Any USB game pads that are like the Neo Geo CD pad?

[Classicgamer]

I consider the Neo Geo CD controller to be the only awesome game pad I have ever seen. By "awesome" I mean it's gorgeous clicky thumbstick allows you to pull off rotational special moves in fighting games as well as you can with an arcade joystick.

Anyone who ever tried to do a spinning piledriver with a SNES pad will appreciate the value of a clicky thumbstick. The SNES d-pad sucked and the PlayStation 1, 2 and 3 d-pads sucked worse.

Anyway, as hard as I try, I can't seem to find any similarly designed USB pads with clicky thumbsticks. Do any exist? Every one on eBay seems to replicate SNES and PlayStation pads. None have micro-switch d-pads.

I am looking for something to hack for my own Neo Geo mini project.

[Classicgamer]

Basically, I want this except without the $242 price tag:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Neogeo-Pad-Usb ... Swwjhcj0li

[SCARTicus]

The version of the Neo Geo joypad that comes with the newish NeoGeo mini console has a USB-C connector. That may be the easiest route to go, although I do not know if drivers exist for the major OSs. The new pads can be purchased separately but do not have microswitches.

If you already have a real classic Neo Geo CD pad, then you can use an MC Cthulhu board to make a usb adapter for it. The classic pads have four action buttons, btw. Your picture is of the Playstation 2 version.

Sega D-pads (not DC) are the next best thing for fighting games, if you really must use a joypad. A real Saturn pad with a USB adapter can be had quite cheaply, and will be great for just about anything 2D.

[muckyfingers]

I consider the Neo Geo CD controller to be the only awesome game pad I have ever seen. By "awesome" I mean it's gorgeous clicky thumbstick allows you to pull off rotational special moves in fighting games as well as you can with an arcade joystick.

Anyone who ever tried to do a spinning piledriver with a SNES pad will appreciate the value of a clicky thumbstick. The SNES d-pad sucked and the PlayStation 1, 2 and 3 d-pads sucked worse.

Anyway, as hard as I try, I can't seem to find any similarly designed USB pads with clicky thumbsticks. Do any exist? Every one on eBay seems to replicate SNES and PlayStation pads. None have micro-switch d-pads.

I am looking for something to hack for my own Neo Geo mini project.

Buy the PS2 version for like $60-$75 and a PS2 to USB adapter.

[Gara]

What you're asking for are controllers with micro switches. Your options are darn limited. PDP Versus Pad and the Neo Geo CD are pretty much it. Apparently recreating the Neo Geo CD pad was cost prohibitive. The Mini controllers are absolute garbage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jEFxMLELSc
There is an Xbox 360, PS3, and a funky Marvel skinned version. Try Amazon if you want one. You could buy a new PS3 version for as little as $15.

I've seen a mod job of a Hori Fighting Commander that added micro switches to everything. It was a passion project though and looked very difficult.

https://forums.shoryuken.com/t/hori-fig ... lug/579041

https://youtu.be/Ijs-xQ0TVBQ

How cool is that?

Edit: You could also buy one of these and just use the Neo Geo CD.
http://www.2600-daptor.com/NEO-GEO-daptor.htm
I use it for an AES stick on my Groovymame setup and I have no complaints.

[Classicgamer]

What you're asking for are controllers with micro switches. Your options are darn limited. PDP Versus Pad and the Neo Geo CD are pretty much it. Apparently recreating the Neo Geo CD pad was cost prohibitive. The Mini controllers are absolute garbage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jEFxMLELSc
There is an Xbox 360, PS3, and a funky Marvel skinned version. Try Amazon if you want one. You could buy a new PS3 version for as little as $15.

I've seen a mod job of a Hori Fighting Commander that added micro switches to everything. It was a passion project though and looked very difficult.

https://forums.shoryuken.com/t/hori-fig ... lug/579041

https://youtu.be/Ijs-xQ0TVBQ

How cool is that?

Edit: You could also buy one of these and just use the Neo Geo CD.
http://www.2600-daptor.com/NEO-GEO-daptor.htm
I use it for an AES stick on my Groovymame setup and I have no complaints.

That is a cool mod. I always like seeing enthusiasts showing manufacturers how they could have made a decent product... if only they had put some effort in.

This is another example where the guy shows how easy and inexpensive it would have been to put micro-switches in the Neo Geo mini instead of that abomination of an analog stick:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lJomuuq4QZ4

I took a look at the PDP versus and it looks like it could be what I am looking for so I am going to buy one. I am assuming it is possible to make both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions work on a PC (or android)

Thanks for the recommendation.

