Hackszine reader IraqiGeek writes:
I made an application that uses libusb-Win32 and PPJoy to map the Sony Sixaxis into a windows joystick with the accelerometers working and mapped.
Unfortunately, the gyro on my sixaxis seems to be faulty. So, while the code is already there to read the gyro data, it can’t be used for anything.
The installation process is not exactly the shortest, but I’ve made a step-by-step how-to describing it.
I did a little digging and there are a couple of other noteworthy SIXAXIS hacks. In addition to IraqiGeek’s driver, there is another Windows SIXAXIS driver that people are using with some success. I also was able to find a third Windows driver which contains full source, in case you want to do something more interesting than play games.
Speaking of more interesting, there also exists an open source library for Linux. If you check out the above video, you can see that a gumstix embedded computer is using the SIXAXIS input to control a number of servos.
The six R/C servos are connected to a Gumstix board with built-in Bluetooth module. Inertial measurements from the SIXAXIS are received directly through a PF_BLUETOOTH socket (not through the joystick API, due to HID descriptor issues). Heuristics explicitly discriminate between two types of motion (rotation or translation).
The author was even able to use this setup to control a small helicopter. Pretty cool stuff, I must say.
Anyone know if the SIXAXIS sensor data can be easily polled with an Arduino? Maybe this could be a be a cheap option for a 6DOF IMU.
Using the PlayStation 3 controller in Bluetooth mode with Linux – Link
SixAxis source driver for Windows – Link
Use your SIXAXIS on Windows (ps3sixaxis_en.exe)- Link
WinSIXAXIS (IraqiGeek’s libusb/PPJoy driver) – Link
5 thoughts on “SIXAXIS hacks”
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This is really cool. They should have something like this for other OSes too. Virtualization software usually works pretty well, but if the kernel is designed to run natively within another operating system, there will be far fewer problems.
If the desire is to break Microsoft’s strangle hold on the world’s P.C.’s, this is not the way to do it.
I’d have to agree with KJ3. The upside to this software is that Windows users can now feel like there’s no need to switch to Linux, as they can have Linux on their system too!
The downside is when your POS Windows OS gets infected or BOSDs and takes out everything with it, it’ll take out everything with it – including your new psuedo-Linux.
The only thing I could see this as being useful for, is running ‘nix on your work computer – but then, most companies have pretty strict policies about what you can and can’t install…so…
This is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.
Surely you’re better off running Linux and using Wine if you *have* to run a bloody windows app!