The D.I.Y. Katamari Damacy Controller

Out of all the games that got their own unique controllers, there’s one glaring omission: Katamari Damacy.

Sure, maybe the game already took perfect advantage of the PlayStation 2’s dual analog thumb sticks, but that didn’t stop Esty product manager Do-it-yourself type Kellbot from churning out her own Katamari controller.

“It uses an optical mouse to track the ball.” Kellbot explains. “I gathered up some cheap PS2 controllers, ripped out the potentiometers on the analog sticks, and replaced it with a digital potentiometer and an arduino. The arduino takes signals from a PS/2 mouse and adjusts the potentiometer accordingly. ”

It’s the first circuit she’s ever designed, and Kellbot originally wanted to use a giant yoga ball “to really get the scape”, but had to settle with a mirrored ball. According to Kellbot, those giant yoga balls “don’t roll very well on ball bearings”. DAMMIT!

More in her post below, including a video what through and a diagram of the circuit she created.

Life-Size Katamari Lives [Kellbot Thanks, Dan!]