A maker called Lazy_Duck built a functional gamepad for roughly 10 euros using an RP2040-Zero on protoboard, a single joystick, a few buttons, and a microswitch. No custom PCB. A 3D-printed case with heat-set threaded inserts holds it together.
The real story is the firmware. GP2040-CE runs on the RP2040's dual cores and exposes a web-based configuration interface, handling HID controller emulation without custom code. That means this build is a template, not just a one-off. Swap the enclosure, add an OLED or RGB LEDs, and you have a different controller entirely.
Read the original for the specific wiring decisions on protoboard and how GP2040-CE maps to the RP2040-Zero's pinout. Those details are what make this replicable, not just inspirational.
[READ ORIGINAL →]