Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Gaming With Only One Hand?
Hork_Monkey writes "I recently sustained a severe injury to one of my arms, and am lucky not to be an amputee. I'm an avid gamer (primarily PC, but also XBox) and looking for advice one how to adapt to the challenge now presented of enjoying one of my favorite pastimes. My google-fu has led me to some devices and tips, but I wanted to tap the collective while experimenting. I know there have to be some readers in similar positions who could provide some guidance. I'm figuring a few things out, and also hope to share what I find for others in a similar situation."
It's the most fun a guy can have with one hand.
Well, Slashdot is a good authority in one-handed computer use.
Emotiv technology lets you game hands free (someday) http://emotiv.com/
First, sorry for your injury. I know little about electronic gaming with injuries and I wish you luck with it. But you may want to consider pen and paper and/or board gaming a a well. With the right group it can be great.
Silence is a state of mime.
Given PC gaming, pure keyboard play is difficult as is switching, unless you're playing something like Civ V. A lot of people who play MMOs have these supermice with 10 keys on them and that's probably going to be your best bet.
For example, http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/mmog-mice
You would be surprised how well a foot pedal rig can work for gaming. If you still have use of your mousing hand, pedals can easily handle the movement function of the keyboard hand. Just get yourself a mouse with a few extra buttons and you're set.
If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
Without knowing which arm has been disabled, it's tough to offer specific advice, so I'll just shotgun some ideas here.
First, assuming you can still use a right-handed mouse, might I suggest the Logitech G600. It's got tons of buttons, which assuming your right arm is the functional one, can help fill in a lot of gaps with some creative mouse button configuration. And before anyone cries foul, yes, it IS superior to the Naga which it obviously borrows its design from; I own and have thoroughly used both. The G600's software is also superior.
For left-handed use, either the Razer Nostromo or Logitech G13 gamepads. I have both, and while Logitech's offering has a lot more extra buttons, I find the Nos to be generally more useful with its scroll wheel and more ergonomic feel, while the G13's advantages are more buttons and a true anolog stick (though in a very awkward position, unlike the Nos' more comfortable d-pad). The Nos also has an adjustable palm rest unlike the G13.
Those are off the top of my head, and granted are only mainstream devices and not anything specifically made for the disabled, but I hope I've helped, or at least given a direction to pursue further. Best of luck with the gaming! :)
The are some pretty good wii games that you can play with one hand, like Umbrella Chronicles. The game walks for you and you basically have to shoot everything. There are a lot o point and click also. You can buy a driving wheel, you will use your feets to press the pedals and drive like a "gangstah" with one hand... good thing you will practice for real driving with one hand.
Is _that_ what the kids are calling it these days?
A few years ago a friend got into a wicked car accident and one of her injuries was a badly messed up left hand.
A week or two after coming back from the hospital, she ended up MacGyvering her keyboard with guide rails and attaching a pen to a glove to press the keys.
After a couple weeks of trying to play Quake and Left 4 Dead she concluded her days of twitch shooters were over, but she still managed fairly well with slower paced games.
Good luck!
Hawking does cosmology with one eyeball, and you are stuck on one-handed gaming? Try ping pong, or darts.
Oh for... seriously?!
"N does X with Y, and you are stuck with Z? Try A or B."
I'm nearly 100% positive there's a logical fallacy in there somewhere, I just can't put my finger on it. Also, you're an ass.
Ask Ben Heck to make you one :P
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/ben-heck-splits-and-condenses-a-pair-of-xbox-360-controllers-for/
I am an ACCA student. Got a query on Accountancy/Finance? Maybe I can help!
Actually, I think this is probably the only thing that needs to be posted in response to this question.
I'm pleasantly surprised there were some comments that didn't involve hints about masturbation...
The field you want, in general, is called accessibility. I tell you that so it can help your Google and other searches. I encourage you to reach out to the organizations listed on this Wikipedia page. I know some of them personally as I'm blind and a PhD student in computer science and an accessibility researcher, so I'll be more than happy to perform introductions on LinkedIn, email, twitter, whatever you like, just let me know. Here's the Wikipedia page listing some organizations. I'd start with Able Gamers. Mark's a good guy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_accessibility Next, I'd encourage you to get on twitter, if that's possible. I can connect you to tons of folks to cover everything from one handed typing approaches (both paid and open source solutions), speech input alternatives, strategies developed by other users of technology with the use of only one hand, and so forth. I'm @SinaBahram on there. Just drop me a line. Btw, the accessibility community often goes by the numerical acronym A11Y, so look for #A11Y or just a11y when Googling around, and that can help some of your searches as well. Sorry if this post is a bit disjoint. I would love to leave more comments on Slashdot and interact with it more, but Slashdot has repeatedly ignored my various emails and other attempts to reach out to them, since I use a screen reader and there are some serious accessibility issues that could so easily be fixed if I could just get ahold of the right person *poke poke to anyone who reads this*. To you or anybody else looking for more information on accessibility, technology used by folks with disabilities, etc., just contact me via whatever mechanism you like. It's all on my site, which I'm not sure my profile links to, so here it is. www.SinaBahram.com I hope this helps, and please don't' hesitate to contact me so we can get you connected to the right folks to get you gaming again.
