Differences Between Dualshock 2/3 Revisions?

[Lawfer]

I know that the Dualshock 2 had at least 5 revisions between 2000 and 2010, possibly 6 (since the PS2 was being manufactured all the way till the end of 2012).

The revisions goes like this:

2000-2002 Launch Dualshock 2

2003-2004 Revision 2

2005-2008? Revision 3

2009?-2010? Revision 4

2010 or 2011 Revision 5

Similarly the PS3 controller had quite a few revisions, the original Sixaxis controller from 2006, then the revision to the Dualshock 3, which all in all amounted to at least 3-4 revisions (Sixaxis, Dualshock 3, Dualshock 3 A1, Duialshock 3 B1, Dualshock 3 A2 and maybe more).

But does anyone know what these revisions entails (aside from the obvious changes between Sixaxis and Dualshock 3)? All that I gathered online was that the original Dualshock 3 used a different polymer than the latest revision (A2), but that's about it.

No info what all these Dualshock 2 revisions were about though and it's not much different about the Dualshock 3.

[Xer Xian]

Source? There's no mention of different Dualshock 2 revisions on this comprehensive SCPH- product number list (compare with the list for the PS1 which does have different controller revisions).

[Lawfer]

The website you mentions tracks changes in product code, however the Dualshock 2 is always SCPH-10010.

Well I am not sure if the word "revision" is the proper word for this, but there were some slight alterations to the Dualshock 2 and Dualshock 3 throughout the years.

[Guspaz]

The DualShock 2 (SCPH-10010) literally has a revision letter moulded into the rear label...

[austin532]

From experience Revision 3 and onward of the DS2 have a cheaper feel to them and crackle when you barely twist them. The d-pad tend to make an annoying click sound everytime you rotate it 360 with Revision 2. Cheaper plastic was used for sure. Also the D-Pad is slightly taller and sticks out of the controller a little bit more.

For DS3 I know there are two different back pieces. One where the space between the L1 R1 and L2 R2 buttons comes off and another where it's one piece. I believe that later DS3 have a longer lasting battery.

Here is a good site showing some differences.
http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html

[Lawfer]

The DualShock 2 (SCPH-10010) literally has a revision letter moulded into the rear label...

What? You mean like "A" or "H"? That's not really a revision it's the manufacturer or something akin to that, even the Dualshock (1) could be either A or H or something else.

For example you could even get a Dualshock 1 or 2 that says "M" and it stands for "Mitsumi". Those apparently are pretty rare, most of them are either A or H. However it does not seem to indicate the country or anything, Made in Japan can be "A", just as Made in Korea and Made in China.

From experience Revision 3 and onward of the DS2 have a cheaper feel to them and crackle when you barely twist them.

The d-pad tend to make an annoying click sound everytime you rotate it 360 with Revision 2. Cheaper plastic was used for sure. Also the D-Pad is slightly taller and sticks out of the controller a little bit more.

Overall the most "high quality" polymer from what I seen so far seem to be the one used for the 2000 Made in Korea Dualshock 2 models, you can feel the plastic is really sturdy and it tends to not have the "sticky sweat" feel that you would for example get when using a Dualshock 3 A2 revision (the latest revision of the DS3 with the lower quality polymer), you can even tell the difference by looking at the plastic, the regular made in china black DS2 (from 2001? and onward) are just black and not particulary shiny, while the made in korea models from 2000 are quite shinier in comparison (kind of like anthracite) and are not pure black-black as they have some kind of tiny white/silverish flakes mixed in it.

For DS3 I know there are two different back pieces. One where the space between the L1 R1 and L2 R2 buttons comes off and another where it's one piece. I believe that later DS3 have a longer lasting battery.

Here is a good site showing some differences.
http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html

I found this too:

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html

[brokenhalo]

whil the made in korea models from 2000 are quite shinier in comparison (kind of like anthracite) and are not pure black-black as they have some kind of tiny white/silverish flakes mixed in it.

