Controller Reviews

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Controller Reviews
Topic Started: Aug 7 2006, 05:16 PM (144 Views)
floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:16 PM Post #1
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	Alright! At long last, I've finally sat myself down and started this review! Now let's hope I finish it. So... I'm guessing we can all generally agree, that the official N64 controller works quite well when it's in good condition... in fact, it's perhaps the best N64 controller out there in terms of functionality & feel. Unfortunately, the operative phrase in that last sentence being "when it's in good condition," there's no denying the one flaw that simply can't be overlooked with the official controller... its delicate, easily-worn-out analog stick. We can't really blame Nintendo entirely, though... as analog sticks were practically non-existent on console controllers before the N64 came along. Anyways, knowing that the N64 control stick wouldn't last forever with extended usage, I had embarked on an on-going quest to find a more durable 3rd party substitute. Sure, the plastic grease answer would slow the degrading process practically down to a standstill, but it wouldn't solve it, so I continued to believe that surely another company would've recognized this problem and provided a sensible solution... a controller with a more durable analog stick with comparable functionality. So what follows are my findings thus far... which will primarily consist of my whiny complaints that keep these controllers from being the "perfect one" (still haven't found it). I've summarized the good & bad points (in relative order of importance) at the end of each review, as well as offered a recommended price limit and my rating of the controller, on a scale of 1 to 5 (in increments of .5)... 1 being CRAP, and 5 being a whole-hearted recommendation. Here's a quick picture of the 3rd-party N64 controllers included in this initial review... plus an official first-party controller for good measure:
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:18 PM Post #2
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]Hori Pad Mini[/size] Ah yes, the much sought-after Hori N64 controller. And for good reason, too... as this is an exceptionally solid controller with a very durable-minded analog stick. So well-designed, in fact, that apparently Nintendo had modeled their own Gamecube controller thumbstick after it (or so I've heard). The Analog Stick - However, this controller isn't without its flaws, in my opinion. Probably my biggest qualm in fact has to do with the analog stick. Though it's durable, rubber-coated, and comfortable, not to mention the #1 selling point of this controller, I find that it's a bit too much on the sensitive side. Of course this may not be too big a problem for most games (particularly platformers, I would think), or even most people, but when I try to do some finely-tuned, on-the-fly aiming in Perfect Dark (one of only two games I've been playing lately), my cross-hairs jump around far too quickly to be an effective "Perfect Agent." Now, I'm not saying I'm "exceptionally skilled" at this game (Elite who?), but when I popped in the official controller out of curiosity after using the Hori pad for a few weeks, things were noticeably easier!! Headshots are now as "easy" as I remember them being 5 years ago!! [size=1](above: the tiny, impotent... D-pad, and a profile shot to see how erect it... errrr... how much it sticks out)[/size] The D-pad - If you think the analog stick isn't as functional as it should be, you'll soon find out that it's not even remotely a problem compared to the D-pad. Of course, not that many N64 games are that dependent on the D-pad, so this part of the review (and every one hereafter) might have no meaning for you. Anyways, just to warn you, I don't think I have anything positive to say about the D-pad... it's too small to use effectively, it sticks out too much (and hence, is uncomfortable), and it's too close to the A & B buttons, so you'll probably end up hitting it with your thumb in the heat of the (button-mashing) moment. You're better off sticking with the official (or any other) controller if you want to use a useable D-pad. [size=1](above: a shot at the dual shoulder buttons)[/size] The Design - Since the Hori controller has a 2-pronged design, you might wonder where they ended up putting the Z-button. Well, the folks at Hori thought it would be a good idea to keep the symmetry of the controller balanced, so they had installed 2 Z-buttons, one under each of the (L/R) shoulder buttons. The way they did this had completely eliminated any "trigger-feel" the first-party Z-button once had... and not only that, but all four resulting shoulder buttons ended up being much too small for my liking. Additionally, since your left index finger is usually on the Z-button while your right index finger usually on the R Button, keeping this custom means staggering your index fingers on the shoulders of the controller, which may put off some people... at least until they get used to it (as I've had to do). I guess you could just have your index and middle fingers both on the shoulder, but to me this feels even more unnatural, partly because this controller is designed so compactly, and partly because I was never good with dual shoulder buttons. [size=1](above: the shoulder button staggering... you can also kind of see how the middle knuckle of my middle finger jams into the chassis)[/size] The Chassis - You've probably already noticed by now that this controller very closely resembles the official one in terms of prong shape and button appearance (minus the 4 shoulder buttons), so you'd imagine it to be just as comfortable as the official controller, right? Well, maybe my hands are just abnormal (not very likely), or maybe it's a result of the compact design with double the shoulder buttons (more likely), but this controller isn't that comfortable. For me, the underside of the front of the controller digs right into the index side of the middle knuckle of my middle fingers. If I were to dive back into the intensity of fighting games I experienced 10 years ago with SFII & MKII/3, I would surely find some pretty tender blisters in this particular spot on both my hands. But I haven't yet received any blisters from this, so maybe it isn't that bad. It's a little less noticeable if you've got both your index and middle fingers on the shoulders, but it's still not a good fit. The rest of the controller feels pretty much just like the official one, though. Anyways, I've gone far too much in-depth on the problems I find with this controller... it really is an exceptional controller... just not as great as everyone thinks it is. +GOOD POINTS+ VERY durable (Gamecube-esque) rubber-coated thumbstick has the "Nintendo" feel very sexy, compact design 2 Z-trigger buttons -BAD POINTS- thumbstick is a tad too sensitive D-pad works like poo, too small & poorly located Z-trigger & L/R shoulder buttons are too small &/or don't feel like triggers not very ergonomic 4/5 - A very good controller, but highly overrated. US$35 - I know it sells for WAY more, but I strongly feel it isn't worth (and I would refuse to pay) much more than this... unless you're some kind of a collector who doesn't mind over-paying for this kind of rarity. If you find one for this price or less, pick it up... even if you end up not liking it, you'll always be able to sell it & make a profit. thinks about selling off the Hori controllers ... and here's some more pictures, 'cuz I know you want 'em. [size=1](Yes, I own more than one...)[/size] [size=1](... and yes, one of them is boxed.)[/size] </gloating>
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:19 PM Post #3
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]3D2[/size] Surfing around on eBay late last year, I had stumbled upon the auction for this controller, which was advertised as having a "PSX-like thumbstick" so it wouldn't wear out like the official N64 controller is notorious for doing. BIN was a little over $10 shipped, so I was sold. Upon receiving it, sure enough, the analog stick looked much more durable, and if it ended up working just as well as the first-party analog stick, I would've pretty much had the solid controller I was looking for. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out this way. The Design/Chassis - The first thing I had noticed, which I had deemed excusable at the time, was the fact that the plug to connect the controller to the console didn't quite fit right. I really had to shove the sucker in there! Obviously, I'd have the same trouble pulling it out from the console. I thought this a little odd, and my annoyance only increased when the controller memory/rumble pak port acted the same way. I really feel they didn't get their plastic molds quite right here. As for the feel of the chassis, it's reasonably comfortable, but the outer prongs feel a little bit too small, and something (or various somethings) about this controller gives it a cheap (i.e. poor quality) feeling... maybe it feels too lightweight or hollow or something. I don't know... but worth a mention. The Analog Stick - Anyways, moving on to the analog stick, I don't remember it being so horribly awful from the start. It worked reasonably well, and I didn't really notice anything wrong or severely lacking, so I was optimistic that this controller may work after all. However, within a week or two of semi-regular usage (maybe one hour per day, at most), I really began to feel like I had no control whatsoever over any game function that used the analog stick. It basically worked worse than had I been restricted to using the D-pad... there was such a fine line between having Mario do a slow walk, and having him go all-out running. Aiming in Perfect Dark came to be such a frustration... an order of magnitude worse than the Hori pad! Pushing the stick a little wouldn't move your crosshairs at all... pushing it a little more would overshoot your target at least 3 times more than how far you were originally. Basically, fine-tuning with this analog stick is non-existant. The D-pad - Perhaps one redeeming quality of this controller is its nice, round D-pad. It's nice and comfortable, but its roundness also makes it hard to tell exactly which direction you're pressing. Not a horribly big issue, I think. And for some reason, they had decided to put the start button right in-between the D-pad and the analog stick. It makes it a little easier to press start wherever your left hand is, but it might've been put too close to the D-pad, and one might possibly press start accidentally when using it. Other - As some companies do, the one that produced this controller had provided turbo & slo-mo functions, but I personally haven't seen any use for this beyond the 2-D shooters of the SNES era. As it stands, I don't look for this in a controller, I don't particularly want/need these functions, and even if they're present, I won't ever use them. +GOOD POINTS+ PSX-like thumbstick comfortable D-pad turbo/slo-mo functions (if you're into that kind of thing) -BAD POINTS- thumbstick doesn't work well at all connector & controller port don't fit well feels a little cheap in quality outer prongs a little too small start button too close to D-pad easily lost "sense of direction" with the D-pad 1/5 - It's possible that this controller works well when brand new, but the fact that it doesn't work after/while using it is a sign of its lacking durability. US$3 - The fact that I put any dollar value here at all has to do with its novelty. It's rare, but I think it's also crap. [size=1](What a piece of crap.)[/size]
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:22 PM Post #4
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]Madcatz[/size] Just to let you all know, I had picked up one of these controllers from a local game shop, kept it for a week, and then returned it before I thought to take any pictures, so you'll have to make-do with the pic I stole off eBay. The Design/Chassis - My first impressions of this controller were very positive. It felt and looked like a quality product. The chassis is very ergonomic, and there's even patches of (questionably superfluous) rubber "traction" on the underside of the controller. Even the button-action felt nice... an all-around solid-feeling controller. If I had anything to complain about regarding the design, it would possibly be that the middle prong points downward a little too much, such that your hands feel a little twisted when they're situated on the the bottom and right prongs. Also, the middle prong felt a little on the thick side... it looks narrow from the top-down view, but it's pretty deep. Nothing major, and this probably even made the Z-trigger button feel more like a trigger. The Analog Stick - To be completely honest, I don't remember how sturdily-built the analog stick was. I want to say that it was completely plastic but built more durably than the official controller's analog stick, but I can't remember this bit all that well. Probably because I had more serious issues with the stick. Granted, I had bought this used, it probably wasn't in the best condition, but it didn't look like it was beat-up at all... in fact, the main reason I picked it up was because the control stick felt new & tight. However, by the second day of using this controller, I really noticed how this controller wasn't able to "zero itself." You know how the analog stick will act as if it's being pushed constantly in one direction if the console was turned on with the analog stick being pushed in the opposite direction? I'm sure you all know that pushing the reset button will fix this problem, as long as nothing is pushing the analog stick. Well, not with the Madcatz controller I had... it always acted as if it still needed to be zeroed... with the cursor/menu selection always inching upwards. So I thought, "Fine, I'll just manually zero the stupid thing myself... I'll hold the stick ever so slightly downwards as I reset the system." That solved that problem... however, it didn't take long to find another... even though sensitivity really wasn't an issue (which has been a big problem with many of the other controllers being reviewed here), the analog stick would act quite oddly when doing some fine-tuned aiming in Perfect Dark (which has become the "standard controller-testing game" by this point). General movement of the cross-hairs worked just fine, but if you needed to hold them slightly in one direction, the cross-hairs would jump all over the place within the distance created from the center of the screen to what you were aiming at... which means NO stealthy & calculated headshots from a distance... very annoying. At that point I decided to return the controller next time I stopped in the shop and get my $$ back. I want to re-state that I had gotten this controller used, so it's possible that, when new, the analog stick might function perfectly. However, the fact that it didn't for me should give at least a little indication of its durability, if this were the case. The D-pad - Never got around to testing this... sorry. It didn't feel horrendously uncomfortable at first feel, and I imagine it works just fine, but I obviously can't say for sure. +GOOD POINTS+ very ergonomic design feels solid rubber grips Z-trigger feels very much like a trigger button should turbo/slo-mo functions -BAD POINTS- analog stick is too fidgety (lacks fine tuning!), and doesn't "zero" itself correctly middle prong is too thick outer prongs spread out a little too much 2/5 - With exception of the analog stick, a very solid controller. Again, it's possible the analog stick might work like a dream when it's brand new, but the used one I had was the worst I've experienced thus far. US$5 - Of course, this is a little biased from my experience, and would be higher if I knew mine was a defect or something. Coincidentally, this was the same price I paid (and was later refunded) at my local game shop.
