A Twitch streamer has created a motion controller for the game Jedi: Fallen Order out of an old toy lightsaber and a glove. The materials to make the controllers cost only about $40. While the project was not expensive, it took him quite a while to complete.
Dylan Beck, who goes by the handle “Rudeism” on Twitch, rigged the lightsaber blade with LEDs that come on when you flick it out. He installed an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for detecting swings, which turns on and off depending on if the blade is extended or retracted. He modified the hilt with thumbsticks for aiming, a D-pad for commands, and several buttons for other controls like jumping and dodging.
The glove is nothing fancy, just a gardening or work glove with some electronics glued to it. It has a thumbstick to control in-game movement, but more importantly, an IMU detects hand motions to execute Force powers. Simply throw out your hand to do a Force push, for example.
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He got a lightsaber big enough to fit the electronics from a friend, then installed LEDs that light up when you flick out the blade, along with thumbsticks, a D-pad and buttons for jumping, dodging and so on. The motion sensor is an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that detects swings and deactivates when the blade is retracted. The whole thing cost less than $40 in materials, but a lot more in time, said Beck.
The best part is that it seems to play pretty well, too, though it no doubt takes some getting used to. “I started off on Jedi Knight difficulty, but I decided to crank it up to max difficulty just to see if I can. Managed to take out the second boss, so I think it’s got promise!” he said. Now, we just need a manufacturer to build this to make our Jedi gaming and cosplay crossover dreams come true.
