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Best pc gamepad...want solid d-pad

B

biggles

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
2,225
Long story short, I normally use a wired 360 controller for pc games. It is great for racing games and third person adventure games like Darksiders. But recently I tried a few games that did not play well due to the heavy reliance on the digital pad...mostly retro games like space channel 5 part 2. As we all know, the xbox 360 d pad is not very good.

I used to use a ps2 pad with usb converter for retro gaming, but sold my ps2 about 6 months ago.

Is there a clear choice for pc pads with outstanding digital pad control and precision? Or should I consider modding the 360 d-pad?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5knRrd-UU

Has anybody here done this mod? Easy to do, hard to screw up? Does it make a big enough difference?
 
Just get a PS3 gamepad?

It's what I use (as I had them anyway). Just use motionjoy, and it emulates an Xbox controller so most games recognize it immediately).

You can also set it to emulate pads and control types (and mess around generally with the software). If you have a bluetooth adapter you can do all of this wirelessly too. :D
 
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biggles said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Highly-Sens...t=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item416ecdea50
http://www.ebay.com/itm/XBOX-360-BA...t=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item2ebabd4616
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mad-Catz-St...t=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item5aeb06263e

Which of the 3 options above would have the best d-pad?
Click to expand...

The top one, i'm not sure about, it looks like an official PS3 pad in shape/layout, which would make the d-pad fine, and a layout you've used before, but it's a third party pad, so there's no way of knowing without trying it, and they could have used cheap spongey switches. :D
The second one just looks like the normal Xbox controller, which don't have very good D-Pads/layout.
The last one looks like it has kind of bad webbing, and Mad Catz can be a brand of variable quality. Though it might be kind of good. I'd check some reviews. Lots of it comes down to opinion and hands however. :D
 
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I've been wondering this myself. Too many pc branded game controllers have horrible d-pads. It would be nice of a PS3 controller worked on a pc out of the box.
 
biggles said:
Long story short, I normally use a wired 360 controller for pc games. It is great for racing games and third person adventure games like Darksiders. But recently I tried a few games that did not play well due to the heavy reliance on the digital pad...mostly retro games like space channel 5 part 2. As we all know, the xbox 360 d pad is not very good.

I used to use a ps2 pad with usb converter for retro gaming, but sold my ps2 about 6 months ago.

Is there a clear choice for pc pads with outstanding digital pad control and precision? Or should I consider modding the 360 d-pad?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5knRrd-UU

Has anybody here done this mod? Easy to do, hard to screw up? Does it make a big enough difference?
Click to expand...

Good gawd his parents need to spank his ass and tell him to cut his hair
 
Kinda shooting in the dark here but it seems like the old school NES/SNES controllers were always said to have the best d-pads. Perhaps this then would be a possibility?

http://www.retrousb.com/index.php?cPath=21

I bought one for my gamecube (they make an SNES > Gamecube adapter) and used it to play GBA games using the GB player accessory.
 
How retro you going for? i modded a nes pad a while ago into the printer port. But we dont have those anymore.
You can go with above post and get snes - usb controller. Think those were about the best and have multiple buttons.
 
Anybody here with experience using the madcatz fightpad? It might be a good fit for retro games (platformers, 2d shooters, etc) in addition to the obvious use for fighting games.
 
Buy a PS2 controller and go back to the setup you were using. Or get an xbox controller if you don't already have one (you'll need it for some games anyway).

However, I dislike the shoulder triggers on the PS3 / xbox controllers for older gamers (where analog makes no sense).
 
I'm not a huge Razer fan but this might have what you're looking for: http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-controllers/razer-onza

D-pad looks better than standard, it might be worth finding a copy to get your hands on.

You can also try using a Wii USB adapter and a classic controller:

http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Classic-Controller-nintendo/dp/B000IN0BSU
http://www.amazon.com/WII-CLASSIC-CONTROLLER-TO-USB-Nintendo/dp/B003711698

Nintendo still has the best d-pads around, so this might also be worth looking at. Or you can just go back and buy a PS controller and use MotionJoy. Your call!
 
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I've always liked the D-Pad on the Logitech Rumblepad series of gamepads... it IS 'round' like the Xbox controller but it's got a very tactile feel.
 
I use one of these

http://www.powera.com/Store/Product/Sku/CPFA010027?CategoryCode=

Mini Pro EX

Available at target/bestbuy/amazon etc.

010027_x_3.jpg


It's a best of both worlds combo of a PS3 and xbox controller. What put me on to it is you'll notice the D-pad is not a complete circle but the old school cross which I prefer. The only complaint I hear is that it's not as sturdy as a regular PS3/xbox controller. It's fine for me, but I'm just not that hard on controllers.

If you want wireless go PS3. Xbox 360 controllers are just big fat turds.
 