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:25 PM Post #5
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]SuperPad 64[/size] (by Performance, 2-prong design) (a.k.a. MakoPad 64, by InterAct(?)) Judging from all the pictures I've seen, I'm almost certain that the 2-pronged SuperPad 64 I have is identical to the MakoPad 64, except that the SuperPad is solid black, whereas the MakoPad is clear. That said, you can probably assume that everything I state below about the SuperPad can also apply to the MakoPad. Just don't come hunting me down if they turn out to be different... because I've never seen/held the MakoPad, I can't say for certain whether or not this is the case. Anyways, on with the review... So over the past few years, I've always been a little curious about this controller. It had always looked interesting, having a completely different layout and all, but at the time I was quite content with my little collection of first-party controllers, and it wasn't until I began my search for a decent 3rd party controller (and some pretty strong recommendations) that I actually got around to picking one of these up earlier this year. I already told you I still haven't found that perfect N64 controller (in fact, it probably doesn't exist), but this one comes pretty stinkin' close! [size=1](above: a quick, visual comparison of the 2 SuperPad 64 analog sticks... both metal)[/size] The Analog Stick - Let me clear this out of the way right now. I don't think there's hardly anything negative I have to say about this controller's analog stick. It's seriously the best control stick I've come across... excelling in control, feel, AND sensitivity... and yes, I think it's better than even the official first-party stick simply because it's far more durable. First off, the stick is made of metal (with a plastic thumb-cap), like that found in the 3-pronged version (but thicker!), and the plastic pivots at the stick's base (which the metal stick connects to) appear to be plenty sturdy (noticeably different from the 3-pronged version here). Yes, it's true that it has two separate springs (one for forward/backward motion, and one for side-to-side motion) like the 3-pronged version (or so I assume, since I'm currently unable to open it up), but unlike the 3-pronged version, these springs are set at a much more appropriate, less-springy tension... so you'll hardly feel the difference between this stick and the official one. Now of course, the feel & durability of the stick would be nearly meaningless if it didn't control well... and it was this very sensitivity issue that plagues just about all the other controllers I've reviewed here. Fortunately, the control/sensitivity is right on par with the official first-party controller... if you nudge the stick a little, your crosshairs will move a little, nudging it further will move them yet further from the center at a perfect consistency (Wow, what a concept!!). So it should be obvious that fine-tuned sniping was just as easy/difficult as it should be, matching perfectly with the first-party control stick. An EXCELLENT analog stick! [size=1](above: unless you're a whiz at this kind of thing, no analog transplants here)[/size] [size=1](above: another angle of the unfortunate incompatibility)[/size] Control Stick Compatiblity with the Official Controller - Unfortunately, NO... they aren't (readily) compatible. I can say for sure that there is no easy way to install this superb & durable control stick into the first-party controller. Why the quasi-definite answers? Am I implying that they are actually compatible in the end? NO. I'm only speculating that it's possible... and not without a healthy amount of expertise, time, & energy would anyone ever truly find out. Unlike the DreamGear controller, there's actually a matching number of wires connecting the analog stick to the controller's circuit board (another fact that might show that 6 wires = much better analog control than 4). Unfortunately these wires are all soldered & glued down (in two groups of 3), and not only that, but the plastic analog stick housing is completely different in both shape and size than the official analog stick's housing. You would really need to make your own somehow, or heavily modify the one it comes with in order to make it fit and be secured into the first-party controller chassis. And even then, I'm not sure it would work. So, unless you're an electrical engineer (or just very comfortable with these kinds of things), I would dissolve any hopes you might have on this subject, and just use the controller as it is. Which brings me to my next point... [size=1](above: a handful for the left hand, not so much for the right... also note the middle finger/Z-trigger issue)[/size] The Design/Chassis - If there's anything negative anyone might say about this controller, it would lie here. Streamlining the N64 controller down to two prongs will definitely change the design & layout a bit (as we can also see with the Hori controller), but the adjustment will probably be the most harsh with this controller. With the D-pad, analog stick, L & Z buttons now all on the left side, real estate on this half of the controller becomes a little more precious. That said, you'll notice that your left hand will have quite a handful of controller occupying it, while your right hand will feel relatively empty. This was the hardest thing for me to get used to, but once you get adjusted, this controller works exceptionally well! You'll have access to all the controller functions "on-the-fly"... as there really isn't any problem going from the D-pad to the analog stick, they're both placed in prime spots for your left thumb (in my opinion). Now, what about the Z-button, you ask? It's placed pretty much directly underneath the analog stick, and you now use your left middle finger to press it. For me, this placement works just fine, but I know it may not be ideal nor easily adjusted to for some people. Unfortunately, for those people, I think that continuing to use your left index finger for the Z-trigger may only feel even more awkward. Anyways, about the other buttons... you'll notice that the C-buttons are now practically the same size as the A & B buttons, which I would think is a definite advantage, particularly for certain genres (like fighting games) that use the C-buttons in the same fashion & frequency as the A & B buttons. However, you'll also notice that they're more spread apart than usual, in order to make two even rows of three buttons. This would be perfectly fine in almost all instances, however there are a few games that use (or can be configured to use) the 4 C-buttons just like a D-pad (GE, PD, & Turok come to mind). This spread-out layout makes it a bit harder to move around in those games, particularly doing that "run-strafe" we all know so well. Which is too bad, because that's pretty much the only real qualm I have with this controller. [size=1](above: a profile shot... with the Z-trigger in mind)[/size] The D-pad - And of course, let's not overlook the D-pad. It looks pretty basic, if not on the pointy & uncomfortable side of things, but let me tell you, the D-pad works WELL. As I've stated above, the placement is just fine, and with exception of the official first-party controller's D-pad, I've found this to be the best one! I've not had any blister problems (granted I don't play those long, intense fighting game sessions anymore), and on the whole, D-pad control is very responsive! +GOOD POINTS+ metal/durable (and VERY functional!) analog stick immediate access to all controller functions C-buttons the same size as A/B buttons D-pad functions better than you would expect sleek & sexy 2 prong design -BAD POINTS- feels somewhat unbalanced in your hands C-buttons are too spaced apart Z-trigger used with middle finger 4.5/5 - I really really wanted to give this controller a 5/5 (wholehearted recommendation), but I know that some people would be put off from the 2-pronged design & button layout. The fact that the analog stick is both very durable AND has excellent control/sensitivity/feel puts this controller FAR above the rest! VERY highly recommended... especially if you've got "adapting hands." US$25 - I could see myself paying up to this much for one of these controllers... they're not that common on eBay, though you could probably snag one for less than half this amount shipped. Well worth it, if you ask me. Note: There's a "SuperPad 64 Plus" version of this controller as well, where the only difference is that it has turbo & slo-mo functions.
