Suitable PC gamepad for N64 games

[Fetta]

I'm looking for some PC gamepade suitable for playing N64 games (i.e. it has to have an analogue stick and buttons in (almost, at least) the correct places).

Can anyone recommend such a gamepad?
I do not want to buy a real N64 gamepad and connect via a convertor.

Thanks.

[Tagrineth]

I strongly recommend one of the new SaiTek pads for N64 gaming. The basic model, the P880 (http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/prod/p880.htm), works absolutely flawless for me, and they offer models with rumble and even wireless capabilities. I've had my P880 for a few months now and haven't had any problems at all.

The P880 has 6 face buttons! :D

[Fetta]

Thanks, I checked their homepage and it looks good. Just one question, which button do you use for the Z button? What about the Start button?


http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/p880.htm#
What is that red thing (button?) on the top-left of the white buttons?

[Tagrineth]

Mm. The red shift button next to the face buttons doesn't seem to do anything. And the button in the middle lets you use the crosspad as the stick (instant 100% press) just in case.

I normally have Start on the left stick click (the sticks click, just like on PlayStation and Xbox controllers), and I just set different profiles in the input plugin, since no game I can think of requires both the L and Z buttons. Usually I just put Z on the L button and make L the right-stick click, though, since it's so rarely necessary.

[Fetta]

ok, that's good enough. :)

I've looked around the web, and the P880 doesn't seem to be for sale outside the US. (And their US webshop won't ship outside US/Canada either).

know of any way to get a P880 outside the US? maybe it has export restricions because it's such an excellent controller....

Investigating the matter further, I found out that the P2500 can be shipped here (Sweden) from the UK, at least something...

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/p2500.htm
The onyl difference from the p880 I notice is that it has rumble. do you notice any other?

[Allnatural]

Originally posted by Fetta
I do not want to buy a real N64 gamepad and connect via a convertor.
You have a problem with the N64 pad? :huh:

Nothing like the original as far as I'm concerned. :)

[Tagrineth]

Originally posted by Fetta
ok, that's good enough. :)

I've looked around the web, and the P880 doesn't seem to be for sale outside the US. (And their US webshop won't ship outside US/Canada either).

know of any way to get a P880 outside the US? maybe it has export restricions because it's such an excellent controller....

Investigating the matter further, I found out that the P2500 can be shipped here (Sweden) from the UK, at least something...

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/p2500.htm
The onyl difference from the p880 I notice is that it has rumble. do you notice any other?

Nope.

The P880, P2500, and P3000 are all virtually identical. The only differences are that P880 is vanilla gamepad, P2500 has rumble added, and P3000 is wireless (with rumble IIRC).

[Acorn]

I've had the Logitech WingMan Cordless (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?page=products/details&CRID=11&CONTENTID=5021&countryid=2&languageid=1) gamepad for about a year now. Works great for N64 games, has rumble (any the rumble isn't total crap like on the N64's pads!). Its Logitech, so as expected it works great. Little big, but it is light and fits my hand shape perfect. Purchased mine for $29.99 at my local Walmart. It also has a nice start button, which helps for n64 games.

[Tagrineth]

Yes but the WingMan is uuuuuugly! :flowers:

[Doomulation]

The microsoft sidewinder works pretty good too.:phone:

[Allnatural]

All you people are crazy. :crazy:

:P

[Tagrineth]

Originally posted by Allnatural
All you people are crazy. :crazy:

:P

Original N64 controller is really only useful for N64 emulation. The controller is too... quirky for general use. Therefore it's generally a better idea for most people to get a standard PC gamepad.

[Clements]

Don't think you can buy Adaptoids/Coverter things in the UK otherwise I'd have one. I'm using a Microsoft Sidewinder Pro and it is superb for quick powerslides in Mario Kart 64! (So long Luigi Ghost!) It is dump for any other type of emulation though.

[Allnatural]

Originally posted by Tagrineth
Original N64 controller is really only useful for N64 emulation. The controller is too... quirky for general use. Therefore it's generally a better idea for most people to get a standard PC gamepad.
:baaa: Works great for me, for a variety of systems.

You're all still crazy. :P

[Martin]

Originally posted by Tagrineth
Original N64 controller is really only useful for N64 emulation. The controller is too... quirky for general use. Therefore it's generally a better idea for most people to get a standard PC gamepad.

I disagree, but then again, I'm extremely biased since I love my Adaptoid/N64 controller setup. :)

Also, I don't have a standard PC gamepad so don't listen to me. :P

[skull1]

Originally posted by Clements
Don't think you can buy Adaptoids/Coverter things in the UK otherwise I'd have one.


i live in the philippines and have an adaptoid from jandaman. if i can buy an adaptoid, i'm sure you can too unless you can't afford $37 us dollars.

i had it a week ago, playing with a real n64 controller on n64 emulators is the best compared to any pc gamepad. with the n64 controller you get the "gaming experience" as originally intended bhy the game developer of the specific game your playing for the n64.

so forget about buying pc pads.
go to jandaman.com right now!

[Doomulation]

Aww no, no, no. The reason I don't get an adaptoid is two reasons:

I can't be arsed
AND
The n64 controllers control stick break after certain time (ie, it gets real worn out, you'll have to press really hard to make Link run in OOT after a while).

This doesn't happen on PC gamepads...so there.
Besides, if you need to press a little lesser or more, use n-rage's input plugin and define a macro. So easy and no waste of money.

