Begin exchanging your gaming setup with others
Begin exchanging your gaming setup with others
In reality, my goal is to draw attention to this idea and I believe there’s a community ready for this kind of experience. I shared a video on YouTube (not a regular creator, just using it for such presentations) where I show how I use my four joystick controllers with the game I play. I started thinking about a 4 joystick setup years back, and while I see many uses for it, the one that really sparked my interest was wanting to experience six-degree-of-freedom space games with full control on a single stick. Most games are tightly designed, leaving little room for creativity, so the usual approach is the only way to truly enjoy them. But in today’s indie scene, I found exactly what I needed. I experimented with FPV drones and then moved on to racing simulators—these are among the best joystick-based games out there. Yet, since I’m passionate about space-themed games that support realistic 3D physics, I was looking for something similar but in a space setting. That’s when I discovered Starmade. It functions much like Minecraft, offering two key elements: a stationary "station core" you can build on, and a movable "ship core" for flying around. The ship core is compact and performs very well, mimicking the behavior of a drone or a small spacecraft. Physics follow Newtonian principles—you can move forward, backward, up, down, left, right, and rotate in 3D. Rotation is stabilized, so you only need to twist the stick while moving, making it efficient. For my setup, I use two joysticks on the thumbs and two on the fingers. My controls map like this: thumb pull forward with left trigger, thumb up with left thumb, thumb down with left thumb, thumb right with right thumb, thumb left with right thumb, thumb up with right thumb, thumb right with left thumb for roll, thumb left with up/down for pitch, thumb down with left/right for yaw (replacing the confusing term). In my recent uploads you’ll notice these details, along with gameplay, if you watch closely.
This prototype controller is designed for eight-axis gaming, especially for 3D inertial experiences in space-themed titles. Starmade, Infinity Battlescape, Orbital Racer are among the projects I own. Astrokill works well for casual home play with arcade shooters, though not all controls function perfectly there. I’d love more players engaging with Astrokill so developers could revive it—this game was a standout with its perfect sound design and immersive environments. The vehicle sizes and obstacle dimensions were ideal, adding great navigation challenges. The stations fit snugly through rings, asteroids provided exciting movement, and the audio, especially the bass from my guns and menu screens, was impressive. I’m also curious about lesser-known titles that might interest me.
They are developing a 6-axis controller. https://www.sublightdynamics.com/
What is an 8-axis controller? It sounds like a complex setup combining multiple input methods. You're imagining linking two VR controllers for three axes each, using joysticks for another pair, adding analog triggers, and possibly pedals. Are these features compatible with the games mentioned? I'm not sure, but it's definitely an ambitious idea.
I possess a prototype that works well enough for the games I currently play. For other options, there are several possibilities such as space-mouse devices, thrustmaster flight sticks, standard flight combos, and some "airplanes in space" mechanics, foot paddles, joystick-equipped mice, etc. However, all these alternatives are quite complex. My Arduino 4 joystick controller is essentially the same as any regular game controller, except it includes a few extra sticks. As for why eight sticks are needed, I’m mainly focused on using four to manage six axes. There are benefits early on—using just one axis per new stick lets you act quickly and confidently, similar to thumbsticks, without needing to switch axes. Eventually, as your skills grow, you could consolidate two pointer-finger axes onto a single stick, leaving the fourth for aiming or turret control, especially in space-themed games. If you’re using a headset, you might not need a separate view stick, but keeping the front axes distinct can make them more comfortable. Overall, I’m confident this approach is the best path forward.