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:27 PM Post #6
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]SuperPad 64[/size] (by Performance, 3-prong design) I have the feeling that almost any controller with this design and name (or some permutation of "SuperPad 64") will be identical in form & function, even if they're made by different companies. I believe the (3-pronged) "SuperPad 64 Plus" version is also the same, though it comes in a slew of different colors. I don't know all the other companies that produced it... I think even Radio Shack was one of them. I've recently found out (with eBay's help) that there's at least one other different kind of 3-pronged SuperPad 64, with a noticeably different design, though I haven't had any experience with this one to tell how different the controller actually is, unfortunately. Maybe someday...? Anyways... let's trudge forward with the review... So if you've ever been looking for a second-hand controller (on eBay or wherever), you've probably seen this one around and have tried to avoid it, am I right? I mean, maybe it's just my homebrew sense of "controller aesthetics" but I've always thought of this controller as FUGLY (a bit more than just "ugly"). It wasn't until after I had acquired the 2-pronged SuperPad that I began to wonder if this one was any good. I knew of at least two different companies that were responsible for bringing us each kind of SuperPad, and knowing that one company (Performance) had made both kinds, I had set out to get thier take on the 3-pronged SuperPad (if, in the rather unlikely event that the same prong-designed SuperPads were different in quality between companies). Anyways, shallow appearances aside, this is actually a fairly decent controller! The Design/Chassis - "So you've established the fact that the 3-pronged SuperPad is ugly... but does this un-aesthetically pleasing design affect its level of comfort?" Well... yes. But only a little bit. This is definitely the "blocky-est" controller I know of, and you can definitely feel this trait when you hold it in your hands. It's not exactly UNcomfortable, but it could definitely have been more ergonomically designed, as it's pretty thick & bulky. Aside from the chassis, the buttons all have a very stiff "click-y" feel to them. Probably the noisiest controller buttons I've ever come across. Other than these two aspects, the general layout and feel of this controller is basically the same as those of the official first-party controller, so no harsh adjusment is necessary, as is with the 2-pronged version. The C-buttons might be barely bigger than the those of the first-party controller, but any difference is too small to sense any kind of improvement/detraction. [size=1](above [RECAPITULATION]: a quick, visual comparison of the 2 SuperPad 64 analog sticks... both metal)[/size] The Analog Stick - Because of the cheesy design of this controller, I was really skeptical at first with regards to the quality & control of the analog stick. But believing it couldn't be all that much different from the analog stick of the 2-pronged version (especially if they were made by the same company), I began to think that there was a good possiblity that it would be somewhat decent. I was pleasantly surprised... though it's not the same design as found on the 2-pronged SuperPad, the base of the stick is still metal (which likely means... longevity!) and it controlled very nearly with the best N64 analog sticks (first-party included!). However, it wasn't exactly the same as the 2-pronged version... the metal stick goes directly into a plastic base, so I'm a little hesitant to say exactly how much more durable this is than the first-party stick. Unfortunately, the manufacturers had applied an extra 50lbs. of torque when screwing this controller together, so I ended up stripping one of the screw-heads when attempting to take a peek inside, so I won't be able to offer better info until I either drill the screw out, or just get a second of these controllers. It's too bad, because I had also wanted to apply some lubrication in there, since it feels like there's a little bit of friction at the base. This brings me to my only qualm I have with the analog stick... I think it's too tight. At least with the controller I have, the analog stick is significantly stiffer than any other analog stick... perhaps twice as stiff as a brand new first-party stick... so your thumb may actually get TIRED after extended play! These days, I never play for more than an hour or so at a time, so I haven't encountered this problem. You can also notice pretty easily that there are two separate springs used here... one for forward/backward motion, and one for side to side... so holding the stick to the extreme upper-left feels like it could very well take nearly double the force of only holding it to the extreme left or up positions. I really hope there's a way to loosen these springs, once I ever manage to get inside. The D-pad - Consistent with both the button action and the analog stick, the D-pad also has a very "click-y" & stiff feel to it. It has a decent shape, and works just fine, like most any other D-pads on any controller... however my thumb was actually getting a little tired from less than 15 minutes of gameplay. +GOOD POINTS+ metal/durable analog stick (with DECENT control!) feels very similar to official controller (button layout, hand position) slightly bigger C-buttons? (hard to tell) -BAD POINTS- analog stick is too stiff & springy D-pad and buttons all feel very stiff and "click-y" feels very thick & blocky FUGLY 4/5 - If you can get past the stiffness that abounds (or if you've got really burly hands), this would be an excellent controller. It's a little blocky & not the most comfortable controller out there (yes, it's @#$% ugly), but the analog stick has really decent control (again, barring its stiffness). US$15 - I would say it would be worth it... at the very least in the act of prolonging the life of your first-party controller. Honestly, this controller never goes for this much, since I'm guessing a lot of people have been put off by this controller's "aesthetic qualities"... so if you're lucky, you might even be able to pick up one of these for less than half this amount shipped. [size=1](above: a pic I stole off eBay to show the "other" 3-pronged SuperPad 64 I know of)[/size]
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:30 PM Post #7
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	[size=14]Dream64[/size] Well, with the rumour thrown around recently on the the GameFAQs N64 board that the metal analog stick from the DreamGear N64 controller can be used as a replacement for that of the official first-party controller, I was very interested, and my curiosity wouldn't allow me to NOT investigate further, to find out if 1) the analog stick from the DreamGear controller worked well enough to warrant using it by itself OR as a replacement, and 2) if it actually is physically compatible with the first-party controller, making it the end-all solution to worn-out analog sticks on first-party controllers. So let me answer these questions for you now. NO. On BOTH counts. Save your money AND your hopes... invest both of them elsewhere. [size=1](above: the base of the analog stick... metal, but not as solid as the SuperPads)[/size] The Analog Stick - First impressions of the analog stick were alright... the base was metal, just as people had stated (albeit a little weaker-looking than both the SuperPads' sticks), and the plastic (thumb) cap was molded VERY closely to the official first-party analog stick. There's even a plastic sheet to protect the control stick "innards" from dust, or anything else that might get crammed in there. Unfortunately, that's about all the positive things I have to say about this. Even though the "springy-ness" of the stick is pretty uniform in every direction (unlike both the SuperPads), there's quite a bit of initial resistance to move it in any direction... resistance that all but disappears once you push a little further. This makes it a little more difficult than necessary to do those fine adjustments (to make Mario walk instead of run, etc.). Couple this with the fact that the analog stick works very nearly as bad as that of the 3D2 controller, and you'll soon be cursing with frustration (recap: "Pushing the stick a little wouldn't move your crosshairs at all... pushing it a little more would overshoot your target at least 3 times more than how far you were originally. Basically, fine-tuning with this analog stick is non-existant."). So... that was a pretty big disappointment. [size=1](above: opening it up to check for compatibility... plastic analog housing very similar, but...)[/size] Control Stick Compatiblity with the Official Controller - Anyways, so in order to complete the assessment of the analog stick, I had opened up the controller to see if it truly was possible to easily install this analog stick into the official first-party controller. Things looked positive at first look, since the plastic housing very closely resembled the bottom of the "analog box" of the first-party controller. Further investigation quickly dispelled any hopes, though... not only were the wires for the DreamGear analog stick glued & soldered down, but there were only four of them, whereas the official N64 analog stick has six wires that connect to the controller circuit board. Perhaps it's these extra two wires that give the first-party analog stick such superior control? Even if the analog stick was compatible with the first-party controller (as in, had the same number of wires and the same circuit board connector), the plastic housing would need a little modification before it could be installed on the first-party controller. The screw-holes were actually quite close to being just right... just a few millimeters of, so you'd need to drill them over a little bit. Anyways, so the DreamGear analog stick was one huge disappointment. [size=1](above: notice the difference in number of wires? Dream64=left, official=right)[/size] [size=1](above: another shot of the incompatibility at hand)[/size] The Design/Chassis - Overall, the chassis of this controller feels pretty close to the first-party controller. Nothing exceptionally different... neither good nor bad. In terms of button layout, the only thing different is that the C-buttons are off-set from the A & B buttons on the version I have (there appears to be a different DreamGear model without this offset... among other differences). This might be a bad thing, depending on the player and/or the game, but I haven't had any issues with this difference (too frustrated with the analog stick to notice, more like). The L & R shoulder buttons have an even more exaggerated "click-iness" than that found on the 3-pronged SuperPad, the C-buttons perhaps a little less (but still pretty "click-y"), and the A & B buttons feel similar to squeezing a tube of toothpaste, for some reason. The packaging for this controller (I had purchased it new) states "fully analog, pressure sensitive buttons for accurate response"... but I really, truly beg to differ. Now, I'm not sure if they had meant that the button action works like a throttle, as in, the harder you push, the faster you'll move or whatnot (as in Turok, using the C-buttons). If they had found some way for this to work, that would've been quite commendable, however any extra effort they had put into the buttons had apparently resulted in a marginally LESS-functional end-product! As far as I can tell, the L/R/A/B buttons work just as they should be, but the C-buttons leave a little to be desired... you can be fully pressing them down and not see any effect... it's not until you apply added pressure when they consistently begin to work! Extremely unsatisfactory... especially if you use a 1.2 (Turok-style) control config. in GE & PD. The D-pad - Finding nothing but disappointment with this controller, I was actually surprised from the D-pad... it was apparently designed straight from the D-pad of the first-party controller though it doesn't stick out as much (hence it's actually a little more comfortable!), and it functions pretty much as it should. If I had to be truly nit-picky, though, I'd say that there's a very slight combination of the main problems found in the A/B & C-buttons... it has a very faint "toothpaste-y" feel, and you might just barely sense a little pressure (non-)sensitivity. But on the whole, the D-pad is by far the best facet of this controller (sadly). Other - DreamGear had really gone the extra mile and given us a turbo feature with this controller. (Whoopie!) </sarcasm> No Slo-mo feature, as is usually found with turbo features, however. +GOOD POINTS+ metal analog stick similar feel to official N64 controller comfortable (and functional!) D-pad turbo function -BAD POINTS- analog stick is too sensitive/jumpy... also too much initial resistance "pressure sensitive" C-buttons are NOT helpful in any way C-buttons are offset from the A/B buttons 1.5/5 - Since this controller came to me brand-new, I knew the issues I was looking at had nothing to do with being a piece of used hardware. Even if I could install the analog stick into a first-party controller, I wouldn't, since it would be tainting a good controller with a CRAP stick. It looks like there might be a different model of this controller, but I'm ever the more skeptical of its quality/compatibility. As far as I can tell, the GameFAQs posts were utterly deceptive lies. US$5 - Unfortunately, I had paid twice this and then shipping through eBay. Well, at least my financial loss is everyone's knowledge gain. [size=1](above: here's a pic I stole from some online video game store... I wonder if this version has a compatible/FUNCTIONAL analog stick?)[/size] <_<
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


floorcat	Aug 7 2006, 05:41 PM Post #8
Nintendo sixty-floorcat :P Posts: 2,646 Group: Admin Member #10 Joined: May 11, 2006	SO... that about does it for now... hopefully this proves useful. I suppose I might add more reviews later, as I acquire other 3rd-party controllers... but I'll warn you, that might not be for a while, since there's a pile of 'em here already that I need to get rid of. So how many controllers do I have now?? Too many. Here's most of them: I know I have at least two first-party grey controllers packed away somewhere, two more 2-pronged SuperPad 64 controllers ('cuz they're pretty good... ya know...), and a fishing controller too. So which controller do I use? Well, the 3D2 controller, naturally... ... to wipe my butt. In all seriousness, I primarily use the 2-pronged SuperPad 64. I'm well-adjusted to it now, and the minor issues don't amount to that much for me... and I preserve my first-party controllers to boot! But let's re-visit that first picture so I can offer you my order of preference: Ignoring the issue of durability, I'd use these controllers in this order, from left to right, then top to bottom. The top two rows should be grouped separately from the last row, since I would never willingly use either the Dream64 nor the 3D2. Ever. And oh yeah... of course anybody should feel free to add thier review of or input on any 3rd-party controllers not included here... well, heck, everybody should feel free to review any controller, first-party OR 3rd-party, included here or not! You can also post to let everyone know if I've totally dissed your favorite controller or undeservingly praised your least-favorite... just be sure to say why you think so!
	(SNES-owning, sane) alxbly R.I.P.


