with my nethacking right now. I currently use the dvorak keyboard layout on a powerbook. This means that without an external keyboard with a numberpad there is no efficient way for me to play, since obviously the hjkl controls in dvorak are a no go and I can't go in diagnols with the arrow keys. Perhaps someone else has encountered this problem? Actually if I could get a really small USB or bluetooth joystick that I could use for direction commands that would even wo

  • grip (Score:5, Funny)

    by zoloto ( 586738 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:06PM (#9942474)
    So Mektu.net has tried coating videogame controllers with chemical rubber - it seems to improve grip, and possibly even your score.

    My girl improved her grip without the rubber so I don't know wha.. wait.

    This is a game controller? Eh *tries to recover* who said love wasn't a game?

    --zo
  • Video game controllers aren't the only thing we should coat in rubber... Remember kids, always keep it safe.

  • delicious! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tebriel ( 192168 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:07PM (#9942480)
    They should have coated it in rich creamery butter. If nothing else, it would have been more delicious.

  • coating (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I think a LOT of things could improve with the firmer grip imparted by a chemical rubber coating :)

    • Gripping... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by ackthpt ( 218170 ) *
      I think a LOT of things could improve with the firmer grip imparted by a chemical rubber coating :)

      How's it work on reality?

      There's always been that tool dip stuff you could buy at hardware stores, to replace cracked rubber grips on plier handles, etc.

      My favorite controller of all time (and damned if I can ever find it again) was an Amiga joystick. They sold these tiny joysticks to finance chip development, as it turns out though, because of the small size they were extremely good for making those sud

  • Greater grip? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:07PM (#9942486)
    I'd wager that most net-aware geeks with broadband access have already developed an extraordinary grip thanks in large part to non-gaming computer entertainment. Hell, I've seen geeks who have forearm imbalances like a tennis player! Trust me, geeks are finding ways to develop impressive gripping endurance.

  • Oooerr Matron! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Aardpig ( 622459 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:08PM (#9942489)

    But some game controllers and pads just don't seem to fit in your hand, and sometimes they slip and slide, making you miss the action.

    Damn, coffee all over my keyboard. I curse my British upbringing...

    • > > But some game controllers and pads just don't seem to fit in your hand, and sometimes they slip and slide, making you miss the action.
      >
      > Damn, coffee all over my keyboard. I curse my British upbringing...

      Depending on what's slipping and what's gripping, coffee shouldn't be the only thing all over your keyboard. (Unless you want yet another opportunity to curse your British upbringing :)

  • Article Text (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:08PM (#9942493)
    Intro

    Again, the similar kind of problem that I had with the ShinyShuttle article [metku.net]. Mod or a Review? In the end, a stock product gets to be something different than what it was when we started, so I think that it justifies this to be a modding article. :)

    Not so long time ago, one of our forum [metku.net] members suggested for me to take a look at the product we are about to test in this article; Plasti Dip. Article title says Super Grip but that just felt a good name for the article and have nothing to do with the Plasti Dip Internation's [plastidip.com] Super Grip product that is mainly used for fabrics. Anyway, in this modding article we will see what these rubber coating products can offer for modders, gamers and DIY people in general. As Corpes0 from our forum told us, Airsoft enthusiasts have been using similar products to improve grip on their airsoft guns. It should be only natural for this stuff to work on computer input devices too. Read on and see how it turned out.

    The product


    Spray or not to spray?

    Plasti Dip can be bought in two different forms/containers; Liquid and Spray. Both of them are available in different colors though not all retailers stock all of them.

    Colors available are:

    Black Red Blue Yellow White Clear / Transparent

    The store that I visited had Clear in spray and Black, Blue and Red as liquid. I ended up choosing one spray can (clear) and one can of liquid rubber coating for this article. Price for the products were around 15 euros for each can.


    Dangerous?

    "Haitallinen" = Harmfull, "Erittäin helposti syttyvä" = Extremely flammable and finally "Ympäristölle haitallinen" = Danger to environment. Fish swimming with backstrokes should be a pretty clear sign that these products are dangerous if not handled properly. In fact so dangerous that they can't be sended via regular post. As always, I don't take responsibility if you manage to harm yourself with these chemicals so read the label carefully and follow the instructions to the letter.

    First test


    Dipping

    As a first test subject I decided to use a regular adjustable wrench. This is one of the targets that these rubber coating products are meant for. Non-slip handle will make the tool easier and safer to use. Just take a piece of string or wire and dip the item inside the can so that all the areas you want to get covered are submerged. You could use for example a brush to apply the coating to the item.


