The ASCII Pad is the best controller ever.

[skaar]

One example I can think of right now is to do bomb jumps much easier in Super Metroid!

That said, a question: I heard/read somewhere that the asciipad (which is licensed by Nintendo, AFAIK) was manufactured at the very same factory the original SNES pads were made - hence the similarities. I can remember which brand manufactured them, though.

EDIT: According to this thread (which I happen to have started and didn't remember!), both pads were made by a company called Mistumi.

Mitsumi, makers of my very first CD burner drive. Thinking back, it might have been the same plastic on the faceplate

According to the wiki article, they're still making Nintendo's controllers to this day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsumi

Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom controller
Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom controller
Nintendo GameCube controller (Certain revisions only) and the WaveBird wireless controller
Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk (Certain revisions only)
PlayStation standard and DualShock controllers (Certain revisions only)
PlayStation 2 DualShock 2 controller (Certain revisions only)
Xbox original 'Duke' Controller and early 'Controller S' models

[tom]

How can that be the best controller, the controls are 'THE WRONG WAY 'ROUND', and it doesn't even work on the best ever console, the VCS.

[Leo_A]

I can't think of any SNES games I need turbo button pressing on except shooters. What do you all use the asciipad for?

They work well in Phantom 2040. Even the weak gun with unlimited ammo becomes powerful in that sidescrolling action game when you enable turbo.

Also used to enjoy firing up Super Off-Road with the Game Genie, inputting the code for unlimited nitros, and setting the nitro button to autofire.

I've found lots of useful and/or entertaining uses for it on the SuperNes over the years. Pretty much any game where it's useful to quickly be pressing a certain button can benefit from one of these controllers, unless the rate you can fire is limited by the software itself (For example, your blasters in Star Fox can only be fired off at a slow rate, so you gain no significant benefit with a turbo controller since your finger can easily max out the firing rate and sustain it over time without any hassle at all).

[xfrumx]

SNES ASCII Pad is probably my favorite controller from 16 bit systems and earlier.

I have 3 and anytime I see one cheap I will pick it up.

[c0ldb33r]

I LOVE the Ascii Pad. Weird though, I bought two used ones a few years ago and they work great except the start button on both is broken. Weird

[Damaramu]

Eff that. I have that, and the buttons are spongy and the dpad is crap. I'd have to say that the original Genesis 6-button controller is the best controller for a 16-bit system

, that sucks. Yours must be worn out.

I've got a few and none of them display any of these problems. I do agree with you on the original 6-button Genesis controller. It's damn near perfect.

[hamburglar]

Another thing to consider is there are 2 versions of the Ascii pad, one is made in Japan and the other is not.
I got rid of the one that was not made in Japan, but I remember it was not labelled Mitsumi on the pcb, only the Japanese one is. Also the non Japanese version is much cheaper made, you can specially see this when comparing PCBs. The original had a standard IC, the cheaper one had a glob-top, etc.

[johno590]

I'm pretty sure one of my friends had the Ascii pad, because I know I've used one before. I'll have to purchase a couple. I usually just use the regular SNES pads, but I do tend to use the Super Advantage stick for turbo, etc. I also have the Capcom Fight stick, but it feels too flimsy.

[Nesmaster]

I found the made in Japan one a few days ago for $3.99 at Value Village. Love it.

[recorderdude]

aw man, I feel mondo dumb now. I've been looking for a normal SNES controller for a month now (how are they that damn hard to find irl?!) and I saw one of these for $8 tax included. Shoulda got it...

[thom_m]

I found the made in Japan one a few days ago for $3.99 at Value Village. Love it.

Lucky, lucky bastard! My last posts on this thread are from 2011, and I'm still trying to find a good deal on one. These things sell for a truckload of cash 'round here.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

ASCIIware Asciipad?

That's cute.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS.



Compared to the original, the Asciipad is just a knock off of the Super Hori Commander.

This was made by Hori, not Asciiware. Hori made the Famicom Joystick, ASCIIware made the deeply flawed NES Advantage. Asciiware products have always been second rate to Hori products.

This has:

everything this Asciipad has, but in the profile of a Super Famicom controller. Likely higher quality parts and materials as well.
Has a seven foot cord
Is less common
Is generally cooler than the Asciipad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcNpGP-J54

/thread.

[InsaneDavid]

ASCIIware Asciipad?

That's cute.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS.



Compared to the original, the Asciipad is just a knock off of the Super Hori Commander.

