An extra thumb may seem convenient for using portable consoles, but for this Steam Deck owner, it’s a nuisance.
Reddit user Alpha-Quartz is excited about Steam Deck, but found the console’s rather distant joystick difficult to reach because of the extra thumb he has on his hand. He tells us that using Steam Deck was a nightmare for him compared to Xbox and PlayStation controllers. His post received almost 10 thousand likes and hundreds of comments.
Steam Deck users with a flair for modding offered to help. One of them, SpecificGreen9140The very next day, he shared a video of the thumb extender he created and printed on a 3D printer in action and the drawings for printing. In fact, it is an extension of the contact pad that attaches to the joystick and shifts the center of force to the left.
The nozzle required a small modification, but the user Woogies presented the best solution, by general agreement. Someone with the nickname D_Bagggg even made and showed in the thread a solution for those who need an extra finger but only have five. This «device» was created as a joke, not an insult, and was well received by the community.
«The only two times I felt at a disadvantage were with Steam Deck and during certain workouts at the gym. In games, it was usually an advantage, especially high school Tekken/Mortal Kombat, but also in strategy games on PC. I play a lot of DoTA 2 and similar games, and having an extra thumb helps,» he tells Alpha-Quartz.
The gambler is pleasantly surprised by the level of support. For now Development of an optimal controller is ongoing, as the method of attaching the proposed options to the joystick needs to be finalized.
Source: GamesRadar