    Result

    After at least four hours of drying you get a smooth and rubbery finish on the tool. The coat isn't too thick but you can build up the thickness but dipping the tool to the can several times. Surface feels, well, rubber and it makes the handle and the tool very comfortable to use. A good result with metallic tool, what about input devices made out of plastic?

  • ...and possibly even your score (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:08PM (#9942495)
    You mean your score for volatile hydrocarbons circulating through your bloodstream?

    You there, fill it up with petroleum distillate and re-vulcanize my joystick, post haste.

  • Better solution...underclocking (Score:5, Funny)

    by nebaz ( 453974 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:10PM (#9942512)
    It seems that overclocking the chips are all the rage these days, but I was excellent at Wolfenstein 3D when it first came out, because my computer ran at 20 Mhz and the minimum recommended speed was 25 Mhz. Slowing down the processor turns a real time game into a turn based game.

    Now having said that, since overclocking requires massive cooling effects, would underclocking require that there be an external heat source? Or by underclocking, will an endothermic reaction occur, giving you a free air conditioner. Hmmm. I'll have to do some investigating here...

    • Re:Better solution...underclocking (Score:5, Interesting)

      by poot_rootbeer ( 188613 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:25PM (#9942642)
      Slowing down the processor turns a real time game into a turn based game.

      Perhaps this used to be true years ago, but modern systems use a real-time clock to determine game timing. Underclocking will reduce the number of instructions executed per second, but will not change the length of a second itself.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Why can't I underclock? Why wont mobo mfg's allow this?

      I can set the FSB on my gigabyte board to moronic levels, like 300.. Theres no safeguards for how high I can go. There's always a limit, and that limit is usually low enough that it makes overclocking a fruitless endeavor. But there's no limit on how slow it could go.

      Why cant I drop it to 100 from 133? I don't always need my 3.06 ghz P4, and the temp-controlled "varies" from 4000 rpm to 4800 rpm, that is from annoyinly loud to slightly-more-annoy
      • Mentioning porn and jacking it up. I can't figure out if this is a serious post or not...

      • Guess what? Your BIOS sucks. I have a gigabyte GA-7N400Pro2 1.0 and while I cannot set the multiplier (I probably could if my CPU were unlocked) I can change the FSB freely to 100, 133, 166, or 200. My machine was overheating recently (actually, it was running kind of hot, but well within limits, so I bumped up the water mark) so I clocked the FSB down from 166 to 133.

        Buy a motherboard that is intended to support overclocking, and it will probably support underclocking, too.

      • Guess your next system will be an AMD64 [amd.com].
    • The reason overclocking generates additional heat is because you often have to run the system at a higher-than-standard voltage to make it stable at a higher-than-standard clock speed. It is the higher voltage, not the clock speed, which creates most of the extra heat in a seriously overclocked system. When you're underclocking you can't drop the speed below the specified voltage. Because the CPU is still dissipating nearly the same amount of current, you'll produce nearly the same amount of heat.

  • "slip and slide" (Score:5, Interesting)

    by hal2814 ( 725639 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:10PM (#9942514)
    I've used a wide variety of controllers from the old 2600 to newer X-Box controllers and have never once had the controlled "slip" out of my hand. Maybe the people having this problem need to put away the Doritos while gaming.

    I could see a rubber coating as potentially more comfortable but even that will not be true if you're playing for long stretches of time as the rubber is more likely to wear a blister on your hand (as did a wrech that I dipped in similar stuff a few years ago that I used for automotive work).

    • Re:"slip and slide" (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dykofone ( 787059 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:18PM (#9942584) Homepage
      It kinda reminds me of the way my less game savvy parents or cousins would first use a Nintendo controller, by whipping it back and forth in whatever direction they were trying to go. For them, added grip would be quite usefull.

      For the most part though the "steady-hand" the submitter mentions comes from, surprise, not moving your hands, it's the fingers that are doing all the work. Expert typists can hit 100 wpm without rubber coated keys or race car style 5-point body restraint systems. It's a zen thing.

    • Agreed. If the controler is getting greasy, wash your hands, and wipe the controler with a cloth. This has always worked for our oft-used PS2.

    • Re:"slip and slide" (Score:5, Funny)

      by Lawbeefaroni ( 246892 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @04:10PM (#9942965) Homepage
      Shhhhhh...