BetaWolf	Oct 4 2006, 03:14 PM Post #9
Newbie Posts: 273 Group: Member Member #14 Joined: June 16, 2006	Sharkpad Pro Price - $29.99 (new, years ago) Manufacturer - Interact Features - Turbo and slow Design and feel: First of all, look at it. Just look at it. It alone looks cool, the reason me and my brother bought it together so many years ago. It's got clear plastic, showing off the lusterous chip on the inside. There's two black plates around the buttons, which go towards preventing from making the surface too plain-looking. It is significantly thicker than the standard controller, which can be an advantadge if you've got big hands like me. The handles seem to fit my hand really well, in spite of the outer two being angled slightly outward. None of the buttons are uncomfortable to reach. It's got an overall different design than the standard, yet is in no way unfavorable. Arguably, it's got an even better design. One of the biggest things is that the controller is made out of a very smooth plastic. This compared to the Nintendo controller is like the pavement on your street compared to the pavement in your garage (if you have ever roller bladed, you'll know what I mean). Score: 4.5/5 (sweet :P) Control and response: It works every bit as good as the N64 controller, with just a few significant flaws. -The dpad is unbalanced. It leans towards the top-left diagonal when pressing either up or left, and you have to click it in noticeably harder when pressing the down-left diagonal. -Won't work with the rumble pak. If you like to fish on Zelda, or can't play Goldeneye or Perfect Dark without it, this controller is not for you. It'll go in, but the C buttons, the Start button, and the dpad will not work. It does work with my memory pak from Performance though. -Control stick responds when on an idle tilt. You know how the standard control stick will tilt when it is worn. This one has an extremely minor, slight idle tilt. Bond moves slightly forward on Goldeneye when this happens. But a lot of that is minor when you consider how few games require the use of the dpad, that the rumble pak is optional, and that the control stick won't tilt unless you are holding the controller awkwardly. From what I've experienced, these flaws are entirely dismissable. Score: 3/5 (normal) Control stick: As far as I know, it does not wear. I've owned it since at least 1997, though I've used it much less than my other controllers. Other than that little issue I discussed, there's no problem with it. It's got a small groove on the center that allows you to grip it, much like the grooves on the Gamecube controller's shoulder buttons. Score: 4.0 Overall: As I have said, it's definitely worth checking out. The flaws are extremely minor compared to what it's got to offer: An awesome design, a good control stick, and acceptable control. Definitely worth checking out if you ever see it. In all, I'd give it a 4.25, above average. Images: Controller back
	JadeYoshi from GameFAQs.


BetaWolf	Oct 4 2006, 03:22 PM Post #10
Newbie Posts: 273 Group: Member Member #14 Joined: June 16, 2006	The Rock: 64 Bit If you see this controller, treat it like you would any other rock - skip it! Price: ??? Manufacturer: Naki Features: None Design and feel: Holy ***, where do I start? You can see the problems already: the square top, and something else which is just ridiculous. Let's see here: Near the bottom of each handle, there is a hump, which becomes an obstacle while even trying to grip it. There's no way to get around it, except to only hold the controller without your pinky and ring fingers. It looks pretty much like they ripped the handles right off Nintendo's controller and gave them blisters. The R and L buttons are on the back of it in the same sense as the Z button. This is the main reason I bought it, I thought that was cool. However, putting your index fingers on the back of the controller will ensure that the square corners will dig into your fingers. Had they mounted them on top, your index fingers would be above those corners and therefore that wouldn't be a problem. Oh yeah, and another thing. Upon further inspection, I noticed that in the top few screwholes on the back, they didn't even bother to put in screws!!!* This includes the screwholes for the controller pak slot. The only redeeming value that the design has is the main action buttons. They are completely flat, smooth, and easy to press. It feels really good to press them. Score: 1.5 (Awful. Almost my worst score.) Control and response: They could have made up with it here, but guess what? It works even worse than it feels. It's the worst functioning controller I've ever owned in my LIFE. The day I got it, the control stick pulled to the right for absolutely no reason. My character on Mario Kart would just go up against the wall. This was when it was factory fresh. Guess how it works these days? I tried putting it in again. As with quite a few 3rd party controllers, it wouldn't go in, as the plastic had expanded and it was too big. I got a "no controller" error of course. Next time, I got it to respond. But guess what? It actually made my game, 1080 Snowboarding, freeze. First at the N64 logo, then at the main menu, then somewhere else. I can confirm that the controller was the cause, since I tried it with my Sharkpad afterwards, which of course worked fine. Score: 1/5 (Garbage the day I got it. Control stick: The last nail in the coffin. Not only did it pull right the very day I got it, but the design is bad. It feels alright to move around, but take a look. You can just barely see it, but there are 8 little dots in the middle, in this form - :::: Had they not had that, it would have become a hindrance to grip it correctly. However, since they did that to provide grip, you've got 8 little tiny dots digging into your thumb. No way anyone thought that this was a good idea. The only excuse possible is that Naki thought that blind people played the N64 and put something on it that means control stick, if :::: even means that in Braille. Score: 0/5 (Unusable the day I got it) At least it's not false advertising. It was aptly named "The Rock", and that's all it is. Something that does nothing but take up space. It was so half-arsed, and it's obvious that it is. Do not buy this garbage. Overall: 3/4 of a point/5 (Compare the pros to the cons)
	JadeYoshi from GameFAQs.


alxbly	Oct 28 2008, 12:04 PM Post #11
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	床の猫 Aug 7 2006, 05:30 PM (above: here's a pic I stole from some online video game store... I wonder if this version has a compatible/FUNCTIONAL analog stick?) Hi floorcat, I can provide a bit of info on the Dreamgear controller pictured above as I recently acquired one. The control stick isn't compatible with official N64 controllers... nor would you want it to be, trust me! It has one of the worst control sticks I've had the displeasure of using. Here's a photo of the controller, as you can see it's exactly the same except that it's been rebranded as "Max Play 64" rather than "Dreamgear": I'll post a review of this monstrosity here at some point.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:32 PM Post #12
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Nintendo 64 official controller Nintendo's official controller is the one that comes packaged with the Nintendo 64 console. Although it�s available in a number of different colors (see the N64 General Information guide for some of the variations) the shape and button layout has never changed. Love it or hate it, the three pronged design is certainly distinctive. The controller is also very comfortable to hold and the z-trigger underneath gives first person shooters a very natural feel. The analogue stick is both precise and comfortable, and the c-directional buttons soon become very intuitive. But the controller isn�t perfect. There are three different ways the controller can be held, and these are shown below. Regardless of the position you use there are always some buttons on the controller that inaccessible. The only exception is that people with larger hands can adapt the home position to enable them to reach every button on the controller by using the thumb of the left hand for the control stick, the forefinger of the left hand for the L button and the middle finger for the z-trigger. The right hand takes care of R, A, B and the C directional buttons. Being unable to access every button on the controller is a design flaw which Nintendo appear to have overlooked. But, as there were only ever a handful of games that actually required you to use every button on the controller, this doesn't pose a huge problem. Another well known flaw of the official Nintendo controller is the lack of durability of it�s analogue stick. Gradually the plastic in the base of the stick wears down and builds up within the control stick housing. This in turn makes the controller feel scratchy and can impede free movement of the stick. Although there is a solution to the problem (lubricating the base of the stick can greatly extend the life of the controller) this one flaw seems to be a major oversight on Nintendo�s part and could be the main reason you might want to consider a third party alternative. Regardless of those issues, the official controller is still one of the best (and most commonly available) Nintendo 64 controllers you'll find. If you track down a controller with a stick in good condition, and you're prepared to spend a little time lubricating the base of the stick (www.mmmonkey.co.uk has an excellent guide with photos), then you'll have many happy hours of gaming. Overall: 8.5 out of 10 � One of the best and easiest controllers to find but beware of worn analogue sticks.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:33 PM Post #13
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	ASCII Pad 64 There are very few differences between the ASCII Pad 64 and the official Nintendo 64 controller. The most obvious difference is the panel on the upper face of the controller that has selectable function buttons for L, R, Z, B, A. These functions include turbo, autofire and hold, and each one has five different speed settings. The adjustability is probably far more than you'll ever need but it's been well implemented and the function buttons don't impede on any of the standard controller buttons. Being so similar to the official controller means this controller will be likely to suffer from the same faults. The analogue stick is exactly the same design and will, no doubt, suffer from the same problem of wear to the base. As the shape and button layout of the standard N64 controller is unchanged in ASCII's design the problem of button accessibility also remains. But the ASCII pad also shares all the good points of Nintendo's official design. So, the controller is comfortable and the analogue stick is precise. The quality is good and all the buttons are responsive. And you won't need to re-ajust to a different button layout. ASCII's controller comes in a two tone color scheme. In my own pad the upper half is a dark metallic grey and the lower half is a lighter shade of grey (the same shade as the standard charcoal grey Nintendo 64 console). The pads come in a range of colors though, as shown here: A �control stick grip� also comes packaged in the box but it�s really just a sponge cover not unlike the kind you get with in-ear headphones (this can be seen on the blue controller above). The ASCII pad does everything the official controller does... because it IS the official controller but with turbo functions added to it. Whether you like or dislike turbo functions is something you can make your own mind up about. However, their inclusion in the ASCII controller means that it is slightly more flexible than Nintendo's original design and that needs to be reflected in the score. Overall: 9 out of 10 � Exactly the same as the official controller except that it gives the user turbo and autofire options.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:34 PM Post #14
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Hudson Joycard 64 The first thing you will notice about the Joycard is that the left and right �prongs� of the controller have been shortened, and are now quite stumpy. I�m not sure of the reason behind shortening, and I find that the controller isn�t as comfortable as it would be with normal sized �prongs�. One disadvantage I found with the shortened side prongs is that my little finger has nothing to grasp, but this might only affect people with larger hands. I�ve taken a few photos of the Joycard alongside the official controller so that you can compare the difference. There�s a lot about the Joycard that feels familiar; the primary buttons, d-pad and layout of the controller are the same as the official Nintendo 64 controller. Turbo buttons have been placed on the top of the controller face, directly above the start button. These can be used for A, B, Z and Start, and each has three settings. Just above them the Hudson logo is sculpted into the controller. On the underside of the controller things are also very similar. The z button hasn�t moved but there is now a well defined �ledge� underneath it to rest your forefinger on. This feels slightly strange at first, but is actually very comfortable. The stumps mean the disappearance of two of the screws that hold official controllers together, however, the two small screws within the housing for controller/rumble paks are now three pointed security screws. This unfortunately means that I�m unable to open the controller until I can find the right kind of screwdriver. Probably the most interesting feature of the controller is the adjustable analogue control stick, which can be tightened or loosened. This is most useful in first person shooters where you are unable to alter the stick sensitivity in the options, as now you can alter the sensitivity on the controller itself! The effect is very noticeable, especially when aiming. This is a nifty feature to have and makes up for the slightly uncomfortable stumps. I�m unable to draw any conclusions as to whether tightening the stick will have an impact upon how quickly it wears out but it does seem like a real possibility. Adjusting the stick is slightly fiddly; you need to pull up on the tip of the stick (which raises the entire housing) and then line up the marker to your preferred setting. This is easy enough to do, but grasping and pulling on the analogue stick seems a strange way of adjusting a precision instrument. Again, it�s too soon for me to draw any conclusions on whether this might affect the sticks performance. Overall quality isn't an issue and the Joycard feels as sturdy as the official controller, and uses a lot of the same parts (although I can�t confirm exactly how many until I open it up). Certainly the buttons, d-pad and the stick all look and feel exactly the same as the official ones. Overall: 8 out of 10 � the adjustable control stick nearly makes up for the less comfortable left and right prongs.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:35 PM Post #15
