A couple of years ago, I bought an adaptive game controller called a Quadstick. This controller is specifically designed for quadriplegics to play video games. It works with many different consoles like PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. I’ve been using it to play several different PC games, so in this post, I’m going to write my review of it so far.
About the Quadstick
So, what is the quadstick? It is a mouth-operated joystick, with various sensors , which allows people to play videogames hands-free. It has three sip/puff sensors on the end of the mouthpiece, which can be used to control it. The QS is programmed using Google sheets spreadsheets. Inputs from the QS, like blowing into one of the holes, can be programmed to a specific output, like a keyboard command or a button press. The QS can be mounted on an arm, which can then be clamped onto a table.
I bought the QuadStick (QS) from the company that makes them in the US. It cost about $600 (about £450) for the controller and $100 for a gooseneck mounting arm with a clamp on the end.
The quad stick plugs into the USB port on the PC or console, and a free software program called the Quad Stick Manager Program is available, allowing you to change settings and manage game profiles.
You need to tell the QS what you want it to do when you puff or sip on the sensors. This is done using Google Sheets spreadsheets, and each sip/puff switch can be programmed to perform a different action. Depending on the complexity of a game and the number of controls it has, programming it can be a bit overwhelming and time-consuming.
I was put off trying to program it for quite a while because it looked pretty complicated. But once I watched some tutorials on YouTube, such as those from Steamy Biscuit, and read the online user manual, it helped a lot. There’s also a good forum for help and a Discord server, so you can always get help if you need it.
There are many game profiles (spreadsheets of inputs and outputs for the quad stick) ready-made by other players that can be downloaded and used for various games. You can see one in the picture above, which is for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. So that helps, as you don’t always have to start from scratch. You may have to edit some of the profiles, though, depending on your preferences.
So far, I’ve played various games like Command and Conquer Remastered, EA Sports FC 25, and I have started working on the Elder Scrolls Online.
I haven’t tried first-person shooters yet, as these tend to be more complicated and need button combos. I’ve got a long way to go before I’m as good as Rocky No Hands. He is paralysed from the neck down and is AMAZING at playing games using the quad stick.
I’ve tried playing Star Wars Battlefront but haven’t managed to get past the tutorial yet. I need to work out how to run around and aim the gun at the same time. I’m slowly getting better at it, though.
It’s also possible to use voice commands, in addition to the quad stick, but I haven’t tried it yet. It involves using Dragon NaturallySpeaking and some free programs called Natlink and vocola which you can download from the quad stick website.
Once I get the hang of using voice commands with the quad stick, I will update this post to tell you about it. It involves using Notepad to write some commands so that the programme knows what to do when you say certain words or phrases.
Conclusion
I think the quad stick is a great bit of kit. It allows quadriplegics to play complicated video games, but it does take a bit of getting used to initially. I think it’s worth it, though, because once you get the hang of it you can play any game you like. I want to be able to play games with my friends like I used to when I was younger.
As I said earlier, I play PC games at the moment, but I have been thinking about getting a PS5. It might be easier to play with friends on it as they can just use a separate controller. It’s not as simple on the PC as they need to use their own PC or laptop.