That's glass-fibre reinforcement in the plastic. It stiffens the plastic up and feels better in the hand. The con is that it wears out the mold faster, so costs more to make. I'd bet if you took one apart, you'd probably see some markings on the inside that explain what the plastic is. There should be a "GF" followed by a number that indicates the percentage of glass-fibre used. Good quality power tools are usually GF-30, as a reference.

[austin532]

Interesting. I also notice a lot of controllers and systems use what is called ABS. I'm not expert but I assume that's cheaper to make?

To me the launch DS2 controllers feel the best. The plastic is firm and doesn't crackle, the buttons have a nice clunk feel to them, and the d-pads don't click. The problem though is I think they only came with the systems.

[Lawfer]

To me the launch DS2 controllers feel the best. The plastic is firm and doesn't crackle, the buttons have a nice clunk feel to them, and the d-pads don't click. The problem though is I think they only came with the systems.

Japanese launch or US launch? Also do the "launch controllers" that you mention have that metallic cavity in the middle of the inner side of the connector?




Also it's not just a difference in terms of polymer, if you'd look at these pictures:









You'd notice that there's quite a bit of difference between the boards too!

whil the made in korea models from 2000 are quite shinier in comparison (kind of like anthracite) and are not pure black-black as they have some kind of tiny white/silverish flakes mixed in it.

That's glass-fibre reinforcement in the plastic. It stiffens the plastic up and feels better in the hand. The con is that it wears out the mold faster, so costs more to make. I'd bet if you took one apart, you'd probably see some markings on the inside that explain what the plastic is. There should be a "GF" followed by a number that indicates the percentage of glass-fibre used. Good quality power tools are usually GF-30, as a reference.

Very interesting, thanks alot for the info, here is a picture that shows it:

[austin532]

The Japanese and US use the same controllers.

All of the controllers have that metal clip. It's part of the same one that's exposed on the top.

[Lawfer]

The Japanese and US use the same controllers.

They didn't launch at the same time though, you do realize some of the console model revisions only launched in Japan because the PS2 only came quite a bit later in the US and Europe, right? The first US model was SCPH-30001, while Japan's first model was SCPH-10000.

All of the controllers have that metal clip. It's part of the same one that's exposed on the top.

Nope, they don't, see this 2000 model:



As you can see, the metal clip cavity in the inner top side of the connector is missing and that's the same thing for all my 2000 (and possibly early 2001 too?) Dualshock 2 controllers wether they are Made in China or Made in Korea.

[austin532]

It's possible the 10000 and the 30001 controllers are slightly different but any revisions released after that will be the same inside for both countries.

You must have the day one controller then. Does it have a sticker on the bottom of the connector?

[theclaw]

SCPH-10520 is a odd revision of the Dualshock 2 that doesn't support rumble.
Unmistakable blue retail box instead of yellow.
http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/ ... -no-rumble

Its origins are somewhat mysterious. Although the release date suggests it's connected to the Immersion lawsuit, the rest of the rumor is that it appears to have been exclusively sold separate from the console (when a pack-in makes more sense for such a pointless controller), and only at Walmart stores in North America. (why just one retailer in a single region?)

[austin532]

I've always wondered the reason for this. I figured it was for people with a medical condition who can't handle strong vibrations.

[Lawfer]

It's possible the 10000 and the 30001 controllers are slightly different but any revisions released after that will be the same inside for both countries.

If you would take a look at the pictures of the boards I posted, you can clearly see this to not be the case, Sony kept changing the insides the boards, a Made in China Manfactured by "A" from 2000 are quite different from the boards of the Made in China Manufactured by "A" from 2010, it does make sense that the japanese launch controllers would have a few internal differences compared to the US launch controllers due to the difference of release dates between Japan and the US.

There are even differences between A, H and M boards, even beside that the connectors between "A" and "H" display differences, "A" controllers have 9 pins, while "H" controllers have 8 pins instead.