This is also the only complaint I have with my 360 controller. Interested to know what you end up doing.
 
I'd mod the 360 d-pad. If you're too lazy to do that, use a ps3 controller.

The only pad I like besides those 2 are the Rumble, but I utterly hate the joysticks on em. So I haven't used mine in forever... just can't get over the square joysticks.
 
piscian18 said:
I use one of these

http://www.powera.com/Store/Product/Sku/CPFA010027?CategoryCode=

Mini Pro EX

Available at target/bestbuy/amazon etc.

010027_x_3.jpg


It's a best of both worlds combo of a PS3 and xbox controller. What put me on to it is you'll notice the D-pad is not a complete circle but the old school cross which I prefer. The only complaint I hear is that it's not as sturdy as a regular PS3/xbox controller. It's fine for me, but I'm just not that hard on controllers.

If you want wireless go PS3. Xbox 360 controllers are just big fat turds.
Click to expand...

This is why I listed the Batarang controller as an option. It also has an old school cross for the d-pad, which made me think perhaps the d-pad would be much better than the standard 360 d-pad. Any Batarang owners want to chime in on this?
 
I have used a pair of Sega Saturn USB Gamepads on my HTPC for old school 2D games for about three years. These have one of the best dpad's ever. Comfortable and accurate for long time use, only con I would say is dpad is sensitive so button smashers tend to go everywhere. I mostly use this pad for shmups and beat'em'ups, a friend used it fine in MK9 and BlazBlue CS.

PS3 dpad is uncomfortable to use because of that hole in center.

Mad Catz fightpads are mimicking the saturn dpad and they are rated good when they work. Build quality is definately an issue. I think it is worth of your time to research if they have improved the quality with newer models.
 
Gilbert_pwns said:
I've been wondering this myself. Too many pc branded game controllers have horrible d-pads. It would be nice of a PS3 controller worked on a pc out of the box.
Click to expand...

PS3 controllers used to be a pain to setup on PC. Motionjoy makes it incredibly simple and actually gives you way more compatibility options than a standard driver would. If you have ever thought using a PS3 controller on PC would be nice, there is no reason not to.

Motionjoy has ads inside the program itself, but you can disable them by selecting "local". The ads stream from the internet. setting this toggle disables the stream.

You can also use X-padder, if you want to map keyboard keys to the controller.


Also, anyone with a PS3 controller should pick up some of the Pelican brand trigger attachments.
 
chameleoneel said:
You can also use X-padder, if you want to map keyboard keys to the controller.

Also, anyone with a PS3 controller should pick up some of the Pelican brand trigger attachments.
Click to expand...

You can do the mouse/keyboard controls via Motionjoy too! Even the mouse cursor position can be controlled by the sticks. :D

The R2/L2 buttons are the only off thing with the PS3 controller, I'm not sure why they made them so angled...(though I suppose it would make them more comfortable to children's/small peoples hands, and the deeper actuation makes it more controllable for things like acceleration). But with stuff like those triggers (which are cheap) its easy to adjust to peoples preference. :D
 
Serpico said:
Terrible terrible idea for retro/console games
Click to expand...

How so?

What if the emulator is only designed to use the keyboard? The Saturn emulator I have wont see controllers, thus the only way to get controller imput is via joy2key or Motionjoy and mapping the keys. Pretty much every game ever will allow keyboard input. So it gives another layer of compatability. The alternative is to use the keyboard.
 
I don't know why everyone hates on the 360 D-pad. I prefer to play with the D-pad over the analog stick and I think it's fine.
 
blinx said:
I don't know why everyone hates on the 360 D-pad. I prefer to play with the D-pad over the analog stick and I think it's fine.
Click to expand...

I never had a problem with it until I tried it with classic games or games that required all 8 directions. Examples, genesis classics, Space Channel 5. Also, in Fallout 3 I had trouble using the quick select for diagonals. I ended up having to only go with 4 weapons hot keyed to UDLR.

But the proof of the problem is that Microsoft did release the new controller with plus sign d-pad. They never would have released this if only a small number of folks had issues.

But I will concede that for the vast majority of the game genres today (fps, sports, driving, etc) you do not need to use the diagonals on the d-pad and thus you would not have any problems. Other than the d-pad, I find the 360 controller to be fantastic.
 
Funny, I just started replaying Super Mario All-Stars (via an SNES emulator) and I got treated to D-Pad frustration big time. I now understand what some of the people in this thread are talking about in regards to the Xbox 360 controller's d-pad. Annoying... I might have to find myself something with a proper d-pad after all.
 
Let me just say that, after testing the tomee snes usb pad above, it works great. Diagonals are easy to hit and it feels just like the authentic snes controller. Tested in Raiden Project (I kept my old ps one game from years ago) via emulation. Good times.
 
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