[Allnatural]

Originally posted by Doomulation
The n64 controllers control stick break after certain time (ie, it gets real worn out, you'll have to press really hard to make Link run in OOT after a while).
That's because you're so heavy-handed. You need to be more gentle with your toys. =]

[2fast4u]

Originally posted by Allnatural
That's because you're so heavy-handed. You need to be more gentle with your toys. =]

hehe, the sticks on the wingman rumblepad look really fragile but they did their job for a good year now :) only the a button is worn out after excessive torturing with paper mario for a while. :plain:

[Doomulation]

Originally posted by Allnatural
That's because you're so heavy-handed. You need to be more gentle with your toys. =]
Meh. They still tend to get worn out after a while. I've played on a friend's controller which *is* worn out and damn i hated it. =]

[Flash]

Originally posted by Allnatural
:baaa: Works great for me, for a variety of systems.

You're all still crazy. :P

I use N64 pad for N64 games and PSX Dualshock for everything else, except fightings - i've made good arcade-style stick for it.

[nephalim]

There's always the adaptoid, using a real N64 controller.

But I prefer a dualshock. If you don't have one/can't afford one/etc., you can get a $10 Gravis Gamepad Pro, which is a nice solid gamepad, but does not have analog capabilities. N-Rage's Plugin w/ modifiers is necessary.

Here's the setup:

Analog stick - Analog stick
Digital Pad - Digital Pad.

A - Bottom Button
B - Left Button
Z - Right Button

R - Top Button
L - Select
Start - Start

C left - L1
C right - R1
C up - L2
C down - R2

That's the setup I use, and I believe that the gamecube has stolen my general idea :) (could be wrong, though, as I don't have one and can't remember exactly.)

[Tagrineth]

Originally posted by nephalim
There's always the adaptoid, using a real N64 controller.

But I prefer a dualshock. If you don't have one/can't afford one/etc., you can get a $10 Gravis Gamepad Pro, which is a nice solid gamepad, but does not have analog capabilities. N-Rage's Plugin w/ modifiers is necessary.

Here's the setup:

Analog stick - Analog stick
Digital Pad - Digital Pad.

A - Bottom Button
B - Left Button
Z - Right Button

R - Top Button
L - Select
Start - Start

C left - L1
C right - R1
C up - L2
C down - R2

That's the setup I use, and I believe that the gamecube has stolen my general idea :) (could be wrong, though, as I don't have one and can't remember exactly.)

Well if you'd read the thread...


I do not want to buy a real N64 gamepad and connect via a convertor.

And... playing on a GPPro is a chore. No analogue = ouch.

[nephalim]

Originally posted by Tagrineth
And... playing on a GPPro is a chore. No analogue = ouch.

Umm, that's why I said to use a dualshock.

If he doesn't want to do that too, or spend money on a good analog controller, he's stuck with a GPPro.

And my post wasn't directed entirely at him.

[james.miller]

i use a thrustmaster dual power. not perfect for n64 emulation, but close.

[nephalim]

Originally posted by james.miller
i use a thrustmaster dual power. not perfect for n64 emulation, but close.

I bought one of those because my dog chewed through my GPPro. I didn't like it, I patched up the cord on my GPPro and went back to using it (this was before I got my dualshock working.)

[james.miller]

HELL NO! lol. i also have a GPpro but it doesnt mesure up to my thrustmaster.

[Alex3305]

The best Gamepad 4 PlayStation, Nintendo 64, SNES, NES = I think: Thrustmaster Firestorm Dual Power 2 (Newer Version)
I bought it @ my computer store for only: € 29,95 (~ $32) now 6 months ago and it works fine for me. Look @ the site:
http://europe.thrustmaster.com/products/d_prd.php?p=T40&fam=5

Soooo.. Cee it yourself

[F-3582]

I am using a Gravis XTerminator Digital Game Pad. It has everything you need for N64 emulation:


An analogue stick as well as a D-Pad
six buttons which are perfect a, b and c buttons
two analogue flippers to be used as L and R
two digital flippers (I use the right as Z button)
two and one additional button to be used a START


...my suggestion

P.S.: You can even press the L button while playing with the analogue stick :D

[F-3582]

Another "point of view":

[Slougi]

I have one of em Gravis XTerminators as well. One hell of a pad I must say :) A pity my little sister decided to submerge it in the bathtub...

[Tagrineth]

I don't like the arrangement of the face buttons, offhand, for N64 emulation... just looks like it could feel odd.

Then again, so does the Saitek P880, because buttons 5 and 6 (farthest right) are smaller and shifted down slightly...

[ScottJC]

I have one of those crap Gravis XTerminator Digital Game Pads.

They really suck, The analog stick is very poor, and if you press 1 of the top buttons you can't press the other one.

those two trigger buttons at the back are in a poor place as well, and "click" in an annoying fashion. the buttons are made of a poor material as well...

Heres what I have, a p2500 Saitek Rumble pad,

It has

2 Analog sticks (both have their own buttons)
2 trigger buttons
6 main buttons
1 Dpad
Analog/Digial Switch
a Switch button for more programming!

you can look at it on http://www.saitek.com/

[Tagrineth]

Hehehe ^_^ Sayargh, thanks ^_^

I plugged Saitek's awesome lineup on the first page ;)