3D printing gives us the freedom to create just about anything our imagination can conjure up. As you can probably imagine, there is a lot of overlap between the 3D printing world and the gaming world, as many of the participants in each share similar interests.
That’s why you can find plenty of gaming-related 3D models, from replicas of classic consoles like the Game Boy Color to unique storage solutions for retro cartridges and cases.
If you’re a gamer and you want to try 3D printing some gaming accessories, tools, and decorations, here are some great ideas you might want to try.
On the outside, poker chips look like pretty simple things. They’re a small disc with a colourful pattern around the edge and an image in the centre. They’re bright analogues for cash and have become synonymous with card and casino games around the world.
But there is actually much more to a poker chip that initially meets the eye. Casinos have long been engaged in a battle with ne'er-do-wells that have tried to forge their own chips for personal gain. To stop them, most casinos protect their chips in the same way that banks protect their coins and notes.
In addition to physical access restrictions to places where they’re made and stored, chip manufacturers use UV-sensitive materials that act in a similar way to watermarks, and even embed the objects with microchips so that they can be verified electronically.
Of course, if you just want to play poker at home with your pals, then you don’t need to go to those levels. You’ll find plenty of 3D printed poker chip models online, including themed ones like these Fallout: New Vegas 21 chips.
Everyone knows Mario; he’s one of the most famous video characters ever created. He’s been featured in more than 200 titles, though not all of them were up to the standards of hits like Mario Kart and Super Mario 64.
For this reason, Mario can be found in the homes of many gamers, as figurines or on T-shirts, posters, and more.
If you’re a big fan of this mustachioed plumber, then you’ll be spoilt for choice among the myriad Mario 3D printing models. Some popular choices include this figurine of retro 2D Mario keychain.
The modern trend towards digital s means fewer and fewer games are suffering the plight of shelves overflowing with cartridges and game boxes. But for anyone that still enjoys playing their favourite retro titles on their NES or Game Boy, then storage solutions are still very much a necessity.
Of course, you can hide your cartridges away in a drawer, with a 3D printed organizer like this, but if you want to show off your retro collection, there are other options.
For example, this vertical stand can show off your rare and prized possessions to anyone that visits your gaming den. By 3D printing several, you could easily create a huge sea of cartridges to house hundreds of games.
Controllers are an important part of gaming since they are how you tell the computer what you want the playable character to do. Modern consoles all ship with pretty comfortable controllers that have clearly been designed to be as ergonomic as possible. This is especially evident when you compare a retro SNES gamepad with the standard controller that ships with the Xbox Series X.
That said, anyone looking to gain a little extra advantage over their rivals might want to try modding their controller with 3D printed parts.
These augmentations can give you easier access to important inputs or give you more grip on your analog sticks during those long (and sometimes sweaty) gaming sessions.
One popular choice is Knobby, a controller stick extension that increases the height of the analog sticks and adds a tactile star pattern that increases the friction between it and your thumb.
Other options make Nintendo Switch controllers easier to hold or add a mini steering wheel for more intuitive input when playing racing games.
For reasons that are acutely aware to all of us, we perhaps haven’t been able to frequent our favorite hospitality venues in the past few years. This has led to many people creating DIY parties at home, and when you throw the potential of 3D printing into the mix, clearly any homemade shindig is going to be enhanced exponentially by the options at your disposal.
Recently, the world of online gambling saw a paradigm shift as many new waves of innovation took the center stage, much to the surprise of many significant stakeholders. So, in no time, various things had changed, primarily for the better. This is because playing these games has grown easier and more exciting, thanks to technological advancements.
