shmups.system11.org

I bought one of those new "official" USB Saturn controllers from Retro-Bit. Supposedly made using Sega's original plastic molds. Well, it's not quite as nice as an original (JP/model 2 NA) Saturn pad, but it's most of the way there. A good buy for $25US. I assume the actually-for-the-Saturn-console version is the same, and it's not a terrible replacement if you can't find an original. For comparison I also have a Logitech F310 which cost more and is far worse in build quality, and an Xbone pad that mostly justifies its absurd cost (it was $70 I think!) but has a harder-to-use Dpad.

What about swapping the PCBs and shells with an actual Saturn pad? I did that with a knockoff a few years ago, and it's still going strong. (PCB has the exact same size, shape and holes)

I really liked the Retrobit Genesis controller.

I'm still waiting on the Genesis controller (should be arriving in a couple days), but the non-PC Saturn one arrived and I like it. L and R buttons are no comparison to the originals (they seem responsive enough, but lack the clicky feel of the original), but pad seems solid and the buttons have a nice feel to them. I'm not sure if I like the pad as much as the original, but I had no problem pulling off special movies in Vampire Savior and making tap movements in Gradius and Cotton 2.

Yeah. For some details - the dpad doesn't take much force to use and all 8 directions are clearly tactile. No microswitches on L/R, as you said, but they worked fine in my tests. The face buttons feel ok but everything except the start button has a bit of wiggle to it, which I'm not a fan of - it indicates poorer build quality to me.

But again, this is all fine for $25US.

Is their a way to make gens emulator run Burning Force and Panorama Cotten at a better frame rate?

BlastEm may be fast enough to meet your needs. Last time I checked, it ran Burning Force just fine.

(Yes, it also allows you to overclock the CPU.)

Today, I dug out a 6-button Genesis pad I never had the chance to properly test and use before moving, thinking I'd get a proper feel before getting a Retro-Bit USB replica.

I hate it.

I cannot comfortably grip it to feel that I can push the buttons or move the D-pad efficiently. The "handles" dig too much into my palms and there's just no way to hold it for long and concentrate on the game. Maybe my hands are too big and I've outgrown the pad compared when I was a teenager and thought it was one of the coolest, sleekiest pieces of hardware to ever grace a console. Perhaps I've been too spoiled by the Saturn USB pad I cobbled together years ago (Still going on strong, Start button is a bit unresponsive, though. Feels almost sensuous when holding and playing), but I just can't stomach the Genesis Arcade pad anymore.

That's sad, I remember that pad as a high point growing up and in recent years find it less comfortable as well.

Hey - good news is, you can get a Retro-Bit Saturn replica instead since you still seem to love the Saturn pad!

Last thought, when I use the Genesis pad these days my grip seems to naturally go "around" the top, so the handles aren't sticking into my palms but rather sorta sticking out on either side. Maybe not the way you'd think to grab it, but it lets me operate everything just fine and causes no discomfort.