      The rubber coating is actually meant for those bastards that insist on throwing the controllers when they've had their ass kicked in multiplayer game. You know the kind,
      "What the hell? Fuck that, I pressed pass...I PRESSED PASS!!!!"
      *controller zings by plasma screen as I cringe*

      "OH, COME ON!!!! I was JUMPING!!!!"
      *controller sends cat screeching into the other room*

      With enough coating it will be more like,
      "Bullshit, I COUNTERED!!!"
      *controller is thrown to the floor, bounces up and hits the guy in the face*

      And I imagine a few saved TV screens, scratched pieces of wood furniature, etc.

  • Hyperhydrosis (Score:3, Informative)

    by DoubleDownOnEleven ( 690607 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:11PM (#9942519)
    This used to be a big problem for me. I have hyperhydrosis, which essentially makes my hands sweat more than normal. My hand would literally slide right off the joystick in the middle of intense Descent 2 battles.

    Nowadays I use just a keyboard and mouse for my games, as I got tired of dealing with a joystick. A product like this just might make me switch back.

    • Re:Hyperhydrosis (Score:4, Insightful)

      by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:33PM (#9942705) Journal
      This "product" isn't new, you can get it at Home Depot or any other hardware store, and have been able to do so for at least 20 years, because I remember dipping some wrenches in it years ago.

      It's called plasti-dip or something. It's a can of liquid (its just rubber cement with some additives for all I can tell), you dip your tools into it, it hardens and there you go, rubbery grips.

      They also sell industrial strength paper towels and high powered wet-vacs, in which you might be interested.

      This is the lamest "modding" article ever posted on slashdot. It's about as clever and new as spray painting your case.
      • It's a pretty big leap to go from wrenches to a console controller. Also, how many geeks hang out at home depot lol?

        It's hardly a worthless article, the simplicity can certainly matter with how much respect you give to the authors, but it really doesn't have much to do with the utility value of an idea most people wouldn't have thought of on their own.
    • I have hyperhydrosis, which essentially makes my hands sweat more than normal.

      These days there is a surgical procedure, thoracoscopic sympathectomy [sympathectomy.org], to cure this. Basically, they cut into your spine and sever a nerve near the spinal cord. This stops the sweating.

    • I heard that Botox can actually be used to treat Hyperhydrosis. In looking it up, I came up with this link [mayoclinic.org] that mentions it as well as a whole range of other treatment options.
    • You may also want to consider an Air Flo controller [baysoftgames.com]. I've never bought one because I just don't think it will work, but it might just help. If it does, that'd be really great for those long sessions of Super Monkey Ball.
      • You know what i'd really like is a metal controller with a peliter cooler on the bottom. At the very least when you "lose your cool" and your friend is sitting right next to you, you can do some real damage to your oponent with the heat sink.
    • Ever try sprinkling a little baby powder or Gold Bond powder before playing? During my marathon Mario 64 days, playing in the summer of course, I would keep a bit on hand to keep my hands dry, like chalking up when playing billiards.

      Personally, I was more worried about the big dent from the joystick I was getting on my thumb! Aside from that, I found the N64 controllers very comfortable.
  • site is /.'ed, but making something easier to use in the hand is not exactly a stunning new discovery. Look at shaped mice and sculpted keycaps, for instance.

    Does this remind anyone of the Moties [amazon.com] that modified the pistolgrips? Now THAT would be a mod.

  • Lame article (Score:3, Informative)

    by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:14PM (#9942548) Journal
    You can buy a can of that rubber stuff at home depot. You dip your (all metal or grips worn off) tools into it and it coats it.

    You hardly need to be a hardcore modder to do this. If you had sense, you'd get a roll of the grip tape skaters use and it'd be cheaper and faster.

    Has anyone ever had a problem with the controller flying out of their hands?
    • Has anyone ever had a problem with the controller flying out of their hands?
      My gf once threw her cordless mouse at the wall when she died in a videogame. Seriously, it damaged the wall. I'd rather coat her mouse in superglue instead of rubber. I'd submit a page to /., but my server will also go rubber-side up.
      • My gf once threw her cordless mouse at the wall when she died in a videogame. Seriously, it damaged the wall.

        What is it with women and gaming tempers? My wife threw a playstation controller at our brand new TV when she couldn't figure out how to control her Tekken fighter. Fortunately, she throws about as well as she plays videogames.

    • Re:Lame article (Score:3, Informative)

      by XryanX ( 775412 )
      "If you had sense, you'd get a roll of the grip tape skaters use and it'd be cheaper and faster."

