Adam Savage built lightsaber controllers to make Beatsaber VR feel more authentic

I had a friend ask me if I’d ever heard of Beat Saber and if I could explain it to him. The best way I could ably describe it to the fellow, is that it was the end result of Led Zeppelin’s drummer John Bonham being high as a kite on the wildest drugs and given a pair of lightsabers instead of drumsticks before embarking on a ten minute solo during Houses of the Holy. Which is a rippin’ good track by the way.

Anyway, Beatsaber is amazing stuff. Part Star Wars and part Guitar Hero, it’s one of the prime examples of how Virtual Reality can be used to deliver incredible experiences and blue eyes should you wander into Al’s field of physical activity while he’s playing a session. The Star Wars comparisons aren’t subtle either, but that’s just what makes Beatsaber feel even more special. You’ll need a pair of PS Move wands to get the most out of it on PlayStation 4 or Oculus Quest’s wireless controllers for that system, but former Mythbuster Adam Savage had a neat idea to take the game a step further into a galaxy far, far away…

In one of his latest one-day build videos over on Tested, Savage had a plan: He purchased a pair of Oculus Quest’s wireless controllers off of eBay, and using his background as a former crew member on the Star Wars prequels, he got to work. Using some metalshop MacGuyvering and some 3D printing, Savage slapped together an aluminium and plastic shell for the controllers that could provide the necessary heft of a real lightsaber and a hell of an arm workout.

These controllers are really awesome and well-designed, but they don’t feel like lightsabers,” Savage said in the video.

So I thought, does someone make lightsaber handles for these? And of course, it’s the Internet. Of course they do. I went on eBay and I bought these, a pair of 3D printed lightsaber handles. These are well designed and robust little lightsaber handles. My only issue with them is that they’re just a little too light. I want them to feel like lightsabers.

The end result? Pretty darn great actually! With the 3D printed shells and his own aluminium work, Savage wound up building a hefty pair of Jedi knight weapons. And maybe a pair of dangerous fist-punch enhancers, if anyone gets too close to him during a vigorous game of Beat saber.

Last Updated: November 15, 2019