This presentation is of a one handed controller design.

1. Controller Design

2. Abstract
The focus of this design process is to create a fully functional, ambidextrous, and comfortable one handed controller for use with
the Wii U gaming entertainment system. Our team has realized the need for more nontraditional gaming peripherals, and we think
that we have designed something truly special that can fill that need for anyone of any disposition to use.
(May 2015)
This design was created, inspired, and built by:
The Only Team
Clinton Huish
Sonny Liu
Mike Miller
Nicholas Zoshak

3. Introduction and Design Purpose
As video games become an ever more popular hobby for people, there are constantly
arising needs for those players. One of which is ease of play for anyone who might be
disabled or otherwise inclined. We have decided to focus our efforts on designing a one
handed controller option for the Wii U gaming system. We feel that because of the built-
in motion sensor and extreme adaptability that the Wii U already has, that we could
implement our design most effectively with this system. There are many genres and types
of games available on the Wii U and we wanted to give our controller the best chance to
succeed with the established titles of the Wii and Nintendo in general. We have designed
our controller in a way that will be comfortable for the wearer, whether left or right
handed, while still being fully functional for the games they want to play.

4. Sonny’s Inspirations
What inspired my idea for a portable controller is the world we live in today. Everything has been made easier and more accessible
thanks to the internet and the portability of the devices that are able to connect to the internet. If it were possible I could have
attempted to think of a realistic design for a portable console but I do not think that is possible at the moment. Sooner or later I
think portability be in everything we see and do. I think gaming controllers or consoles are no exception to that.

5. Michael’s Inspiration
My inspiration for a lap based design came when trying to
play Counter Strike on Xbox360.
The controls felt so sluggish and clunky that after only 5
minutes I put the controller down and wished for a better
design. My first thought was obvious, I need my mouse. The
mouse and keyboard combination are a tried and true way of
getting precise movement out of a control design. That is
why we use a mouse for AUTOCAD and not an Xbox
controller. Well thats not why, but that is why we haven't
switched. It’s just more precise and concise than a
thumbstick configuration.
“On a control pad, my Titanfall scores are unimpressive. I
typically land somewhere in the middle of the pack with a
kill-to-death ratio that hovers around 1:1. But with a
keyboard and mouse under my fingers, my Xbox One is
transformed into a killing machine. Headshots come easy,
and my ratio climbs into the double digits.” - John Engen

6. Sonny’s Inspiration
My main inspiration for my personal controller design, and
what I brought for my team’s design, was to have the controller
made especially for the Wii U entertainment system. I have
always regarding the Wii as the most adaptable and easy to use
system of the current generation and thought this platform
would be a perfect fit for our design. While the Wii has titles
from nearly every genre of gaming, I felt the general family
friendliness of the specific Nintendo titles (Mario, Zelda,
Metroid, etc.) would be a great avenue of approach for our team
to design this controller around.
“For people who like to play games with their kids or non-gamer
friends, the Wii U is the obvious choice. It’s easy for anyone to
join in thanks to its pick-up-and-play controls…” - Justin Dennis,
2014

7. Clinton's Inspiration
Whether it is the past, future, or present science
fiction controllers have one thing in common
they all use hands. Now, I don’t mean that oh yes
a controller fits in your hand so I must use my
hands I mean there actual hands, for example the
entire system from the movie Gamer (Gamer,
2009) is based on how the player moves his hand
as well as voice controls. However, we can’t ship
a gaming room to every player so how do we
allow the game to be played by hand and not by
learning the layout of buttons, from a glove. It is
as simple as moving your fingers forward and
back.