This was made by Hori, not Asciiware. Hori made the Famicom Joystick, ASCIIware made the deeply flawed NES Advantage. Asciiware products have always been second rate to Hori products.

This has:

everything this Asciipad has, but in the profile of a Super Famicom controller. Likely higher quality parts and materials as well.
Has a seven foot cord
Is less common
Is generally cooler than the Asciipad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcNpGP-J54

/thread.

I disagree, the turbo switch for button A is too close to face button Y. If you use the underside of your first thumb joint to press control pad buttons (as I do) your thumb is always hitting the button A turbo switch. Same goes for the upper right quadrant of the control pad, the L button turbo switch is too close to that general area. The ASCII Pad allows extra space around the control surfaces as well as a turbo switch layout that matches the positioning of the four face buttons, so you don't even have to look at the controller to set and adjust turbo and auto fire. ASCII essentially took the design of every turbo controller that came before it and refined every enhancement and shortcoming into a controller that surpasses a stock controller with turbo functions.

[Ed Oscuro]

http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussi...-stick.130349/

I add joysticks as an option of controller...keyboards are surprisingly good too but obviously not all games support that kind of input.

NES Advantage really isn't that bad; beats playing with a NES controller. The Micomsoft XE1-ST2 seems good too, although mine is in pieces right now (need to find some money and time to regrease it, and hope I can still find all the screws to put it back together...)

D-pad controllers, meh.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I disagree, the turbo switch for button A is too close to face button Y.

that is such a non-issue I can hardly believe someone might even bring it up. It's like saying the L2 and R2 triggers on a PS2 controller are too close to the L1 and R1 buttons.

For the record, there is NO such issue. I've been using the Hori Commander for quite some time and never once had any such issue. Not even once.

[InsaneDavid]

that is such a non-issue I can hardly believe someone might even bring it up. It's like saying the L2 and R2 triggers on a PS2 controller are too close to the L1 and R1 buttons.

For the record, there is NO such issue. I've been using the Hori Commander for quite some time and never once had any such issue. Not even once.

As I said, "If you use the underside of your first thumb joint to press control pad buttons (as I do)..." it's personal preference at that point.

[BlastProcessing402]

ASCIIware Asciipad?

That's cute.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS.



Compared to the original, the Asciipad is just a knock off of the Super Hori Commander.

This was made by Hori, not Asciiware. Hori made the Famicom Joystick, ASCIIware made the deeply flawed NES Advantage. Asciiware products have always been second rate to Hori products.

This has:

everything this Asciipad has, but in the profile of a Super Famicom controller. Likely higher quality parts and materials as well.
Has a seven foot cord
Is less common
Is generally cooler than the Asciipad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcNpGP-J54

/thread.

Epic fail.

Now, I've never used that pad, but how can I say it fails? Well, first, it looks worse than the Asciipad. But you may say "it plays better". IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible to play better than the Asciipad, as it plays perfectly. The best this thing could hope to achieve is matching how the Asciipad plays, so it either plays the same or worse, and looks worse, and therefore is worse.



Too bad the PSX Asciipad sucked ass. The D-pad was horrible, like worse than 360 pad horrible.

[MyTurnToPlay]

ASCIIware Asciipad?

That's cute.

A CHALLENGER APPEARS.



Compared to the original, the Asciipad is just a knock off of the Super Hori Commander.

This was made by Hori, not Asciiware. Hori made the Famicom Joystick, ASCIIware made the deeply flawed NES Advantage. Asciiware products have always been second rate to Hori products.

This has:

everything this Asciipad has, but in the profile of a Super Famicom controller. Likely higher quality parts and materials as well.
Has a seven foot cord
Is less common
Is generally cooler than the Asciipad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcNpGP-J54

/thread.

This is one stupid ass controller. All those buttons concentrated in the middle is just plain retarded. I can find all the buttons easily and quickly on the ascii, whereas in this thing I just know it would f*ck everything up.

take your hori-ass controller back. Ascii wins.

/thread

thank you.

[RP2A03]

This is one stupid ass controller. All those buttons concentrated in the middle is just plain retarded. I can find all the buttons easily and quickly on the ascii, whereas in this thing I just know it would f*ck everything up.

take your hori-ass controller back. Ascii wins.

/thread

thank you.

Those are switches, not buttons.

[BricatSegaFan]

Another vote for the Japanese Saturn pad. Its perfect in every way.