Rail Crane Controller DesignBy: Derrick Buckley, Justin Scheerer, Jason Pires, Raychel Randall

AbstractIn this presentation we will be outlining why our design would be the most optimal

experience for players who have one hand. Our design is trying to tackle a way that

would allow the player to be able to game with ease, precision and also comfort. We

hope to receive positive results from our prototype and also find out if we could

potentially find any opportunities of improvement as well. We used our own designs as

well as design inspiration from other controllers in order to put our controller

together. By doing this, we will hopefully gain knowledge and experience on working

with a more diverse audience and also keeping in mind that not everyone is going to

have the same gameplay experience as others.

IntroductionWhen it comes to the use of controllers, a lot of designs are made mostly for people

who have two hands. It is important to have other options for people who don’t have

both of their hands in order to market to a broader audience. Accessibility is important

because then people feel as though we are listening to their needs and not just making

one type of product for able-bodied consumers. People with disabilities, such as having

only one hand, need a way to be able to have the same accessibility without sacrificing

comfort or efficiency.

Design PurposeThe purpose of our design is to focus on ergonomics, precision, and easy access in

order for new and seasoned gamers that have the use of only one hand to enjoy

playing video games. Our goal is to design a controller that caters to both, a left or

right handed person, while also being simple enough for players of any skill level to

learn. In addition, it will allow the user to play a variety of genres with the comfort of

being able to play for long periods of time.

Justin’s InspirationMy design inspiration came from the

idea that the buttons and sticks would

be in the exact place that your fingers

rest if your hand was flat on the

controller. To help me determine

control placement, I simply placed my

hand on a piece of paper and put

markers where my fingers were resting.

In addition, I wanted the remainder of

the buttons to be well within finger

reach for easy access.

Raychel’s InspirationMy controller design was inspired by one of

my speaker sets. With the addition of an

analog ball as well as buttons where your

fingers can comfortably rest, this speaker

made for a great controller design. This

simplistic and comfortable design would

allow for someone who had one hand to

not have to be too overwhelmed with

buttons as well as longer playing time since

they wouldn’t have to move their hand too

far to get to the controls they need. Not

only that but this would make it easier for

the person to quickly tap buttons while in

game.

Derrick’s InspirationMy design inspiration came from

modern day competitive controllers.

Many of these controllers feature

raised thumb sticks for precision

aiming and back padels for easy

button access. The ability to

program any button on the

controler for any use is also a

feature many high end controller's

share. Taking all of these into

account I came up with my design.

Jason’s InspirationThe inspiration for my controller

came from the comfort of the

controller I use when I play video

games. I wanted to design

something ergonomic for

someone with only one hand that

can be used by either right or left

handed people. A comfortable

grip and not overwhelming the

user with a whole bunch of

buttons was my goal for this

controller.

Design MethodErgonomics: We felt this was very important when designing a controller and wanted to allow the user to play

for long periods of time without causing fatigue to their hand. We wanted to use soft padding for an easier grip

as well as comfortable playing experience for the player. With the handle design, players will also be able to

game longer without having to worry about cramping or their palms getting sweaty and slipping.

Precision: Having a tracking ball instead of analog sticks will allow for more precise aim and also will be a lot

easier to push or hold down for games that require that feature. We put a foot pedals in which will work well

for faster response times.

Easy to use: Easy access is important in a controller. We didn’t want to make the user awkwardly position their

hand to reach a button, or overwhelm them with so many components for one hand. With the addition to the

foot pedal, it will be easy for new players to pick up and use while not feeling overwhelmed by so many buttons

on the handle. It also will be easy for advanced players to be able to modify controls if they choose to use that

option. The tilt feature also allows the player to move with the controller for a more immersive playing

experience.

