Good Saturn USB Pad

[SonicBlaze]

I'm looking for a decent Sega Saturn USB Pad. Apparently all the SLS ones are gone for good at PlayAsia, and the ones on Ebay are shit-tastically expensive. For now I'm thinking of buying a knockoff and, upon finding a genuine Saturn pad at the local swap meet, switch of the shell and buttons. Ebay seems to have 3 options for "sega usb": Retrolink pads, Gtron pads, and ones with no logo but the following strange description:

Description:
Features:
1. Easy plug and play
2. Digital and analog
3. Slow motion function
4. USB interface to PC
5. Ergonomically designed for more comfortable play
6. 6-button controller: has A, B, C, X, Y, and Z buttons
7. design, works well
8. Support Windows 98 SE/ME/2000/XP/ Mac OS X v10.2.8

Package include:
1 x Black Controller To USB PC For Sega

Compatible With:
For Sega

Anyone own any of these pads and got a suggestion for me?

[dgdgagdae]

I bought this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Retro-Sega-Saturn-Classic-Controller-Pc/dp/B003KMWMYW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1303876356&sr=8-3

It works, but it's pretty cheaply made. I can shake it and hear the buttons rattle.

[RCM]

I purchased a really awesome blue one from Lik Sang years ago and haven't seen it on ebay or anywhere since. I picked up two or three Saturn USB pads from ebay when they started popping up again and are pretty much perfect replicas of the blue pad I know is 100% genuine. It seems like they're pretty hit and miss, so I got lucky, I guess. Good luck.

[norkusa]

What the hell happened to the prices on these? Chinese sellers flooded Ebay with those SLS controllers a few years ago and you could easily get one for less than $20 shipped. Now they're $90 and up?? I don't even think they are legit but they still feel like real Saturn controllers.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I was asking the same sorts of questions you are and took a chance on the ones on ebay was was very surprised with the quality I got.

Watch my video review. It's all you need to know about buying a Sega Saturn USB pad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAbmrpF_bEo

I still swear these are genuine sega made controllers, but if they're knock-offs they're by far the best knock offs I've ever bought. You cannot go wrong with these. They're withstood countless hours of Street Fighter IV and other fighters. Perfect for those who aren't used to/dislike arcade sticks.

[norkusa]

Yeah, I did a lot of research on these too before I finally decided to buy one. There was a big thread on Shoyruken about whether or not they're fakes. The main reason people thought they weren't legit was because there were so many of them being listed for sale. The original ones supposedly had an extremely limited production run (like a couple thousand or something like that). Plus there were a lot of complaints about the d-pad breaking off.

I don't use mine much but I'm extremely happy with it. Feels just like the real thing and it works on OSX too. Just wish I bought a couple more.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Anyone who claims the d-pads break on the one I bought (with SS5001 on the back) are lying. These are stellar controllers. I've been using mine for months and months and it still plays just as beautifully as ever.

Buy a set of these for competitive play with a friend. You won't be disappointed.

[NerdXCrewWill]

What the hell happened to the prices on these? Chinese sellers flooded Ebay with those SLS controllers a few years ago and you could easily get one for less than $20 shipped. Now they're $90 and up?? I don't even think they are legit but they still feel like real Saturn controllers.

Woah! Ouch! I picked up one in like November for $15. What's going on there? The only thing for less than $70 are the Retrolink and Gtron. Just a half a year ago, there were literally dozens of official (or close to it) ones on eBay. Hmmm.

[SonicBlaze]

I was asking the same sorts of questions you are and took a chance on the ones on ebay was was very surprised with the quality I got.

Watch my video review. It's all you need to know about buying a Sega Saturn USB pad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAbmrpF_bEo

I still swear these are genuine sega made controllers, but if they're knock-offs they're by far the best knock offs I've ever bought. You cannot go wrong with these. They're withstood countless hours of Street Fighter IV and other fighters. Perfect for those who aren't used to/dislike arcade sticks.

Fortunately for you even the SLS knockoffs were damn nice.Apparently they're so similar The only way to tell is by the PCB, or so I've read. Even the knockoff SLS' go for $80, and that's a bit out of my price range at the moment :C.

dgdgagdae, that's the Gtron model it seems. Other than rattling, any problems with the controls? How long you had it? And on that note, can anyone vouch for the Retrolink models?

[dgdgagdae]

I've only used it sparingly, just some light Genesis emulation, so I can't speak to its durability. Ratings on Amazon weren't particularly kind, though.

[Yoder]

The ones being sold on eBay are NOT genuine SLS pads, but cheap $8 copies. You get all sorts of reviews from one end of the spectrum to the other and it's because some people have the garbage versions and some have the real thing.

I also sat on it too long and did not jump on the $15 genuine ones. I was also shocked to see the high prices. I'll hack a real Saturn controller with a IC before I pay that kind of money.

[maxlords]

I just bought 2 of the SLS ones from China about 2 months ago, and I swear they're legit Sega. Solid as hell, work flawlessly, feel identical to the real thing. I paid $19 each shipped on em and they're worth every penny I paid.

[Nico87]

Get the official one.

[Yoder]

I just bought 2 of the SLS ones from China about 2 months ago, and I swear they're legit Sega. Solid as hell, work flawlessly, feel identical to the real thing. I paid $19 each shipped on em and they're worth every penny I paid.