I ordered this, but haven't quite got the hang of using it yet and it's only for the PS3.
http://www.consolesandgadgets.co.uk/catalog/ps2-ps3-one-handed-controller-p-1616.html
Second that. I knew a guy who had no use in his hands, but managed to use standard controllers with his feet. It was amazing to watch. I guess you'd have to increase the dexterity of your feet a lot before you got to that point.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
A good friend of mine has the same problem, one arm paralyzed. He has a good quality gaming mouse with a suitable amount of programmable buttons, a Razer Naga.
He's also thought about a footswitch (or multiple) but hasn't tried that yet. He plays FPS with alarming accuracy and skill, having bound buttons for moving forward, strafing, and doing all major tasks. He cannot go backwards (on his current setup) but that really doesn't seem to affect his gameplay much.
He previously had a Logitech gaming mouse, and bought the Razer more because it looks good than anything else (well, one or two extra buttons and nice ergonomics for his hand). He was a leftie, and lost use of his left arm, so is gaming with his weaker hand now. It's possible with any good programmable mouse!
Good luck on continuing gaming, and rest assured that it can be done insanely well!
I had a stroke and only have had use of 1 hand for about 14 years now. I used to game with a regular 2 button mouse but recently got a razer naga hex and it's probably the best mouse for me http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006W3ZXEW/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=19398558576&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=398679345943500799&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B006W3ZXEW it takes some getting used to though I use 2 not left click for shooting as it's much easier to have your index finger on the top forward and backwards buttons and just hit 2 with your thumb. The other buttons can be used to crouch, run, jump, etc. and are fairly easy to press with your thumb also. I'm mainly talking about first person shooters here as it's what I play most, but I heard it's a great MMO mouse too. If you want to use a regular two (3?) button mouse my only advice is have pushing button 3 (the scroll wheel) move you forward and left button shoot with right reloading. I hope I helped, feel free to ask me anything if I made this confusing or if you just want to know more.
First, it's great that you're trying to adapt to your new situation, and not simply assuming that it is not possible. A dear friend of mine is in a similar situation, and after lots of research on her behalf I landed unequivocally on the following setup:
1. As many buttons as you can carry on your remaining mouse hand; i.e. Razer Naga. I've not used any of the super high button count (>8) Logitechs so I can't comment on them, but the Razer is what you would expect from the company: absolutely top notch. This is all personal preference of course, but obviously you want to load up on as many buttons as you can in your mouse hand.
2. That leaves the all important WASD, plus moar buttons. Without any finger control, grasping, wrist control.. hell, even if you only had an elbow, you can still achieve a level of control at least as good as traditional keyboard WASD by switching to an arcade style joystick:
http://www.xgaming.com/
These things are brilliant, and built like a brick shithouse. You can independently program every directional switch in the stick (i.e. WASD), and every button on the board, simply by plugging in a PS2 keyboard and holding the respective buttons on each device for a few moments. You can program multiple configs, and the controller remembers them while not plugged in. This includes modifier keys like shift, which is great for holding modifiers on your joystick to double the versatility of your mouse buttons. This setup is so versatile, that in my experience it cuts down on the mouse buttons you actually find yourself using (still doesn't hurt to have them though). Absolutely no software required to do this programming, and the joystick itself functions as a usb keyboard; your games won't know the difference at all. There are adapters available for every console as well.
One thing that helped was to find a comfortable spot to put the joystick. Think something chair seat height, as opposed to putting it up on your desk. The unit is tall and will need to sit lower than your keyboard or mouse do. It is also wide, so we ended up orienting it with the joystick at the back and the buttons at the front, rather than traditional joystick on left and buttons on right. It fits comfortably next to you like that (think flight sim setup with a left hand throttle control), and feels way more ergonomic than using the keyboard ever did, disability or no.
My friend has played countless hours of WoW and Borderlands with this setup, and if anything it is outright superior to the keyboard in both instances. The one limitation is that it's not practical to simultaneously use the joystick AND the buttons one-handed (a moot point given the disability), but switching between them is so quick, and the buttons can be moved to your mouse anyway, that this is an easily manageable issue in practice. It's also just plain more enjoyable than a keyboard, really. Playing an MMO or FPS with an arcade joystick really puts a shit eating grin on your face. I plan on getting this exact thing for myself once I have more time to game again, it is that good. And you still have your full keyboard in front of you!
Gaming isn't made for one handers, srry.
This guy does a fairly good job with just one thumb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BhHwk9qSvI
Depending on the severity of your injured arm, maybe you could manage to tape your limb to one of these devices: http://www.catistore.com/sp3dusbmoby3.html You can operate 6 axis (move, rotation). That means moving + aiming in an FPS. Then, you could use your other hand with the keyboard. I don't know if this will work for you, since you didn't specified precisely the extent of your injury. For instance, I am an amputee. But I only lost 2 phalanxes in my left index finger, so the first sentence is a bit misleading.