      You do realize that grip tape is essentially just fine grained sandpaper with a sticky back, right? I don't think that would be the most comfortable thing to rub your hands on for all-night Halo sessions.
    • If you had sense, you'd get a roll of the grip tape skaters use and it'd be cheaper and faster.
      just ow... hockey tape would probably be a much better idea. Skateboard griptape is pretty much sandpaper.
    • Personally I'd use the tape you wind onto tennis racquet grips. It's soft and rubbery, and extremely high friction. Very comfortable for long term use, and easily replaced when it wears out.

  • Yeah Right! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by michaelzhao ( 801080 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:16PM (#9942562)
    I highly doubt this could improve anybody's Counter-Strike or Unreal score. When you suck, you suck. A game controller coated in rubber isn't going to help you. It's going to give n008s another excuse to suck. Sure it wouldn't hurt, but I'm sure it wouldn't make much of a difference.

  • its not the grip.... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by psycht ( 233176 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:18PM (#9942582) Homepage Journal
    aside from the (previously mentioned) dick jokes, I don't think grip is really key here. The main issue I've always had is accuracy in movement.

    This is why I prefer to play PC games with an optical mouse. The accuracy of my mouse is far greater than any other game contoller i've used in the past or present. Also, i can cusomize my mouse movement & acceleration in more detail than a controller.

  • ~~o ~o Slippery When Wet ~o ~~o (Score:5, Funny)

    by Vampyre_Dark ( 630787 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:20PM (#9942601)

    Stop pounding off to DOA: Extreme Beach Volleyball, and you will find the controller doesn't slip out of your hands as much.

  • Controllers don't need rubber grips (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Savet Hegar ( 791567 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:21PM (#9942604)
    Game players need to learn to relax their hold on the controller. The tighter you hold the controller, the sweatier your palms and fingers get. I've played games for hours on end (yes, on many different systems) and have never had a problem hitting the right buttons.

    Of course....when you're playing Socom and silenced bullets start popping in the water next to you...it's easy to hit the wrong button out of panic. But that really has nothing to do with grip.

    Maybe people should just wear rubber gloves when playing games LOL
  • I seem to remember reading that green was the brain's natural signal to stop, so traffic lights were reversed - green made people want to stop, and red to go.

    I tried the tester with reds, and couldn't get better than .3xx times - I tried with green, and got more than a couple .2xx times.

    Hmm.

  • Neoprene Game Controller Covers (Score:3, Informative)

    by what_the_frell ( 690581 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:25PM (#9942643)
    Long ago, a company called Redz Comfort Gear made neoprene game controller covers for the PS2, Dreamcast and GameBoy that saved my thumbs many times from blisters after hours of playing my favorite games. They can still be purchased here [888paintball.com].

  • Chemical rubber? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Awptimus Prime ( 695459 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:29PM (#9942676)
    So what rubber is not chemical?

    It looks like they are using more words than needed to sound more intelligent.

  • Alternatives to Melting your controller (Score:3, Informative)

    by ShroomSolo ( 793510 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:32PM (#9942698)
    Drummers are always concerned with grip on their sticks. I know numerous ones who prefere Gorilla Snot to keep a hold on things. I'm sure it could be used for controllers for a cheaper and less perminant solution.
  • Psychologically speaking, pink is close to the colour red. Red means "stop", not "go". I bet that if he changed the background color to green that people's response times would get faster (at least for North Americans).

  • rubber coating my grip (Score:3, Funny)

    by kni52 ( 598886 ) on Wednesday August 11, 2004 @03:41PM (#9942769)
    I know rubber coating my grip usually improves my chances of a score!

  • Well, my main problem is that controllers just don't "work" for me from an ergonomic point of view.

    For instance:

    • The darn thing is too small
    • The labels (start/a/b/c/d/x/y) are unreadable
    • Shoulder buttons are difficult to get to
    • Some key-combinations are impossible to get to with my fingers
    • general lack of control on their "joysticks"

    Why they can't make controllers for adults with regular sized hands and adult (poor) vision, I will never know.

    OTOH: They seem to work for all my kids.

    • The other issues I can easily see being valid depending on your hand size, but:

      The labels (start/a/b/c/d/x/y) are unreadable

      Unless you have a rather poor memory and/or only play games once every few months or something, you should quickly move past the need for having to look at a label.

      Sorta like learning to type, except easier - after a decent amount of time using a system, almost everyone i've ever seen just knows where the buttons are without having to look down all the time.
  • Rubberize your hands instead! That way you get a better grip with every controller you own, with arcade games, with your keyboard and mouse at work, when shaking hands with random people you meet...

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