BTW, I would have just used a Neo Geo CD pad but they don't have enough buttons for most non-SNK fight games. I use a Neo Geo stick with my Supergun but even button 4 won't work with Street Fighter 2.

[Classicgamer]

I ordered a PDP Versus (360 version) for $16 delivered. Can't argue with that if it does what it says on the can.

Hopefully it will be easy to hack this thing for my new Android handheld / table top emulator player.

[Taiyaki]

The new Neo Geo CD pad sucks as mentioned. The original for Neo Geo AES is pretty good but only has 4 buttons. The best bet is the Neo Geo Pad 2 for PS2 or the Neo Geo Pad for USB/PS3 which both are arguably even better than the originals in terms of feel (and they have 6 buttons) but they have durability issues. I've gone through 3 of them myself with one started to break down after just a couple weeks (forward was no longer registering well). I'm very gentle on these which is even more surprising that they would be so sensitive to wear. I've opened them up and cleaned them but that doesn't seem to be the issue. In one case one direction stopped working entirely, and I do not know how to repair it short of just swapping out a switch for another from another controller.

The greatest was the Neo Geo Pocket actually cause it felt just as good as any other dpad using microswitches but it also had great durability.

[Gara]

I ordered a PDP Versus (360 version) for $16 delivered. Can't argue with that if it does what it says on the can.

Hopefully it will be easy to hack this thing for my new Android handheld / table top emulator player.

Let us know how it works out for you.

It doesn't fit your use case, but if you're a fan of clicky micro switched controllers check out:

https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.p ... cts_id=154

It's a wonderful NES controller. Very clicky, long battery, and none of the latency issues of a Bluetooth controller. If you're not a fan of the batarang shape you can get a proper case printed.

3d printed case:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2930309

Photos of my own next to the old casing:
http://imgur.com/a/L1gSCi5

Retrorgb review:
https://youtu.be/dzcY4oWd9vE

[Classicgamer]

The new Neo Geo CD pad sucks as mentioned. The original for Neo Geo AES is pretty good but only has 4 buttons. The best bet is the Neo Geo Pad 2 for PS2 or the Neo Geo Pad for USB/PS3 which both are arguably even better than the originals in terms of feel (and they have 6 buttons) but they have durability issues. I've gone through 3 of them myself with one started to break down after just a couple weeks (forward was no longer registering well). I'm very gentle on these which is even more surprising that they would be so sensitive to wear. I've opened them up and cleaned them but that doesn't seem to be the issue. In one case one direction stopped working entirely, and I do not know how to repair it short of just swapping out a switch for another from another controller.

The greatest was the Neo Geo Pocket actually cause it felt just as good as any other dpad using microswitches but it also had great durability.

It's not the Neo Geo cd pads that suck. It's the Neo Geo mini pads that suck. They look the same on the outside but they replaced the microswitches with a analog thumbstick. The Neo Geo CD pads are amazing. Espiecially for fighting games and shmups (which is 90% of Neo Geo games).

There were no pads made for the AES (although the cd pads would work on one). The AES used big black joysticks. They were nice at the time but no better than any other arcade stick. They also released smaller (and cheaper) joysticks for the CD but I was too offended by the button reversal to ever try one.

[Classicgamer]

I ordered a PDP Versus (360 version) for $16 delivered. Can't argue with that if it does what it says on the can.

Hopefully it will be easy to hack this thing for my new Android handheld / table top emulator player.

Let us know how it works out for you.

It doesn't fit your use case, but if you're a fan of clicky micro switched controllers check out:

https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.p ... cts_id=154

It's a wonderful NES controller. Very clicky, long battery, and none of the latency issues of a Bluetooth controller. If you're not a fan of the batarang shape you can get a proper case printed.

3d printed case:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2930309

Photos of my own next to the old casing:
http://imgur.com/a/L1gSCi5

Retrorgb review:
https://youtu.be/dzcY4oWd9vE

Looks like an interesting project but they don't have enough buttons for my needs. I never had much nostalgia for the Nes as I was a Sega boy until I saw SF2 on the SNES. My first console was a Master Sysem.

I had never wanted to check out the old Nes library until recently when I saw this:

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/0 ... t_of_japan

I have been looking for a deal on an old Famicom since then.

On making custom cases, I have that covered. I own a business that makes composites (carbon fiber and fiberglass parts) and I have my own CNC machine. 3d printing has a place but, imo, for a custom high quality and one-off case it is best to mill it. Or, in my case, I'd make an aluminum mold on my CNC machine and then make it from carbon fiber.

