Play Sega USB controllers are not as bad as I expected

No, I bought them brand new and they still have the hard click feeling. I think my USB Saturn pads are bootlegs though. Here's a thread by someone who compared them:

http://thegameheroes.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=7443

Although, I have the PS2 Saturn pads and they also have the same hard, loud clicking shoulder buttons. I'm pretty sure they're legit as I've never heard of any bootleg PS2 Saturn pads.

 

A SEGA SLS USB controller just sold for $71+shipping on ebay recently. Man people are really over paying for these. People are essentially buying something that will not give them any performance boost over the Play Sega Controller or Play Sega Controller board swapped out with an original shell & buttons.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Official-SL...h=item3f2286a7e6&ssPageName=RSS:B:SHOP:US:101

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Official-SL...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Also, the buyer feisar_2097, appears to want to use them for Street Fighter. He bought another SEGA SLS USB controller for $41 USD and a MAd Catz SFIV for $10 USD

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Official-SLS-Sega-Saturn-USB-Controller-/271146138012

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MadCatz-Street-Fighter-IV-Ryu-Fightpad-360-PC-/271146137996

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...sspagename=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller


The poster who started the thread, Antman, on TheGameHeroes.com is on crack when he says this:

It also doesn't move like the original being very sloppy and sometimes unresponsive

The design is EXACTLY the same. The only way it would be less responsive was if he got a bad sample and thats simply a QA/QC thing, where they sell everything they make, even if broken.

 

lol I bought 2 years ago new SLS pad from ebay for like 15USD. I should have bought more of them.

 

Play-Asia is selling these for $9.90, sucks to be that guy on eBay.

 

So the Gtron ones on Amazon are terrible in comparison to this or are they basically the same? If only somebody sold replacement rubberized dpads for the Saturn, since hard brittle plastic dpads always turn me off.

 

You mean these?

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-SEGA-Sa...=UTF8&qid=1362438520&sr=8-5&keywords=sega+usb

If you read through the reviews one person describes exactly what I said about the Play Sega controllers. They could likely be coming from the same factory for all we know. Also did the saturn controls ever come with rubber d-pads? I've never seen one, unless you are talking about the original USA controller design that nobody liked.

 

I meant softer dpads. I really don't like ones made of hard plastic, ie the SFIV fightpad or PSP.

 

I got my two for 2 for 5 (+5 shipping) on ebay. Very much worth it. Only a fool would nitpick.

 

Sigh... nice pics!
I just wish someone would make RF SS pads....

 

Registered just to post this. I bought two of the Play Sega pads myself, and...was not as impressed. I too have bought every copy/bootleg version of this controller, since my original USB/PS2 ones aren't doing so great now. I use these to practice/play competitively in fighting games. I've had 3 purple PS2 Darkstalkers pads iirc, two black PS2 ones, 4 or so SLS USB ones and a bunch of copies.

The Play Sega drops inputs and seems to even delay with inputs. I stood still and mashed a button in practice mode for a fighting game (the top left face button) and only 70% of the time would the move register. Rolling motions were also not always registering. This was only after like, two minutes of testing. Same for both Play Sega controllers I have, which are new. I also noticed this just using the PS3 XMB - if I tapped forward/backward too fast to move the menu, it would drop some of the directional inputs. That's really, really bad especially for fighting games. There are a lot of high execution things I need to do.

The Play Sega controller also...maps very strangely on the PS3. It doesn't have a start button and the face buttons are very oddly arranged. For example, default configuration for King of Fighters XIII:

Square = LP
Triangle = HP
X = LK
O = HK

The Play Sega was mapping it like:
Square: HP
Triangle: LK
X: HK
O: LP

So by that logic, the Play Sega's Square is Triangle, Triangle is X, X is O and O is Square? Or something like that. That will be very confusing for mapping to different games. Now, I haven't tried these things on PC yet, and these mapping problems won't be an issue at all there, but the input problems most likely will be.

