List of working USB Adapters for original console controllers
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I've literally bought 12+ USB adapters so I can use my original console controllers on my Raspberry Pi 3 running RetroPie. Many were hit and miss so I thought I'd make a list with my experiences, and urge others to chime in about other systems so we can get a database going on what works, what doesn't, and common problems.
I think this is a great thing to have as the original console controllers are mostly absolutely EXCELLENT quality. Many are going on 30+ years old and still work perfectly (battlescars and all). 90% of the USB controllers modeled to look like these classic controllers are complete garbage. This is why I always recommend a console controller + USB adapter since there's so many horrible quality USB reproductions out there. Console controllers usually go for $5-7 at local fleamarkets by me and are very commonplace.
One thing to note is I'm talking about USA NTSC consoles here...your model #'s and such may vary in other countries. I'm also using original console controllers - NO aftermarket/off-brand/generic controllers. Every controller is tested as working on the actual console itself. Everything is tested in pairs for the most part. Any adapter which had an issue(s) was tested on at least two Pi 3's.
Nintendo / NES: "Tomee NES to PC USB Retro Controller Adapter Converter - PC Mac Linux", ~$11 USD / £9.
Worked on 6 out of 8 original controllers (5 out of 7 regular NES-004 controllers, plus 1x NES Max 027 controller). No setup needed besides mapping keys. 75% success rate...not too bad - I have a feeling there's a certain brand of chip inside the NES controller that the Tomee doesn't like (but haven't felt the need to open them all up to find out exactly which it is).Super Nintendo / SNES: "Mayflash SNES Controller to Adapter for PC USB", ~$11 USD / £9.
Accepts 2x (two) controllers, plugs into 1x USB port. Tried two SNS-005 controllers, and one SNS-102 (newer version controller). All 3 worked. User reviews on Amazon cite it's hit or miss - most people having problems with the original SNS-005.Sega Genesis: "Mayflash Md Mega Drive Genesis Controller Adapter for PC USB", $20 USD / £16.
And "RetroUSB: USB Genesis RetroPort", $21 USD / £17.
I tried 4x MK-1470 6-button controllers with Turbo, 1x MK-1673 6-button, and 1x standard 3-button 1650 controller (which I could never get working). I can't recommend any Genesis USB adapters as being perfect. On the Mayflash 3 out of 6 controllers worked like they should on my initial try. On the RetroUSB 4 out of 6 worked. VERY weird issues all over the place (see my other topic on these if you want more info). If you had to pick 1, I would go for the RetroUSB as after severalreboots and several remappings it got 5 out of 6 controllers to work (3-button will STILL not work).Playstation 1 and 2 controllers: "PS2 to PS3 Playstation Controller Adapter USB Converter", $5.50 USD / £4.50.
As this doesn't list a brand I'm posting a link to this exact one.
I bought 5 different PS1/PS2 controller adapters for the Dualshock 1 (gray, SCPH-1200) and Dualshock 2 (black, SCPH-10010), and only two worked. These plug and play perfectly - even on my Mac and PC I didn't have to do anything but map the keys.
If you want one which will let you hookup 2 controllers (using 1 USB port), the "HDE PS PS2 USB Dual Controller to PC Adapter Converter" on Amazon works just fine (besides it being a bright blue transparent color). NOTE: the HDE brand SINGLE adapter did not work on my Raspberry Pi 3 running RetroPie 4.0.2, despite being the same brand as the working dual plug version.
UPDATE 12/1/2016 I bought an original non-dualshock PS1 controller (SCPH-1080) and it DOES NOT work with the above adapter...it's a shame, but as most people have/use the dualshock versions I'm still content with those adapters and will continue recommending them.Xbox 360 WIRELESS Dongle, $10-19 USD / £8-15
Commonly called something like "Xbox 360 Microsoft Authentic Wireless Pc Gaming Receiver for Windows" or "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows" generic non-Microsoft version. I've owned three of these over the years - tried two of them on the Pi (Microsoft and generic brand) and they're been near flawless. I HIGHLY suggest these for wireless use as it's a dedicated 2.4ghz connection and you don't have to deal the the Bluetooth protocol (which TONS of people have problems with the PS3 and 8BitDo Bluetooth controllers - WAY more problems than the Xbox 360 wireless controllers seem to have).PLEASE chime in with your experiences so nobody has to go through the turmoil of all these returns and troubleshooting I had to go through!
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ultimate pc interface (upci) $62 compatible with more controllers than any other adapter available without the need to flash the firmware every time you want to use a different controller. also is 2 players.
vision-daptor $30 made by same person as the upci. uses a lot of the controllers the upci does but the upci still has a lot more compatible controllers that this one doesnt. only 1 player too.
