What is the best way to connect retro controllers to a PC?

[captain_obvious]

I don't care if it's a genuine controller or reproduction with a USB port, only that it feels like a genuine controller and it works.

 

[Ryab]

I don't care if it's a genuine controller or reproduction with a USB port, only that it feels like a genuine controller and it works.

I would suggest checking out controllers from 8BitDo. Their controllers are honestly really nice.

 

[Kwyjor]

https://www.raphnet-tech.com/ has it all. But at their prices you might be better off getting a knockoff controller rather than an adapter.

 

[eternal]

Responded to wrong topic I think lol! apologies.

 

[CMDreamer]

https://www.raphnet-tech.com/ has it all. But at their prices you might be better off getting a knockoff controller rather than an adapter.

You're right, overpriced products, everywhere on Raphnet. They still believe they're offering the holy grail.

@captain_obvious Try modding an original SNES gamepad into bluetooth using BlueRetro, it works flawlessly.

I've also have an 8BitDo SN30 Pro USB (it resembles a SNES gamepad, but includes two analog joysticks), it works great too, but it can't compare to the feeling of an original SNES gamepad.

 

[captain_obvious]

I'm leaning towards Ralfnet because I don't like soldering and already have most of the controllers at home but don't want to deal with retro hardware (60Hz mods, RGB mods, flash carts, tracking an optimal motherboard revision and so on).

 

[Marc_LFD]

The Hori Pokken controller feels like a genuine SNES/Arcade controller.



It was made in white, yellow, and black. The last two colors look nicer, honestly.

 

[FAST6191]

We do have the question of "what is retro?" -- the original xbox was launched in late 2001 and the NES in the US in 1985. This means it has been longer since the original xbox launch than it was from the xbox to the NES. Indeed 1982 for the Commodore 64 means it not as far back than today to the original xbox.

Other than the wow I am old moment for today what I am here to note is the original xbox was basically USB (many would take a USB extension cable, splice it into the breakaway for the original xbox cable -- like for like colours* leaving yellow alone and have an adapter for nothing).
Adapters have been long established as well with them being practically mainstream since the PS1.
The 360 had USB options as standard, though only for USB controllers (the wireless was a custom wireless you can build an adapter for but eh) and became the standard PC controller for most people during that time. Has since been supplanted probably by the PS4 controller (certainly what I see the kids using on phones) which is bluetooth, as is the Wii remote and but extras might be tricky there (sensor bars and such) if you want that, most things also being bluetooth nowadays.

*do note many a cheapo cable will not necessarily use the specified colours so you might have to play with a multimeter -- whole four wires to test.

Third party controllers in the 16 bit era were often quite good. PS1 through actually fairly recently as these things go meant you were the lesser friend, the weaker brother, the butt of the joke, the slower on the uptake, playing with a handicap, had lost the bet... so that rules out a lot of things. As mentioned above though then it seems companies actually started doing good things again, though it tends to cost you.

Option two. Cannibalisation.
Controllers at their heart are simple beasts, at least until the analogue sticks come into play but even then options abound by the same methods. Essentially they can be reduced to a series of switches. To that end it became reasonably popular at one point to get a controller, bypass its brains and connect directly to the switch test points before wiring that up to something like a teensy++ which in turn presents to the computer as whatever you like (controller, PC keyboard, mouse...)
https://learn.adafruit.com/usb-snes-gamepad/overview
Some consider doing that to limited vintage hardware a bit distasteful but you asked for solutions and this most certainly is one.
This is also somewhat how you do turbo fire, macro and some kinds of button remapping mods (simple switches after all). Analogues do more than on or off so you have to figure out how it encode such values and present that to an analogue read however it does (two sticks tend to want four read ports to account for the X and Y directions on both sticks, two sticks and two triggers means we are up to 6 which can start getting into fancier programmable chips)
Dance mats are also used both to make controllers and to use the mat to make a PC dance mat.
You can also do the reverse and use the guts of a controller to speak to a modern controller if you want that.

Said same programmable chips as their sole job might be stated to be take signals in, do minor rejigging and spit signals out can also go the other way and are often programmable enough that if you can either splice wires in or make your own physical adapter (assuming it is not USB then some occasionally get sold by mod makers/adapter makers, some find increasingly rare extension cables and slice them up, 3d printing is kind of there but also getting pins sorted if it is one of those is not fun) then make your own adapter box if the ones on the market are too old, too unreliable, too expensive (many of the modern do everything with these various addons get up there) or too rare (PS1 and PS2 are mainstream, rather harder to source some of the gamecube stuff even without the Dolphin set gobbling them up as fast as they appear).

 

[Marc_LFD]

*do note many a cheapo cable will not necessarily use the specified colours so you might have to play with a multimeter -- whole four wires to test.

Speaking of cables, wired controllers with a detachable cable is an excellent idea though if the controller is of high or very good quality then the cable will probably never be damaged.

PDP are the ones who made such controllers and while they do look really nice, after a couple of months they're just junk (something breaks).

 

[captain_obvious]

We do have the question of "what is retro?" -- the original xbox was launched in late 2001 and the NES in the US in 1985. This means it has been longer since the original xbox launch than it was from the xbox to the NES. Indeed 1982 for the Commodore 64 means it not as far back than today to the original xbox.

I'm looking at controllers for the NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 era but agree that relatively new systems like the PS3 also count as retro in 2023.

