Tech has a problem, an e-waste problem. Google is a common offender when it comes to this, creating a product just to end support a couple of years later. Thankfully, there are some lasting capabilities left in their defunct Stadia controllers. After hearing about these capabilities, [Bringus Studios] managed to turn this future e-waste into something new: a Bluetooth adapter for game controllers.
To give some credit to Google, once they announced the Stadia program was winding down, they released an updated firmware that let you use the controller as a generic Bluetooth gamepad. But there was also a rather unusual feature added — if another controller is connected to it via USB, its output will be passed along over Bluetooth as if it was coming from the Stadia controller itself.
This would allow you to wirelessly connect an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller to your computer, for example. But while a neat trick, having the two controllers plugged into each other is a bit awkward. So [Bringus Studios] decided to take the Stadia controller apart and turn it into a dedicated Bluetooth interface.
Unfortunately, a fair amount of Dremel work was required to fully disassemble the device. Additional PCB modifications allowed for tricking the main board into default joystick positions and removing some button boards. Slap a 3D printed box around the Frankenstein’d hardware and you’ll be able to add Bluetooth capability to a wide array of USB controllers.
While the end result can’t be used with every single controller, it still gives a unique use case for a defunct product. If you have some spare time, maybe check out the e-waste graveyard, where you too can turn abandoned products into something new.