Schematic Diagrams: Rail Crane ControllerOur controller consists of a handle with a soft

padding on top for hand comfort. The handle has

360-degree tilt on the base to act as an analog

stick. There are buttons on the underside of the

handle for easy access for the user. Toward the

front of the handle is a trackball on each side for

the use of left or right-handed people, the

trackball acts as an analog stick. Next to each

trackball is a button. We also added a directional

pad on top of the segment that connects to the

base. These allow for easy access, as the user

simply needs to extend their fingers to push the

buttons. On the base of the controller we have

start/menu buttons, a system home button, and a

sync button to sync with the console. Our

controller is wireless and runs on only 2 AA

batteries.

Schematic Diagrams: Foot Pedals

Foot Pedals

We’ve added foot pedals to relieve the

hand of having to push so many buttons.

Users will be able to push four buttons

with their feet. The pedals are also

wireless and run on two AA batteries.

They automatically sync with the

controller so there is no need for any

other buttons.

Schematic Diagrams: Side View

Foot Pedals

Schematic Diagrams: Top View

Foot Pedals

Schematic Diagrams: Base View (No Top Handle)

Foot Pedals

Schematic Diagrams: Right or Left Handed PlayThe controller caters to

either a right or left handed

player, simply by turning

the entire thing.

Justin’s Defense for Design AssumptionsI believe that the buttons on a controller should be positioned according to where the

hand naturally rests when it is flat on the controller. This would cause less stress and

minimize the finger movements needed to press various buttons. In addition, a good

symmetric controller with input customization synergizes well with button positioning

to allow comfortable left or right handed play that is tailored to the user’s preference.

The Configurable Single Handed Video Game Controller is a great example of a

modular system that caters to user preference and has symmetric input positioning to

reduce stress on the fingers (Epstein and Heckendorn, 2009).

Raychel’s Defense for Design AssumptionsAdding a trackball instead of having analog sticks will be a lot easier for someone with

one hand to control movement and also increase performance. A study was done that

replaced the analog sticks on a 360 controller with a trackball to find ways of

improvement for both novice and advanced gamers. The results showed that novice

and advanced users had a higher accuracy rate than that of the analog sticks. What’s

even more interesting is that once the analog sticks were replaced, novice users that

had the trackball controller actually outperformed advanced users using the standard

controller. I feel as though with a comfortable shape and also having a trackball on a

controller, the player will have a more enjoyable gaming experience.

(Natapov and MacKenzie, 2010)

Derrick’s Defense for Design AssumptionsI believe that the thumb sticks should be raised on a controller for precise aiming. This

would make it much easier for the user to aim with the use of only one hand. Also

having a customizable height of the thumb sticks to fit every individual user for max

comfort. Also having a symmetrical thumb stick design will make accessing the rest of

the controller more reliable. An advantage of the present invention are adapters that

will make gaming more comfortable by reducing stress, and will improve game

performance by enhancing the feel of the game and the accuracy of the user's

manipulation of the steering stick. (Cooper, 2011)

Jason’s Defense for Design AssumptionsThe design and shape of a controller is important for the comfort of the user. It’s

critical that the user is able to hold and keep a grip without adding extensive fatigue to

the user’s hand. Adding an ergonomic shape that makes the controller comfortable in

both the left and right hands is another important aspect when designing a controller.

It’s also essential to the user if the buttons, sticks, or other components are within

reach without causing the hand to be in awkward positions; at the same time, a left-

handed user should be able to access all components on the controller with the same

ease as a right-handed user. The handle provides support for the user’s hands and

fingers while they are using the controller to prevent any cramping or stiffness.

(Reichow, 1991) Thus, creating an ergonomic controller is very important to make

sure users can play for long periods without interruption because their hand is

fatigued.

Use with Call of DutyCall of Duty is one of, or if not, the most popular First Person Shooter series out in the

industry. The game has different mechanics such as player movement, camera

movement, and gun combat, among others. Our controller allows users to play these

games just as well as able-bodied users with traditional console controllers. Tilting the

handle allows the user to control player movement, and the trackball allows for

movement of the camera. The foot pad buttons allow the player to aim down the

sights with LR, shoot with RL, and throw their grenades with LL and RR. The A, B, C,

D buttons allow the player to swap weapons, reload, jump, and crouch. Users can

press the trackball in to sprint and the X button can be used to melee attack. The

directional pad allows for use of any killstreaks or equipment.