8. Jose’s Inspiration
When I started looking for Inspiration to design a controller I
started looking to the past and to the present. Generation after
generation of controllers have gotten more complicated due to
how the video game industry has grown, our games have grown
to need more than just a single joystick with a few buttons to
having touch pads, cameras and much more. While searching for
that one perfect controller I must have went through every single
controller I’ve ever used, but I kept coming back to the Wii
remote. Its easy to use, has can be used in multiple ways and
what I found that was really unique is the fact that the Wii
remote is natively ambidextrous. For any person who uses this
controller in their right or left hands the button layout will be the
same. David M. Ewalt describes the Wii mote in another way,
he states “It’s connected to the console wirelessly, and
more important, it’s equipped with an innovative motion
sensor that detects movement and rotation in three
dimensions.” (David M. Ewalt, PP 3). So this also got me
thinking of how to make an ambidextrous controller with
easy to use button layout, easy for people to past to their
friends that have a different dominant hand, or easy to use if
the player only has one hand. So the Wii remote grew over
time to become my inspiration.

9. Design Method
Our Design process as a team took us through three distinct steps, as seen by our pictures. The first of these steps was the
rough draft of a lap based system. Simple, yet a strong base. From here we began to pick and chose the functions or ideas
from our various controllers. This process created the device we see in our second picture. In which we can see the
various intricate parts that we brought together from each individual design and how they fit together. From there we
attempted to make a rough prototype for the controller so that we can see how people would react and how well the
system works.

10. Schematic Diagrams
B Button
Left Trigger
X Button
Right Bump
Right Trigger
Y Button
A Button
Motion Sensor
Analog Stick
Left Bump
Hand Strap
Hand Strap

11. Schematic Diagrams
Modular Buttons
Motion Sensor
Hand Strap
Hand Strap
Modular Buttons
Modular Station
Modular Buttons Modular Buttons

12. Schematic Diagrams
B Button
Left Trigger
X Button Right Bump
Right Trigger
Y Button
A Button
Motion Sensor
Analog Stick
Left Bump
Hand Strap
Hand Strap
Adjustment System Adjustment System

13. Schematic Diagrams
Hand Strap
Motion Sensor
Modular Buttons
Hand Strap
Adjustment System Adjustment System
Modular Buttons
Modular Buttons
Modular Station
Modular Station
Modular Buttons

14. Clinton’s Design Assumptions
The main and almost sole aspect from my controller that I transferred over was the glove aspect. I
transferred this aspect over because it allows for ease and comfort. Setting the controller up in this
format that allows for the user to keep a hold of the device and not require the player to worry about
h0lding and reaching all of the buttons. All in all I feel that because of the glove like attachment to the
controller we were also able to implement the motion tracking for the Wii U.

15. Michael’s Design Assumptions
From my design I brought over the “lap based” controller theme. The reasoning for a lap based
controller in my original design was for the ability to fit all of the needed components as well as
provide a stable base. This still holds true the one handed controller design. I believe we still need a
solid base to work from and with the many features we will be including the base works as the center
hub of this design.

16. Nick’s Design Assumptions
My main aspect of design I brought to the team’s design was that the platform we would be working
for was the Wii U. That being said I focused on making sure that we brought nearly every functional
part of the Wii U controllers into our design, besides the touch screen to keep the controller compact.
The three biggest ideas I gave the team for the controller were the side by side A, B, X, Y, right trigger
and left trigger buttons, the movable joystick to accommodate left or right handed players, and the left
and right bumper buttons that are on the side of the movement joystick.

17. Sonny’s Design Assumptions
The design assumption that I brought to the table is portability and conventionality. While SONY and
Microsoft has the more powerful console system compared to the Wii U, I believe Nintendo separates
itself from the big 3 through it’s portability and immersiveness. Nintendo has always dominated the
handheld department and I thought it was only fitting that the same kind of handheld feature should
be kept in our controller design. Every button is easily accessible and should not require too much
adaptation. We tried to keep everything about the controller as conventional as possible by retaining
similar features of controllers existing today as well as incorporating new ideas that will not turn away
players because it seems too out of this world.

18. Jose’s Design Assumptions
The Wii remote influenced my design for an ambidextrous controller. The Wii remote is easy to use
and it has multiple ways of using the controller to play. It doesn’t matter what hand your dominate
with because the Wii remote is perfectly symmetrical. By making our controller symmetrical or at least
having the ability to change positions we are enabling anyone who uses our controllers to have the
option of using it in either hand. This controller design would be more beneficial to people who don’t
have full control of both of their hands, or people who are missing limb. This controller design will
provide full functionality while being compatible with the Wii U.

