Overview
This guide aims to help you figure out how to make the Index Controllers comfortable for you, even if you have long fingers or a wide palm.
Foreword
Do you also suffer from paddles for hands which makes the Index Controllers uncomfortable? This guide will help you diagnose and treat this terrible condition!
Symptoms
- The skin between the index finger and thumb chafes against the strap lever or the space between it and the controller.
- The skin at the bottom of the hand can get pinched where the elastic goes through the controller.
- There’s just not enough space for the entire hand, it’s squished inside the hand strap pressing against things on either side.
- The grip feels too narrow, it’s uncomfortable to grip as you curl your fingers more than usual.
- The strap will rest high up on the back of your hand, near the knuckles, which does not work well with opening the hand.
- The thumb will rest high up on the trackpad and it is hard to reach the face buttons without bending your thumb a lot.
Remedies
This is a solution for both wide palms and long fingers. It lets the hand rest further down on the grip, it opens up more space for the hand to avoid chafing and pinching, and it lets the strap rest further down on the back of your hand where it is supposed to be.
Press down the bottom button to release the pressure on the hand strap elastic and then pull it completely out of the hole. Then first route it over the tracking arch on the outside and then toward the inside and through the strap hole again. Make sure the corner of the strap is inside the arch instead of outside. See images below.
The booster is a partial solution for long fingers, it will thicken the grip making it fit the hand better and move the hand position down a bit for a better thumb location on the face plate.
This accessory does not come in the box, sadly, and cannot be bought from Valve directly, but they provide the files necessary to print them. If you lack a printer or a friend with a printer you can also find pre-printed boosters for sale online, or use an online printing service.
- Model to print[github.com]
Afterword
Personally I need to apply both of these solutions to have a comfortable experience with the Index Controllers. That said, I have friends and acquaintances that have either needed the boosters or the elastic reroute, but not both. What you specifically need is very much up to how much and in what way your hands are paddles.
