Android controller mod

Hi all,

I have no idea if this is the right forum (or even site for that matter) for this question, but I've been reading around on here a bit and it seems mostly related. Hopefully someone can offer some insight. If it is the wrong site or forum, I apologize.

So, for years now, I've been hoping and wishing that a new Xperia Play (or similar) device would be released. It hasn't been until recently that I've decided it's just clearly not going to happen, and maybe with enough research, I can just make it happen myself. So here's my idea:

All I really want is to take an existing Android phone (I'm researching ones that might work well) and add a slide out controller attachment onto the bottom. Ideally, it would feel very similar to the PSP Go. As a matter of fact, my current idea (since I have no experience with modding whatsoever) is to utilize the Go's bottom controller casing / internals and get them attached to an Android phone. The problem obviously, is getting that controller to communicate with the phone. I don't know if maybe getting the controller piece to just broadcast through bluetooth would be easiest (so the actual phone doesn't need to be opened up) or if there's a better / more elegant way.

So my question is this: how difficult would this be do you think? Is it a complete pipe dream? Is it something that, with enough dedication, time and research, even a noobie to hardware modding could possibly do? Or should I just assume this is impossible and give up? I assume the cost to buy materials won't be cheap, and I'm willing to spend $500-$1,000 if necessary to get it done.

I'll continue to do some research by reading through various threads here and on other sites but can anyone give me any tips/advice or offer their thoughts?

Thanks for reading!
MrO
 
I would get something like this and then if I was really dedicated, I would grab a pspgo and transfer the board into it, attaching the bottom half and sliders to the back of a case for my phone.

It looks like the PSP Go's buttons are directly on the mainboard for the console, so combining that with the modifying an android controller bit, it would be quite an adventure, but probably 100% doable. Especially if you're willing to learn a few things and spend a few bucks.
 
I would get something like this and then if I was really dedicated, I would grab a pspgo and transfer the board into it, attaching the bottom half and sliders to the back of a case for my phone.

Thanks for your advice! I actually already have that exact controller lol. The problem is, I hate having to carry it around. It's just not pocket-friendly. Which is why the notion of having the PSPGo-like slider controls attached to my phone is so appealing.

In terms of transferring the board into the Go's case, I assume you mean, remove the top half of the Go (screen, etc.) and then transfer the internal board from the MOGA controller into the inside of the Go's bottom half (where the controls reside), correct? That sounds like it's probably the best way to do it. Do you think that someone with no experience, such as myself, could achieve something like that or would the process likely be too intensive for a noobie to handle?
 
Do you think that someone with no experience, such as myself, could achieve something like that or would the process likely be too intensive for a noobie to handle?
As a general rule, no experience isn't a problem, if you're competent (you don't type like an aardvark, so good chance on this already) and want to succeed. Everyone starts somewhere, and we've seen plenty of people go from no experience to a beautiful project. That said, there's a high likelihood of mistakes, miscalculations, and maybe even technical impossibilities - nothing is ever really guaranteed to work in this field of work.
 
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