How to add joysticks to HTC Vive wands

The HTC Vive is i of the premier PC-based VR systems on the market, and part of the full package are two move controllers, colloquially chosen "wands." Each wand has a touchpad on it that allows for locomotion and card navigation, and while it works well, some feel that a joystick makes a flake more sense. If you include yourself in that army camp, I have a solution that tin can help easily (and cheaply) add joysticks to your wands.

Run across Vive at Microsoft Store

3D-printed Vive wand joysticks

Joystick in action

A GIF was posted in the Reddit Gaming subreddit showing a plastic joystick being clipped onto a Vive wand, and ever since, creator Eisenmeower has been getting slammed by orders on their ebay page. A single joystick costs only about $7.50, and pretty much everyone who's ordered one has enjoyed it without much issue.

Encounter at ebay

The 3D-printed joystick is simple but intelligently designed, with a clip that attaches to the wand to a higher place the touchpad and a joystick that sort of hangs downward over the actual touchpad. Eisenmeower has posted the design to Thingiverse, allowing anyone with a 3D printer to impress their ain joystick.

See the Vive joystick at Thingiverse

What about Vive wand touch tracking?

Joystick attached to wand. Image courtesy of Thingiverse.

The touchpad on Vive wands can either be clicked down or simply tapped, finer doubling the amount of buttons without cluttering things up. Fallout 4 VR is a perfect example of a game that uses all of the touchpad. Y'all click down to move, but you use calorie-free touches to navigate your Pip-Male child menus. So won't placing a joystick over the touchpad ruin the effect of actually touching it with your pollex?

I idea the same thing when I first saw the joystick, but because the joystick is printed using conductive PLA filament (the remainder uses PLA+ filament), the wand tin can't tell that information technology's non really your thumb touching down.

More resources

If you accept a 3D printer and take been pining for Vive joysticks, definitely give this a try. Eisenmeower's ebay page seems to still exist taking orders, and at most $15 for ii, these are relatively inexpensive accessories. For more than, be sure to bank check out the HTC Vive accessory guide!

Run into the HTC Vive accessory guide

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