19. Shovel Knight
Genre: Side Scrolling/Platforming
Shovel Knight is a retro style action adventure platformer
that is unique by challenging the player to fight enemies while
being able to leap from platform to platform. As the Shovel Knight
you are able to use various items, and special moves to fight
enemies and find secret areas. the inspiration for this games comes
from other classic games such as Mega Man, Super Metroid, and
Castlevania. With Shovel Knight’s easy controls we believe that it is
possible for our controller to be compatible with this game.
Since our controller has a D-pad module included
(directional pad), and Shovel Knight has simple controls it is very
easy to create a controller layout for this game. We can have the A
and B buttons as jump, the Y and X button as attack. From this
simple layout the player can move the character with the D-pad
and be able to fight and jump where they need to go. And if the
player simply pushes up on the D-pad while pressing Y or X they
can activate their one of there many items they have equipped. Our
Start and Select buttons will function as normal to pause and save
your game with the Start button, and to pick out what item you will
like to use using the Select button. The left bumper button next to
the joystick is used to switch between different suit visors, and the
right bumper is to cast Hypermode. Lastly the start/select/home
buttons will serve the same function as intended, notably to pause
the game and return to the home screen.

20. Mario Kart 8
Genre: Racing
Mario Kart is a go kart style racing game. It’s uniqueness that
separates it from other racing games is it’s use of Nintendo’s
iconic characters and the use of many tools and weapons in
order to stop their opponents during races. Over the years
each iteration of the game has been highly successful. Mario
Kart 8 for the Wii U is the latest iteration of the franchise and
it comes with several new features such as anti gravity racing.
However, even with it’s new features we believe the controller
that we have come up with is playable with Mario Kart.
Our controller has a joystick that is 100% playable with Mario
Kart. The joystick is placed so that it can be used to it’s fullest
potential whether the player is left handed or right handed.
The two buttons on the sides of the joystick can be used to drift
and the A button can be used to accelerate and the B button
can be used to activate items you pick up. There is no need for
camera control since most racing games take care of the
camera on it’s own by simply turning the car/go kart. UI
navigation is done through the use of the joystick and the
start/select/home buttons.

21. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Genre: First Person Shooter
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is Samus Aran’s third and final
foray into the Prime universe. She finds herself pit against
Dark Samus, a supposedly dead Metroid, and must travel to
the planet Phazon to stop her evil twin’s plans. This is a pretty
standard First Person Shooter game with the player controlling
Samus Aran. The game features many platforming levels that
include jumping, shooting enemies with lasers and missiles,
grapple hook swinging, turning into a small ball with your suit
to navigate tiny corridors, and puzzles. Throughout the game
the player receives many upgrades to types of laser beams and
missiles, can upgrade the armor, health, and functionality of
their suit, and more.
The control scheme from our controller to a more standard Wii
controller is not really different at all, besides a couple key
factors. Our movement is still controlled by the thumb joystick
but our camera movement is attached to the motion sensor on
the front of our controller. The A button will still be used to
fire the main cannon, confirm menu selections and interact
with objects. The B button will make Samus jump, as well as
exit menus. Since we do not have a C or Z button, instead our
left trigger will lock on to targets, and the right trigger will fire
missiles. The Y button will activate Morph Ball mode and the X
button will handle the grapple lasso, grabbing and pulling
objects/targets.

22. Create a Simple Prototype
B Button Left Trigger
X Button
Right Bump - Button
Right Trigger
+ Button
Home Button
Y Button
A Button
Motion Sensor
Left Bump
Analog Stick

23. Conduct a play testing session
Through out the play test we were able to find that
while on the player's lap the controller functioned
easily with the exception of the size of a player's hand,
which brings up making the controller so that it is
adjustable. However, the controller became nearly
impossible to use even with a glove when trying to
move the system around. after realizing how big of an
issue this was we began to look for a solution, which
resulted in adjustable straps. This easily fixed the
problem. All in all the pay test showed us our design
flaws when it comes to one size fits all, but also
revealed that the user finds it easy and comfortable to
use no matter the age.

