Any good NES/SNES styled controllers?

[PainkilleR]

Not a big controller fan, just looking for a decent NES/SNES style controller to play a few 2d games on Steam (mega man, contra, castlevania) for nostalgia sake.

I have tried a few very cheap no-name controllers, but sadly dpad is unusable on those things. I have also bought a retro-bit legacy16 wired controller, and that controller was perfect... The problem is dpad became unusable in a ~month (false diagonals, sticking/clicking dpad membrane). So retro-bit is a no go either.

I have heard a lot of good things about 8bitdo snes styled controllers, but once I checked some of the in-depth reviews, it seems like the dpad shares exactly the same issues as those cheap no-name/retro-bit controllers.

So far the only reliable dpad for me was xbox one's dpad. Perfect inputs/no accidental diagonals, etc.

Any thoughts?

[Tonepoet]

The 8bitdo SN30 Pro will be recommended but it's not particularly authentic. It's a bit bigger, the directional pad and thumbsticks are shifted up to make room for the thumbsticks, and the shoulder buttons are split into pairs to make it more comparable to a Playstation 2 controller, and they're also shaped differently to account for the relative slimness of the controller.

Nintendo makes bluetooth S.N.E.S. controllers[www.nintendo.com], but you need to be subscribed to their Switch online service to buy them.

Otherwise, I think the best third party options were the Buffalo Classic U.S.B. controller and the Retroflag Classic U.S.B. J.

The buffalo is good out of production and it is decidedly the worse of the two both in terms of compatibility (it's strictly a direct input controller) and authenticity (it's a true cross beneath the Buffalo controller: Genuine Nintendo Directional pads and Retroflag's are round underneath the shell of the controller. The Buffalo controller sticks a bit initially too. This issue resolves itself once you've broken it in, but it can still be annoying. Don't get me wrong. It's a great controller. It just has some minor issues.

The Retroflag has xinput, direct input and switch compatibility modes you toggle by pressing certain face buttons while plugging it into a powered on device. Unfortunately, the J is seemingly out of production too.

So what's the point of mentioning it? Well the J is fashioned after the Super Famicom controller. Retroflag also makes a U version fashioned after the U.S. controller[www.amazon.com]. I can't vouch for the U because I haven't used the U so I can't entirely vouch for it. It should be mostly the same, but my concern is that on the N.A. controller, the X and Y buttons were concave, and I can't be sure sure if Retroflag properly replicated them.

However, my top recommendation for playing S.N.E.S. games specifically actually might not be an S.N.E.S. controller.

It's 8bitdo's Neo Geo C.D. controller. The original controller only had four face buttons, start and select but 8bitdo went ahead an added an L and R button which gives it feature parity with the S.N.E.S. controller and I think the thumbstick mechanism is actually better than a directional pad. It's not actually like a thumbstick. It's more like an 8-way arcade joystick you manipulate with your thumb. I have concern about the compatibility modes, I'll have to check 'em out later.

Sometimes if you're lucky, you'll see 'em on woot for $17[electronics.woot.com], but they're sold out there at the moment. Amazon sometimes has 'em on sale for $24, but the M.S.R.P. is $35. I'm not sure what the supported compatibilty modes are on it though.

Another controller worth considering is Retrobit's licensed 8 button arcade pad[www.amazon.com], which is the sega genesis six button arcade pad, except with shoulder buttons. I mean, its a period authentic design to the 16 bit era, and it has more buttons making it more versatile for more games. It also has the mode button moved over to the center, so you can use that as a select button, unlike their Saturn controller[www.amazon.com], although the Saturn controller is exactly as Sega made it. Retrobit's sega controllers also have Switch, X-input and direct input compatibility, similar to the retroflag controllers.

But yeah, in summary the Retroflag Classic U.S.B. U is probably your best bet for something authentic to the S.N.E.S. controller

[C1REX]

An alternative solution is SNES to PC converter and to get a real SNES controller for the ultimate nostalgia and immersion.

[Tonepoet]

You can, but there are a few disadvantages to that method.

The first is that translating whatever the S.N.E.S. did to U.S.B. can be a somewhat laggy process. How much lag depends on the adapter. The best ones were allegedly made by Raphnet[www.raphnet-tech.com], but even those advertised 4 miliseconds of latency, which I must emphasize was extremely low (one quarter of the duration of a 60 F.P.S. frame), and even though that may be tolerable to the point that you probably won’t notice, they are out of production now.

The second is that it can be costly. The raphnet ones were something like $40 for the privilege of having such a low latency controller, and even a cheap adapter of unknown quality costs in excess of $8, and if you say sold your original S.N.E.S. controller to the likes of Gamestop or E.B. games for a loss, then buying an authentic one off of ebay might cost you $10[www.ebay.com], at which point you’re spending at least as much as you would’ve on a retroflag controller meant to be used with U.S.B. in the first place.

