"general purpose" controllers for NES, PS1, Atari?

wolfgangrumpf

I'm in the process of building myself a RetroPIE system, and I'm kind of stuck on which controllers to go with. I expect that I'll primarily be emulating NES, PS1, and Apple II or Atari 800. I'm hoping to not have to get multiple sets of controllers - was in fact looking at some inexpensive NES-style controllers on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034ZOAO0/) but am not sure they'll work with the systems I have in mind. Anyone have any suggestions, thoughts, or comments? Thanks in advance!

dankcushions

these are snes, not nes clones. ps1 has 2 more buttons than snes controllers have, so you need to consider what games you want to play and how you'll work around that issue, if they use those buttons. personally I use ps4 controllers for ps1 games, as they have a 1:1 mapping.

Apple and Atari 800 are keyboard based systems, so again, it depends on the game and how many buttons you will need.

Lodan-Zark

Well if you are interested in SNES gamepad clones I highly advice you to get the iBuffalo Classic Controller (http://www.ebay.com/itm/281946608760) cost a bit more but it's totally worthy, it's the only snes pad clone that doesn't feel cheap alike the other brands, the problem its the PS1 games that needs L2 and R2, personally since I own a PS2 I use those controllers through this ps2 to usb converter which its very functional and cheap (http://www.ebay.com/itm/190868628144)

Zaphod

I got the same iBuffalo snes controller from Amazon for 12 or 13, iirc. Works great right out of the box

Best bet to also have the ps1 covered would be a PS3 controller I think. Can probably pick up one pretty cheap, and they're supposed to work pretty well. I forgot that I have one laying around, and I plan to mess with it tonight

wolfgangrumpf

Thanks for all the input, everyone. So if I use PS3 controllers (or PS4), I could just connect them via Bluetooth, correct? Seems like that - and a keyboard for the Apple/Atari games - might be the best way to go?

Lodan-Zark

Acording to Herb Fargus the PS3 controller aren't a good option if you wanna use them through bluetooth
@herb_fargus said in Best bluetooth controllers:

Ps3 controllers still need a separate Bluetooth dongle as the onboard Bluetooth of the pi3 makes it unstable. I use wireless Xbox controllers and they work fine for me (though they aren't technically Bluetooth). Personal preference really. Some people use 8bitdo pads as well

Shakz

PS3 is the simplest and the best. You will need a bluetooth dongle though. This one is the cheapest and the best I could find. No setup required...plug and play on the raspberry PI!
This dongle worked for me...works perfect. No drivers or any nonsense. Perfect connection from 10 or more feet away. By far the best deal I could find for $7. XBOX 360 controllers are also good but you have to get a specialized dongle...costs a bit more but if you already have one laying around...guess it makes sense as well. Wii controllers are also good but you have to go through the hassle of installing them. Given I have a vested interest I may give er a go and write a script to automate it.
Besides that. I HIGHLY reccomend ibuffalo conntrollers for a seamless wired solution.
SNES Style solution here.!!!!
NES/Famicom Style can be ordered here!
Amazon is cheaper than EBAY for these controllers at least for now. My SNES controller came quicker than the NES Famicom one as the second one came from Japan. Was worth the wait though....I wanna say around two weeks.

Lodan-Zark

@Shakz
Those Indeed are good gamepads , yet I'm looking forward to a good sega saturn gamepad to play fighting games and sega games, well I saw ones from retrolink but I am not sure if I should get it, I got 2 pads from that brand, one for n64 and another for nes and the nes broke the A button in 3 days or so...

mrbwa1

I have tried to use things that I have:

-WiiMote - Always been a pain and never quite worked (I need to try again though)

-PS1/PS2 controllers through USB adapter - This worked out of the box with an ancient radio shack adapter and I have since gone to the cheap dual playstation usb adapter. It works fins as long as both controllers match (don't mix analog and non-analog). I picked up some 6 foot cable extenders and the 2 controllers reach across the room. I will probably pick up a used playstation arcade stick at some point as well.

-Microsoft Sidewinder USB Joystick - Picked it up at a yard sale and it works, but it's too big for most systems that were designed to use a short arcade joystick.

-Cheap USB NES USB pad - Works okay, but feels cheap and has a really short cord

-Cheap SNES USB pad - Works better than the nes pad but still a short cord

I like the idea of bluetooth, but it's really finicky. The PS3 controllers are probably better supported than the Wiimote+Classic Controller, but they are also expensive and the generic PS3 controllers are a real roll of the dice quality-wise.

One final thought: The Playstation dual analog controllers (Xbox 360 probably is the same with twin sticks) are also nice because you can map the d-pad to a stick whick is a lot nicer for Atari and most shooters. It's passable for fighters that don't need 6 buttons (but I grew up on PS1 Tekken so I'm used to PS fighting style).

I think it's always worth having either an old PS pad with adapter or even a cheapie SNES pad around because they basically work out of the box. Anything wireless requires some setup and can be a hassle. Also, you can still use an adapted PS pad or usb pad with other devices (PC/Tablet).