I'll report back on the PDP versus. Looking at the reviews, it seems to split the room. Reading between the lines, it seems to be a better fit for people who are used to joysticks instead of pads. That would include me.

[Classicgamer]

I consider the Neo Geo CD controller to be the only awesome game pad I have ever seen. By "awesome" I mean it's gorgeous clicky thumbstick allows you to pull off rotational special moves in fighting games as well as you can with an arcade joystick.

Anyone who ever tried to do a spinning piledriver with a SNES pad will appreciate the value of a clicky thumbstick. The SNES d-pad sucked and the PlayStation 1, 2 and 3 d-pads sucked worse.

Anyway, as hard as I try, I can't seem to find any similarly designed USB pads with clicky thumbsticks. Do any exist? Every one on eBay seems to replicate SNES and PlayStation pads. None have micro-switch d-pads.

I am looking for something to hack for my own Neo Geo mini project.

Buy the PS2 version for like $60-$75 and a PS2 to USB adapter.

I might do that as well (if the PS3 PDP doesn't work on my PS2). I hate the D-pads on all official Sony controllers.

[Taiyaki]

The new Neo Geo CD pad sucks as mentioned. The original for Neo Geo AES is pretty good but only has 4 buttons. The best bet is the Neo Geo Pad 2 for PS2 or the Neo Geo Pad for USB/PS3 which both are arguably even better than the originals in terms of feel (and they have 6 buttons) but they have durability issues. I've gone through 3 of them myself with one started to break down after just a couple weeks (forward was no longer registering well). I'm very gentle on these which is even more surprising that they would be so sensitive to wear. I've opened them up and cleaned them but that doesn't seem to be the issue. In one case one direction stopped working entirely, and I do not know how to repair it short of just swapping out a switch for another from another controller.

The greatest was the Neo Geo Pocket actually cause it felt just as good as any other dpad using microswitches but it also had great durability.

It's not the Neo Geo cd pads that suck. It's the Neo Geo mini pads that suck. They look the same on the outside but they replaced the microswitches with a analog thumbstick. The Neo Geo CD pads are amazing. Espiecially for fighting games and shmups (which is 90% of Neo Geo games).

There were no pads made for the AES (although the cd pads would work on one). The AES used big black joysticks. They were nice at the time but no better than any other arcade stick. They also released smaller (and cheaper) joysticks for the CD but I was too offended by the button reversal to ever try one.

Yes I meant those, I called them the new Neo Geo CD pads but I really meant the Neo Geo pad for the Neo Geo mini, we're thinking the same thing though, I agree completely.

I pictured the CD pads as AES pads because that's where I used to use them on, I never played on a CD system but you're absolutely right they were created for that system in mind originally.

The original AES arcade sticks were pretty great but the buttons were a bit strange to me, I think they cheapened out on the buttons, shame cause the stick itself felt good, maybe not as good as what we have now (we can use an actual LS-40 and make any modern stick feel like a true Neo Geo system imo), but the AES stick was still pretty good.

[Bratwurst]

For what it's worth, I have ordered a CD Mini pad (the newer style that rearranged the face buttons) with the intention of designing a drop-in microswitch solution for the lacking thumbstick, similar to how I approached my lightgun kits. At $13.59 it's cheap enough I couldn't ignore the opportunity to fool around with the idea. I can't make any promises of course, I want to have one in hand to determine clearance, positioning, etc.

Plus a friend of mine recently complained that their original CD controller stopped working on the down direction so they may be sending me that as well to come up with a solution.

[Classicgamer]

[quote="T

It's not the Neo Geo cd pads that suck. It's the Neo Geo mini pads that suck. They look the same on the outside but they replaced the microswitches with a analog thumbstick. The Neo Geo CD pads are amazing. Espiecially for fighting games and shmups (which is 90% of Neo Geo games).

There were no pads made for the AES (although the cd pads would work on one). The AES used big black joysticks. They were nice at the time but no better than any other arcade stick. They also released smaller (and cheaper) joysticks for the CD but I was too offended by the button reversal to ever try one.[/quote]
Yes I meant those, I called them the new Neo Geo CD pads but I really meant the Neo Geo pad for the Neo Geo mini, we're thinking the same thing though, I agree completely.

I pictured the CD pads as AES pads because that's where I used to use them on, I never played on a CD system but you're absolutely right they were created for that system in mind originally.

