Controllers for emulator.

K

kuhla

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
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I looking to play some old games (NES, SNES, Sega G) on my PC and want to buy some wireless controllers to go with it since I'm planning to do this with friends. Curious what you guys think of these options below with price after shipping, tax:

$45.32 - 2* Logitech PlayStation 3 Cordless Precision

$47.90 - 2* Mad Catz PS3 FightPad

I'm sort of going back and forth between what I imagine is the more comfortable design of the madcatz (and better d-pad?) vs. all the extra features of the logitech (triggers, sticks which I don't even think I would use for retro games...).

Can someone push me to one choice or the other :(
 
If you or your friends happen to have a 360 you could always pick up one of these.
 
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None of them have Xbox360s. The only ones that do have consoles have PS3s but that was not the main reason I have looked mostly at PS3 controllers; most of the 3rd party PS3 controllers are on the cheaper end and wireless which are both important factors for me.

EDIT: I should probably be clear with what I was hoping from this thread, comments like "the D-pad on the fightpad is badly suited for old games" or "the logitech controller is not suited for retro" or something along those lines to get me to swing for one of them... kind of on the fence right now and have not found anything as cheap/cheaper that offers as much as those two...
 
Is there a good driver for PS3 controllers under whatever OS you'll be emulating on?
 
eloj said:
Is there a good driver for PS3 controllers under whatever OS you'll be emulating on?
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From what I've read, the madcatz and logitech controller mentioned above (not sure about others?) will detect automatically as game controllers as soon as you plug them into a computer. No special drivers or anything needed.
 
I have had a little hands on time with the 360 fightpads. They're decent. The d-pad is a little too roll-y, the whole thing moves about. I've got a 360 one spare for use on my laptop / desktop.

I also had a pair of the PS2 Cordless Precision controllers (looked just like the PS3 one). The d-pad on it was pretty decent. Good controllers, used on my PS2 for a while.

I'd go with the Cordless Precision, but the fightpad is a lot better for 6-button fighting games and Sega games.

You're limited by the wireless requirement.. There's better wired options. The Sega Saturn PS3 controllers were awesome if you could find a real one (lots of chinese knockoffs on ebay).
 
I am going to do this too; however, I will be purchasing USB versions of each systems controller to maintain the true nostalgia and feel of the original system.

Yes, I know this will cost me a bit more but I feel it will be worth it to play Super Mario 64 with the N64 controll, and Super Mario 3 with the NES controller etc etc
 
I'm almost certain the 360 Controller is the way to go. It's easy to setup and if you have any issue there is a huge amount of related info out there. Yes, the D-pad isn't the best, but from every other controller I've used and tested, it is certainly not the worst.

If you ever decide to do arcade emu, I do suggest picking up a great stick - you will not regret it.
 
I've had little to no luck getting a PS3 controller to work via Bluetooth wireless, but it works fine as long as you have it plugged in via mini-USB.
The 360 controller is great for modern games, but the D-pad full-on sucks. Your only real option is to use the analog stick as a joystick instead.
 
I'm actually kinda surprised nobody mentioned the saturn controller for that generation of games. It's a much better controller for old-school gaming (since it was actually from the era of a d-pad for controls.)

You can even get a USB one for super cheap - a 3 month subscription to PlaySega gets you one to keep. I did that, then cancelled after the 3 months was up. Total cost was about $15

IMHO, the best pre-playstation era controller out there.
 
IdiotCow said:
I'm actually kinda surprised nobody mentioned the saturn controller for that generation of games. It's a much better controller for old-school gaming (since it was actually from the era of a d-pad for controls.)

You can even get a USB one for super cheap - a 3 month subscription to PlaySega gets you one to keep. I did that, then cancelled after the 3 months was up. Total cost was about $15

IMHO, the best pre-playstation era controller out there.
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I was under the impression he was looking to go wireless. If going with a cord is optional, I'd actually just use a PS2 controller. There are millions of good PS2 USB adapters and the controllers are everywhere, too.
 
I was looking for a controller for the same thing a while back, and I ended up getting a wired Xbox 360 controller. Works perfectly.
 
i had trouble getting my ps3 controller to work via usb on windows 7. windos 7 would recognize the controller, but no buttons would work. i think the driver set i downloaded was called motionjoy? i can double check when i get home. but i followed the instructions and it works nicely.

for emulators like mame, i prefer the ps3 controller because the 360 dpad sucks. i use the 360 controller for racing or any other game though. but side scroller or 1v1 fighter, ps3 controller ftw :)
 
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go with the 360 controller they are built like tanks... i wish sony would have thought more about thier trigger buttons the 360 is ridiculously well built on the inside of the controllers
 
You guys recommending standard xbox 360 or Gamecube controllers have GOT to be kidding. Talk about a d-pad crapfest. Have you guys not played any classic games on a d-pad lately? Maybe haven't ever laid hands on a real SNES or Genesis controller?

For classic gaming, you need a good d-pad. The xbox has like the worst d-pad, ever, of a 1st party controller, and the Gamecube's is tiiiiiny.
 
GreenMonkey said:
You guys recommending standard xbox 360 or Gamecube controllers have GOT to be kidding. Talk about a d-pad crapfest. Have you guys not played any classic games on a d-pad lately? Maybe haven't ever laid hands on a real SNES or Genesis controller?