Option two. Cannibalisation.
Controllers at their heart are simple beasts, at least until the analogue sticks come into play but even then options abound by the same methods. Essentially they can be reduced to a series of switches. To that end it became reasonably popular at one point to get a controller, bypass its brains and connect directly to the switch test points before wiring that up to something like a teensy++ which in turn presents to the computer as whatever you like (controller, PC keyboard, mouse...)
https://learn.adafruit.com/usb-snes-gamepad/overview
Some consider doing that to limited vintage hardware a bit distasteful but you asked for solutions and this most certainly is one.
This is also somewhat how you do turbo fire, macro and some kinds of button remapping mods (simple switches after all). Analogues do more than on or off so you have to figure out how it encode such values and present that to an analogue read however it does (two sticks tend to want four read ports to account for the X and Y directions on both sticks, two sticks and two triggers means we are up to 6 which can start getting into fancier programmable chips)
Dance mats are also used both to make controllers and to use the mat to make a PC dance mat.
You can also do the reverse and use the guts of a controller to speak to a modern controller if you want that.

I like the idea but by the time I've finished reading through the instructions thoroughly and soldering and programming the tennsy++ boards, I will have been better off just buying a few overpriced Ralfnet adaptors. I don't like soldering because I'm paranoid about inhaling lead vapours and getting traces of lead on the walls and floor because of it.

Said same programmable chips as their sole job might be stated to be take signals in, do minor rejigging and spit signals out can also go the other way and are often programmable enough that if you can either splice wires in or make your own physical adapter (assuming it is not USB then some occasionally get sold by mod makers/adapter makers, some find increasingly rare extension cables and slice them up, 3d printing is kind of there but also getting pins sorted if it is one of those is not fun) then make your own adapter box if the ones on the market are too old, too unreliable, too expensive (many of the modern do everything with these various addons get up there) or too rare (PS1 and PS2 are mainstream, rather harder to source some of the gamecube stuff even without the Dolphin set gobbling them up as fast as they appear).

Once again, I like the idea but don't like soldering and it's not worth my time even if someone else has already figured it out and posted a guide and schematics online.

 

[FAST6191]

a) They do make lead free solders these days. I much prefer leaded myself but there is a reason most non military non medical electrical products have been made with it for decades now.
b) It is not lead vapours that are released -- flux is what the smoke is when you see it, not great to inhale lots of it which is why most suggest doing a bit in well ventilated areas or having a fume extractor if doing lots of it. Similarly lead does not boil until 1749 °C (3180 °F) which is way above any electrical soldering iron and indeed most common gases you burn in a blowtorch type scenario
https://www.thoughtco.com/flame-temperatures-table-607307

 

[Marc_LFD]

relatively new systems like the PS3 also count as retro in 2023.

According to who?

Retro are 64bit, 32bit, 16bit, 8bit, and so on. PS3 is pretty modern as it is, even PS2/GCN/Xbox isn't considered "retro" either (unless you count eBay sellers who use all type of clickbait keywords).

 

[FAST6191]

According to who?

Retro are 64bit, 32bit, 16bit, 8bit, and so on. PS3 is pretty modern as it is, even PS2/GCN/Xbox isn't considered "retro" either (unless you count eBay sellers who use all type of clickbait keywords).

Always the debate. Fun video on the matter


Similarly it is said your musical tastes are set about the time you are 19 and don't change much from there. I am not sure of the equivalent here (though console you had at 10-11 about the time you start getting disposable income in your 20s seen in the video is a point I could stand to hear argued).

 

[captain_obvious]

a) They do make lead free solders these days. I much prefer leaded myself but there is a reason most non military non medical electrical products have been made with it for decades now.
b) It is not lead vapours that are released -- flux is what the smoke is when you see it, not great to inhale lots of it which is why most suggest doing a bit in well ventilated areas or having a fume extractor if doing lots of it. Similarly lead does not boil until 1749 °C (3180 °F) which is way above any electrical soldering iron and indeed most common gases you burn in a blowtorch type scenario
https://www.thoughtco.com/flame-temperatures-table-607307

I'm aware the smoke is from the flux but to my understanding, small amounts of lead are in it because temperature is the average kinetic energy between atoms. Some parts of the mixture are hotter than others, hot enough to vaporise.

According to who?

Retro are 64bit, 32bit, 16bit, 8bit, and so on. PS3 is pretty modern as it is, even PS2/GCN/Xbox isn't considered "retro" either (unless you count eBay sellers who use all type of clickbait keywords).

According to me. It's a matter of perspective.

 

[FAST6191]

I'm aware the smoke is from the flux but to my understanding, small amounts of lead are in it because temperature is the average kinetic energy between atoms. Some parts of the mixture are hotter than others, hot enough to vaporise.

According to me. It's a matter of perspective.

Physics would say yes. If you are indeed 55 you likely have several hundred times any dose you are going to get from that from living through leaded petrol, leaded paint, someone soldering a pipe (pex and shark bite being a rather newer invention, though even today things are still soldered around here), probably lead water mains and indeed being in a bar or walking past someone smoking today ( https://www.lead.org.au/fs/fst65.html ).

 

[captain_obvious]

Physics would say yes. If you are indeed 55 you likely have several hundred times any dose you are going to get from that from living through leaded petrol, leaded paint, someone soldering a pipe (pex and shark bite being a rather newer invention, though even today things are still soldered around here), probably lead water mains and indeed being in a bar or walking past someone smoking today ( https://www.lead.org.au/fs/fst65.html ).

This is getting off-topic but my age and country are both fake. I was actually born around the time lead in consumer products was being phased out.