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6-button Controller Round-up


jer_33

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jer_33, on 23 Oct 2015 - 12:34 PM, said:snapback.png

These are the best. It is like 1990 all over again.

The controllers are like new.

I now have 2 like brand new 6 button controllers and 8 like brand new 3 button.

I highly recommend these.

Hey coach, I just bought a whole box full of busted up gens pads and I have the rubber pieces shown above. Did you reference any video in particular that helped you out the first couple times you were fixing your pads. By the way, I watched 1 vid and saw they added foil tape to the contacts... did you go that route by any chance?

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Nope, I just unscrewed the 6 screws in the back, pulled off the old stuff and stuck the new stuff in the exact same spots.

It was really simple.

I did clean the insides up with alcohol as jer suggested but mine were really all pretty clean.

As I have experimented with each of my "new" controllers I will say some are better than others, so issues do sometimes run deeper than just these rubber pieces, but they are all improved and most feel like new.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry to hijack thread jer, but this inspired me to try and custom paint some controllers. Here's the result of my first two projects. While the designs could be better, crisper, I wanted to see how difficult this really was. Learned a few things, and they're definitely fun! I may try another if I get inspired again!

K6kAMA4.png

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Looking good raph!

I've tried a couple of things with my 6-button Gens controllers, including wrapping the d-pad in hockey tape.

Next going to try a give the d-pad and underside a spray of rubber coating.

mAphVt_kEsJjJcN9IJhdqVg.jpg

Edited by jer_33
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  • 4 weeks later...

Sorry to hijack thread jer, but this inspired me to try and custom paint some controllers. Here's the result of my first two projects. While the designs could be better, crisper, I wanted to see how difficult this really was. Learned a few things, and they're definitely fun! I may try another if I get inspired again!

K6kAMA4.png

Vive la France.

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  • 9 months later...

PS3-A1013-2.jpg

This looks interesting - I've never seen a 6-button SNES controller before. 

http://www.gametronex.com/dreamGEAR-Arcade-Fighter-Classic-Pad-for-PS3-p/ps3-a1013.htm ($19.99)

Mixed reviews on Amazon.

 

 

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  • 2 years later...
55 minutes ago, clockwise said:

There are officially licensed repros of the Saturn and Genesis pads by Retrobit on Amazon. These two came in the mail today:

I bought them to train for the King of 94-4. They feel sturdy so far.

Wow, those look pretty damn legit.  Even the box is the same!  Curious how they play.  $15 is also around the going rate for the original 6-buttons, which may need to be cleaned and updated with new pads.

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5 hours ago, clockwise said:

I bought them to train for the King of 94-4. They feel sturdy so far.

Really?  They have a solid weight, and the plastic is sturdy?  That is a surprise.  Hopefully you can give a followup report in a month or two? (Cheap crap shows its shoddiness pretty quick.  Need to know if these are the real deal or not?)

Edited by aqualizard
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21 hours ago, clockwise said:

There are officially licensed repros of the Saturn and Genesis pads by Retrobit on Amazon. These two came in the mail today:

I bought them to train for the King of 94-4. They feel sturdy so far.

Hey Jesus!  Thanks for posting this, I was wondering about these pads.  May have to pick up a couple myself.

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Dumb newb question... I can use my PS4 controller, but the input gets screwy. Players will stop moving and angles are hard to cut. Is that the setting inside the emulator or because the PS4 controller doesn't have that diagonal D pad input? I might just go ahead and purchase one of the Retro-bit ones if it's the latter. 

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4 minutes ago, Lockdown said:

Dumb newb question... I can use my PS4 controller, but the input gets screwy. Players will stop moving and angles are hard to cut. Is that the setting inside the emulator or because the PS4 controller doesn't have that diagonal D pad input? I might just go ahead and purchase one of the Retro-bit ones if it's the latter. 

FWIW,  the game does not have diagonal input, it's only up/down/left/right.  Diagonal is a combo of two presses.  Not sure if that helps at all.

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31 minutes ago, kingraph said:

FWIW,  the game does not have diagonal input, it's only up/down/left/right.  Diagonal is a combo of two presses.  Not sure if that helps at all.

Yes it does help thanks! I guess when I was a kid, the D Pad on the genesis felt like diagonal the way it was one piece and not separated. 

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2 hours ago, Lockdown said:

Yes it does help thanks! I guess when I was a kid, the D Pad on the genesis felt like diagonal the way it was one piece and not separated. 

I think they did that just to avoid a patent on the nintendo + shape (unless that's a myth)

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Nice to see an old thread pop-up again!

Looks like my image links have all expired from the old dropbox, will have to upload them to imgur.

 

Oh, and those Saturn reruns look really sweet. May need to get an American KO94 attendee to deliver one to Toronto for me. Will gladly swap for good beer.

 

[edit] - just looked at my join date. 2009. A whole damn decade.

 

[edit] - fixed the image links

 

Edited by jer_33
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Update:

The Saturn pads are the best pre-analog stick pads ever created, and I don't judge cheap knock-offs of this legend kindly. I've had a few over the years as well (humble brag).

 

i8Hc69c.jpg

They Saturn pad is really good and hard to distinguish from the original. The d-pad isn't quite the same feel, but the Saturn d-pads are like a good pair of leather shoes: they wear better after being broken in. So, I'd have to play more to give a final verdict. Nice thing is you can swap parts with an original Saturn pad.

This Gen pad is far superior to the model-3 Gen pad and on par with other 6-button versions; Sega CD for example. 