Most of these adapters are from a time when xinput wasn’t yet a thing, so you’re stuck with directinput compatibility, which isn’t really relevant to modern games. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight only works with x-input controllers with its native gamepad support, and insofar as modern games go, it’s one of the ones where an S.N.E.S. style controller makes the most sense because it has one function for every button on an S.N.E.S. controller, but no more.

Other minor disadvantages are the bulk, which probably isn’t a problem at home, but might be if you want to travel with the likes of a steam deck and the fact that original N.E.S. silicon membranes have aged, and possibly degraged and ripped over time. You can buy replacement membranes, but they won’t be the Nintendo ones, obviously.

If you must, the one to use is likely the Mayflash MF105[www.amazon.com] for its compatibility modes (including xinput), but it is a two controller adapter for $23, and at that price I think it’s worth giving Retroflag a shot, even if you have an original SNS-102 or SNS-005 controller.

Unless maybe your computer has a parallel port­ and you’re handy with a soldering iron, but that's another story.

[PainkilleR]

Originally posted by Tonepoet:

However, my top recommendation for playing S.N.E.S. games specifically actually might not be an S.N.E.S. controller.

It's 8bitdo's Neo Geo C.D. controller. The original controller only had four face buttons, start and select but 8bitdo went ahead an added an L and R button which gives it feature parity with the S.N.E.S. controller and I think the thumbstick mechanism is actually better than a directional pad. It's not actually like a thumbstick. It's more like an 8-way arcade joystick you manipulate with your thumb. I have concern about the compatibility modes, I'll have to check 'em out later.

Sometimes if you're lucky, you'll see 'em on woot for $17[electronics.woot.com], but they're sold out there at the moment. Amazon sometimes has 'em on sale for $24, but the M.S.R.P. is $35. I'm not sure what the supported compatibilty modes are on it though.

Another controller worth considering is Retrobit's licensed 8 button arcade pad[www.amazon.com], which is the sega genesis six button arcade pad, except with shoulder buttons. I mean, its a period authentic design to the 16 bit era, and it has more buttons making it more versatile for more games. It also has the mode button moved over to the center, so you can use that as a select button, unlike their Saturn controller[www.amazon.com], although the Saturn controller is exactly as Sega made it. Retrobit's sega controllers also have Switch, X-input and direct input compatibility, similar to the retroflag controllers.

I have both.

Haven't experienced any issues with 8bitdo Neo Geo CD so far, but I bought it relatively recently, so it's too early for me to vouch for that controller. That said so far it's been excellent indeed.

I bought Retro-Bit 8-Button Arcade Pad last year and it hasn't shown any signs of wear yet. That controller was the reason I got Retro-Bit Legacy16, but as I said it lasted for a month sadly. I disassebled it to see what the problem is, and although the dpad membrane looks undamaged, it gets stuck in pressed state/clicks/behaves abnormally, and that's what is causing the issues. So I guess it's the material itself that is at fault here.

Originally posted by Tonepoet:

8bitdo SN30 Pro, Retroflag Classic U.S.B. J.

Pretty much all the negative reviews point out the faulty dpad, so I am not sure about those. 🤔

Now that I think about it, instead of buying another controller, I should probably find some micro switches that would fit and solder them to my Legacy16 controller. In it's current state it is a useless piece of plastic anyway, so why not...

[Raoul]

AFAIK unless something has changed in recent years Nintendo has always made the best D-pad. I'd go with the switch pro controller otherwise it would have to be like an original wii classic controller or snes with an adapter etc

[Electric Cupcake]

Originally posted by Raoul:

AFAIK unless something has changed in recent years Nintendo has always made the best D-pad. I'd go with the switch pro controller otherwise it would have to be like an original wii classic controller or snes with an adapter etc

Best dpads I've ever used are from 8bitdo, SCUF and Steelseries.

We reeeaaally need 3rd party open drivers and software for Scuf controllers. The hardware is solid, but Corsair's software is worthless.

[Tonepoet]

I understand your reluctance Painkiller R. You have no special reason to take my word from it since can't tell me from Adam and people are generally a bit too ready to give the Nintendo seal of approval to products that clearly don't deserve it just by looking at them like the old Tomee controllers[www.amazon.com]. Never tried one myself 'cause those look so obviously off. The worst S.N.E.S. facsimile I have is the Indie Box Super Win the Game controller[thatvideogameblog.com]. I believe Super Win the Game literally just took a generic made in-china S.N.E.S. stle U.S.B. gamepad that would' have just cost a couple of bucks at the time, slapped a Super Win the Game sticker on it and called it a collectable. The only good thing about it is that its existence implies the game is meant to be played with an S.N.E.S. style controller.is. I don't know how well it works, but it feels off in the hand.