Yep, these are the good ones, and they're like 90 bucks now.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

wasn't there an adapter that was made to allow official saturn pad to connect to ps3/pc via usb?


this was years ago when i last saw 1, like 07-08, but if you can find one assuming you already have a saturn pad, it should be the cheapest & most effective option for what youre looking to do

[theclaw]

I dunno. Sounds nice. I'd said earlier there's little variety in usb saturn pads. Almost all are rehashes of that same immensely popular japanese model, over and over.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

That's so weird. It's too bad - the ones I bought and shown in my video review above are excellent, and yeah they were $20 each.

[wingzrow]

What I did was buy a generic chinese knockoff off eBay. THEN I took it apart, took apart a REAL sega saturn controller, and swapped the shells. The result is amazing. I used it for months for playing street fighter 4 and blazblue. This was the result of the chinese knockoffs d-pads literally breaking off after two weeks of playing fighting games.

[SonicBlaze]

What I did was buy a generic chinese knockoff off eBay. THEN I took it apart, took apart a REAL sega saturn controller, and swapped the shells. The result is amazing. I used it for months for playing street fighter 4 and blazblue. This was the result of the chinese knockoffs d-pads literally breaking off after two weeks of playing fighting games.

That's exactly was I thinking of doing. If the innards are durable to stay intact, then I figure that solution would be damn near perfect.

[maxlords]

Yep, these are the good ones, and they're like 90 bucks now.

I found some at $90 and some at $20 as recently as 2 or 3 weeks ago on eBay. You just have to look....?

[Yoder]

Yes, but did the $20 ones have the SLS stamp on the back? If not, then they're knockoffs...the same ones sold on Amazon for $8.

[theclaw]

Wouldn't the ones sold on playsega be legit sega? Unless the very source has stooped to selling knock offs of themselves.

[RCM]

I forgot to add, the $20 pads I got from ebay also came boxed and have the SLS stamp. Like I said, I could not find anything off on the ones I purchased. I've owned them for years and they've worked flawlessly.

I just wish the PS2 Saturn pads would drop in price. They went from $30 to $150-$200+ too fast for my taste.

[SonicBlaze]

After some internet scrounging, I was able to find these

http://www.dhgate.com/genuine-original-sega-saturn-ss-usb-control/p-ff8080812c1cb7d7012c2a0e6c1c0de6.html#

If the picture is to be trusted, these are probably the closest to original I'm going to get for the price.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOFuNo7xfiM&feature=related


this was the adapter i was talking about, also a bonus i didnt know about, same adapter lets you also use a ps1/ps2 & dreamcast controller on your pc/ps3

[Vlcice]

wasn't there an adapter that was made to allow official saturn pad to connect to ps3/pc via usb?


this was years ago when i last saw 1, like 07-08, but if you can find one assuming you already have a saturn pad, it should be the cheapest & most effective option for what youre looking to do

Not cheap anymore, is the thing. They've been discontinued for years and sell for a decent price when I've seen them come up.

[Yoder]

After some internet scrounging, I was able to find these

http://www.dhgate.com/genuine-original-sega-saturn-ss-usb-control/p-ff8080812c1cb7d7012c2a0e6c1c0de6.html#

If the picture is to be trusted, these are probably the closest to original I'm going to get for the price.


Good work! Yes, this is what you're looking for. I just ordered one. If it's garbage, I'll swap the internals into a real Model 2 controller.

Will let you know in a month when it comes in :-)

[SonicBlaze]

Good work! Yes, this is what you're looking for. I just ordered one. If it's garbage, I'll swap the internals into a real Model 2 controller.

Will let you know in a month when it comes in :-)

I went ahead and bought one myself. I'll post up some pics of me playing Ougon Musou Kyoku when it arrives. No I got no excuse for not playing fighters :D...except for the usual sucking at them routine.

[maxlords]

Yes, but did the $20 ones have the SLS stamp on the back? If not, then they're knockoffs...the same ones sold on Amazon for $8.

The ones I bought and the ones I found around a month ago all had the SLS stamp on em.

It does appear that there are no more cheap ones on eBay though...I'm wondering if people finally realized what they were and bought em all up to resell em at $80 a pop... :(

[massiveness]

The one I got from here (http://www.ecrater.com/p/9234916/sega-usb-control-pad-for-ps3) just arrived. These are legit, they feel just like the original Sega Saturn control pads. Best controller for MAME fighter games hands down.

[SonicBlaze]

The seller on DHGate informed me he was out of stock, so I should be getting my refund soon. Damned annoying though >:C

[old man]

Mine has a small sticker on the back that says "SLS" along with some fine print chinese. Looking at the controller from the back side, with the wire pointing up, the sticker is on the right side almost directly opposite the d-pad. It's about an inch wide and half inch (5/8") tall and silver colored with black writing. The sticker is inside its own recessed place. In other words the controller mold was designed so there would be a place for the sticker. If anybody needs me to I can take a picture of mine and post it.

[Alianger]

So what's a good place to buy a good one nowadays?

Is this one any good (Gtron)? Seems to get poor reviews...
http://img.tradera.com/images/471/116011471_17285635-8df7-41da-89a2-18ea32bed5c3.jpg