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Hori Pad Mini The Hori Pad Mini is probably one of the most distinctive of the controllers available for the N64. It is much smaller than the official Nintendo 64 controller, as you can see from the comparison shots, and you'll probably have noticed that the middle prong of the official controller is missing from the Hori pad. The other main changes are; the d-pad is smaller, the analogue stick is larger and a different style, the face of the controller has the buttons much closer together, the L and R buttons are smaller, there's two z-buttons which have been repositioned under L & R and the controller isn't as wide as the official one. That nearly covers all the differences, except for the nicely sculpted Nintendo 64 and Hori logos. And just like the official controller, the Pad Mini comes in a wide variety of colors: I quite like the feel of the Hori controller, although the different button layout takes a while to get used to. There's no turbo buttons but I don't think they would have fitted on the controller and I personally don't miss them. The main reason most people seem to want the Hori Pad Mini is because of the analogue stick which isn't as prone to wear as some other N64 controller designs (including the official controller). Although I've personally not experienced any real difficulty with the sensitivity of the analogue stick, it is noticably more sensitive than Nintendo's official control stick. The Hori's analogue control does seem to split opinion though, so make sure that you read floorcat's review above as well as my own before deciding to buy this controller. As previously mentioned there are two Z buttons that are placed under the L and R buttons. Because they removed the middle prong of the official design Hori had no option but to relocate the z button and, sadly, the new location of the z buttons isn't as good. Both are uncomfortably close to either L or R and both have completely lost the "trigger" feel which the z-button normally has. Using the right z button when aiming is useless as you inadvertantly move your thumb (and the control stick) and end up missing your target. This means that the right z button is pretty useless for shooters although it can be used more effectively in other styles of game. The left z trigger doesn't suffer from the same problem but it can still take a while to get used to it's new placement. At first you'll find yourself pressing L or R when you mean to press Z, which can be annoying. You can get used to the new layout if you practice but it's still a very different feel from the official controller and not as good with first person shooters. Some of the button on the Hori Pad Mini do feel like they have been shoe-horned into the controller. A and B are both very close to the d-pad which can cause frustration sometimes if you hit the d-pad by accident. The start button is smaller so that it fits comfortably into the smaller pad but I still prefer the original design to the start button on the Hori controller. The overall quality of the pad is good although there's a little bit of sideways movement in the buttons. This doesn't have a big affect on gameplay unless you're using the d-pad, which is rubbish in comparison with the official controller. It is disappointing that a controller which has been officially licensed controller by Nintendo has loose buttons like these. Apart from that, the controller feels well built. Something that I've not touched on in any of my other reviews is price. The Hori Pad Mini is very desirable and commands a high price on auction sites such as ebay. If you're looking to find a Hori Pad Mini you will need to pay more than you would for most other N64 controllers; for the same price you could probably buy at least two excellent condition official Nintendo 64 controllers. The Hori pad is more exclusive, but not necessarily a better controller than Nintendo's own design. Although the Hori Pad Mini isn't perfect it obviously influenced Nintendo because they incorporated a lot of it's features into the Gamecube controller, as you can see from the images linked to below. Comparisons with the official N64 controller are also shown. The Hori Pad Mini has both good and bad elements to its design. Whilst the analogue is more durable it is also more sensitive. The compact design might be better for people with smaller hands but some of the buttons are simply too close together to get the best use from them. And whilst it's more exclusive it also much more expensive than most N64 controllers. But there's no denying that the Hori Pad Mini is a good controller and certainly one of the better third party N64 controllers. Whether it is worth the extra expense is something that you can only decide after you've spent enough time with the controller to get used to both it's good and bad points. Overall: 7.5 out of 10 - The stick is more sensitive and durable than the official controller but some of the buttons are just too close together... and the d-pad isn't good.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:35 PM Post #16
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Hori Commander N64 I'd never heard of the Hori Commander, probably because it's little brother (the Hori Pad Mini) gets all the attention! Anyway, it's a nice looking controller but has a more conventional design than the Hori Pad Mini. As you can see from the photos, there are turbo functions for Z, A and B, and the side "prongs" have been rounded off. Another small difference is that there's no controller/rumble pak release button. This doesn't make any real difference as controller paks and rumble paks are both secure and easy enough to remove when desired. The circuit board within the Hori Commander is Nintendo branded, so there's no worries about the sub-par electronics used in the similarly styled Dreamgear controller. The Hori�s analogue stick is also the same size, shape, and has the same internal circuit board and connecting wire as Nintendo's own controller. I was actually able to successfully transplant the sticks between the two and both worked perfectly. Therefore I can only assume that the Hori have used the same analogue stick that Nintendo did. Of course, this is a double edged sword because it means that as well as having the precision that the official stick has, it also has the durability issues. The rest of the controller is of the same high standard as the Nintendo pad. The Hori pad isn�t quite as comfortable as the official controller; the rounded side prongs don�t cup your hand as well. Also, the buttons are slightly more prominent, especially the d-pad, which is visibly more raised than on the offical design. This makes extended use uncomfortable, especially in fighting games when trying to pull off combos. The overall quality of the pad is quite high due in no small part to using official Nintendo components. It is difficult to review the Hori pad because it�s so similar to Nintendo's original design. The inclusion of the turbo functions is obviously a benefit but some of the redesigned parts actually seem detrimental (for example the raised d-pad) and there�s not that much difference between this controller and the "real thing". That said, it�s one of the better Nintendo 64 third party controllers and is a bit more exclusive than the standard N64 pad. All things considered, this is one controller that you really should consider... if you're able to find one. Overall score: 8.2 out of 10 - Nicely designed controller with a lot in common with Nintendo�s own pad. Marginally less comfortable than the official pad but has turbo functions.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:36 PM Post #17
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	2-Tech N64 Controller 2-Tech are a company that seems to distribute their products mainly in Germany, and this controller was bought from eBay Germany. This is actually a different style from the controller I was expecting but my knowledge of the German language is very poor, so I'm not gonna argue. You needn't go to Germany to buy this controller, however, as it looks identical to the both the Myiicco and Yobo N64 controllers that are available in the US (check out this comparison photo). And this controller is also the very same one identified by floorcat as being yet another controller called SuperPad 64! Scroll to the bottom of the three pronged SuperPad 64 post (link below) for a photo. http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Forever/topic/420209/1/ The 2-Tech is reasonably attractive for a third party controller, although it's none too adventurous in it's design. The button layout is almost identical to the official Nintendo controller, except for the inclusion of Slow, Set and CLR buttons. The L and R shoulder buttons are smaller than the official design, but none the worse for it. The thumbnails below show comparison shots of the 2-Tech controller next to the official Nintendo controller (click to enlarge): The controller is very comfortable to hold and feels quite sturdy. There are no problems with any of the main buttons, and the d-pad is very good. One criticism is that the Slow button isn't ideally placed and I've mistakenly pressed it a number of times when I was meaning to press start. It's quite annoying, especially since there are so few games that will actually work with a slow function on the N64. The Set and CLR buttons are a complete mystery; after playing with them for a good ten minutes I hadn't manage to make them do anything at all! They might be turbo or reset but I can't work them out. There's no instructions with the controller and, interestingly, they're both missing from the diagram on the box! Very strange. Maybe someone with a Yobo or Myiicco controller can inform me what they do, as all three controllers have the same buttons. The analogue stick feels comfortable, probably due to it having indented groves on the top rather than the official design's circular ridges. Unfortunately this can result in your thumb slipping slightly when making quick movements and, although you can quickly adjust the position of your thumb, it's still an impairment to precision control. Analogue movement is further hindered by the sticks differing sensitivity for vertical and horizontal movements (left/right are more sensitive than up/down), which makes targeting in FPS much more difficult than it should be. Also, moving between vertical and horizontal directions produces an unsettling click from the control stick! This surely doesn't bode well for longevity of the internal workings. Another internal problem with the 2-tech controller is that the control stick housing can't be opened up fully without breaking it, so lubricating the control stick (or any kind of maintenance) isn't an easy option. Given that the control stick shares the same design as the official controller but these are made from cheaper plastic, it is extremely likely that these will wear out quickly. You've been warned! One last anomaly from the control stick: when selecting a file or level in Goldeneye pushing the stick fully forward results in the target moving in the opposite direction from what you expect. I usually invert controls, so pushing up means the target should move down, but it moves up instead. Slight movements on the control stick make the target move in the intended direction, which make this erratic behaviour even more puzzling. Goldeneye is the only game affected (that I've noticed so far), and only in the file/level select screen; targeting within levels is fine. My last criticism of this controller is a minor one; the controller pak slot doesn't completely cover the controller pak. So what? Well, it means that when you bump the controller down it's the controller pak that'll take the shock. I'd imagine that this isn't good for either the controller pak or your saves, so be careful with that controller! Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 - Comfortable pad let down by an poor analogue stick.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:37 PM Post #18
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Competition Pro NS 64 The Competition Pro NS 64 is part of an exclusive club. Not because of it�s rarity (it�s not even remotely rare) or because of it�s innovative design (it�s not that innovative). It�s because the Competion Pro is a third party controller with a good control stick. Both the controller and the control stick are very similar in style to Nintendo�s official design. The controller shell has the same basic three pronged design, but many of the features present in the Nintendo pad have been rethought for the Competition Pro. The standard layout is complimented with seven turbo/autofire functions. These are three point switches located directly above the control stick. The top setting is off, the middle is for turbo (rapid fire when the corresponding button is pressed) and the bottom setting is for the automatic rapid fire (you needn't press the corresponding button at all). The NS 64 really excels in this area, I don't know of another N64 controller that has so many turbo and auto fire options. These settings are available for A, B, Z, and the four C-buttons, with additional functions available for Start, L and R. In order to fit all these additional buttons, the start button has been moved to between the D-pad and control stick. I thought this looked ugly at first, but functionally it's a much better position for the start button. It seems much easier and quicker to slide your thumb to the left of the control stick rather than having to move your thumb over the stick (as you would with the official design). This actually feels like an improvement over the official controller. The left and right prongs now stick out slightly and have grooves in the underside to make gripping them more comfortable. Also on the underside of the controller is the Slow button, which is just a start button autofire. There are two shoulder buttons per side: L, R, TL and TR (T stands for turbo). Holding TL or TR gives rapid fire for the corresponding button. The turbo shoulder buttons are near the middle of the controller, and at first I found myself pressing TL/TR instead of L/R, probably because I have big hands. Adjusting to the "outside" L and R buttons is really simple and soon becomes second nature. On my first play I was unsure about the face buttons on the controller: the A, B and C buttons didn't feel quite right. I soon realised that it wasn't that the buttons were stiff (as I'd first though), it was that they don't have the 'click' feel that other pads have. None of which affect gameplay at all, and you get used to it very quickly. Analogue control is excellent. The only difference in feel between the Competition Pro and official Nintendo controller is that the Competition Pro has a slightly less smooth motion. The control stick uses almost exactly the same design that Nintendo use, and this is clearly visible when you open up the controller. The stick's housing is also very similar, as are the internal parts, so lubricating the right bits of the control stick isn't a problem. There's even the same number of wires leading from the analogue housing, so I think it may be possible to transplant this into the official controller. You would need a soldering iron to do so (there isn't a wire connection 'plug' on the NS 64's circuit board), and as it's not a metal stick there very little reason to actually want to do it. One thing I'm unable to ascertain is whether this controller is affected by control stick wear in the same way that an official pad is. Due to the similarities in design, this seems likely. I'll post again when/if I notice any difference in the quality of analogue control. The d-pad is one of the few niggles I have about this controller. It's not that it's unresponsive, it's just that the shape isn't all that comfortable if you play for extended sessions. The directional markers are uncomfortably prominent, and can begin to irritate your finger. You'd need to be playing for a long time for this to be a real problem, it just seems a shame that an otherwise well thought out controller has this minor niggle. The controller pak slot can be a bit tight for controller/rumble paks but, again, this is a very minor inconvenience. The only real problem the controller has is the controller plug which connects to your N64 is tight and needs to be pulled quite hard to remove it. This may be a problem that only affects my particular controller but, as I've never played with another Competition Pro pad, I have no way of knowing. This is one of the best third party controllers I've used, and I'd thoroughly recommend it as an alternative to Nintendo's official pad. Overall: 7.4 out of 10 - Excellent quality analogue control and turbo functionality but a controller plug that is just too tight.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:38 PM Post #19