Compared to products like that, where you can tell something is off with the mold, Retroflag went through the trouble of making promotional shots showcasing the controllers on their website, and the shots look rather good for both the U[retroflag.com] and the J[retroflag.com] version controllers, that look much more on-model for what they are trying to imitate.

However, looking at the Amazon review pages, I am rather disappointed. Looking at those 1 star reviews, the first complaint I see regarding the directional pad is fro 2020 and the bulk of them are from 2022. What that suggests to me is that the recent plague may have ruined a good thing, as it so often did, allowing batches slipshod product to escape quality control. To be fair, I am seeing at least one 5 star review from 2022 that regards it as well as I remember but who knows if it's trustworthy or not?

Hopefully it was just a single bad batch, and not endemic to the product as a whole, but I am probably going to have to stop recommending these controllers, contingent on me buying a new one to see what the U version is like, which probably won't be for some time since I actually have multiples of the J I am perfectly happy with. What a disappointment to see what was once a good brand may have gone bad. Sigh! V_V

Conversely, I am not surprised that the retrobit product is slipshod at all. That company has a sketchy history of making pre-patent expiration clone consoles alongside the likes of Hyperkin, and prior to their partnership with Sega, their stuff scarcely looked any better than the Tomee. It's hard to find pictures of their older products these days, since they were all discontinued, but when you can find one, you can easily tell that their product was scarcely if any any better than Tomee's[www.gamestop.com]

I have the Sega Genesis style controllers that came with the Retro-Bit generations[www.nintendolife.com], and while they were functional, the travel is too long and they feel mushy. I'm not happy with those controllers, and the emulation quality on that product was also a disappointment. I also have a dreamcast V.G.A. box I bought from Retrobit that was problematic for me when I first bought it. It's not a company I put my faith in much based on their merits alone.

So why'd I give the Sega controllers a shot? I mean, it's not like Sega had been doing much better. I actually managed to snap the directional pad off of a Sega Limited Service controller just by dropping something on it. User error? Well yes, but I feel like that a genuine 1990s controller would not have broken like that. Sega's previous partnership with atgames also left much to be desired based upon the reviews I have seen.

Well, does anybody remember Madcatz? That god awful company. Well, believe it or not, they partnered up with Capcom to make a 15th anniversary arcade joystick, and well, believe it or not, they actually turned out a halfway decent product[markman23.com] for once in their lives. Madcatz, in collaboration with Capcom and Markman, basically popularized genuine Japanese Seimitsu and the 8-button layout based on the Taito Viewlix cabinets. Granted, with Madcatz being Madcatz, they did find a way to screw it up with the Playstation 3 version of the stick but it eventually led to a whole product line for them and waves of imitation products that continue on through to this day despite Madcatz themselves having gone out of business since then.

Madcatz did make a genuinely great product eventually though. I mean, this Chun li joystick made by them is nothing short of a gem.[gaming-age.com] So in knowing a bad company can turn a good leaf, I took a chance on Sega again, hoping they'd get their act together and whip Retrobit into shape, which as you already know, they did, at least insofar as the collaboration products that are direct imitations of pre-existing Sega controllers went. Also something-something molds or blueprints, I forget which.

I think Retrobit learned that there's some money to be made in making a quality product from this expereince. Their newer stuff certainly looks better than their older stuff. However, I do not trust Retrobit much based on their own merits, and the only things I'd really consider buying from them are their Sega controllers, their licensed repro. cartridges and maybe (but probably not) the Retrobit Generations (which isn't even made anymore, so forget it).

Originally posted by PainkillerR:

I bought Retro-Bit 8-Button Arcade Pad last year and it hasn't shown any signs of wear yet. That controller was the reason I got Retro-Bit Legacy16, but as I said it lasted for a month sadly. I disassebled it to see what the problem is, and although the dpad membrane looks undamaged, it gets stuck in pressed state/clicks/behaves abnormally, and that's what is causing the issues. So I guess it's the material itself that is at fault here.

[...,]

Now that I think about it, instead of buying another controller, I should probably find some micro switches that would fit and solder them to my Legacy16 controller. In it's current state it is a useless piece of plastic anyway, so why not...

First, I see no reason you could not just just use the perfectly well functioning controllers you already have. I mean even if they are not exactly Nintendo controllers, they are based off of authentic periodically accurate designs, and the Neo-Geo controller essentially has everything you need in relatively correct positions. I probably would not have bought my retroflag controllers had the collaborative Sega/Retrobit 10 button Arcade Pad been released first.

Second third, there is a chance that if you keep using the controller that the membrane will break in and stop sticking like with my Buffalo controller, but the other symptoms I am not so sure about.

Third, that's not quite how Neo Geo controllers work. They use a custom made all in one microswiched mechanism, and the top is very much more like a thumbstick[gamesx.com], and even if you could somehow find the parts to make something similar, the cutout of your Retrobit Legacy 16 is meant for a directional pad.

