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XBOX<br />
CONTROLLER<br />
<strong>PI</strong> ZER0<br />
<strong>YOUR</strong> <strong>PI</strong> ZERO PROJECTS<br />
Feature<br />
TERENCE<br />
EDEN<br />
Web developer<br />
shkspr.mobi<br />
Bring new meaning to Xbox Media<br />
Centre by playing Doom built<br />
into a controller<br />
T<br />
here are many colloquial names for the original<br />
controller for the first Xbox. The Duke. The<br />
Bear. The Fire Hazard. Its size is attributed to<br />
the urban legend of being ergonomic for ‘big American<br />
hands’; thanks to its size, however, it ended up being<br />
pretty perfect for Terence Eden’s project.<br />
“I wanted to play retro games on my TV,” Terence<br />
tells us. “But I didn’t want to buy yet another box<br />
to sit under there. I also didn’t want to have to faff<br />
about with anything too complicated - wouldn’t it be<br />
great, I thought, if I could fit an entire games console<br />
inside a controller?<br />
Similar to our project idea (which ultimately resulted<br />
in a full tutorial this issue – see page 52), Terence<br />
I wanted to play retro<br />
games on my TV<br />
thought originally about using the iconic NES controller.<br />
However, his wife pointed out that the larger Xbox<br />
controller would be perfect for what he had planned.<br />
“So, this project was about stuffing a Pi inside a<br />
controller and using it to play Doom!”<br />
Apparently it was a tight fit even for the Raspberry Pi<br />
Zero, meaning that some of the interior of the controller<br />
housing had to be shaved off to squeeze it in. “It’s great<br />
that all the ports are along one side; that makes fitting it<br />
into tight spots much easier,” Terence adds.<br />
The component list was nothing fancy: just the<br />
standard cables needed to make the Zero work and the<br />
various assortment of tools needed.<br />
Like everyone else, Terence has been inspired and is<br />
thinking how else he can make use of the Zero. “I’m<br />
curious as to whether it makes sense to use it as a door<br />
and window sensor. A Pi Zero is cheaper than a Z-Wave<br />
sensor so, as long as I can run power to it, I can place one<br />
on every door and window at home.”<br />
Fit a Pi Zero into<br />
a controller and<br />
you don’t even<br />
need a console<br />
USB OTG<br />
is a simple<br />
extension to the<br />
existing micro-<br />
USB spec. The<br />
connectors are<br />
really cheap:<br />
under £1 online.<br />
That said, it’s<br />
pretty simple to<br />
make your own if<br />
you’re confident<br />
with wiring<br />
and soldering.<br />
Terence spliced<br />
an old one<br />
directly into the<br />
controller lead<br />
RetroPie is a brilliant resource for emulator fans, says Terence. He remembers the<br />
days when you had to scrabble around to get MAME to work, but this is a single disk<br />
image with everything built in. Magically, it even has kernel support for the Xbox<br />
controller via xpad – Terence thought he’d have to bodge that in for sure!<br />
raspberrypi.org/magpi<br />
January 2016 29
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