EDIT:

Just want to clarify if there is a bit of confusion, I was referring to the Model-3 SEGA console, not a controller of some sort. It's the 6-button pad that came with this:

tNGKGQr.jpg

I had this system. It feels one of those balsa wood paper air planes we used to get at the hobby shop as a kid. Also, the cable is really short. Which was intended, because if it was any longer you'd try to hang yourself with it once you realize how bad the build quality actually is.

Some are a fan of the batwing Genesis pad, and I do respect it for just being iconic built like a tank, but I don't like it. Thankfully the repros from retro-bit are more than serviceable.

Good buy.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 months later...
17 hours ago, wboy said:

While I personally run and love (great build quality) the 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ on my RetroArch box, they also make this based on the Sega 6 button controller. 

https://www.8bitdo.com/m30/

Ho ho ho.

 

Ordered on Amazon Canada $27.99 with $8 discount. 

Be careful when selecting, as there appear to be wireless AND bluetooth versions, though I think both can be connected via USB cable.

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Regarding the Retrobit 6 button Gens replacement controllers, I've been ordering them one or two at a time over the past couple of months to bolster our tournament supply.  I'm absolutely satisfied with their performance and feel.  I wish these were made available years ago.

To anyone who goes to tournaments, I'd recommend picking up 2-4 of these bad boys and stock up for life.

 

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On 12/27/2019 at 9:56 AM, jer_33 said:

Ordered on Amazon Canada $27.99 with $8 discount. 

Be careful when selecting, as there appear to be wireless AND bluetooth versions, though I think both can be connected via USB cable.

...and Amazon sent me the wrong model.

I'll put a review together, as it is still playable using the USB charging cable on my PC. Honestly though, I think I will return it and look at the new 'official Retro-bit repros'.

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  • 2 weeks later...

8BitDoM30Rev.jpg

Features:

6-button layout

10 buttons total

Wireless (2.4g OR Bluetooth)

Turbo functionality mapping

Price:

$30

Availability:

New from Amazon

Review:

So I haven't really been actively looking for new controllers since the start of the regional and "King" tournament scene picked up in 2015. I've been buying/fixing original OEM Sega controllers for use at these tournaments. But a Christmas post from NHL94.com legend @wboy, put my eyes on this new wireless/bluetooth controller from 8BitDo. I am familiar with the brand, mainly for their Nintendo-inspired controllers, so I was intrigued by the new Sega-inspired model. The reviews were great, and the price was surprising - given how the prices of PC/Xbox/PS4 controllers has crept up to the $70-$100 level over the previous decade. I found the model I wanted on Amazon and was rewarded with an $8 coupon and free shipping...

... and they sent me the wrong model. 

There are actually 3 different models of this controller, 2 use a 2.4g wireless band and the newer is bluetooth. All models include a USB cord for charging, which can also be used as a wired option. The 2.4g models include a wireless adapter, one includes a 15pin Sega adapter for use with original hardware, the other includes a USB adapter for use with PC. The bluetooth model does not include an adapter, but one can be purchased separately for use with original hardware ($25).

I thought I was buying a bluetooth model for use exclusively with my PC, but received the 2.4g model with the Sega adapter. I briefly thought of returning it, but they could not replace it with the model I wanted, so decided to simply use this one with the USB cable. 

[tl/dr] Be careful that you are ordering the model you want, as there are 3 different models and they are all listed as "M30".

The review. My first reaction was to the size of this controller, it is smaller than the OEM Sega 6-button controller. The size of the d-pad, and the size and position of the buttons are very similar but the overall size of the controller is smaller. It's well constructed, and feels great in the hands (if just a little slippery to hold, perhaps also due to the size). The d-pad and buttons perform well, the d-pad particularly feels great, the buttons feel more like a micro-switch technology rather than the bouncy buttons on the original. Overall, I really like the feel and will definitely use this controller for other emulated games on my PC. The M30 has shoulder buttons, very similar to their SNES offerings. I mention this because it would be a cool controller to use if you were playing both Classic leagues for Sega and SNES, as it would function well for both formats.  

If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say that this Sega-themed 6-button controller was designed as a combination of the features of their original Nintendo offerings with 6-buttons and a Sega-themed wrapper. Functionally, it does everything it says it will and I have nothing bad to say about it, other than I wish it was a little bigger.

Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I will give the M30 '8 $10 Amazon giftcards'.

 

StartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.pngStartBut.png

 

 

Edited by jer_33
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  • 5 months later...

I really shouldn't be looking, but this caught my eye... anyone familiar?

https://retrofighters.com/our-collection/brawlergen-usb-genesis-mini-switch-mac-pc-controller/

brawlergen-mini-front-w-plug-700x700-2.p

Edited by jer_33
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  • 2 months later...

Has anyone got any experience with this fella (even though it's an 8 button controller)?

MD.jpg

It is £30 / $39* and the bluetooth receiver has to be purchased separately for £15 / $19.

I have a Mega Drive / Genesis Mini and had an awful experience with the 8Bit Do M30 above (which I had to return) due to compatiability issues with Hakchi and Retroarch but am interested in buying a couple of these to save have wires lying around in my sitting room.  There is a 2.4ghz wireless version for around £35 / $53 but I would be able to use the BT on more systems, such as my PS4.

Before stumping up the cash, as £90 / $112 for two controllers feels a bit excessive, I just want to canvass opinion.

Cheers!

* using XE.com exchanges rates, so I could be a couple of dollars off here.

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