[Moogs]

Or does it really matter? I wanna start playing some basic stuff on PC but I can't get down with keyboard controls. I'm just not wired for that shit.

So, like, I bought Hotline Miami. I might wanna try that Mega Man X Street Fighter abomination. Maybe Rokko Chan?

Shit! What was that Streets of Rage project that Sega slapped a cease and desist on after it was finally released?

[Loki Laufeyson]

you're thinking of streets of rage remake. sega conveniently allowed long enough for people to download it and put it on torrent sites before they took bit down, so conspiracy theorists say they attacked out of obligation, rather than actually wanting to kill the project.

also, get a usb saturn pad
_________________

http://lunaticobscurity.blogspot.com/ - newest post: Snezhaja Koroleva (Arcade)
http://lunargarbagehell.blogspot.com/ - newest post: Batman: Digital Justice

[A New Duck]

I started PCing seriously only when I bought a 360 pad.

USiB 360 pad is pretty rocking. Its dpad is less than great, but I've gotten to a point where I can use it OK. And most games like it. I have an iBuffalo Advanced pad as an although that I use for some emulation. It's legit. I think there's a US-made SNES pad that's good, but I don't remember who makes it. USB Saturn pads are supposed to be great, but the good ones aren't made anymore, and the remaining are expensive?
_________________


3DS/PokéMagic Friendz Code: 1289-8272-6032

[Toptube]

MotioninJoy lets you use a PS3 controller and it offers several operating modes so for example you can't make your computer think its a 360 pad or you can get perfect compatibility with PS2 emulators or what have you. Very cool little free utility.

[extrabastardformula]

WWE Fightstick
_________________

[Felix]

as others have implied, console controllers with usb dongles are almost always the best soluiton

as an ex-console guy, I think I have at least one dongle for every major console controller made since ~1992.

[parker]

Hotline Miami should be played with a keyboard.
_________________

[misadventurous]

XBox 360 is good for plug-and-play ease & being overall a decent, comfortable controller. unfortunately the cross pad suxx

how good are GameCube USB dongles, Felix? is it everything i'm dreaming of? (take a guess don't be bashful).

[Felix]

for Gamecube or original Xbox, I use this 3-in-1: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Joy-Box-PS2-XBOX-Adapter/dp/B000RLWF7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359217195&sr=8-1&keywords=magic+joybox

(It works for PS2 as well, but I have a separate straight PS2-to-USB dongle that also serves as 2P on my PS3)

driver is a bit fiddly but not too bad (read the 1st Amazon review) and it works pretty flawlessly after that.

my USB saturn pads aren't the best kind, but they aren't the worst (the triggers are overly clicky is the only real problem).

[Rud31]

[sponkmonkey]

I have a third-party controller that came with my used PS2, it has a damn nice feeling dpad. On the other hand, it has several buttons that are barely working at all, one of the shoulder buttons needs to be pressed so hard that it's practically useless.
A good USB controller with an excellent dpad would be sweet to have, but I have no idea where I'd find one. The Good USB Saturn Controllers aren't being made any more, so I'd have to resort to copies from Chinese ebay sellers with questionable durability (probably)

Using a Wii classic controller would be ok, I think. I hope there are adapters for these
_________________

[sponkmonkey]

oh wow there totally are. maybe I should get one of them pro classic controllers that don't have the stupid cable at the bottom

[v84j3gs2uc7ns4]

[notbov]

select button? on a Sega pad? blasphemy.

why would you use one in this case, since you're clearly referring to playing SNES games, in which case, every modern pad can do that a lot more comfortably than grafting it onto a 6-button pad

or, you know, you could buy one of those mad catz fightpads. shoulders and 6 buttons and a select button.
_________________

[Loki Laufeyson]

well, the consoles that have a selectbutton.net have less than six face buttons, so i usually map it to z

the only time it's problematice is with the playstation, which needs z and c for r2 and l2.

so i got a usb dual shock-alike for playstation, as well as dreamcast and gamecube, since they need analogue sticks too.
_________________

http://lunaticobscurity.blogspot.com/ - newest post: Snezhaja Koroleva (Arcade)
http://lunargarbagehell.blogspot.com/ - newest post: Batman: Digital Justice

[notbov]

the only tricky console i've found picking a gamepad out for is the n64, as seemingly every game wants to do something different with the c-buttons

then someone says "get a dongle", at which point i might as well just play the system i already have... somewhere

i'm just happy my wired 360 pad suffices for my Wave Race hankerings
_________________

[Felix]

you can just connect to a Wiimote using bluetooth, albeit only in Dolphin

[DJ]

I have THREE of those Saturn USB pads. They are wonderful for emulation and any game that came out before about 1999. I use one of these for Final Fantasy VII PC and it works great.

I have two wired 360 pads, I use them for console stuff I get on Steam. Sleeping Dogs, DmC, etc.

I have two Arcade Sticks I use for MAME emulation and/or any modern fighting games that made it to PC (So, SF4:AE, basically).

I'm pretty much covered.
_________________

[BenoitRen]

Wired Xbox 360 controller for 3D games. Saturn control pad for everything else. I thought some Chinese knockoffs of USB Saturn control pads were being made with the original shell.
_________________
Get Xenoblade Chronicles!