You must have the day one controller then. Does it have a sticker on the bottom of the connector?

I have both controllers that showed a similar pattern, the lack of a cavity in the inner top side of the connectors, one Made in China "A" controller I got with my SCPH-10000 PS2 which does not have any information on the back side of the connector and another one US one that I bought stand alone which is Made in Korea "A", the packaging indicates the year "2000".

[theclaw]

I've always wondered the reason for this. I figured it was for people with a medical condition who can't handle strong vibrations.

Most of all the boring name. It's actually called Analog Controller.

[austin532]

@Lawfer I'm not an electrical engineer so if you could tell me all of the big differences and why they did it I would appreciate it.

[Lawfer]

@Lawfer I'm not an electrical engineer so if you could tell me all of the big differences and why they did it I would appreciate it.

I am not an electrical engineer either, but you can easily spot the differences, as for why they did it? I have no idea, this is why I started this thread, I mean there is 5 (possibly 6) "revisions" of the Dualshock 2, going from 2000 till the end of 2012 and well I have no idea what these revisions are for ("stability"?) I mean look here:

Launch Dualshock 2 Manufactured by "A" Made in China (A stands for ALPS, more info on the company here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps_Electric)



Dualshock 2 from 2005 or later Manufactured by "A" Made in China:



Now look here, this is the Dualshock 2 manufactured by "H" Made in China ("H" stands for HORI, HORI Dualshock 2 have 8 pins of the connectors compared to 9 from the ALPS connectors, more info on the company here: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/HORI):



And here is a Duslshock 2 manufactured by "M" Made in China ("M" stands for MITSUMI and Dualshock 1 and 2 made by this company are pretty rare, I never had one myself, only got A's and H's, more info on the company here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsumi_Electric):

[austin532]

I'm pretty sure the H stands for Hosiden. I can see why someone would assume it's Hori though given there track record with making controllers.

[Lawfer]

I'm pretty sure the H stands for Hosiden. I can see why someone would assume it's Hori though given there track record with making controllers.

I am assuming this is based on this post:

https://assemblergames.com/threads/fixi ... ons.53675/

Well the exact same user that made this post in 2016, said that H stands for HORI here in 2011 here:

https://assemblergames.com/threads/play ... ons.34072/

And another user say that H stands for Hori:

https://assemblergames.com/threads/play ... nts.44549/

Though someone corrects the user and mention that the H stands for Hosiden rather than Hori:

https://assemblergames.com/threads/play ... 549/page-2

Anyway, based on your knowledge in the field of electrical engineering, which would you say has the superior board?

I know that the parts and polymer used for revision 2 and onward was cheaper than the launch ones, however what about the PCB though? The launch PCBs seems kinda messy and not ass efficient compared to the PCBs from revisions 3 and onward. So what do you think?

I can always take them parts (shells and buttons) from a Revision 1 and put them on a revision 3,4,5 if it turns out that latter revisions had better PCBs than revision 1.

[DarkoSM]

I know it was a decade before anyone posted a question but i have i big problem with this manufacture differences. I have 3 PS2 Controllers labeled H and one with latter A. I have carefully read all reply on this topic and i think someone can help me with my problem. I bought PS2 to USB adapter and problem is that it only reads A type of Controller, none of my H Controllers do nothing when i press buttons (with or without analog on). All Controllers work on my console but i cant get Hs to run on pc via adapter. What the heck is going on and is there a solution for this headache?

[Lawfer]

I know it was a decade before anyone posted a question but i have i big problem with this manufacture differences. I have 3 PS2 Controllers labeled H and one with latter A. I have carefully read all reply on this topic and i think someone can help me with my problem. I bought PS2 to USB adapter and problem is that it only reads A type of Controller, none of my H Controllers do nothing when i press buttons (with or without analog on). All Controllers work on my console but i cant get Hs to run on pc via adapter. What the heck is going on and is there a solution for this headache?