Yup, watch that episode of TBHS and post in his corner of the element14 forums for more advice. He and other gaming accessibility minds frequent it.
http://www.element14.com/community/community/experts/benheck
You should also make your way over to AbleGamers.
http://www.ablegamers.com/
+0 Meh
Dude- I stepped away from the computer for a few hours.
I am reading it, and I appreciate the feedback so far. In case you haven't read, it's a little hard for me to type so I can't respond to everything.
You wouldn't be the first, this guy already games with no hands:
http://www.twitch.tv/aieron/videos
Brief summary: muscular dystrophy, no useful movement apart from neck and face, so he controls the mouse with his cheek and earlobe, and the keyboard with a pen in his mouth. He plays stuff like guildwars 2, LoL, etc, and he's way better at them than I am.
Thanks, dude, but I'm married, have a [natural] tan, camp, and even own my own business. Not everyone on here lives in their mom's basement.
I have other hobbies, but I was looking for advice about how I might continue to play Skyrim, SWTOR, Deus Ex, and other games that I was playing prior to the accident.
Since you made the assumption that all I do is sit in front of the screen, I'll make the assumption that based on you UID that you're about 20 years old. I live a full life, even though I'm going through some pretty major adjustments with it. If I'm right about your age, you haven't even begun to figure yourself out yet, much less experienced 1/4 of the things you recommended. Even if I'm wrong, I do/have done everything you listed, except ski. Even the addiction part- I haven't had a drink in 5 years, and haven't had any blow in 22.
Maybe you intended to be helpful (I doubt it), but you come across like a complete dick.
I use freetrack for headtracking in flightsims, racing games and Arma II, it's a free version of TrackIR (overpriced and aggressive about its dubious IP so I avoid) look here: http://www.free-track.net/english/. It is quite simple to build a headset with some IR LEDs and almost any camera will work with it. I built my set-up for around £30 including the soldering iron and a second hand PS3 eyetoy modded as per these instructions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jJfuP7YgPA. In conjunction with Glovepie, software which will allow you to program controls via almost any external controller https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie. You would be able to program custom controls for any game of your choosing. For example in an FPS you would be able to use head movement to control WASD keys ( Lean forward for W, lean back for S, lean left for A, lean right for D) and your able hand for the mouse. Here is the link for Glovepie https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie. I would normally give you glovePIE.org, but some retarded script kiddie seems to have 'hacked' it at the moment. Happy gaming...
In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
I use freetrack for flightsims and racing games etc, it's free headtracking software and can be found here: http://www.free-track.net/english/ . I put my setup together for around £30 including the PS3 etyetoy I use as the camera and the soldering iron as well! Slight modification for a webcam is needed to remove the IR filter, but it is quite straightforward as per this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jJfuP7YgPA. In conjunction with GlovePIE you can program your head movements in freetrack to any controls you desire https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie (normally I'd say glovePIE.org, but it seems to have been 'hacked' by a moron for the time being). It can be used with almost any external controller, but it works very well with Freetrack. For instance in an FPS you could use your head to control WASD (lean forward for W, lean back for S, lean left for A, and lean right for D ) while your able hand controls the mouse. You could however use whatever variation suits you for any particular style of game. Hope that helps.
In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
I've experimented with hands-free input on the PC to supplement the standard mouse/keyboard. Some of my best successes are:
Game Commander 2 for voice control - great for switching weapons, fine-tuning simulator parameters, etc. Anything where you don't need instant responsiveness. It seems to be available free these days, but pretty much requires a high-quality noise-canceling microphone to work reliable. (If anyone knows where to get an affordable, quality headset mic without integrated headphones please let me know) It might have issues with Vista, 7, etc. though.
TrackIR/FreeTrack can be rigged to emulate key presses with a little work (FreeTrack is probably easier to work with). Leaning/jumping/crouching/etc maps intuitively to this, but you can use it for anything you like. I strongly recommend going with full 6DOF tracking, otherwise cross-talk between different head movements can get infuriating.
Use a Wii Balance Board along with GlovePie to emulate a mouse, joystick, and/or keyboard. The simplest way is to simply map the center-of-gravity position as a joystick or 4/8-way keypad. It's a little sluggish for movement in twitch-friendly FPSes (shifting your weight takes a lot longer than twitching a finger), but has potential in slower games. I've also had great luck using it for intuitive leaning. In this mode it also works just fine while sitting on it or putting it underneath a pedestal-base chair, though you need to add a way to calibrate the forward/back axis since it's unlikely your weight will be perfectly centered (I use the button to trigger a time-delayed "neutral position" reading)
Standing on the BBoard or using it as pseudo-pedals opens the door to additional control as well - since there's some flex in the board each corner can be operated almost independently, or you can play with composite axes - for example independently tracking the front-back force distribution on each foot (think independent throttle control for the treads of a tank) as well as the force balance between feet. You can also convert the difference between left and right "throttle positions" into "twist" information - I had some interesting successes using the combination of that and the center-of-gravity position to emulate a joystick/rudder combo.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.