I make no guarantees this will work, but if you go down this route, what I recommend is that you try metal dome switches[www.snaptron.com]. They operate similarly to the silicon membrane, they're fairly low profile for a clicky switch making them more likely to fit than traditional microswitches and they just so happen to be what Nintendo used in the G.B.A. S.P.

You might also want to use black button momentary tactile switches for the shoulder buttons, which is something else Nintendo did with the G.B.A. S.P., likely inspired by the Sega Saturn. in the rare move where Nintendo copied an element of somebody else's controller design.

Finally, another thing you might consider is trying to swap components from your controller to an S.N.E.S. controller, or vice versa. Here's a picture of a disassembled S.N.E.S. controller[imgur.com] so you can see if it looks like the Retrobit P.C.B. will fit in there, or if you can rob the directional pad and membrane from the S.N.E.S. and put it in your Retroflag controller. Much of the mechanical and tactile quality comes from the shell and the button membranes of the controller.

If you have an S.N.E.S. controller[www.ebay.com] (those are cheaper than the ones I showed previously), another thing to consider is the S.N.E.S. 8bitdo mod-kit[shop.8bitdo.com]. It's a bit on the pricey side, but it's basically replacement P.C.Bs. for a real S.N.E.S. controller shell that make it into a bluetooth controller. Bluetooth is kinda laggy but Sony proved it was good enough with the Playstation 3.

Bonus points if you buy a bluetooth receiver for your S.N.E.S. such as 8bitdo's Retro Reciever[www.amazon.com] or the Brook Wingman[www.brookaccessory.com] to still be able to use the newly modified controller on the original console, untethered.

Originally posted by Raoul:

AFAIK unless something has changed in recent years Nintendo has always made the best D-pad. I'd go with the switch pro controller otherwise it would have to be like an original wii classic controller or snes with an adapter etc

• Nintendo from at least the N.E.S. through to the N64 and Gameboy Color. Maybe the Switch Pro controller, but I do not have one. The gamecube and G.B.A's. is is too small. I don't like the one used on Wii or Wii U consoles as much.
  
• Sometimes but not always Hori. I especially like the one on the Hori Fighting Commander PS4-044[www.play-asia.com], though Hori has good directional pads dating back through to at least the 16 bit era in Japan.
  
• Early 1990s Sega (the dreamcast's was too small and the master system's looks weird, which is why I specify early 1990s)
  
• Xbox Elite Controller (better be for the price! [clicky])
  
• Maybe the Crkd Neo S, but it's in the wrong spot for this application and my L.E. Lara Croft ones are on pre-order so I'm just juding based on how they look.

Honorable mentions: Early playstation controllers have an alright directional pad, although I don't like it as much as Nintendo, Sega's or Hori's. Allegedly the transforming directional pad on the final generation xbox 360 controllers[www.theverge.com] was better than the slippery mess found on its predecessors. I've heard good things about Power A Fightpads[www.amazon.com] having clicky switches on the d-pad and buttons. I'll probably order a bunch of those for my Nintendo Switch since they look cheaper than the Switch's Fighting Commander right now.

Originally posted by Electric Cupcake:

Best dpads I've ever used are from 8bitdo, SCUF and Steelseries.

We reeeaaally need 3rd party open drivers and software for Scuf controllers. The hardware is solid, but Corsair's software is worthless.

Scuf makes their own controllers now, and they have something to do with Corsair? I thought they just a small company modifying existing designs with back paddles and short-stops. I guess once other controller companies started adding back-buttons of their own, they needed to find a new customer base 'cause ain't nobody paying $150ish dollars to have a controller modified with back paddles when you can just buy one with back buttons preinstalled for more like $50-70. For the price of a Scuff controller, it better darn well beat everything except maybe an Xbox Elite controller in all aspects: All I can really say is Scuf is too rich for my blood. (I only used the xbox elite controller in stores at open demo kiosks and P.Cs.).

Also I'm not so sure I'd say steelseries has top-tier directional pads, but then again I haven't given them much of a fair shot, so if you say so.

[smokerob79]

find a 360 controller.....I got lucky and got a lot of 7 360 controllers of ebay for 20 bucks.....

[C1REX]

Originally posted by smokerob79:

find a 360 controller.....I got lucky and got a lot of 7 360 controllers of ebay for 20 bucks.....

Do you really like dpad on this controller? I think the controller is great but the dpad is horrible.

[Tonepoet]

Originally posted by smokerob79:

find a 360 controller.....I got lucky and got a lot of 7 360 controllers of ebay for 20 bucks.....

"I want a broom."

"Buy a mop. I got lucky and got a deal for 7 Wonder Mops from an infomercial for $20."