[Toups]

I have been playing SNES games all year on my 360 pad it's awesome

hotline miami works MUCH better with keyboard and mouse, but honestly the controls in that game kind of suck either way
_________________

[misadventurous]

best advice: map save state 1 onto the left thumbstick button (L3) & load state 1 onto the right

map speedup onto the back right shoulder (R2) & where it applies, rewind onto the back left

you are now a videogames master

[Predator Goose]

[v84j3gs2uc7ns4]

[CubaLibre]

[Youpi]

sound the alarm the second i can buy one of the guaranteed good saturn usb pads in my socialist dictatorship THX
_________________
Twitter: @youpi

[notbov]

Every modern pad can do it, but do it comfortably? I don't really agree.

Not sure if you have a Saturn USB knockoff pad, but the feel is great. Put one into your hands, feel the clicky-ness of the buttons, and you feel like time traveling to the year 1993 and kicking the ass of every game that so much as looks at you funny.

Meanwhile, every PS1/PS2/PS3 inspired controller feels like a piece of shit. Perhaps it's my larger hands and fingers, but the damn thing feels cramped. Playing Armored Core on the PS2, especially the ones before analog control, would cause a condition I have dubbed "Raven's Claw"--the gnarling and warping of ones hands in order to use the face buttons and shoulder buttons simultaneously.

The 360 pad is fucking excellent and you better believe I have a wired 360 pad, which I use for most modern games, but it's simply not a controller designed for 2D gaming. The shoulder buttons don't feel right if you're using them at the same time as the face buttons.

Besides, if I'm playing a retro console's game, I want to feel like I'm using a retro console's controller. I looked for years for a RetroCon and now the only ones available are from shady eBay users in a used condition, not because I trust goddamned Mad Catz to put together something that isn't a complete piece of shit, but because I want a certain amount of authenticity to my emulation.

[analogos]

i didn't read this thread but i've been using a usb -> ps2 pad adapter for emulation for about a decade. it owns. motioninjoy+ps3 pad has served me quite well with pc dark souls as well.

you don't want to play hotline miami on pad.

[OffalAl]

any sites still sell the decent usb saturn pad knock-offs?
_________________
♟♟
♝♞

[Moogs]

I think BenRen has the best answer.

[Broco]

- If you want only one, I find PS3 controller with Motioninjoy is the best choice. The reasons: A) it has good buttons, thumbsticks and D-pad, B) Motioninjoy lets you pretend to be either a 360 (XInput) controller or a regular (DirectInput) controller, and games often arbitrarily only work with one or the other. The main weakness of the PS3 controller is that it's very finicky about what power sources it charges from, and it may not charge while connected to your PC.

- Otherwise, you should have both a 360 controller for the XInput-based console ports, and some other controller for everything else.

- Watch out for cheap controllers with thumbsticks on them. Any full-featured controller costing less than 40$ is cheaping out on the parts and you'll end up with a crap thumbstick, crap D-pad, or both. But cheap controllers are fine if they only have a D-Pad on them (I love the Logitech Precision even though it only costs 10$).


Hotline Miami is playable with thumbsticks and it seems in principle like it would be ideal, but I don't recommend it. Something feels wrong: it takes too long to move the thumbstick from one end to the other and this is a real problem given how twitchy the game is. It works well enough that you could win the game with it, but it's more pleasant to play with the intended controls.

[meauxdal]

Hotline Miami is one game where pad controls just don't make sense. Toups, you're dead wrong about the controls in that game. DEAD WRONG

anyhoo, wired 360 pad all day err day
_________________

[Toptube]

[Felix]

motioninjoy is a gnarly-ass piece of software but Broco is right in that if you only get to have one controller, having Xinput support and a proper d-pad gives the nod to the PS3.

[Talbain]

[108]

we use these for testing our next-level, brain-blowing e-sport:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Pad-EX-Turbo-Black/dp/B002LT9PXQ

they're some of the finest pieces of plastic i've ever held. and they're not stupid-expensive.

(also, note that review quote about "ghosting" with the right analog stick. i've never experienced that, and i've owned four of these.)
_________________

[bza]

i nabbed this one solely for pc gamin' and have been very impressed with it despite the silly looks. nice soft finish and feels sturdier than my old rumblepad 2, with way better buttons and sticks

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10830&cs_id=1083003&p_id=9272&seq=1&format=1

hard to tell from the pics but it has a higher raised dpad than the dualshock 3 (not to mention hella tight red LEDs), making it much easier to do rolls
_________________

[guest253]

whoo gamepad thread ^__^


i have one of those. it's neat and i like the feel of rectangular pads, but the d-pad is kinda big and clunky, defies the point a bit.

[108]

oh, that FPS pad is pretty good. i have been considering getting one. i really like the ex2 replacement pad for my everyday play-testing, though.

i bet the FPS one would be better. i tooled around with it a bit and it felt better than the mad catz major league gaming controller -- to me, anyway.
_________________

[108]

i am looking at the one-star reviews of that FPS pad and i had a little bit of a lol that one of the guys says "i mostly play FPSes (mainly COD BO)"

lol codbo

what a nooby way to say that
_________________

[sticktion]

[108]

yes!

i have talked about the button action on the ex2 as better than the saturn pad, before, in front of some serious button-action aficionados, and they always rolled their eyes and cross their arms and are like "whatever".

the buttons really are fantastic. trust me -- i have used them to play Action Button Entertainment action PC video games, and i can tell you those darn buttons are the best for tight action.

the d-pad is wonderful, too. i keep thinking i want a good super-mario-like platform game that requires a double-tap on a d-pad, so we mocked one up and i tell you what; that d-pad on the ex2 feels just right for that sort of thing.

plug in the regular xbox pad, though, and you can forget it. there's no way we could sell a game on a mechanic like that, because we just couldn't count on rubes' choice in d-pads.
_________________