USB Saturn Pad

[kedawa]

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?cat...ducts_id=4395&

I don't know how I missed this one, but there's a USB Sega Saturn controller for mac and presumably pc. I don't know if it's available as a stand-alone item, but I really want one. Anyone have other info on where to get one of these?

[x2y]

I want one.is there way to do a home mod of sega gensis 6 button/saturn controller to usb?

[kedawa]

Yeah, there is. I think someone posted it a while back. You have to sacrifice a normal USB pad to do it though, so an adaptor would be better. I like this new pad just because it's, well, new and never used.

[flux=rad]

I bought one of those PC Magic Boxes (USB adapter for PSX, Saturn, and Dreamcast controllers) awhile ago from play-asia.com. Works just fine for me.

Edit: Also saw this link on insertcredit, http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-1i-70-5w1.html . Looks like they are official Sega ones.

[Mzo]

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?cat...ducts_id=4395&

I don't know how I missed this one, but there's a USB Sega Saturn controller for mac and presumably pc. I don't know if it's available as a stand-alone item, but I really want one. Anyone have other info on where to get one of these?

It's japanese, and is available in a bundle with the new Puyo Pop game or by itself... I'm assuming that most import outlets online are carrying it.

I want one.is there way to do a home mod of sega gensis 6 button/saturn controller to usb?

No need to modify, buy an adaptor like the Magic Box.

[Ryan]

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-1i-70-5w1.html

http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/usbsatpad/

[skelly]

I bought one of these USB recreations of the Sega Saturn pad. It's garbage.

I never realized this before, but the reason the Saturn pad is so damn great for shooters and such is that it's extremely responsive to tapping on the directionals. Want to nudge your ship left the slightest bit? Tap left for a few milliseconds, and the pad will translate your physical input into exactly the movement you wanted onscreen. This sounds kind of obvious and is something I guess I took for granted. Unfortunately, the USB Saturn clone is not half as responsive. Not a fourth.

Sure, it looks like a Saturn pad. It even feels like one, at least in your hands. However, as soon as I tried it in a game (doujin shooter ChoRenSha 68k, then rRootage) I noticed what seemed like a strange lag in my ship's movement. It almost seemed like some inputs weren't being read. After some experimentation, it turns out that's exactly the case. The USB Saturn pad requires some serious travel distance before it deigns your input worthy of being sent to the PC. As a result, you can tap the thing's d-pad all day and not see a lick of movement onscreen. You need to push the pad fully and firmly in the desired direction -- only then will it actually, you know, work.

I doubt this is software / driver/ USB-related; it's almost certainly a serious physical flaw in the d-pad's design. Assuming this isn't merely a bad instance of this controller (bad luck for me, then), the company that made it didn't recreate Sega's winning controller design with a high degree of accuracy. Oh, it looks the part. But it certainly doesn't play it. Buyer beware.

[Takumi]

I bought one of these USB recreations of the Sega Saturn pad. It's garbage.

I never realized this before, but the reason the Saturn pad is so damn great for shooters and such is that it's extremely responsive to tapping on the directionals. Want to nudge your ship left the slightest bit? Tap left for a few milliseconds, and the pad will translate your physical input into exactly the movement you wanted onscreen. This sounds kind of obvious and is something I guess I took for granted. Unfortunately, the USB Saturn clone is not half as responsive. Not a fourth.

Sure, it looks like a Saturn pad. It even feels like one, at least in your hands. However, as soon as I tried it in a game (doujin shooter ChoRenSha 68k, then rRootage) I noticed what seemed like a strange lag in my ship's movement. It almost seemed like some inputs weren't being read. After some experimentation, it turns out that's exactly the case. The USB Saturn pad requires some serious travel distance before it deigns your input worthy of being sent to the PC. As a result, you can tap the thing's d-pad all day and not see a lick of movement onscreen. You need to push the pad fully and firmly in the desired direction -- only then will it actually, you know, work.

I doubt this is software / driver/ USB-related; it's almost certainly a serious physical flaw in the d-pad's design. Assuming this isn't merely a bad instance of this controller (bad luck for me, then), the company that made it didn't recreate Sega's winning controller design with a high degree of accuracy. Oh, it looks the part. But it certainly doesn't play it. Buyer beware.

Unfortunately, I have to agree. This pad really isn't that great. I've had mine for about a month and after using it the first few days I haven't touched it. I was really looking forward to it

[kedawa]

That sucks. I've had the same problem with a lot of console to USB converters as well, and was hoping that this pad would be my answer. I guess it would be okay for Puyo-Puyo, but I can't imagine playing shmups or fighters with such shitty responsiveness.

In a somewhat related note, I finally found a decent PC pad. It's boxed as an AT&T product, but the pad itself has no branding. It only has 4 buttons and uses the gameport, but the d-pad rocks. A guy I know runs a little computer shop and sells them for $2.50. That's definitely better than spending $50 for a sluggish Saturn pad.

[skelly]

I have had good results with this thing. Got it from PlayAsia or one of those sites a few months back. No discernable lag, at least on the Saturn side.