24. Post Mortem
What happened correctly:
- In one relatively short meeting the team was able to decide upon the platform the controller would be used on
- Everyone had the same sense of the basic design the controller would be
- Ideas were constantly arising from all team members; all ideas were received openly with no whining/complaining if a
certain person’s idea wasn’t chosen
- Team members worked seamlessly on assigned areas of interest, as well as helping anyone that required assistance
What happened incorrectly:
- There was some confusion on the specifics of the design as team members were not always at every meeting
- The team did struggle at first to come up with a design that incorporated every member’s design aspects
- Slight problems in communicating as a whole; mostly due to scheduling concerns
What we would do differently:
- Set finite times and dates for meeting that everyone can attend
- Be more clear on what exactly is required from each specific team member

25. References
● David M. Ewalt (November 13, 2006) Nintendo’s Wii is a Revolution was retrieved on June 10, 2015 from http://www.
forbes.com/2006/11/13/wii-review-ps3-tech-media-cx_de_1113wii.html
● Daveynin (December 8, 2007) Three generations of Wii Wrist Straps was retrieved on June 10, 2015 from https://www.
flickr.com/photos/daveynin/2095333483/in/photolist-4ca8Dn-d9zMY5-aGZK7Z-bhaBst-263NJ9-3VqDKo-yaNh2-3SCC8Y-
5ehJup-DTL7Z-sEe5i-5TBcBy-7utRNH-3SCyrf-4ojL5j-4Zu3S2-6A1LMx-6A5QW1-6A5QSW-p3dyBq-5AFi1x-4U8NC7-
G2f33-uZP6t-2hEaLD-3kbgfL-gV1wqf-3kbgDS-3k6NhD-3kbf43-3kbdmG-4h1Hvs-3k6Prr-3kbfrC-3kbdLh-adcjSJ-3hDSRW-
344Z4K-3zUXRJ-4gM7X5-7iz6aT-349Ca2-4Vbbic-4PLoqs-KupqR-4U4zsX-4U4z36-4U4zfx-4U8NoJ-4U4yNZ
● 7 Ways The Wii U Is Better Than The Xbox One And PS4. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.makeuseof.
com/tag/x-ways-wii-u-better-xbox-one-ps4/
● Super Smash Bros for Wii U: Nintendo Wants You to Forget the 3DS Version. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http:
//www.usgamer.net/articles/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-nintendo-wants-you-to-forget-the-3ds-version
● Explore more beautiful alien worlds, now with extra cheese | Metroid Prime 3: Corruption | VideoGameGeek. (n.d.).
Retrieved June 14, 2015, from https://videogamegeek.com/thread/1044283/explore-more-beautiful-alien-worlds-now-
extra-chee
● Mario Kart 8. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.gamespot.com/mario-kart-8/
● Shovel Knight Review Roundup. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.gamespot.com/articles/shovel-knight-
review-roundup/1100-6420761/

26. References Cont.
● (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-
UrD9ZSCgAME/TXfKnD1ogaI/AAAAAAAAAhM/8rKawlREzxc/s1600/screenshot-lrg-12.png
● Gamer. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034032/
● Turn Your Android Phone Into a Gaming Console With PhoneJoy Play. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http:
//drippler.com/drip/turn-your-android-phone-gaming-console-phonejoy-play
● The ergonomics of the controller is the main reason console is better than PC. where is your god now? (n.d.). Retrieved
June 14, 2015, from http://9gag.com/gag/aDwK4KG/the-ergonomics-of-the-controller-is-the-main-reason-console-is-
better-than-pc-where-is-your-god-now
● Is Using a Keyboard and Mouse on a Console Cheating? (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://geekparty.com/is-
using-a-keyboard-and-mouse-on-a-console-cheating/