Make Your Own Azeron-Like Game Pad for Under $35

When you play video games, your right hand often clutches the mouse while the left manipulates a variety of keys. This generally works fine; however, a keyboard is meant primarily for text entry, not necessarily gaming. It only makes sense that there could be a better “keyboard” setup for this purpose, which is just what the creators of the Azeron one-handed keypad seem to have had in mind. It’s a brilliant and customizable design, as each one is 3D-printed to suit your needs, and reasonably priced at 150€, or about $175.

Being 3D-printed, though, it should be possible to make your own version at home, and doing so is outlined nicely in this writeup from Instructables user lordofthedum. While it doesn't have quite as many inputs as the purchased version, it can be built for under $35, and still features three buttons per finger, for 12 discreet inputs. There's also a thumb-based joystick.

The DIY Azeron runs on an ATmega32U4 Pro Micro development board, allowing it to imitate a keyboard without extra software running on the PC. Code is available on GitHub. The challenge with this build will, of course, be printing the multiple components and fitting them together, then properly attaching the microswitches inside their finger housing. Both this version and the purchased original look like very innovative gaming devices, and perhaps the concept could even be used as part of an adaptive controller for those with certain restrictions.