2600-daptor $25 uses atari 2600 joysticks and paddles. 1 player.
2600-daptor II $30 can use all atari 2600 controllers/accessories plus 7800 controllers. 1 player.
5200-daptor $28 uses atari 5200 controllers and trackball.
astro-daptor $25 uses the bally astrocade controllers. 1 player
neo-geo-daptor $28 uses neo geo sticks since his adapters output voltage on the pins i assume the neo geo controller is compatible as well. 1 player
all those controller adapters are from the same guy. awesome dude. awesome support.
anything that raphnet-tech.com sells. i have bought and used several different adapters from him. they work great.
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@Dochartaigh yes my playstation 1 has a 2 player clear blue adapter in it plus i have another that doesnt say hde on it. Its all the same. They work good. I do not recommend the mayflash wii and wii u adapters. It is either the bumpers or the triggers dont work on them. I forget which.
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Thanks for the ~Gen 1 and ~Gen 2 controller adapter update! I actually contacted Raphnet about a better Genesis USB adapter than I've been able to find so far.
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@Dochartaigh i personally prefer the vision-daptor and upci for my genesis atari and master system controller needs. Plus far more controllers. Plus they come from the u.s. It takes like two weeks to get stuff from raphnet.
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Speaking of the PSX adapter - I cannot read what it says on the box on that cable, is this the same thing?
it says "PIII Converter Model: 01"
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@Jofo said in List of working USB Adapters for original console controllers:
You can't tell by looks alone. 3 of the PS1/PS2 adapters I got look absolutely identical to each other - and I bought two of each kind. The pair that worked (now confirmed with 4x of them actually), and I linked to, is the only exact one I can recommend. I just hope they don't switch their stock at some point to another manufacturer...as the manufacturer brand is listed as "Unknown" all this is a bit shady...
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@edmaul69 said in List of working USB Adapters for original console controllers:
anything that raphnet-tech.com sells. i have bought and used several different adapters from him. they work great.
I wrote Raphnet the same day you posted this because of how much you like his products, and haven't heard back almost 2-weeks later. I guess he's not getting my money...
Also, I updated my original post: those PS1/PS2 adapters DON'T work with the very first non-dualshock (i.e. no analog sticks) Playstation 1 controllers.
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@Dochartaigh yeah his email filters too much. Some people can get a hold of him and some cant. I was one of the lucky ones. I have a buddy who cant.
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@edmaul69 said in List of working USB Adapters for original console controllers:
@Dochartaigh yeah his email filters too much. Some people can get a hold of him and some cant. I was one of the lucky ones. I have a buddy who cant.
And I'm using Gmail, like the BIGGEST email site in the entire history of mankind... ;)
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I'm a Lycos man myself. Our messages never get filtered. However, they are delivered over the phone as raw fax tones, so there is a trade off.
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Hi! I have a question regarding the HDE PS PS2 USB adaptor. In the retropie frontend it can see and I have successfully configured 2 original PS1 controllers, yet in any game (CTR as an example) it will only see 1. I am sure there must be a driver or setting I have missed but apologies I am stumped! I have tried all 4 of Pi's USB ports to see if they (don't) play nice with multitap across ports etc, but no luck.
Any help would be greatly appreciated- cheers
Ben -
I have a mayflash 3 in one usb to ps2 ,n64 and satern will that work?
Edit: the mayflash 3 in one adapter works. I also have tomee snes adapters that work well with the pi. -
I know this topic is quite old, but for the sake of completeness you might also be interested in the ControlBlock for connecting original controllers to the Raspberry Pi. It was designed specifically for that use case and integrates very well with RetroPie. See https://blog.petrockblock.com/controlblock/ for more details.
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@Watkins581 did you ever get this figured out? If not did you change the retroarch core options to switch between standard and analog controller for player 2?
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@edmaul69 I know I am beating a dead horse at this moment, so forgive me all about this one. Has anyone been able to confirm the Raphnet products for connecting original/authentic NES and SNES controllers actually work on Raspberry Pi 3/Retropie? About to go down the rabbit hole of my first ever build and need exactly that, a pair of NES controllers and SNES controllers connected to the same Pie board at once. Understanding that I could not utilize both pairs of controllers at the same time, I am trying to minimize wear and tear of connecting/disconnect controllers each time a player is switching between NES and SNES games.
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Do not know about the Raphnet gadgets. But the GamepadBlock has recently become an alternative for connecting arcade and original game controllers including NES and SNES controllers. Tested with RetroPie!
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@sfc_k i can comfirm that all of raphnets adapters work. I have used all of his usb boards and adapters and his wii adapters too.
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