View Full Version : the shortest contoller cords. turbo grafx and all ver of it?
acem77
07-04-2007, 10:58 AM
as a simple little factoid is its seems to me the turbo grafx,duo,supergrafx ect
all have the same length for their controllers.
i have every system in the usa including protables since nes minus the psp(new make of dracula X will change that).
other than the neo-geo i cant think of a system that comes close to winning this title since the release of the nes.
i just cant belive how short the cord is. you almost have to set the system on your lap to play games, good thing for extention cords.
lol i think the vr boy has a longer controller cord:P
i am to lazy now to measure but now i think i will just for the fun of it.
bangtango
07-04-2007, 10:59 AM
I have a Sega Genesis 3-button controller with a cord that might be 2 feet, certainly the shortest I ever saw. I have the exact same type of controller which happens to contain a much longer cord. I'm not sure why the same controller came with two lengths that are so different.
CosmicMonkey
07-04-2007, 11:05 AM
Yes, I seem to remember the cord on my PC Engine pads was rediculously short.
And Xbox pads are the other extreme: about 10ft long.
Maybe it has something to do with the average size of a Japanese living room compared to a US one, and the fact that TV sizes have got a lot bigger over the past 10 years?
smokehouse
07-04-2007, 11:39 AM
Yes, I seem to remember the cord on my PC Engine pads was rediculously short.
And Xbox pads are the other extreme: about 10ft long.
Maybe it has something to do with the average size of a Japanese living room compared to a US one, and the fact that TV sizes have got a lot bigger over the past 10 years?
Good point, the average sitting position has changed from kids sitting on the floor, looking at a console television to 50”+ TV sets that you sit 9’ away from.
The TG-16 cords are way too short. I was playing Bomberman on the PC Engine with some friend and we all have to sit within a 6’ radius…
icbrkr
07-04-2007, 11:41 AM
For the longest, I'll have to go with the CD32's. I think I can walk downstairs and into the kitchen with them.
For the shortest, how about the 5200's? Part of the reason I don't use it much is that I have to drag the whole console to the middle of the room.
norkusa
07-04-2007, 12:23 PM
I always thought the Gamecube had really short cords. At least for modern day controllers. What are they about, 5 feet? I'm sure Nintendo planned it that way too since the Wavebird was such a huge success for them. The Wavebird was the only way I could play my Cube because the normal controller cord couldn't reach my couch.
Flock
07-04-2007, 01:32 PM
Famicom cords are tiny short, just a little over 60cms. I really need get a extra controller for that expansion port so i can play in bed.
What about the Aussie SNES controllers? Shortest cable I've ever seen personally.
Aussie2B
07-04-2007, 04:23 PM
Maybe it has something to do with the average size of a Japanese living room compared to a US one, and the fact that TV sizes have got a lot bigger over the past 10 years?
Yeah, exactly. The problem with the Turbo Grafx/Duo is that the design of it carried over from Japan, without taking into consideration how things are different in America. Japanese apartments are way too small to have huge entertainment centers like in the US, so a system is often boxed up when not in use. The standard way of playing the PC Engine is to sit on the floor with it right in front of you while the hook-ups stretch back to the TV and outlet. That's why a PC Engine Duo A/V cable is plenty long but the controller cable isn't.
The differences in Japan and America also explain why it only has one controller port.
Gentlegamer
07-04-2007, 05:32 PM
I also have a Genesis 3-button controller with an about 2 foot long cable.
XxHennersXx
07-04-2007, 06:43 PM
Nintendo's replacement snes cables (they had a brown instead of grey sticker around the buttons, and the buttons were smaller) had a 3 foot cord. japanese length.
8Ways2Tuesday
07-04-2007, 07:12 PM
My Super Famicom has a ridiculously short cord - the SFC sits on the top shelf of my game rack and the controller will dangle about midway when it's plugged in - definitely less than three feet.
Gamecube controllers have always been a pain, too - only system I have to sit at the end of my bed to play instead of leaning back comfortably.
PS3, while charging, is fairly short, too, but I suppose I can get a longer USB cable for that.
Clong
07-04-2007, 07:52 PM
I have a three button Genesis controller that is only I think two feet long.
klausien
07-04-2007, 09:25 PM
Having put in a huge amount of time with the PC Engine, I am familiar with its short cord length. An extension cable is basically a necessity. Even so, I say that the dogbones that come with the AV Famicom are the most ridiculous cables I have seen. At least it is possible to play with normal NES controllers, but I am a fan of the dogbones. I am considering swapping out the cords with US NES cords. I'll probably never get rid of the thing anyway.