Use With Halo Wars Halo Wars was a very popular console RTS that was easy to learn, but hard to master.

Because RTS games are not common on consoles, this particular game used careful

design to make the controls as simple as possible while still allowing skilled users to

play at their max potential. When played with our controller, the main actions such as

select, cancel, attack, and special would be assigned to the A, B, C, and D buttons while

tilting the controller and using the trackball would correspond to moving and rotating

the crosshair. The foot pad buttons allow the player to cycle selected units with RL,

and select global and local units with LL and RR. Finally, all of the D-pad commands

for Halo Wars would use the D-pad on the base of the handle.

Use With Gran TurismoGran Turismo is a well renown racing simulator known for its sense of realism. With

this much depth comes a wide variety of techniques the player must master in order to

achieve glory. When Gran Turismo is played with our controller the player can use the

Foot Pedals (RR and RL) for the brake/gas. For steering the player would use the

Tracking Ball for precise movement, while using the X button would serve as an

emergency brake. If the player prefered to drive a manual transmission they would use

the A button for the clutch and the B and C buttons for shifting gears. And finally if

the user wanted to Change camera angles the D-Pad would take care of that.

PrototypeSide View

Prototype

Top View Top View Without Top

PrototypeTop Button View

Prototype

Right or Left Handed Play

Play Test Sessions - Pictures

Play Test Sessions In our playtest sessions our tester had some valuable info about our product. The first

thing is that the pedals needed to be slanted to allow for comfort while playing.

Another was how many buttons were underneath the handle. He said it made holding

the controller hard to do without pressing the buttons. Other than these few critiques

he thought that the controller was very comfortable to hold and loved how the user

could use their feet for some of the controls.

Post Mortem: The GoodOne of the best things that happened during the creation of this controller was the

cooperation and feedback that everyone had while coming up with a concept for it.

Each of us would spew out ideas that we thought would make for a good controller,

and the rest of the team would either agree with it or come up with ways to improve

upon it. It is certain that the communication on the pros and cons of the controller was

our greatest strength and made us connect more as a team.

Post Mortem: The BadThe biggest issue we had was figuring out a way to set up all of the buttons in places

where they are easily reached without causing the user to have to awkwardly position

their hands. This was challenging, because there are so many buttons and it’s hard not

to overwhelm the user. Our solution was to bring in some foot pedals that the user can

use with their feet. It was also hard to agree on bringing in the foot pedals. Some said

it would be too difficult to set up for the user, but eventually we all thought it was a

great idea. Another issue we had was figuring out a way to add the left and right

analog sticks, on a traditional controller, to our controller. We came up with the idea

of adding a trackball to each side of the handle to be accessed by left or right-handed

users, and allowing the whole handle to tilt 360-degrees. This way, tilting the handle

acts as the left analog stick on a traditional controller, and the trackball acts as the

right analog stick.

Post Mortem: What Could Have Been Done Differently?This assignment was no easy task. Even though there were a lot of disagreements, we

still came together as a team and made a very great controller. What we could’ve done

differently is listen to everyone’s design choices and weighed in on pros and cons

instead of directly looking at just the cons of the issue. Another thing that could’ve

been done differently in terms of the controller would be moving the directional pad

buttons on the side of the handle instead of directly down because then it would cause

the player to strain their fingers and not be easily accessible. Overall, this project was a

new and exciting learning experience that we hope to apply to future assignments.

ReferencesEpstein, M. and Heckendorn, B. (2009). Configurable Single Handed Video Game Controller. Retrieved

from https://www.google.com/patents/US20090054146

Cooper, L. (2011). Patent US7993203 - Control stick adapter. Retrieved from https://www.google.

com/patents/US7993203

Reichow, J. (1991). Ergonomic handle for game controller. Retrieved from https://www.google.

com/patents/US5046739

Natapov, D. and MacKenzie, S. (2010). The Trackball Controller: Improving the Analog Stick. Retrieved

from http://www.yorku.ca/mack/FuturePlay1.html