Hello /u/ChipsAhoiMcCoy! I am the lead author of the paper you linked. I was directed here by a colleague who saw this post while browsing the subreddit.

There's actually a current, ongoing project in our lab to turn NavStick into a plugin for the Unreal Engine so that game developers can integrate it into their 3D games. I don't have a lot of other information to share at the moment, but if you — or anyone else reading this — are interested, feel free to contact me at the email address listed on the paper under the first author (me) or at the email address /u/CloudyBeep listed. I'd be happy to answer any questions and keep you in the loop!

Also, just to clarify, NavStick *does not* need a modified controller. It's designed to work with standard game controllers, but game developers need to integrate the NavStick system into their games for this to work (which is why we're building a plugin!).

Try emailing the lead author at vn@nairvish.com