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	InterAct Super Pad 64 Plus InterAct's Super Pad 64 Plus is just one of the variations of this particular controller style; there's also the Mako Pad (a clear version of the Super Pad 64 Plus) and the Super Pad 64 which is made by Performance. The Super Pad is the same design but without the 'Autofire' and 'Slow' buttons. Floorcat has already reviewed the Super Pad 64, check out his review here: http://z9.invisionfree.com/Nintendo_64_For...dpost&p=8215861 The first thing you should know about the Super Pad is how well it works: it's almost faultless. Almost... As it stands, it's the most competent (non-licensed) third party controller that I've tried. It's better than the Competition Pro, it's better than the Hori Pad Mini, it almost gives Nintendo's own official controller a run for it's money... almost... So why is it so good? Well, we know that the analogue stick can make or break a controller, and it seems InterAct really do know this because the Super Pad's stick is near perfect. It has a metal shaft (just like the Super Pad 64), is just as smooth as the official controller and only a tiny bit more sensitive. Where as the Competion Pro's analogue control is almost identical to that of the official controller, the Super Pad feels different because there's hardly any resistance in the stick. This means you might overshoot with your aiming at first but, if you practice a little, you can adjust to the different feel. But in my opinion, the stick is still second place to Nintendo's own controller. The button layout of the pad may present a small difficulty for some people: the c buttons have lost their "directional feel" slightly. I find that I hold the controller at a slight angle and this makes the c buttons less intuative. Practice is once again the solution, and it won't take very long to get used to the new layout. The autofire and slow functions are easy enough to use, and their placement doesn't interfere with any other buttons. A minor gripe is that the control stick design is open design meaning that dust and hair can get lodged in there, and the controller isn't very easy to take apart. Hardly worth mentioning, really... The redesigned shape means that all the buttons are accessible, unlike the offical controller where only the d-pad OR analogue stick are available (depending on which prong you hold). That's never been a worry for me, as there's very few games that use both the d-pad and control stick, but there are more buttons available to you when you use this pad. That just about covers my review. Everything else works perfectly well, the Super Pad 64 Plus feels like it's a good quality controller and there's no other points of concern that I've experienced. If you're after a controller then you'd be a fool not to consider this one. Overall: 8 out of 10 - A great controller but the control stick and button arrangement may not be to everyone's taste.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:38 PM Post #20
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Joytech Controller Plus 64 A huge thank you to the none too bright Ebay seller who sent me this controller instead of the Super Pad I ordered. Thanks to him I now have enough experience of this controller to review it... before I send it back! First impressions of the Controller Plus are good. The pad has a good quality feel to it and so do the buttons. The control stick has a metal base and shaft, and is slightly firmer than that of the official controller. Comfort isn't an issue, although the lack of left and right prongs mean that you'll shape your hand differently to hold this controller. All the standard buttons are present, and there's also Turbo and Slow buttons that work in conjunction with A, B and Z. The button layout feels good at first and those extra chunky c-buttons feel better than the official ones. Start playing a shooter and the novelty wears off. Although the c-buttons are a nice size, they're the same size as A and B, and this can cause confunsion over which button you're pressing. The buttons being so close together doesn't help either; there's not even a small distance to seperate A & B from C. This takes time to get used to, and even after a good few hours of play I was still finding myself have to look at the controller to press B. Not a good start then. The control stick also has a few problems, which I first noticed when playing Super Mario 64. Running in any direction is hampered by what I thought at first was a loose top to the control stick. Basically, when you apply pressure in a direction, the slightest movement causes the stick to spin, and you'll either lose your grip or make a mistake. The reason for this became apparent when I opened up the controller; there's nothing anchoring the stick to stop it from spinning, and there's no evidence of it ever being anchored. This is a terrible design fault; how this could have been play-tested and released is beyond me. The problems don't stop there though. The octagon in which the control stick moves is uneven. After a quick measurement I found out that forward and back have more distance between them than left and right: a whole 2mm. This doesn't sound like much, but you'll find you need to push harder to get full run forward/back than left or right, which feels very strange. Combined with the spinning stick problem and... well, it's rubbish. The only way I found that would get Mario to run at full speed forward was to hook my finger under the top of the control stick and then push forward. Needless to say, that�s not comfortable. So is there anything else wrong with this pad? Well... just look at that nose! Which member of the design team thought that looked good? It's meant to be a controller but it looks like the kind of toy you'd find at a ladies lingerie party! As you can probably tell, I don't like this controller. It had me fooled into thinking it might be good, but it just isn't. The design is very poorly thought out, and that's a shame because I'm sure there's a decent pad hiding underneath. The good ideas are all let down by poor design. I did, of course, take some comparison photos of this pad and the official controller. But there's not much point in looking at them because you don't want this controller. It's just not very good. Joytech Controller Plus 64 - A 2009 Update by alxbly These reviews have moved around a fair bit since they were first written. This review of the Joytech Controller Plus actually dates back to 2006, so when I recently came across another Joytech Controller Plus I thought I'd take the opportunity to see if I still thought it was as bad. The short answer to that is... yes, it is that bad. This controller has the same twirling control stick problem as the first so it obviously is just bad design. I never talked about the d-pad in my first review; it's okay-ish, but nothing special. After much more time spent with the controller my findings are the same; it's rubbish. Overall: 2 out of 10 - Poor design cripples gameplay, this controller is best avoided. Edited by alxbly, Jul 19 2009, 04:57 PM.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:39 PM Post #21
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	InterAct Arcade Shark The InterAct Arcade Shark is an arcade stick for the N64. All the buttons from the official Nintendo 64 controller are present, albeit in different places. There's also auto-fire and slow motion buttons should you wish to use them. The button layout looks familiar at first. Yup, there's A and B, right next to the C-buttons, just as they should be. L and R are the grey buttons above, and the red button is the start... no, it's not Start, it's actually the Z button! The start button is placed at the front of the controller and there's a slot for a controller pak above the Arcade Shark logo. The control stick is removable and can be screwed into either the d-pad or analogue pad (!) but, as there's only one stick, you can't have both simultaneously. The "analogue pad" was a slight worry for me at first, but it needn't have been as it is fully analogue, and the stick works well even if it's not quite as responsive as the official controller stick... but I'm splitting hairs. Inserting the stick into the d-pad gives fighting games a great arcade feel but the d-pad is also very effective without the stick. The stick itself is quite comfortable and feels secure when screwed into place on either pad. The buttons also feel quite robust but more attention could have been paid to the place where the controller cable joins to the controller. Overall though, it feels quite sturdy. The main drawback with the Arcade Shark is the placement of the L, R and Z buttons. It's fine for fighting and racing games, where you rarely need to press more than one button at a time, but it does make other genres feel unnecessarily difficult. Shooters are possible, but side-straffing whilst shooting is nigh on impossible. Platformers are less affected although they lose their instinctive feel. It's unfair to judge the Arcade Shark with these games as arcade sticks are designed mainly for fighters and this one is no exception. Just don't buy one and expect it to replace your controller. Although it can be played on your lap, the Arcade Shark really needs to be placed on a flat surface to get the most out of it. The buttons are much bigger than those of standard controllers, as the unit itself isn't exactly small. The photos below give a size comparison with an official controller but, for a true sense of scale, see the one above which compares the ArcadeShark with the Nintendo 64 console! The Nintendo 64 didn't have enough fighting or straightforward racing games to make this a worthwhile purchase when it first came out and (sadly) it still doesn't. However, now that the Arcade Shark can be bought for the same price as a secondhand N64 game, it should make it a very tempting proposition for any arcade stick fans. Overall: 7 out of 10 � Excellent at what it does, but really only for fans of fighting and/or racing games.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:45 PM Post #22
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	InterAct Vortex Interact�s Vortex controller is a hybrid design which allows it to function as both a flight stick and steering wheel. The controller comes in three separate parts; the �base� or stand, the �head� of the controller which slots into and moves upon the base, and a plastic ring called the �balance stabilizer� that is used to lock the head in place. The head of the controller has all the buttons and functions, and works in conjunction with the base for analogue control. Tilting the head of the controller works in the same way as tilting an analogue stick, for example; tilting forward whilst playing Mario 64 would make Mario move forward. The analogue control is just as sensitive as a traditional analogue stick although the feel is very different. A switch on the front of the controller allows you to choose between two analogue control settings; flight and steering. Flight allows the head to move in any direction whilst steering uses the plastic ring mentioned earlier to lock the head in place so that only left and right rotations can be performed (making the controller work in the same as a steering wheel). When the steering setting is engaged in combination with the balance stabilizer ring it is not possible to tilt the head of the controller. Even with the ring removed tilting the head doesn�t register, and it won�t work until the flight setting is engaged. This works well for most racing games but there are exceptions that require forward/backward motion: Wipeout 64 for example. Switch to the flight setting though and Wipeout really comes alive. It feels even better than playing with the official controller! Flight setting can also be used for other types of games. Like the Arcade Shark reviewed above, this controller is designed for specific types of game (racing and flight) but it can be used for virtually any game. The effectiveness varies between different genres but I found that with a little practice I was able to play platformers and shooters without too much trouble, although a conventional analogue stick is a preferable control method for both types of game. Button layout is similar to that of the official controller but L, R and Z are configurable between the two trigger buttons underneath and the J button which sits above the C buttons. Changing the configuration is done simply by a switch located on the front of the controller, which makes it so easy to use and you�ll find yourself very quickly getting used to having two triggers. In fact, it feels so natural you begin to wonder why Nintendo never thought of having twin triggers on the official controller. Located above the rest of the buttons are slow motion and autofire functions. Slow motion works by repeatedly �pressing� the start button, so it�s usefulness will depend on the game. Autofire works well and is easy to use. Rumble is also switchable but the controller requires batteries to enable this. The d-pad on the Vortex is one of the best ones I�ve used. As well as being responsive the circular design makes it both comfortable and easy to use. Using the head for analogue control in fighting games is useless, it simply doesn�t work. It wasn�t designed with this in mind so the criticism isn�t too harsh. If you detach the head from the base, however, you have a very effective controller for fighting games. Analogue control is no longer an option but, with so effective a d-pad, you won�t be missing it. Overall the Vortex is an excellent and surprisingly flexible controller. It looks ugly but is comfortable to hold and is half the size of any other Nintendo 64 compatible steering wheel. One slight criticisms is that in steering setting the head of the controller is still only at slight horizontal angle and it could have done with being raised to more effectively simulate a steering wheel. Also, the stand is heavy enough for most games but on occasion I have found myself moving the controller with enough force to tilt the stand. Like the Arcade Shark, you will need a flat surface to get the most from this controller. Overall: 6 out of 10 � Unsurpassed control with flight games and very good with racing games but still not as flexible as a conventional controller.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:46 PM Post #23
