Let’s say you, um, found some way of playing old console games on your PC. You cold use a keyboard, or a 360 pad, but that’s lacking in authenticity. No, if you’re playing a classic console game, you need a classic console controller.
Think Geek are thus selling what they’re calling “Classic Console USB Controllers”, but which are really just exact replicas of everything from the Genesis pad to the GameCube controller. There’s even an old Atari joystick.
I haven’t used one, so I can’t vouch for their build quality (it’s just the shells that look identical), but being PC pads they all let you reconfigure the buttons, which is a nice touch.
They’re $US15-20, so hey, even if they’re not the greatest controllers, they might be worth it just for appearance’s sake. Not to mention muscle memory’s sake.
Classic Console USB Controllers [Think Geek, via Gamefreaks]
Comments
15 responses to “Replicas Of Classic Controllers, Available Now For Your “PC” Gaming”
This is perfect for emulators. I’ve always envisioned someone should do something like this with old controllers.
Also it makes PC’s the ultimate backwards compatibility machine 😉
The price is right and they look the part, but the quality is terrible. Thin creaky plastic, soft unresponsive buttons, and dreadful analog joysticks (N64). I have them all unfortunately. (The gamecube knockoff is probably the best).
If you’re serious about retro gaming, you’re better off getting original controllers on ebay and getting USB adapters for them. You will feel the difference immediately.
But hey, for $15 go nuts and find out for yourself!
Hmm… I somehow doubt that you’d get the same responsiveness, build quality, or “feel” from one of these.
Judging by the cheap and nasty 3rd party controllers I used to have to sell, you’re better off buying an actual PC controller (or a USB adapter) than one of these hunks of $US15 – $20 shit.
The problem with using another PC gamepad is the layout, I find trying to play Megadrive games on my Xbox 360 controller to be annoying just because the layout is so different.
I’ve heard mixed reviews of these for a long time so I can’t be sure of their quality, some people swear by them, others think they suck, doesn’t seem to be many in between that.
Yeah, I totally get that layout is important. I’m a Gamecube fanatic, after all.
But at the cost of crappy responsiveness in your sticks? The sub-par rubber? At hitting the “A” button (or equivalent) at the exact right time, and knowing it was the controller that failed rather than your reflexes?
I’m all for layout. But $US15-20 doesn’t buy quality … It buys nostalgia.
actually i have one of the retrolink N64 Controllers and it feels almost IDENTICAL in terms of build quality.
Only reason i say almost, is that there is no expansion port support for rumble or memory cards… i guess im really reaching hey?
in all honesty though you wouldnt notice the diference…
Only thing i can say is that when i bought it the edge on the tip of the analogue seemed a bit sharp, but have just double checked it as it is right in front of me, and am thinking i imagined it as it feels perfect
Oh yeah? A third party company making quality controllers? I guess they do exist after all.
great! now i can get rid of all my first party joysticks and adapters…oh wait, no i wont 😛
edit – if they make this work with a wavebird, i’ll buy it 🙂
Or you could get a controller to usb adapter use your first party controllers plug it in the adapter and plug into your computer easy stuff.
You can get better SNes ones off ebay. But yeah the nes and n64 works epic.
this isn’t new, I’ve had a USB 64 controller for years…
As it is right now, there is only 1 console that is accurately emulated. I’m not expecting to see any other emulators up to the standard of BSNES for quite some time.
Your mileage will vary, but there’s still a ton of fun to be had with CSS64, Gens, NESticle, MAME, etc…
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/08/accuracy-takes-power-one-mans-3ghz-quest-to-build-a-perfect-snes-emulator/
http://aarongiles.com/?p=240
Ye olde hardware is such a synchronised orchestra it never ceases to amaze me, not to mention system quirks that programmers used to do things thought otherwise impossible.
Thank you for posting this. Awesome read and something I reckon most gamers who are not absolute hardware and/or software nerds realised.