The original AES arcade sticks were pretty great but the buttons were a bit strange to me, I think they cheapened out on the buttons, shame cause the stick itself felt good, maybe not as good as what we have now (we can use an actual LS-40 and make any modern stick feel like a true Neo Geo system imo), but the AES stick was still pretty good.[/quote]



When I owned my AES in the early 90's, those sticks were the best thing I had ever seen outside of the arcades. They were big, clickey and arcade-like. There were SNES Fight sticks but nothing great. These days, the $30 Mayflash fight stick I got off ebay is comparable to my old AES sticks.

Nobody ever made a pad to beat those Neo Geo Cd ones though. The Neo Cd console itself was terrible. I remember seeing one at a show and waiting what felt like half an hour for games to load. Totally not what SNK was meant to be about imo.

I swapped that AES with all my games to get the PS1 on the first day it came out in Japan. It was the worst gaming decision I ever made. That PS1 is worth $25 these days while people are paying over $1000 for some of the games I had. My aes collection would have been worth over $15,000 now....

[Taiyaki]

I swapped that AES with all my games to get the PS1 on the first day it came out in Japan. It was the worst gaming decision I ever made. That PS1 is worth $25 these days while people are paying over $1000 for some of the games I had. My aes collection would have been worth over $15,000 now....

Wow, yes, I can imagine. I think AES collecting is reserved for the wealthy now a days. Even MVS prices are no longer what they used to be.

[theclaw]

Hm, I'd better look into a USB adapter. My CD pad should be around here.
I briefly had an AES before the sticker shock for games I actually want sunk in. The MVS for a project that never got anywhere remains boxed up.

[Classicgamer]

I have one of those 161 in 1 carts for my MVS. It solves a lot of the price issues. There is only a few games that aren't on it that I'd actually want (and don't have). I bought Fatal Fury special for $20 and I'm waiting for an Art of Fighting 3 deal (which will never come).

To be honest, I rarely pull out the MVS / Supergun these days. Neo Geo emulation is so good on groovymame that I can't tell the difference on most games. The two where I can are Fatal Fury Special and Burning Fight but it's very minor. Most people would not be able to tell which was emulation even if they were running side by side.

BTW, collecting AES games was never affordable. I remember working all summer in a furniture shop when I was a kid just to buy Viewpoint. It has definately gotten more expensive though.

Used MVS games used to be cheaper. My friend had an MVS and Supergun in the early 90's. I paid $150 for my AES Samurai Showdown. He paid $25 when the game was still fairly new.

[Classicgamer]

The PDP arrived today and I have to say, it is great. I only had a chance to try Street Fighter 2 in mame on my phone but it passed the spinning pile-driver / dragon punch test with flying colors.

I could see it taking a little getting used to for people who are not used to playing with joysticks as it definately handles more like a stick than a pad. You can use the D-pad as a thumbstick or you can even hold it between finger and thumb to use like a regular (tiny) stick.

The D-pad is not quite as good as the Neo Geo CD as it's a little too small imo but, it's very clickey and responsive. And... unlike the Neo Geo pads, the buttons use micro-switches too. More importantly, the buttons are appropriately sensative and reliable for fighting games. I.e. You don't miss moves like you can with those non-microswitch pressure buttons.

So far, I'm happy with my purchase. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Bratwurst]

For what it's worth, I have ordered a CD Mini pad (the newer style that rearranged the face buttons) with the intention of designing a drop-in microswitch solution for the lacking thumbstick, similar to how I approached my lightgun kits. At $13.59 it's cheap enough I couldn't ignore the opportunity to fool around with the idea. I can't make any promises of course, I want to have one in hand to determine clearance, positioning, etc.

Making pretty good progress after about 13 design revisions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrtq8Omlrpc

Still needs some refinement but it feels great.

[Gunstar]

For what it's worth, I have ordered a CD Mini pad (the newer style that rearranged the face buttons) with the intention of designing a drop-in microswitch solution for the lacking thumbstick, similar to how I approached my lightgun kits. At $13.59 it's cheap enough I couldn't ignore the opportunity to fool around with the idea. I can't make any promises of course, I want to have one in hand to determine clearance, positioning, etc.

Making pretty good progress after about 13 design revisions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrtq8Omlrpc

Still needs some refinement but it feels great.

Nice work on this mod! Hope it gets to a place you're happy with it.

I was thinking of picking up a PDP Versus pad but thought against it as there's a lot of negative opinions about the durability of the switches (They tend to go 'soft'/stop clicking). I'd be fine with soldering better switches on but there were also few comments about the plastic wearing down on the stick and that resulting in missed diagonal inputs.