game commander for left-handed folks ?

[VJ]

Hello,

I'm on the lookout for a comfortable game controller. I have tried the Thrustmaster Dual Power Firestorm (a dual analog gamepad), but that is not the kind of device I'm looking for.

I have thought about the Microsoft Strategic game commander, but it is ment for use in the left hand (mouse on the right). Same goes for the Saitek Action Pad and the Belkin Nostromo n50. The only possible device I have found is the Saitek P8000, but this is not a single hand-controller.

Are there any "keyboard replacements" for games that can be used with the right hand (mouse control on the left hand) ?

Thanks !


Jörg

[Robbo]

Hello all,

Im right handed but I use a joystick that is compatable for left & right handed people.

I actually use my left hand to control the joystick when playing fps games, yes u did hear right I use a joystick for any game that allows me to, I use the joystick for movement, jumping, ducking, reloading(a quick downward pull on the hat switch) and I use the mouse for aiming and firing (as well as firing with the joystick main fire trigger)

Anyway back to the point have u tried the Saitek Cyborg 2000 joystick ? It's totally compatable with right & left handers, it has a throttle control, hat switch, four buttons and has a hand rest plate that allows u to switch from left to right hand and vice versa.

There are I think 3 joysticks by Saitek that allow u to do this.

Anyway hope this helps

Robbo.........

[VJ]

cking4:
My previous search was for a trackball suitable for left-handed use, and after a long search I ended up with the Kensington Expert Mouse. Great product, takes a bit of getting use to, but fully worth it (in my opinion).

On the website of the game controller called "the claw", in the faq, they make mention that there is no lefthanded-model yet ! (so perhaps...?).


Robbo:
That was one of my considerations : a trackball/joystick combination, but I didn't know how well this performs (in my case, it would be trackball left and joystick right). The joystick would thus be the keyboard-replacement (iirc, it would look like the Madcatz Panther XL ).
My main fear was that the joystick would be designed for 2-handed use, and would turn out not to be stable when operated with one hand. Could you comment on that ? (what joystick have you got ?)

Using only a joystick seems somewhat too limited for some games (fps, 3ps, ...), or am I seeing this wrong ?
Is it e.g. possible to assign movement (wasd-keys) to the joystickmovement in games such as Return to castle Wolfenstein, or Tombraider, ... ? (these games do not support a controller natively)


Jörg


PS:

[MultimediaMan]

FPS and Lefties...

I recommend to use the mouse right-handed...

I can recommend the Saitek without reservation. On those games that support it, I run a joystick and a trackball...(Rogue Spear, Urban Ops, et. al...) I move with the joystick (views, mag changes, and fire control are on the joystick), while I aim with the mouse. (I'll put the run, kneel and zoom buttons on the mouse). Thisis fairly close to how you actually sim a real rifle, so it works pretty well.

For flight sims, this works ok, too if you only use the wheel (throttle) and buttons (mixture, weapons selector, etc...).

[Wombat]

I'm left-handed, and I actually prefer the mouse on my right side. It's fairly easy to learn, and leaves your better hand free. It's very handy to be able to scroll around a web page while still writing on a pad & paper.
Then all the joysticks work for you, too.

[VJ]

Multimediaman:

Just curious: if you use the trackball/joystick combination, do you use the mouse left or right ?

In games that don't natively support a joystick, is it possible to assign keypresses to the analog movement-axis (e.g. moving the stick to the left corresponds to keypress 'a', to the right corresponds with 'd', ...) ? (this probably will depend on the joystick-software)

Is the joystick stable enough when not using the other hand to support it ?
(I already have my eye on a Saitek... )


Wombat:
I use my right hand for writing (but almost everything else, I do with my left hand), so using the mouse/trackball on the left permits me to write things down.. I once had a digital joystick (CPC model, on an Amstrad), and used this intuitively with my right hand, so the trackball/joystick combination (resp. left/right) seems highly possible.


Jörg

[MultimediaMan]

I use both of Microsoft's Optical trackballs...the Explorer and the regular Trackball...it's easier to play games with the "Logitech" like arrangement on the Microsoft mouse.

As far as I know there is an OLD program to map the joystick to 4 keys on your keyboard, however, all of your buttons would be useless.

I'll look around and see if I find anything.

[Robbo]

Originally posted by VJ


Robbo:

My main fear was that the joystick would be designed for 2-handed use, and would turn out not to be stable when operated with one hand. Could you comment on that ? (what joystick have you got ?)

Using only a joystick seems somewhat too limited for some games (fps, 3ps, ...), or am I seeing this wrong ?
Is it e.g. possible to assign movement (wasd-keys) to the joystickmovement in games such as Return to castle Wolfenstein, or Tombraider, ... ? (these games do not support a controller natively)


Jörg

Hello Jorg,

I actually use the Saitek Cyborg 2000 (interchangable fully with left & right handers)
It is very good as a single handed joystick and has a very sound base that lets you use it single handidly easily, that was one of the things I liked about this joystick - the firm solid base and not those useless suckers(non suckers ) So yes its very stable with one hand - I use it every day like this when playing fps games

Im not too sure about assigning movement to a joystick in RTCW or Tombraider but I defiantely have movement assigned in UT Tactical Ops mod & Counterstrike. I always look for joystick control options in the prefs of games when I first get them so I can hopefully use my stick.

Some quotes from the below page -

Excellent grip for more game control
Easy to set up - via Standard Windows driver
Fits left- and right-handers of all sizes
Total adjustability for the perfect interface
4 buttons
8-way hat switch
Lever throttle
Fully adjustable for left- and righthanders
Single-spring mechanism
Simple 'plug-and-play' USB connection OR com port control
(where as the Cyborg Gold is only usb - but the standard version is standard gameport connection)

Here is the stick on the Saitek UK page --

http://www.saitek.com/product/uk/cyb2.htm

Hope this helps.

Robbo

[VJ]

Robbo:

Originally posted by Robbo
Im not too sure about assigning movement to a joystick in RTCW or Tombraider but I defiantely have movement assigned in UT Tactical Ops mod & Counterstrike. I always look for joystick control options in the prefs of games when I first get them so I can hopefully use my stick.

Could you check if the Saitek Software allows you to emulate keypresses ? I have checked several games (and gamedemos) I like, and most of them have no built-in game controller support...

Thanks already for the comments on the Saitek (it has a lot of good reviews, but there hardly ever is a mention of the stability when used with one hand). I had my eye on Saitek...


MultimediaMan:
Are you refering to the circuit to connect a cpc-joystick to a parallel port (which then requires the dpadpro drivers - that only work with Win98) ?
Or to the circuit to connect the cpc-joystick to the gameport, workable with regular Gravis-drivers ?
(I have an experimental setup with the first circuit, wich works, but is unusable in practice. Perhaps I'll construct the second circuit in time - just out of curiosity.


Jörg

[VJ]

Robbo:
I just checked Saitek support site, and one of the downloadable game-profiles is for Tombraider. This makes me think it is possible to assign keypresses to joystick-motion...


Jörg