The $30 Arduino Hack Every GTA V Fan Should Build
A maker built a custom $30 Arduino-based steering wheel to dominate GTA V without getting robbed by overpriced hardware.
A steering wheel controller can really add to the feeling of immersion in a game like Grand Theft Auto V. Unfortunately, the prices of many of these controllers can make you feel like you’re the one being robbed. Some of the better devices sell for several hundred dollars. Ouch!
The good news is that if you have some basic skills in electronics, you don’t need to pay those exorbitant prices — you can build your own. Redditor AK22D has just developed an example of one such device that costs under $30 in parts and is simple to build. Despite the low cost, it has really elevated the gameplay experience in Grand Theft Auto V.
The project is built around an Arduino Pro Micro development board. It supports native USB, so computers see it just like any other USB HID device, such as a keyboard or mouse. This is connected to a rotary potentiometer that serves as the steering wheel, and a slide potentiometer that fits into the gear selector. The steering wheel and shifter were both 3D printed.
So far, so good; however, Grand Theft Auto V only supports official gamepads—not something you hack together on your own. To get around this limitation, AK22D used a program called X360CE, which is an Xbox 360 controller emulator. This made it possible to convert the signals sent by the Arduino into something that was indistinguishable from an Xbox controller to the game.
With just a few basic components involved in the build, this project could easily be reproduced. You could even play with the 3D print design to tailor the steering wheel to perfectly suit your own preferences.