If you're just trying to play an adventure game/maybe SoR, Sonic or something with this, you might be fine. But anything serious, no, probably not. That's why people are still dropping money on the SLS/official controllers, because as far as I can tell, these things are still ass.

 

@pwsbrent, have you taken the playsega controllers apart? The shell, d-pad, buttons and rubber contact pads, under the buttons are identical to the original Sega MK-80116. I would even say that they appear to have came out of the same molds at the factory. Maybe what you are experiencing is defective circuit board or mis-aligned contact pads?

 

The exact same issue on both controllers, though?

I haven't taken them apart, but I'll give that a shot. I'm not great with hardware since I'm legally blind and mechanically challenged, but I should be able to at least take a gander, get some pics etc. I do agree that it looks and feels very much like the real deal, aside from the shoulders. I don't use those much anyway.

I'd very much like these to be a solution for me, since as noted the other good models are so hard to find/expensive. Were I better at repairs etc, there may be more I could do with the old pads I already have. Usually the problem is that the diagonals stop registering or the d-pad gets occasionally stuck.

If I can't get any use out of these Play Sega ones though, I'd be up for actually sending them to you or anyone else that wants to look at them. Stuff is piling up at my apartment and I have way too many pads.

 

I have a genuine SEGA USB controller and 2 that are possibly copies but work just as we'll...
the genuine one is white with orange.
whereas the other two are like normal colours (1all black and the other is the white one with coloured buttons)!
i would like to get a playSEGA one though.

 

Sigh... If I knew SLS USB pads were so hard to come by nowadays, I wouldn't have sold one of mine (I got a couple). Well, at least there's still one left. I just ordered one of the PlaySEGA variant (thanks, momosgarage, your opinion helped a lot), let's see if it doesn't play like a knock-off. Also, SaturnHST's collection is darn cool.

By the way, I don't own a PS3 (I'm more of a Sega guy, LOL), but I've tried the SLS on my friend's PS3 to play Mortal Kombat, and yes, as pwsbrent reported, mapping is very weird. Nothing that can't be changed, though. Once you get it mapped correctly, nothing beats it. This is THE controller for fighting games. :smile-new:

 

I'm actually having a blast with this Retrolink controller. It's much better than the Fightpad I got a few years back and a lot more responsive. The PS3 must be reading the controller a little oddly though it may be because the pcb has the button layout a little different. Start button is usually 10, so I can understand it being select, which is usually 9. Buttons 1-4 start from the triangle and go clockwise to square.

Just remember to clean the controller before you play, since these factories aren't known for their cleanliness. Use qtips and alcohol, as usual, and it should run.

 

My PlaySEGA arrived last week and I can't say that I don't like it. Of course the D-pad isn't as precise as the SLS one, but it isn't bad either. It seem it's made of the same plastic as the buttons, it doesn't have that soft finish present on the Sega Saturn-style controller. The buttons seem to require the same amount of pressure to work, it's appropriate, I think.

Have tried with Killer Instinct and it's alright. So far I'm enjoying it. Maybe I'll grab a second one just in case they sell out.

 

Well, I bought two more Play Sega controllers just to make sure the ones I had already gotten weren't just duds. They're the same, so I guess these things just aren't quite up to spec for me. I can see how they would be acceptable for casual gaming, though.

So, I'm going to be listing a lot of Saturn-style pads and related accessories for sale soon since I've amassed so many controllers that just didn't pan out for me. I also have a few SLS and real originals that aren't working so well that I'd like to have fixed, but...who knows how that will go. May end up selling those too.

 

I bought a retrolink one and they are terrible

 

according to this, SLS also made the playsega controllers
http://segaretro.org/Sega_Logistics_Service

 

Only in Japan. PlaySega Controllers elsewhere are the same crap you can buy anywhere. Nobody makes Dpads like SLS did back in the day.