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Gamester LX4 Gamester�s LX4 controller sports an unusual design; the �prongs� being much shorter than the official controller, the overall design is noticeably wider and it has a chunky feel to it. Whilst it nice to see third party companies trying something a little different from the traditional �three pronged� design, the results are mixed. Pick up the controller and its shape feels awkward to hold, with the shortened prongs not offering much to grasp on to. The end result is that the most common way of holding the controller (by the centre and right prongs) is also the least comfortable. The centre prong is the worst affected by the design, and I found that my left had was not well supported at all whilst holding this part of the controller. The moulding of the plastic underneath the centre prong is poorly thought out in regards to aesthetics; whilst holding the centre only my forefinger and middle finger were actually gripping the plastic. This doesn�t make games unplayable, but it is certainly not as comfortable as it could be. Holding the controller at the edges feels more natural but this obviously makes it difficult to access the control stick, unless you have very large hands. The button layout is almost exactly the same as the official design, and the only changes here are the start button being moved to beside the d-pad and the inclusion of the function buttons (slow, auto and turbo) in its place. The buttons are quite prominent and raised further from the controller�s casing than most. This doesn�t affect the overall comfort but it may become an issue during lengthy periods of use. One aspect of the controller that stands out is the small c-buttons, which seem out of place on an otherwise quite chunky design. There�s plenty room on the controller for larger buttons, so the reason for their size is a mystery. The d-pad is slightly stiff but still sufficiently responsive for fighting games. What isn�t helpful is the placement of the start button right next to the d-pad. Clearly this hasn�t been play-tested, as the start button is easily pressed when using the d-pad for even basic combinations. Forward circles or rotational moves end up with start being accidentally pressed, which ruins any combo which you might have been trying to pull off. It�s a shame really, as otherwise this would have been quite a good controller for fighting games. Analogue control is good, and although the control stick offers little resistance, it works perfectly well for most styles of game. Unfortunately, it does have a flaw. Precise targeting in first person shooters is frustrating and in some cases impossible as the on-screen target shakes if moved to certain positions. At first I thought this was my mistake, but soon discovered that there were certain parts of the screen where the target cannot be kept steady. The areas affected are shown below: Even when the control stick is held steady, the on-screen target will �shake�, moving just enough to make precise targeting impossible. It seems this only affects certain styles of games where the targeting reticule can be moved from the centre of the screen, and I can confirm that it definitely affects Goldeneye, Sin and Punishment, Perfect Dark, and The World Is Not Enough. In other styles of game this flaw isn�t even noticeable, so you could happily play Super Mario 64 without ever experiencing a problem. However, for shooting games, it does pose a problem. The Gamester LX4 can�t be recommended as a replacement for an official Nintendo controller simply because it isn�t as competent with such a wide range of games. As a collectors piece it�s interesting because of it�s quirky design but potential buyers should bear in mind that some of the most popular Nintendo 64 shooters are difficult to play with this controller. Overall: 5 out of 10 � A competent controller but the peculiar shape feels unusual to hold and the control stick can be problematic in some games.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:46 PM Post #24
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Performance SuperPad 64 The most common third party licensed controller is the Performance SuperPad 64. Unlike most of the licensed controllers, the SuperPad 64 was released outside of Japan, meaning that you may not need to resort to eBay to purchase one; this in itself will be enough for many people to consider one. The SuperPad 64 is available in a wide range of colors (including a special EA Sports edition) and was also released as the Sharkpad Pro 64 2! You can see some of the many variations by clicking here. Read on to discover if this controller is competent enough to convince an experienced N64 player to hang up their official pad. The design perhaps isn�t the most aesthetically pleasing of controllers; the face of the controller is flattened, the rear is a tapered curve and the front a mixture of angled lines and squared off edges. Absent from the design are the prongs of the official controller, and only short stubs remain in their place. These are moulded underneath so that they are comfortable to grip. Anyone looking at a photo of the controller would be forgiven for thinking that this is a painful device to hold but we all know that looks can be deceiving. Could this controller play better than it looks? The answer is� yes! The controller sits neatly in your hand but the curve at the rear means that your hand has to assume an awkward shape to reach the L and R buttons. This only becomes an issue after long periods of play but it is still worth noting. All the buttons are well shaped and have sufficient spacing to ensure combos are easy to pull off. The Performance pad has the traditional N64 button layout and anybody who is familiar with the official controller should have no problem in adjusting to this one. Larger C directional buttons feel like an improvement over the official design; they are more comfortable and less prominent, offering less resistance for quick finger movements. The A and B buttons feel somewhat undersized in comparison but this is a minor quibble and certainly not a hindrance to gameplay. The D-pad is responsive and doesn�t feel cheap like those of many other third party controllers. Whilst the shape might not be quite as comfortable as other examples, I experienced no discomfort during play sessions. The Z-trigger is well placed and has a reassuring click to it. The Superpad lacks any of the turbo features normally associated with third party pads, the buttons you get exactly mirror those of the Nintendo�s own brand controller. If you want to use features such as turbo or autofire then you�ll need to consider alternative controllers. Analogue control is firm but precise. The control stick offers noticeably more resistance than that of Nintendo�s own controller but it is still precise and (in my opinion) easy to use. However, there are differing views on the analogue stick, as you will find if you read floorcat�s excellent review of this controller on Nintendo 64 Forever. He found the analogue stick tiring to use, whilst I have had no problems in using it for prolonged periods. There is quite a lot of travel in the stick, meaning that you do need to push the stick a greater distance than you would with the official controller, and I can understand how this might get tiring if you have smaller hands. What we do agree on is the quality of the analogue control. The stick is metal, which bodes well for longevity, and precision movements are easy to achieve. The control stick is responsive and reasonably balanced but more pressure is needed for diagonal directions, and this can be a pain when precision targeting is required. Overall the Perfomance Superpad is fairly competant and beats a lot of the competition. An added incentive is that the lead is longer than official controller (170cm for the official controller, 240cm for the Performance Superpad). You could do a lot worse than buying this controller, it's just a shame that the slightly wacky design didn't prioritise the comfort of the user. Overall: 6.5 out of 10 � Slight analogue stick imbalance and a design which could be more comfortable stop this good controller from being great.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:47 PM Post #25
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	The N64 Bit Controller (Fake Official Controller) Recently a number of 'Powersellers' on eBay have started selling N64 controllers that look almost identical to Nintendo's official controller. Even for a collector with a keen eye, it can be difficult to spot the difference between these fake controllers and the real thing, especially if the photo's provided on eBay are of poor quality. Given the sudden abudance of these controllers I thought it was important to find out how they compare with the real thing. The "N64 Bit Controller" reviewed here is one of the fakes available on eBay. It comes boxed in packaging that looks suspiciously similar to the Japanese official controller. On quick inspection it looks okay; no major faults, no loose wires and although the control stick may be a little stiff, it at least feels reasonably well balanced. So lets look a little closer. Well, you can see from the photos above that Nintendo logos have been removed from the controller. There are other slight visual differences; the fake controller is a slightly darker shade of grey, the plastic body doesn't have the same sheen as the official controller, the buttons are slightly different in color and are more prominent. When taken apart, the reason for the buttons being slightly different colors becomes aparent; the plastic used is cheaper, thinner and more translucent (a comparison between the official and fake controller buttons is shown here). The shape is identical with no variations or additions. The first real difference you'll probably notice is the very cheap controller pak release button, pictured above. It's both loose and squint, and doesn't give you any confidence that you'll be able to get a controller pak out if you dare to put one in. In practice this isn't an issue as the controller pak/rumble pak bay is quite generous, even for those badly made third party controller paks which can be impossible to remove from other pads. Further inspection reveals a badly moulded body around the Z-trigger, which you can see above. This doesn't affect use of the tigger but it looks bad. So far everything appears to be almost the same so maybe it's time to look inside the controller. Open the body and anyone familar with the inside of the offical controller will immeadiately notice the big difference; the analogue stick. This will be a disappointment for enthusiasts hoping that a source of good quality analogue control sticks might finally be available to them. The photo above illustrates the differences. Instead of the six wires which connect the control stick of the official controller to the circuit board, this controller has four wires. The connection is different at each end; the circuit board has no connecting plug and the wires connect to different sides of the housing. This is more clearly seen here and here. Plug the controller into the N64 console and you immeadiately come across one real flaw; the controller needs a fair bit of force to be inserted into the console and even more force to be removed. Either the plastic has expanded or the controller was badly made in the first place. Given the overall cheap feel of the controller, I'd plump for the later. Gameplay impressions are mainly good. The buttons are all responsive and the D-pad works well, making fighting games like Fighters Destiny a real joy to play. The control stick is quite capable in most games and I couldn't really fault it whilst playing Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. As previously mentioned, the stick is stiffer than an official controller but I was still able to pull off Mario's full range of moves with no problems. The different plastic used for the control stick seems slightly more slippy but not so much that it would affect your game. Sadly, the control stick does have a few flaws, one of which makes playing first person shooters almost impossible. There's simply isn't enough analogue range when pushing right or left, or put more simply, even a slight push left or right will make your character turn violently. I tried this controller with a number of different first person shooters and all were affected. It makes aiming very difficult, and moving about can be unneccessarily difficult as you can't make your character turn to face the direction you would like. For some reason this fault isn't as apparent in racing games, but after discovering this I was more aware that left and right movement was also quite sensitive in other types of games. Another flaw which is quite frustrating is that in some menu screens, pressing up has the opposite effect on-screen. Slight movements will make the target/cursor move in the correct direction, but push all the way up and the stick somehow inverts. This is the same flaw that affected the 2-Tech controller, but perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise given that 2-Tech also make official looking fakes. Even the box design is similar, especially on the rear, so perhaps these are built by the same company? The cheap feel of the controller also gives me concerns over it's longevity. The official N64 analogue stick is prone to wear and this controller uses as similarly designed control stick. Unfortunately, I'm unable to open up the control stick housing as it's glued together, so I can't tell if the innards of the stick are different. I expect the combination of cheaper plastic and the official style design wouldn't work well together. Despite being good in a number of areas, this controller is ultimately let down by control stick faults and poor build quality. It may look the same as an official controller but in gameplay terms it's miles behind. Overall: 4 out of 10 - a poor copy of Nintendo's controller, stick with the real thing instead!
