Is the DualShock2's D-Pad supposed to suck this much?

[Kitsune Sniper]

So I have a PS2. And I have a Dual Shock 2 pad. The one that came with it. And I'm noticing that the buttons and the pad don't respond properly. I mean... the buttons are way too hard. Maybe I'm just used to my DC, my GBA, and my old NES and SNES pads, but I really have to press the pad and the buttons quite hard for them to detect.

Why am I bringing this up?

Well, I'm playing Incredible Crisis. And I'm in the level where Etsuko has to copy certain notes, and you have to press certain buttons. And I'm pressing the buttons, but half the time they don't register at all. So I'm wondering if I have a bad pad, or if the PS2 sucks so much.

And before anyone starts blaming my suckyness, I tried four other games where timing is a huge factor - Gitaroo Man, Dance Dance Revolution, Dance Dance Revolution Konamix, and DDRMax 2. I had the same problems on the last three... and Gitaroo Man gives me random misses even when I press the circle button...

[walrusmonger]

you might have a crap pad- is it new or have you had it a long time?

i love the playstation d pad and have never had response issues with it, or any of the face buttons on any ps controller (ps1, ps1 dual shock, ps2 ds2 or sixaxis)

[PallarAndersVisa]

ok here's the deal


You're playing a PSX (playstation 1 game). The Dual Shock 2's d-pad is pressure sensitive, as are all the other buttons on the dual shock 2. The PSX games only trigger a successful button press on the Dual shock 2 when the buttons are pressed down fully, which can be tricky to get used to when you have to tap the dualshock 2's d-pad quickly.

The PS2's controller is not shit, nor is the d-pad. It is among the best of the best, which is why the basic design has not needed to change for over a decade.

[jajaja]

I never had problem with PS2's d-pad.

[Kitsune Sniper]

you might have a crap pad- is it new or have you had it a long time?

It's basically new. I bought the PS2 three weeks ago, and haven't played it for more than a week due to me being busy.

PallarAndersVisa: Jesus, chill. I'm just wondering if I got a faulty pad, if there's something wrong, or if there's another problem. There's no need to get defensive. It's just a pad. I don't hate the system, I really like it! I'm just wondering what's up!

Is there a way to, well, make the system recognize PS1 games so it works like a PS1 pad? Because I never remembered the PS1 pad's buttons being so difficult to work with.

[shopkins]

I think your pad is probably defective. I've never had a problem with mine. I played Megaman games on my five year-old pad last night and it was still very responsive. And I've played Incredible Crisis on it and didn't have any problems based on my pad, just ones based on me being really bad at that game.

The best thing to do is borrow someone else's pad and see if it works better, I guess.

[whoisKeel]

I agree with PallarAndersVisa. That is likely the problem, but it wouldn't explain the difficulties with the D-Pad. But for the face buttons, for PS1 games (and some others), you really do have to push them ALL the way down, because of the pressure-sensitive buttons (feel how you can push them half-way down, and then all the way down if that makes sense).

As for the D-Pad, I've heard other people complain about it before, but I love it.

[slip81]

you probably have a bad pad. I've never had any problems with button registration, even in PS1 rythm games.

[Gentlegamer]

Is there a way to, well, make the system recognize PS1 games so it works like a PS1 pad? Because I never remembered the PS1 pad's buttons being so difficult to work with.The Dual Shock 2's buttons are all analog-sensitive, so playing older games based on digital buttons there will appear to be a problem. I think you can actually use an old PS controller on the PS2 as long as you're playing an original PS game.

[Wolf]

PS2 controllers are built like fucking shit, I have gone through at least 5-6 of them since I have owned a ps2 in 2002. Ok the d pad ( not for comfort just input as they are quite stiff on the thumb ) is good but the sticks really blow cawk.

You can use a ps1 and ps2 pad and vice versa on both consoles, In fact I had to use my two older grey and green psx controllers when I was playing FFXI because the sticks wore out every time after about 5 months or so. Interestingly enough I found that the jp ps2 d pads ( I have a cw one ) have a different surface compared to ours, they have a less glossy smooth feel, they are more dry and rough on the tops.

[shoes23]

I've never had any problems with the D-pad playing either PS2/PSX games (with includes Incredible Crisis). If you decide to grab another controller however, do yourself a HUGE favor and get the Logitech PS2 Wireless Controller. It really is built even better than official Dualshock controllers. The analog sticks are much better, and the D-pad is the best I've ever used. The are still a little spendy in retail outlets (still ~$45-$50) so either buy a used one or hunt on ebay for a reasonable price. Here is a nice picture of one:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/shoes23/12106.jpg

[PallarAndersVisa]

Im not getting defensive at all. I'm just pretty experienced with this problem. both of my PS2 controllers are immaculate, but certain PS1 games be actin' a fool when using my PS2 dual shock. Plug in my original PSX controller and everything operates fine.

[lazyhoboguy]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I had some relevant info to contribute. I dont like the analog buttons on dualshock 2 controllers either and I find that the analog sticks on dualshock 1 controllers move around easier than the ones on dualshock 2s. For these reasons I prefer to use a dualshock 1 controller for playstation 2 games as well. Not every ps2 game works with a dualshock controller unfortunately. For anyone curious here is a list (in progress) of which ps2 games do work with dualshock 1 controllers:

http://www.ps2onlinegaming.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=181

[Leo_A]

I've never heard of the PS2's d-pad being pressure sensitive. I'm not even sure if the shoulder buttons are. I only know for a fact that the 4 face buttons are pressure sensitive (Which has been a pain in several PS2 racers over the years that thought it was a good idea to take advantage of what amounts to just a few millimeters of throw for braking and acceleration...nothing like getting a sore thumb from making sure you've fully pressed down the X button just in order to make sure you're getting full throttle).

Sony's d-pads have always been stiff, in my opinion. My PSOne's Dual Shock that came with the system when they hit $50 was that way, my slim PS2 was that way when they were first released, my spare Dual Shock 2 bought new has a stiff d-pad, and my SixAxis and Dual Shock 3, both purchased new (One came with the sysem, of course, and a second pad was bought new seperately), were that way.

I'm not at all convinced there's a problem with it. Never liked the divided nature of their d-pad or the stiffness of it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

The shoulder buttons are pressure sensitive. Metal Gear Solid 3 made use of them and they're a pain in the ass.

[Gameguy]

I've noticed that the quality of the controllers changed during the life of the system. The earlier ones seem to be better made than the later ones, at least that's what I've noticed with the controllers that came with early fat units compared to the controllers that came with the later slim units.

[lazyhoboguy]

I've noticed that the quality of the controllers changed during the life of the system. The earlier ones seem to be better made than the later ones, at least that's what I've noticed with the controllers that came with early fat units compared to the controllers that came with the later slim units.

Yea I have definitely noticed the same thing.