Keeping Gaming Fresh with a Weird Deodorant Controller

In the early days of video games, the only real thought put into controllers boiled down to “how can we make them cost less?” Then, a couple of decades later, manufacturers started considering ergonomics and made the corners slightly less sharp. Now, after many years of refinement, we have nice controllers with good ergonomics and a ton of functionality. But those controllers do nothing for player hygiene, which is why BeeOui The Engineer built this weird deodorant controller to keep gaming fresh.

This entire project is a gag based on the stereotype that gamers — specifically, Super Smash Bros. players — are unwashed, smelly, basement-dwelling trolls. That is, of course, mostly nonsense. But some people certainly give the stereotype credence. For those people, this controller might serve as a friendly reminder that body odor is bad. That’s because it is literally a gaming controller inside an Old Spice deodorant container. If you were to hand this controller to a stinky friend, they’d probably get the idea. And it actually does have some deodorant inside, so they can freshen up right there on the Cheetos dust-stained couch!

BeeOui wanted the controller to be usable with the Nintendo Switch and that limited the hardware options. While it does allow for third-party controllers, the Switch is much less accommodating of DIY hardware than earlier console generations. BeeOui was further limited by the size of the container, as deodorant sticks aren’t usually very big. Ultimately, he settled on a Switch Pro controller as the hardware donor. That entire controller would never fit inside the Old Spice container, but that’s because the grips add a lot of bulk. Fortunately, those grips are empty and the actual circuit board is much smaller.

After verifying that the Switch Pro’s circuit board would fit inside the deodorant container, BeeOui set out to combine the two. He designed a 3D-printed frame that fits snugly inside the container, then slowly sculpted that frame to hold the circuit board. For the most part, that all fits within the bounds of the red Old Spice plastic, though the buttons do protrude and have to be added after inserting the frame. A back door, cleverly hidden with a label, helps with assembly.

With some paint and vinyl decals, the whole thing looks pretty decent. It is also completely functional — though it doesn’t appear to be very comfortable. But the best part is the deodorant. BeeOui left just enough space inside to contain about an inch of deodorant stick, so players can give themselves a quick pit swipe between particularly sweaty Smash Bros. matches.