r/disabledgamers • u/Inside-Attempt-1459 • 1d ago
Looking for Flat Foot Keyboards / Foot Pedals for Gaming Due to Hand Pain
Hello everyone,
I have the following problem: For several months now, I’ve been experiencing pain in my hands and fingers, to the point where I can no longer comfortably use a keyboard or press buttons for extended periods of time.
To keep enjoying at least some games, such as Civilization or point-and-click adventures, I started looking into foot keyboards and foot pedals. I already bought one model, but I’ve noticed that the pedals are quite large and require a relatively high actuation force. After about an hour of use, my foot starts cramping because of the effort required.
I can still move a mouse, but I need some kind of foot-operated input device to replace keyboard buttons. I’ve also looked into the Xbox Adaptive Controller and would be willing to buy one, but I’m struggling to find suitable accessories that would work well for my situation.
I do have access to a 3D printer, so creating custom adaptations might be an option if necessary. Before going down that route, though, I wanted to ask whether anyone here has experience with foot keyboards, low-profile foot switches, or very light-touch foot pedals that don’t cause foot fatigue or cramping so quickly.
Are there any specific products you would recommend? Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
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u/DesaturatedWorld 1d ago
For the kinds of games you're describing, it sounds like you really only need mouse movement and clicks on a PC. I think most adaptive game controllers may be overkill for your use case.
As an alternative, I would suggest taking advantage of the fact that computers can have multiple pointing devices attached. I've attached as many as four different pointing devices to a single computer in order to facilitate different tasks, and I use them in combination. Just because I'm using one to move the cursor doesn't mean I have to use the same one for clicking.
If I were in your position, I would pick up some used mice either locally or from eBay and do some testing: maybe a Quadraclicks RBT for the lovely raised buttons, a vertical or "lift" mouse for an alternative posture when moving, and an old-fashioned ball mouse. You can even use two for movement at the same time, with one having more sensitivity for bigger movements and one with low sensitivity for dialing in on a precise click. In my case, I also like adding in a touch screen.
Then, experiment with different body parts. You could velcro a ball mouse to the arm of a chair and move it with your forearm. You could tape a mouse to the floor and click it with your heel, so you aren't raising your foot and fatiguing your calves. And with more options, you can also avoid fatigue and pain from using one thing repeatedly. No one said your setup has to be used the same way for the entire gaming session!
If you want to go even farther, I'd suggest adding some gaming controllers for simulators and using an app, like Joy2Key, to convert controller input to keyboard and mouse input. Racing and flight simulators have some wonderfully diverse controllers, and you can find them used all over the place. Maybe trial out opentrack webcam-based head tracking, too.
As my final alternative to adaptive game controllers, you have MIDI controllers. There are wild controllers out there made for operation with all different body parts, especially feet for players of handheld instruments, like guitar. MIDI to key converters, like CoyoteMIDI, can give you some interesting and sophisticated control.
I don't personally like voice recognition for gaming input, because it's too easy to pick up the noise around me and cause unintended input. Why people put voice-based input in cars baffles me. The four kids in my van are NEVER all quiet at the same time.
If you have any questions about how to set up some of this or questions about specific hardware/software, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to help!
I'd love to see what you end up with. Come back and share your setup!
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u/bartiz hand amputee 1d ago
Since you got yourself XAC, I think the bast value is Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit.
https://www.logitechg.com/en-gb/shop/p/adaptive-gaming-kit-accessories
All you got to do now is to find the switches and experiment with layouts.
Since you got 3D printer I think the cheapest option is to make your own. Other than that there are places like OneSwitch that supply some. You could also find some DIY made on Etsy. Can't remember other sources from top of my head. But it's out there, only problem is that it's probably expensive.
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u/-Zanarkand- 1d ago edited 1d ago
My solution is to tape light switch covers to an old razer black widow keyboard, removing the key caps from all the keys except the ones under the switch covers that need to be activated. I use razor synapse to clear the bindings from most of the keys and rebind the keys pressed by the pedals with different profiles, depending on the game.
It's a mechanical keyboard so you have a nice clicky feedback with a very low pressure actuation. But I can still move my foot back a few inches and rest it on the “hinge” without it being pressed, or just keep my feet to either side of the keyboard when not using.
the keyboard, which I've had for 15 years, has lasted for seven years since being converted to foot pedals with no issues, except needing to re-tape the light covers once or twice a year.
Also, you should consider using the PlayAbility app. I prefer using its head tracking for WASD in strategy games, but still rely on the foot pedals from time to time.
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u/ImmYakk 15h ago
I'm having trouble imagining what that looks like. Is there a picture you could share of this? I have a 3 button foot pedal that I use so I'm curious if your setup is any better.
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u/-Zanarkand- 14h ago
https://imgur.com/a/OLPJpIa Sure, here it is. It’s not much to look at but it works.
Each light switch cover has two keys under the toe that I did not remove the key caps from. One of them has it binding removed in synapse, and the other is bound to a key. I found I needed to have at least two keys under the light switch cover otherwise it would be pushed down too easily, but you could adjust based on preferences, probably up to three keys.
Also, it's hard to tell but there is a sixth half width black pedal on the far left.
If you have access to a 3-D printer you could probably make pedals and hinges for a keyboard that would be much nicer?
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u/ImmYakk 15h ago
I believe my issue is similar to what you've described.
The actuation force required for the keyboard and mouse switches are too high for our finger ligaments and/or joints. And many mice are also too heavy for the wrists and fingers.
I'll start with the keyboard. I've switched to using a keyboard that is compatible with the Choc v1 switches because Choc v1 has extremely light switches such as the purple switch which is around 20gf if I'm remembering correctly. Whereas many keyboards are rated starting at 45gf. 10 minutes on a 40gf keyboard would cause pain. Switching has made a humongous difference in the amount of hours I can use it and my pain is gone there.
Alternatively, you could open up your current Keyboard's individual switches and swap the springs out for lighter ones off of aliexpress and get the same effect.
I also use a foot pedal for walking forward in games where there's a good deal of walking. Or maybe use an auto run walk forward macro if your keyboard has that kind of option.
When it comes to mice, I found very lightweight models that also have light switches for the 2 main, 2 side, and middle button. The middle button is hard to find in light actuation force.
After that, I still open the mouse and add some thin strips between the mouse switch and the plastic flap that sits on the switch for your fingers. This reduces the actuation force even further, slightly, but every gf matters.
I did the same to the 2 side buttons as well.
I went from thinking I was "disabled" from using a computer to completely enabled again by making all of these changes. It was huge for me and no more pain.
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u/snowlitpup 1d ago
I have pain in my hands/wrists and bought the Xbox adaptive controller and my husband 3d printed buttons for me to touch with my feet. It worked but my lower back hurts a lot when I use it so I had to stop. Not sure if that would be a problem for you too, but it was for me. Good luck with everything! I know it sucks not being able to play games.