This has to be one of the coolest, most useful ghetto hacks ever: a modder called the2jakes built a mechanism to control the analog joystick of a PlayStation 2 gamepad with his head. Using just an ingenious rig, a baseball cap and a USB cable extender, his homemade head-mounted display controls the game view with the natural movement of his head, rather than using his thumb. In this video he uses his invention to look around while playing Test Drive Unlimited.
[Update: more comments from the2jakes after the jump, including the components for his hack]
Jesus Diaz: How long did it take for you to complete?
the2jakes: As far as I can remember, 3 hours. This is just a beta version, I only wanted to see if a PS2 analog joystick was a good way to achieve head tracking for the Playstation 2. The final goal was to
add it to my homemade HMD. That's why you only see me testing it on my TV in this beta version video.
JD: So there will be a second version?
t2j: To be honnest, there won't be any "final" version of it, for several reasons: firstly, too few PS2 games integrate "free look" function. I only know Test Drive Unlimited and Ace combat Zero that have this function. I prefer waiting for the PS3, since I couldn't find any Sixaxis device for the PS2. That would do much better the job... I believe there is much more to do for the PS3.
JD: Why the PS3?
t2j: Didn't you noticed how poor this console is regarding its peripherals? I'm really disapointed about it (the PS3 has been launched a long time ago now, and Sixaxis is so cool I can't understand why they didn't build any cooler peripherals with it (other than gamepads). For now they didn't integrate "free look" function in GT5 Prologue on the PS3... I've tested it... it's sad. You only get a binary style view (left or right, no smooth free look.) I hope the'll add this to this game: then for sure you'll see a mod of mine to do good head tracking.
JD: How much money did you spend on it?
t2j: Well I used an old PS2 controller..., an old USB extender, two chopsticks, and a metal hanger. In other words: costless
Apart from being a mod genius, the2jakes is a Frenchman who loves gaming, VR and real car racing. He says he always liked building peripherals for his PC. He made his own first racing wheel 11 years ago and since then he has been doing all sorts of mods, including a dynamic racing seat with built-in subwoofers, servos and a video projector, all made with home components.
His first attempt to create a head-mounted display was made "using ordinary off-the-shelf stuff I had." This included a helmet and a graphics tablet (of all things). "I know, it's kind of big and heavy," he says, "but was fun to build."
He even created a model with built-in 8-inch TFT display with a SVGA connection to his PC and integrated sound:
Please, someone give this guy loads of money and his own game peripherals company.














Comments
Man oh man that guy is creative!
Very very cool use of OTS parts to get the job done.
I hope this gets posted over on www.hackaday.com
KUDOS!!
Its always inspiring to see people who are creative and have the technical ability and motivation to follow through on it. Cool stuff... I hope he gets some funding.
Holy Fuck!
That last one was so.... incredible!!!
Say what you like about the clunkiness or whatever, that was tracking in the closes thing I've seen to real time in ages. And I am positive that if a company picked up this concept they could prettify it and make it lightweight enough that.... holy shit. VR is right around the corner. MOAR MOAR MOAR
Heeey, we have to get this guy and Ben Heckendorn together for some brainstorming!!
Thats bloody awesome... Simply wicked.
that was really cool! other VR helmets need a cable to support the weight!! this guy managed to do what NASA failed to do. put a man on the MOON!!!
anyone else notice how hacked up his desk chair was with lights, and who knows what other mods? 2nd vid.
It's a good thing the analog stick is so sensitive, otherwise you'd be staring at the wall instead of the TV whenever you wanted to look out your side window. Now if he'd just use a glasstron or whatever instead of a TV, we'd be all set.
Now all he has to do is learn how to drive...
@PaleRider: It's possible that it's still a tad disorienting to get used to.
I laughed at watching the first video and seeing that it was controlled by a stylus attached to the chair and the stylus is just rubbing on the tablet on the back of his head... If he leaned forward so the stylus wasn't touching the pad than it wouldn't work anymore.
Stephen Hawking would love this?
this is great except that the when he moves his head the the right and his eyes are pointed to the right and the screen will be to his left. this hack would be great if you could strap the screen to his head as well but then that is just like a vr helmet. don't get me wrong, i'm all for hacks and hopes this develops but at the moment this doesn't really seem to work.
@strangesnow: There is a screen on his head. >.>
That's stuff's gonna take some rigid posture, though...
@bdkennedy1: LOL...but how do we know he isn't using the controller and turning his head at the same time.
I like it.
Someone needs to come up with something like this for FPSs.
I'm getting "video no longer available".
Anyways, awesome! So many possibilities..
The last one was the best because you can still see while moving your head. The first one means you have to turn your eyes so you can still see the screen.
Very Nice : )
Maybe this can Be useful in the Next Game Systems?
Very cool. I would have to test it out before I decided to pay anything to buy it should it get picked up by a peripheral manufacturer. That, along with what game compatibility it had to go with it. Ideally though, I'd like to see a reasonably priced personal arcade-like simulator where you can sit down to at least 180 degrees, if not greater, of seamless video screens. A true "look to the left" and see the left side 'feel' to it rather than have the images pan across the screen. In other words, be able to see the left side with your peripheral vision even though your eyes are pointed straight ahead. Perhaps the future of flexible OLED technology will someday accomplish this. A personal 'bubble' of screens that places you into a 3D environment without distortions, now that would be awesome and would have all sorts of useful and entertaining uses. (i.e. an architech could take a truly emmersive walk through of a house he just designed in CAD to get a much better sense of what the end product will be like once completed). Flat screens just couldn't give the same effect, at least not as far as my imagination could fortell.
awsome! yeah, this guy should get his own company.
this is really awesome!
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