The Nav isn't the most ergonomic controller in the world so I get cramps in my hands and fingers when I play for long periods at a time.
What I really needed was the ability to use the controller without having to grip it tightly, or without having to grip it at all. Basically, I needed the ability to dangle my fingers underneath it and just rest my palm over the top...almost like using a keyboard. I toyed with a number of different designs but I found this was both the most economical and practical.
Here's the prototype I started with, using wire from a coat hanger and some medical tape for grip. Since the Nav controller is so thick, the cable ties and metal never get in the way, unless you have super long fingers...and even then I don't think it would be a problem since the objective of this was to avoid having to grip it tightly in the first place! The tip of my fingers only just brush up against them and it's never irritating, so it works really well:
I was really happy with the prototype so I decided to move onto the real deal. But first I needed to use much thicker metal, which required a specialized tool, so I bought the K&S Mighty Wire Bender for less than $30 off eBay.
I purchased some thicker wire (I used 3/16", which is just under 5mm) for $3, a heat shrink for $2 to provide some grip, and I already had some reusable cable ties which worked really well in my prototype so I didn't feel the need for anything more "elegant".
And here's the final product!
It's hard to see in the picture, but the top most part is bent outwards slightly to follow the curvature of the Nav:
Also what's difficult to see in the picture is the metal that runs across the arm of my chair doesn't get in the way at all. It runs right under the arched part of my wrist. When building the prototype, I spent a lot of time refining the design (went through about 6 iterations) and getting the measurements exactly right.
The beauty of the design is that I have the central beam tilted slightly upwards, so the natural downward pressure put on it (caused simply by using the Nav, see the red arrow below) clamps down on the two blue arrows, creating tension and holding everything together really snugly.
Anyway I'm really pleased with the end result! I barely even have to grip my Nav anymore and it's always in the right place when I plop down after getting home from work. Goodbye cramps!
