Any good 3rd party controllers for old systems?

matchaman

I'm getting sick of the junk that's available for old systems. Is there a single good option for NES, SNES and Mega Drive controllers?

I'm talking about the actual systems, not USB retro-style pads which have a few good options. All 3rd party controllers in production feel extremely cheap and nasty!

It keeps getting harder to get original pads in good condition and no company seems to have filled the gap properly (excluding some wireless options from 8bitdo)...

SgtJimmyRustles

@matchaman said in Any good 3rd party controllers for old systems?:

I'm getting sick of the junk that's available for old systems. Is there a single good option for NES, SNES and Mega Drive controllers?
I'm talking about the actual systems, not USB retro-style pads which have a few good options. All 3rd party controllers in production feel extremely cheap and nasty!
It keeps getting harder to get original pads in good condition and no company seems to have filled the gap properly (excluding some wireless options from 8bitdo)...

You could use something like the Horipad for the switch. Works perfectly well with the pi.

PiBoy

I use an adapter for my official PS3 bluetooth controller. I prefer it, because it is highly compatible with old games due to its number of buttons, and style of D-Pad.

matchaman

No, I'm not talking about the Pi. I'm referring to 3rd party controllers for original hardware, 8 and 16-bit consoles.

While there are many options for USB (PC/Pi), all the newly produced controllers for old consoles are exclusively cheap remakes that feel awful and with serious issues such as missing button responsiveness.

For now the only options are (ab)used controllers or brand new in crazy prices. And the more time passes, the worst happens to old hardware while prices only rise...

Beldar

@matchaman In a recent thread someone brought up the Retro Bit Dual Link controllers. They are licensed Capcom things that habe options for NES, SNES, and Genesis/Megadrive. They have plugs for original systems and USB, hence the name Dual Link.

I do not personally have any of these controllers, but they have reviewed quite well among Youtube retro game enthusiasts.

mediamogul

@matchaman said in Any good 3rd party controllers for old systems?:

the only options are (ab)used controllers or brand new in crazy prices.

A happy medium between the two is refurbishing original controllers yourself. Outside of separating the shells and giving them a good cleaning, it's really only the button membranes that ever need replacing and most times using only a little bit of super glue on the tear will have them operating like new.

PiBoy

@mediamogul Actually a really good idea. You can also buy "dead" OEM controllers, or third party controllers from eBay for the parts and mix and match until it is good. I did that with my Logitech PS2 controller. Except for the L3 button it works excellently now.