For classic gaming, you need a good d-pad. The xbox has like the worst d-pad, ever, of a 1st party controller, and the Gamecube's is tiiiiiny.
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My thoughts exactly, they're horrible. Before I'd use one of those I'd hunt around for one of the Microsoft Sidewinder USB pads.
I do stand by the PS2/PS3 pad as being good for emulators, though. I'm able to play competitive level Street Fighter with those just fine, so playing something like Bionic Commando or SMB3 is no big deal.

Is there anyone here who has been able to get the PS3 pad to work via Bluetooth in Win7/x64? I can get it to work fine wired, but it just won't work wirelessly no matter what I try to do with the MotionJoy software.
 
Domingo said:
My thoughts exactly, they're horrible. Before I'd use one of those I'd hunt around for one of the Microsoft Sidewinder USB pads.
I do stand by the PS2/PS3 pad as being good for emulators, though. I'm able to play competitive level Street Fighter with those just fine, so playing something like Bionic Commando or SMB3 is no big deal.

Is there anyone here who has been able to get the PS3 pad to work via Bluetooth in Win7/x64? I can get it to work fine wired, but it just won't work wirelessly no matter what I try to do with the MotionJoy software.
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PS pads are not good if you are over the age of 16yo or you have hands like a carnie.
 
Master Blaster said:
PS pads are not good if you are over the age of 16yo or you have hands like a carnie.
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Oh god, QFT. Every time I play KZ2 on my PS3, I curse the little controller. The two joysticks are simply too close to each other. If you point them both inward, they almost touch, then add my tarantula fingers to the mix, and my thumbs collide every time.
 
SPARTAN VI said:
Oh god, QFT. Every time I play KZ2 on my PS3, I curse the little controller. The two joysticks are simply too close to each other. If you point them both inward, they almost touch, then add my tarantula fingers to the mix, and my thumbs collide every time.
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I was thinking more of the d-pad + buttons. For analog there's no doubt the 360 controller's better. I use my PS3 pad for fighting games and joystick-based emulators, not anything that needs an analog.
Now there are PS3 pads that reverse the analog and d-pad, though. I'd imagine those are great for Killzone and Uncharted.
 
Thanks everyone. This thread has recieved many more replies then I was expecting. I'll try to reply to all the points that have been brought up without using 100 quote boxes...

* I'm not considering the official PS3 bluetooth controllers so no need to reccomend those up and all the special bits needed to get those working. The logitech and madcatz controllers are good'ol 2.4GHz RF wireless. Nothing so fancy.

* A few of you brought up the 360 pad's poor d-pad which is part of the reason I have not considered it. I have read that same testament a few times now on a few different sites. The old games I am looking at will make heavy use of the d-pad so I think at least a decent d-pad would be mandatory.

* GreenMonkey: I had read that one other place (about the d-pad on the madcatz being very loose, intentionally) which is good/bad from how I can imagine it, but more bad than good for my intended uses. Your post will probably push me over to the logitechs.

* Just in case anyone is curious about my wireless requirement, I plan on connecting my PC to a TV whenever I do this which will be at least 2 meters away from me and I just don't think wires will be a very good idea.
 
for snes games a 360 controller is crap
a simple ps2 clone controller works just fine, BUT many break pretty easily atleast for me

i know this one has a lot of haters but my logitech dual action pad i bought for $15 like 6-7 years ago is still going strong and has outlasted all sorts of other PC gamepads I have bought through the years
 
i will admit the dpad is not that super but the overall construction is still top notch i could throw the thing across the room without worry of it really breaking

the ps3 controller the sony one the r2 and l2 button is pushed back out by a tiny spring that breaks pretty easily cheap sources for replacement springs are 3.5 inch floppy disks they have a similar sized spring with longer legs just take some wire snippers and trim to smaller size replace broken spring. Haven't had to do it since i replaced it once but if you do alot of fighting games that have r2 or l2 mashed or slammed alot i suggest anything but a ps3 style controller
 
First-party PS1/PS2 controller with a USB adapter will be the best wired solution. PS1 controllers are all but extinct nowadays, but PS2 are a dime-a-dozen. The d-pad on the Dualshock 1/2 is simply leaps and bounds better than anything out there that I've used.

Radio Shack used to make a great adapter back in the day, but they're very hard to come by now. You can find plenty of clones on Amazon nowadays. I've used a few of them, and aside from feeling a bit "cheap", they are pretty effective.

One thing to keep in mind if you go the PS2 route - the face buttons are analog, and all of the adapters that I've used don't register a button-press until the button is pressed down to its lowest point. Having primiarily used a PS1 controller for a very long while now, where the face buttons are not analog, it takes a bit of adjustment whenever I swap in a PS2, since I'm not used to having to push the button down as far to have it register.
 
Mabu said:
First-party PS1/PS2 controller with a USB adapter will be the best wired solution. PS1 controllers are all but extinct nowadays, but PS2 are a dime-a-dozen. The d-pad on the Dualshock 1/2 is simply leaps and bounds better than anything out there that I've used.
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I could never stand the recessed d-pad on the Playstation. Sucks for Street Fighter and the like IMO. It's not horrible - but a good SNES-style or Sega Saturn-style pad is better IMO.
 
I always wanted that retro-SNES controller that only the Club Nintendo of Japan owners could get. It was posted on NeoGaf but I don't remember where...
 
Interestingly enough I tried the MotionJoy DualShock 3 Bluetooth driver again this morning and it actually works! You have to disable driver signatures in Win7 x64 (done via the F8 menu when booting) but it works fine. I was playing Street Fighter via Final Burn with no issues. Hell, I might even go buy SF4 on the PC now that this works okay.
 
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