Watch the video for this project here
I had the idea of using a nerf gun as a controller to play Call of Duty Warzone, but since it's just a controller, it can work for any game with the rebinding of the keys. This repo contains all the files for the client and server, the android app used to get accelerometer data, and the 3D models for the buttons, buttons assembly, and other components.
Python 3.5 or newer required.
The client is meant to be used on a Rasberry Pi. Before running it, you must install the dependencies. This can be done using the included setup.sh script:
sudo sh setup.sh
Then set up the script by setting the SERVER_IP in nerf_client.py
The server runs on the machine running the game to setup install the python dependencies use pip
py -m pip install -r requirements.py
Then set up the script by setting the HOST IP in nerf_server.py
The nerf gun used for this build is the NERF Fortnite AR-L Elite Dart Blaster. Even though I originally built this controller to play Call of Duty Warzone, this Fornite edition nerf gun provided the space I needed to add the buttons for in-game actions like moving around, plating, jumping, etc. It's also useful that it has more than one button already built into the gun, which I used for shooting (left mouse button), reloading (r), and ads (right mouse button).
For the brains of the build, I used the Raspberry pi 4 Model B. Since it has wifi built-in it lets us build a completely wireless solution. This is held on the gun using the bottom of this Raspberry Pi 4 case project on thingiverse by John_Sinclair
To power the entire system we could just run a USB-c cable to the pi, however since I wanted to keep the build wireless, I used a portable solar chargeable USB power bank. This is the Blavor Solar Charger Power Bank, which provides 5V at 2A. It's held in place with a custom 3D printed holder on the gun's shoulder rest.
Buttons are designed to have a lead at the top and bottom components of a button. When I built it, I used aluminum foil to provide those contacts with a spring in between both components so the button rises back up.
The buttons should then be fed a voltage. In my case, I used the 3.3V source from the raspberry pi's GPIO pins. The other end of the lead is then connected to a GPIO pin that is used as an input. When these two leads make contact, the button will be registered as ON by the client python script.
The diagram above shows the setup for one button as an example, but the same setup applies to all of the buttons. With the correct standoff height, the button assembly can be held in with the pressure of the original screws that hold the gun together.
The android app is used to get accelerometer information from an android phone, which is used to move the mouse pointer for in-game aiming. In my case, I used an old Nexus 5 that has a bad screen, so it was a great way to repurpose it. You can compile the app's source code using Android Studio.
