Buffalo Classic USB Gamepad for PC

Product Information

I tried to keep the controller board as unmodified as possible, so this is just a matter of cleaning off traces that you want to solder to and cutting traces that you do not want connected together. Make a map of the traces, and try to find points close to the outside edges that can be used to connect the buttons to the correct keyboard connectors. Make sure you have everything laid out before you cut any traces, once you cut these it's possible to repair but not easy. Whatever you do, don't rush it. It took about an hour of fiddling with this before it all came together for me.

It would definitely be possible to make more changes to the controller board. Removing the chip from the upper part of the board would be a big start, and could even be used to give a connection point (albeit a small, tough-to-solder one) for each button and cut down on the need to spiderweb connections across the board. Having a wireless controller is a nice modern convenience, but the best latency and responsiveness are still to be found with wired controllers. Many of the wireless controllers you can buy also let you use a wired connection, but if you're only going to use it in wired mode, why pay for a battery and Bluetooth radio you'll never use? There are so many video game systems to choose from that the "perfect" controller doesn't exist. If you want an authentic retro gaming experience, you'll generally want a controller replicating the feel of playing retro games on the older system.

Gamepad is not recognized or working on PC

The Retro-Bit Official Sega Saturn USB controller is a reproduction of one of the most respected controller designs in history. The original Genesis six-button controller was already well-loved, but the Sega Saturn version refines it into something even more comfortable. So whether you want to play Genesis or Saturn games, the Saturn controller is the best choice overall. Retro controllers are also excellent for game development using PCs or Raspberry Pi, and there are some excellent PS5 retro controllers. If you own a mini retro console you may want one of the best USB retro controllers too. Read my guide to the best retro consoles for more, as well as my Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 review for news on the latest retro console. The case of the hub I used was held together with a single screw, the case lifted apart to reveal a single board.

Ditto on finding a smaller one. It would also be possible to cut off a strip from the bottom of the connectors to shrink it, and depending on how brave one is with the soldering iron it could be cut all the way down to the white line leaving only the thin traces to connect to. There might be a danger of connections snapping off from tension when putting the controller together if you went to the extreme with that, however.It's probably possible to find cheaper parts than I used, especially if you shop it around online. Just be aware that there's always the possibility that a part may not fit the available space, and try to evaluate what you're buying as much as possible ahead of time. Smaller is better, though your soldering skill may factor into it as well. If you use different parts or have a different controller (see below) then you'll have to improvise your own methods, but the general ideas I used should cross over. The buttons and power LED all need to go into the front of the controller, followed by the controller board. You need to keep this part of the controller as flat as possible, as the shoulder buttons are prone to slipping out of place and falling out at the worst possible moments.

The feel of the controllers are sturdy. They’re lightweight, but the buttons are responsive, springy, and do not seem to have any dead zones. The start and select buttons are made with a durable rubber material that is a bit difficult to tell when it’s fully depressing, although that was an issue that the original NES controllers had too. Finally, I connected one of the USB hub's connectors to the keyboard controller's usb cable, and using the multimeter mapped out which pins of the keyboard controller connected to which pins on the connector. I then removed the cable and soldered a short piece of ribbon cable between the keyboard controller and the first port on the hub, matching with the pins that the usb connector would have been connected to. However, emulators do have one downside. Most classic games are not designed to be played on a keyboard and mouse or with a touch screen on the phone. Thankfully, there exist emulator controllers that you can use to capture the original experience of playing with the original console. These USB-connected controllers are designed like the originals and most emulators nowadays have some form of third-party controller support.I've also seen mention of being able to wire two usb devices together as a "passive hub", but haven't found any information on doing it. If it's possible, it would allow the hub to be left out altogether and a lot of space would be saved. If you’re a 90’s kid then you probably remember growing up with a Nintendo or Super Nintendo in your home. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent as a kid playing Zelda and Super Mario World. What if I told you that you could experience all those games again, right now with just your computer or smartphone? When you start cutting traces, make sure to cut any connection between the buttons and the chip at the top of the board. Otherwise you'll end up with weird issues where one button press can fire off multiple buttons because a circuit gets completed through the chip. It would be a good idea to remove the chip altogether but I didn't have a soldering tip for this and couldn't find another good way to do it. Emulator controllers plug directly into your computer and let you play for favorite games like they were meant to. Players who favor the traditional 2 or 4 button layout and d-pad on the left will probably feel a lot more comfortable playing with an emulator controller. The best emulator controllers have a similar layout to the original controller and mimic the feel of playing with a classic joypad.