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:47 PM Post #26
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Performance UltraRacer 64 The UltraRacer 64 has ditched the traditional three pronged N64 controller design and instead utilizes a single prong with a small steering wheel on the upper face. As the name suggests, the controller is designed for racing games and the mini steering wheel replaces the analogue stick. Every N64 button is represented on this controller (bar a fully functional analogue stick), although the vastly different shape means the placement of the buttons isn�t immediately obvious. Almost every button on this controller can be re-mapped to any other button. Whilst this is an impressive function it�s really just as well that this is included as the standard button layout is confusing. For example, whilst the C-directional buttons retain their yellow hue, the L and R buttons are confusingly colored blue and the Z button (normally the trigger button) is one of the green buttons on the face of the controller. Since the buttons are programmable this isn�t a huge issue, but surely getting the button placement right in the first place would have been a good idea? One interesting aspect of the controller is the trigger, which has dual functionality. Pulling or pushing the trigger enables different functions so, in effect, it�s like having two buttons. In practice it feels awkward, as the trigger is too stiff and has too much travel to be pushed forward quickly. The default A and B pull/push functionality seems like a good choice for most racing games, since A is normally accelerate and B is normally brake. However, swapping between pushing and pulling the trigger will quickly tire out your finger. It�s also simply not quick enough; you notice a fraction of a second when your vehicle isn�t accelerating or braking. This is inexcusable in a racing game when every second counts. There is a switch on the side of the controller where you can switch this A/B functionality on or off, and you soon discover that it�s easier to map B to another button. A set of completely new buttons have been added to this controller, which are easiest to describe as the grey directional buttons. These are perhaps a replacement for the D-Pad� but I�m gonna call them the G buttons. They�re the same as the C-buttons but they�re smaller, they�re grey in color and they�re located just below the steering wheel. Whilst it�s nice to have some extra buttons to play with, there are some real questions over their necessity and the default functions assigned to them. For example, G-left and G-right are used to navigate back and forth through game menus� why? Why are the smallest and most obscure buttons on the controller assigned such an important role? It�s a terrible mistake and not intuitive in the slightest. And this brings us to the most important part of the controller � that steering wheel. Don't get any ideas about this being a replacement for bulky, full sized steering wheel controllers because it's not. It's far too small and it is overly sensitive for it's size... although it can work reasonably well after considerable practice. But it is far too small. Why would anyone want a steering wheel you control with one hand? It offers nothing in terms of immersion, it�s quite difficult to get used to and it�s less flexible than an analogue stick. Claims have been made that you can use this controller with one hand. Let�s clear this up right now� you CANNOT USE THIS WHEEL WITH ONE HAND. Whilst you could programme the rest of the buttons to your preference, I�ve not managed to find even one setup where I can use the wheel and the other buttons without resorting to two hands. Nintendo�s official controller is actually easier to use with one hand! The two-handed and "one-handed" holding positions are shown below: The buttons, the feel of the controller and the wheel itself all work quite well� as individual parts. But as whole package this controller just doesn�t work. And, just as bad, it�s completely pointless. Which brings us to the big problem with this controller � why would anyone would want or need one? If you want a steering wheel controller you�d be better off buying a real one; this controller offers none of the benefits you get with proper steering wheel and pedals control. If you wanted a one handed controller then you�d be better off using the official controller with one hand, as its analogue stick is far more flexible anyway. In the end this controller becomes a poor example of steering wheel and, because of the lack of analogue control, it�s also a poor controller in general. Overall: 1 out of 10 � pointless, impractical� in short, it�s a useless piece of crap.
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alxbly	Jan 3 2009, 07:48 PM Post #27
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Nyko Alpha Pro 64 A thank you: A big thank you to Floorcat for sending me this controller to review. This controller was never released in the UK and I never had any luck in tracking one down. Thank you my good friend, I hope I can return the favour (and this controller ) one day. Since the Nintendo 64�s introduction in 1996 analogue control has become a standard feature on games consoles. Dual analogue control has become the new standard and in that respect the Nintendo 64 controller can feel dated. So you can imagine that N64 enthusiasts could be very excited about the Nyko Alpha Pro 64� the Nintendo 64�s only controller that has two analogue sticks! Let�s kill that excitement straight away; this controller can�t be used for dual analogue control. What we have instead is a controller that allows you to select which analogue stick you would like to use; left or right. This is a deceptive marketing ploy and as there�s no need to switch between sticks (and no reason or benefits from doing so) you�ll soon settle with using left control stick. The right control stick can be used but it means that you need to lift your thumb from the stick to press A, B or any of the C buttons. This is a ridiculous setup that simply doesn�t work. Even if you use the D-pad instead of the C buttons (and not all games will allow you to do that) the A and B buttons are still only reachable with your right thumb and that means you need to release the control stick. So, we�ve established that the twin control sticks are just a gimmick� what about the rest of the controller? The first thing you�ll notice when you pick up this controller is that it feels huge and bulky. It�s really too big for most people�s hands. I have quite large hands and I find it uncomfortable for my thumbs to reach the control sticks, so I imagine it would be even worse for a person with small hands. The button layout mirrors that of the official controller, although there are Z triggers under both the L and R shoulder buttons. The C buttons are slightly larger than those of the official controller, and as a result are more comfortable. Unfortunately, they�re the same size as the A and B buttons, and this makes differentiating between them difficult as they feel exactly the same. The D-pad is okay, it's not all that comfortable nor is it as precise as the official controller but it seems to work okay... ish. The L and R triggers are responsive and there's two Z triggers which can be used at any time. And there's Set (for turbo functions) and Slow (which just repeatedly presses the start button to imitate slow motion... although I don't know any game this is useful for). But if this controller has one big problem it's this; both analogue sticks are terrible! Sure, they do have metal stalks which should mean long term reliability but they feel overly stiff and need twice as much force to be pushed in a diagonal direction. That makes it all too easy to misjudge how much pressure is needed to move in certain directions, ruining any game which needs careful aiming or precision movement. When you do push in diagonal direction you�ll notice that the tops of the sticks rotate making precise movements or adjustments even more difficult to pull off. The sticks also have flawed centering, and you�ll often find that releasing the control stick entirely doesn�t cancel a forward motion. Some examples of this include Goldeneye�s level select menu, where the crosshair will float to the top or bottom of the screen even if the stick is untouched, or Mario tiptoeing forward without any control stick input. The only way to stop this is by jerking the stick in the opposite direction� and this often results in the same problem but in a different direction. Further aggravating the already flawed control is the size of the controller; you'll find that your hand feels stretched in order to use either of the sticks. And there are some questionably big gaps in the mouldings of this controller. All of these issues combine to make this controller uncomfortable for short periods of use and impossible to use for any real length of time. Lets be straight about this; this is an awful controller. I believed that nothing ruins a controller more than having a crappy control stick but I was wrong� having two crappy control sticks is much worse! There�s no reason to own this controller; it�s gimmicky, uncomfortable and the control sticks are so bad that your gameplay will be seriously affected. Stay well away. Overall: 2/10 - A garbage controller which will badly affect your gameplay.
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alxbly	Jul 13 2009, 03:29 PM Post #28
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Madcatz Dual (Arcade Joystick) Once again, my thanks go to floorcat for providing me with this controller to review. As far as I�m aware this is the only hybrid arcade stick/flight stick available for the N64 and the name is a play on that; Madcatz Dual. The styling is quite distinctive; those front corners has obviously been �inspired by� the Nintendo 64 console, the buttons are big and bold and the flight stick sits happily opposite a more traditional arcade stick (which is used for d-pad controls). But let�s cut to the chase� this isn�t a good flight stick or a good controller in general. It�s a shame because the button layout makes it easy to use; most of the buttons you need are positioned on the flight stick as well as being on the main board. However, like most of the crappy third party controllers here, it�s let down by poor analogue control. The stick I�m testing is used and I don�t how many previous owners there�s been or how well (or how badly) they�ve treated this controller. Because of this, the shortcomings I�m about to describe could be put down to wear but, sadly, I suspect this controller wasn�t all that good to start with. Anyway, the main problem is that the amount of travel in the flight stick is ridiculous; pushing the stick as far as it will go results in it being almost horizontal. In order to play any game in which you change direction quickly you need to ram and pull the stick like crazy� it�s actually quite a workout! But in control terms it feels completely unnecessary. Flight games like Aerofighters Assault or Star Wars Rogue Squadron don�t feel any better with this controller as the stick is just too loose. Minor adjustments aren�t any easier to make and, more importantly, the stick doesn�t add much to the gameplay experience. If you want a flight stick I�d suggest getting the Interact Vortex (also reviewed here) although it�s hybrid nature means it feels very different to this controller. Madcatz have one more trick up their sleeve though, as this controller doubles as both a flight stick and an flight stick and arcade board. Ignore the slack flight stick and this controller improves considerably. As an arcade board, the Dual controller works well. The d-pad stick is both sturdy and accurate, although it may take a while to get used to the improved accuracy it offers. The buttons on the board are chunky but they don�t feel all that responsive. Although this controller works much better as an arcade stick, it�s still eclipsed by the Interact Arcade Shark, which offers excellent control, better button sensitivity and slightly better button placement. Madcatz�s hybrid controller ends up feeling like a compromise� it�s bettered in all areas by other controllers, some aspects of the build quality don�t seem to be that good and, as a result, it�s difficult to see a reason to recommend it. Overall: 5/10 - A decent arcade stick but it has some quality issues.
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alxbly	Jul 13 2009, 03:31 PM Post #29
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	CONCLUSION Here again is the order in which I'd recommend the controllers that I've tested and the scores I gave them out of ten: ASCII Pad 64 - 9/10 Nintendo 64 official controller - 8.5/10 Hori Commander N64 - 8.2/10 Hudson Joycard 64 - 8/10 InterAct Super Pad 64 Plus - 8/10 Hori Pad Mini - 7.5/10 Competition Pro NS 64 - 7.4/10 InterAct Arcade Shark - 7/10 Performance SuperPad 64 - 6.5/10 InterAct Vortex - 6/10 Gamester LX4 - 5/10 N64 Bit (Fake Official) Controller - 4/10 2-Tech N64 Controller - 3.5 Joytech Controller Plus 64 - 2/10 Nyko Alpha Pro 64 - 2/10 Performance UltraRacer 64 - 1/10 With a little control stick lubrication, the official controller will last a long time. If you want a control stick you'll never need to lube then try the Interact SuperPad or the Hori Pad Mini. And if you want hand cramps, frustration and blisters on your thumb, try the Joytech Controller Plus... but don't even consider the UltraRacer...
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