For decades gamers have insisted that consoles are an adult pursuit and not just a kid’s toy. That may be somewhat undermined by the latest bizarre mod.
A New Zealand man has adapted a Fisher Price “Laugh & Learn Game & Learn” controller to work as an Xbox controller, demonstrating it on Elder Ring. It continues to make sound effects while operating.
here's the Fisher Price Xbox controller in action!
let me know what games you'd like to see me play with it
and thanks to @Wario64 for the off-hand joke that inspired me to make this happen 😂 pic.twitter.com/3OETvcsEsI
— Rudeism (@rudeism) May 1, 2022
The obvious question (beyond “why?) was how to overcome the toy controller only having one thumbstick and two shoulder buttons. His creative solution was to use the slider, which normally switches the toy between music and spoken number modes, as a way to switch between left and right controls. (He only said it was functional, not that it functioned well…)
He explained to IGN that he has carried out several unusual mods in the past. With this one the technology itself was relatively simple and the main challenge was physical, squeezing the components inside the casing.
The mod will likely raise a smile with the designers of the Fisher Price console who included their own Easter Egg for parents of a certain age: inputting the Konami code triggers the iconic “you win” audio.
https://twitter.com/scully1888/status/1074664033356267520