There is a big difference in designs and engineering between models and manufacturers, it's not surprising that there would be some inequal compatibility between models when using the controllers with a configuration that they weren't originally made for.

There are even big differences between revisions from the A maker (Alps), meaning the A controller that you have right now and that works it doesn't mean that another A controller would work if the revision would be different.

I mean just look at the differences between the A controllers, from this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=60935

The only thing you can do is just use the controller that works, you only need one controller after all.

[DarkoSM]

All of my Controllers are SCPH 10010. My Alps is Mid Version as i can see from the pictures. I actually want to give one to my friend as a present for birthday next month because he is also passionate about PS2 controllers and also wants one for his PC (quality sensitive analog joysticks, unbreakable rubber, great overall feel in hands) to us PS2 controllers are the best! I will give him the only working one, and die searching for fix for the others.

[Lawfer]

All of my Controllers are SCPH 10010.

Yeah, but what differs are the PCBs revisions, chip revisions, manufacturers among many other things, it's what is inside that greatly differs, SCPH-10010 is just a way to mean "Dualshock 2".

Some have 9 pins, some have 8 pins, some have soldering on the top left side of the PCB, some have resistors, some don't have any resistors, what you can do is try to find the exact same revision that you knowe works on ebay, maybe ask the seller the open one and compare it to your revision controller?

Aside from this there isn't much else you can do.

[DarkoSM]

Thx for your time. Now i read that H Joypads have problem with PS2 Slim also. Ill first try to find different PS2 to USB adapter. Maybe that will be solution for my problem. H series are maybe incompatible but build quality and overall feel is better. Ill find a way to use them.

[Syntax]

I'm not sure if it helps but you can use a BlissBox 4-play to determine what revision firmware the controller is running.

[DarkoSM]

Interesting. BlissBox 4-play seams like a legit adapter. I just hate because the basic package is 35$ and there is no PS2 adapters extensions because you need to pay extra for them. Seams like a hollalota money just for piece of short wire. If i find a good dill i'l give it a shot. Thanks

[DarkoSM]

If it can be of any help i can post a pictures of opened controller and its chips.

[buckchow]

whil the made in korea models from 2000 are quite shinier in comparison (kind of like anthracite) and are not pure black-black as they have some kind of tiny white/silverish flakes mixed in it.

That's glass-fibre reinforcement in the plastic. It stiffens the plastic up and feels better in the hand. The con is that it wears out the mold faster, so costs more to make. I'd bet if you took one apart, you'd probably see some markings on the inside that explain what the plastic is. There should be a "GF" followed by a number that indicates the percentage of glass-fibre used. Good quality power tools are usually GF-30, as a reference.

Very interesting, thanks alot for the info, here is a picture that shows it:

Are the "flakes" only really clear like that on the back of the controller? I've compared the fronts of sealed black controllers sold at retail with 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2010 dates on the packaging. They all have flakes but they're not as obvious as what your picture shows even under bright, direct light. The one I have here that's from 2000 and is Made in Korea looks exactly the same as the others. The controllers all have a higher concentration of flakes on the left side of the front than the middle and right side.

Obviously I can't see the backs as long as they're sealed, but maybe I could be convinced to open one or two up for a proper inspection.

[Lawfer]

Are the "flakes" only really clear like that on the back of the controller? I've compared the fronts of sealed black controllers sold at retail with 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2010 dates on the packaging. They all have flakes but they're not as obvious as what your picture shows even under bright, direct light. The one I have here that's from 2000 and is Made in Korea looks exactly the same as the others. The controllers all have a higher concentration of flakes on the left side of the front than the middle and right side.

Obviously I can't see the backs as long as they're sealed, but maybe I could be convinced to open one or two up for a proper inspection.

This controller is a Made in Korea one in new condition, one of the first revisions without any metal clip cavity and with the full 9 pins.