Soviet Conscript
07-04-2007, 10:31 PM
as a simple little factoid is its seems to me the turbo grafx,duo,supergrafx ect
all have the same length for their controllers.
i have every system in the usa including protables since nes minus the psp(new make of dracula X will change that).
other than the neo-geo i cant think of a system that comes close to winning this title since the release of the nes.
i just cant belive how short the cord is. you almost have to set the system on your lap to play games, good thing for extention cords.
lol i think the vr boy has a longer controller cord:P
i am to lazy now to measure but now i think i will just for the fun of it.
yhea, a few weeks after I first got my TG-16 around when it came out I broke it by pulling on the controller and pulling it out of the entertainment stand. damn short cord. luckly toys R us was kind enough to replace the system.
anagrama
07-05-2007, 07:20 AM
A lot of Japanese systems have very short cables - the SG-1000 & Mark III are the same.
roushimsx
07-05-2007, 08:39 AM
Famicom cords are tiny short, just a little over 60cms. I really need get a extra controller for that expansion port so i can play in bed.
I came here to say this as well. Those Famicom controller cords are ridiculous. I used to live in a fairly small room, but those suckers were still too damn short and I always wound up dragging the console out to the middle of the room so that I could play.
Those Xbox cords were seriously awesome, though. Aside from being long as hell, the breakaway cord was an excellent idea. Never needed to pick up a wireless xbox controller, that's for sure.
Kid Ice
07-05-2007, 09:18 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Intellivision cords. Short, coiled, and dedicated. Yuck.
DarthKur
07-05-2007, 10:02 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Intellivision cords. Short, coiled, and dedicated. Yuck.
Both the INTV and Colecovision ones can be a real pain.
k8track
07-05-2007, 10:52 AM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Intellivision cords. Short, coiled, and dedicated. Yuck.
QFT; these are clearly the shortest. But there is a brilliant workaround (and I can't take credit for it, someone else posted it a long time ago and I took it to heart and have done this ever since)--use a Sears Super Video Arcade or Intellivision II (with detachable controllers) and get some Sega Genesis joystick extension cords. Awesome!
XxHennersXx
07-05-2007, 03:17 PM
for my AV Famicom I just use my NES controllers because they're so short. my Famicom is top of my entertainment center, above my tv. it doesn't even reach the floor if i use the japanese controller
DefaultGen
07-05-2007, 03:30 PM
.....
Anthony1
07-06-2007, 02:12 AM
Yeah, the Turbo cords are WAY TOO FREAKING SHORT. I remember when I first got my Turbo back, (owned one back in 89,90 and 91, but didn't have one again till 2003) I got it, and noticed that the controller cord was ridiculously short. Even if you first put a TuboTap on it, you don't extend it that much at all. So I started looking on Ebay for extensions, but they are very hard to find and quite expensive. Also, even if you get one extension, it's just not enough. You have to get like 3 or 4 extensions. Seriously! In my living room, my TV is like 10 feet away, and even with 4 extensions, I feel like I'm about to pull my TG-16 out of the entertainment center. Plus it sucks when you are trying to play Dungeon Explorer with some friends using the Turbo Tap. Or maybe Power League IV for the PC Engine (wonderful baseball game by the way that supports up to 5 players with TurboTap). It seems like everybody has to be sitting within inches of everybody else for the cords to not rip out of the TurboTap. I actually commisioned FABombjoy to build me a super long TG-16 extension. He made me one that is 20 feet long!
Cinder6
07-06-2007, 03:27 AM
Hmm, never had/played a TG-16, so I don't really know about it. One thing that I've always noticed is how short Sega controller cords are. All of them, pretty much. Oddly, I think the Master System has longer cords than the Genesis.
I got a 6-button Genesis controller a few months ago, and I was amazed at how long the cord was--at first. Then I realized that it was pretty average length as far as controller cords go, but huge compared to other Sega cords. Blasted Sega, making me sit in the middle of the room (pulling the console out doesn't work with my setup).
But if the TG cords are even shorter, I'll have to put that thing in another room, once I finally get one...
acem77
07-09-2007, 07:17 PM
just did the dirty work here are some stats.
so far of all the post nes consoles i have the turbo grafx 16 wins ur um loses
in the length contest.
vr boy 2'6" (dont know if this counts since it really ment to be portable)
turbo grafx 16 4' 1/2"
genesis 3 button model #1650 4'1"
turbo duo 4'2"
neo-geo stick 4'3"