Retro-bit's Sega controllers

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bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

What do you hate so much about it? I thought the controllers were quite good, it's just the random dealbreaking issues and their shitty customer support that has me totally turned off to this line.
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BrianC
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by BrianC »

It seems QC can be hit or miss. First two Genesis wired controllers I ordered both work on the 2600daptor and the raphnet Genesis adapter, as well as on real hardware. The latest one is detected as a three button with one and malfunctions with the other. The first two controllers behaved like an OEM controller with games where mode needs to be held, but the newest one doesn't work at all with Forgotten Worlds (it does work with Ms. Pac-Man with the mode button held all the way to the title screen).
kilauea
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by kilauea »

I've been using the 2.4ghz saturn one for quite a while, on a saturn at first and pc (retroarch on linux) since september 2020. No issues with premature battery draining and works like a charm. The usb dongle remains powered on my pc when it's in standby as I can see it flashing, but it makes no difference as the pad shuts down after a few mins with no input. I get a few days out of a charge.
bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

That still sounds like the battery drain issue to me. Unless you're putting in 7 hours gaming daily, these pads should hold a charge for at least a few weeks as opposed to a few days. They're digital pads closer to what 8bitdo offers, not battery disasters like the DualShock 4 which only claim about 8 hours life max. Hell, even that's an anomaly among the "modern" controllers vs. how long an Xbox or Switch Pro controller lasts.
kilauea
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by kilauea »

yeah it's pretty heavy use for a few days. I did put it down for a while recently (week+) and it still had charge when I went back to it. I've not measured it but I'd say it was better than the DS4's but nowhere near xbox 360 level. I've never found myself thinking "not again!!" like on some devices.

The 8bitdo m30 is nicer to hold and the battery does last much longer. Unfortunately I bought the Bluetooth one and the lag is shocking compared to the retrobit. Also it doesn't play as nicely with retroarch if you're swapping controllers - all 8bitdo's register as generic xbox 360 pads with the same identifier so button mapping is a pita. Not a problem with the RB.

So yeah, for my money it's the best pad available for playing emulated saturn and worked well on my real saturn too. I have the USB one too but it misses the extra buttons to map to RA functions for convenience.
bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

Oh, that's good to hear. Too bad it's an absolute crapshoot whether you get a working one or not.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

After having 3 or 4 of these things that behaved the same, I don't think there's anything different between each controller. I think there's something specific about people's systems that causes the drain. I wish I could work out what it was though.
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EmperorIng
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by EmperorIng »

My 2.4ghz pad works fine on the Saturn but I cannot for the life of me get the USB dongle to work on my PC. Does it just flat-out not get recognized by PCs? Or is this a common issue with the run of Saturn wireless pads?

The firmware update tool can't even find the dongle when inserted into the USB port, nor can the controller communicate with it. Is there something I'm missing?
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

EmperorIng wrote:My 2.4ghz pad works fine on the Saturn but I cannot for the life of me get the USB dongle to work on my PC. Does it just flat-out not get recognized by PCs? Or is this a common issue with the run of Saturn wireless pads?

The firmware update tool can't even find the dongle when inserted into the USB port, nor can the controller communicate with it. Is there something I'm missing?
Can you try it on another pc?
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EmperorIng
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by EmperorIng »

Not really, I'm afraid. I just got one. I also doubt it would make a difference; I built this pc with pretty beefy parts in 2017 so it isn't some crappy consumer model. Unless my sister's ultra-shitty 10-yr-old macbook is somehow going to recognize the dongle.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

EmperorIng wrote:Not really, I'm afraid. I just got one. I also doubt it would make a difference; I built this pc with pretty beefy parts in 2017 so it isn't some crappy consumer model. Unless my sister's ultra-shitty 10-yr-old macbook is somehow going to recognize the dongle.
Does the light flash when you plug it in?
H6rdc0re
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by H6rdc0re »

Any news on the 2,4GHz Dreamcast controller?
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

kilauea wrote:yeah it's pretty heavy use for a few days. I did put it down for a while recently (week+) and it still had charge when I went back to it. I've not measured it but I'd say it was better than the DS4's but nowhere near xbox 360 level. I've never found myself thinking "not again!!" like on some devices.

The 8bitdo m30 is nicer to hold and the battery does last much longer. Unfortunately I bought the Bluetooth one and the lag is shocking compared to the retrobit. Also it doesn't play as nicely with retroarch if you're swapping controllers - all 8bitdo's register as generic xbox 360 pads with the same identifier so button mapping is a pita. Not a problem with the RB.

So yeah, for my money it's the best pad available for playing emulated saturn and worked well on my real saturn too. I have the USB one too but it misses the extra buttons to map to RA functions for convenience.
When you finish using the pad, do you know if the pad goes to sleep before you turn the PC off, or does the PC shut off while the pad is still on? I've noticed the pad shuts off differently depending if it's left several minutes to go to sleep or if it gets disconnected because the PC is turned off (the lights flash differently I think). I'm wondering if this might make a difference in battery drain. Does the pad shut off in D-input mode (red light)?

I've charged my pad full (with a different cable this time) and made it shut off by turning the PC off first. Will see how long it lasts with no use. Probably still the same 2-3 days but who knows.
bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

Nice experiment, thanks for testing this. Sure hope they didn't actually design the pad so it couldn't sleep properly based on something random like this.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

Well, coming up to 5 days and the pad still has charge by not letting it go to sleep and forcing it to disconnect and shutdown instead. I did charge it with a different cable but it's pretty unlikely that had any effect. If anyone wants to try this, you'll probably need to make sure your motherboard doesn't supply power to usb ports when off with the right bios setting. This way you can either turn the PC off while the pad is still on OR just turn the pad on when the PC is off and it'll search for a connection for a bit then shutdown.

It's looking likely then that the sleep function doesn't actually work properly and it continues to draw power. Almost all of the time I would use the controller and let it go to sleep when I'd finished with it, continuing to use the PC after.

EDIT: I noticed in the manual it says something like 'If you have issues pairing, hold R+Start'. If you do this, it actually flashes a few times and then shuts off seemingly in the same was as it would if it can't see the dongle (i.e the PC is off). I'm hoping then this battery drain issue is fixed simply by holding R+Start to fully shut the controller down.
Last edited by SeeNoWeevil on Fri May 07, 2021 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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EmperorIng
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by EmperorIng »

SeeNoWeevil wrote:
EmperorIng wrote:Not really, I'm afraid. I just got one. I also doubt it would make a difference; I built this pc with pretty beefy parts in 2017 so it isn't some crappy consumer model. Unless my sister's ultra-shitty 10-yr-old macbook is somehow going to recognize the dongle.
Does the light flash when you plug it in?
The light blinks at a steady rate when I plug it in, the computer notices a "USB Gamepad" but I cannot get the pad to interface in any other which way (not detection, no configuration options), and the firmware installer for the 2.4ghz pad does not recognize anything connected to the computer.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

EmperorIng wrote:
SeeNoWeevil wrote:
EmperorIng wrote:Not really, I'm afraid. I just got one. I also doubt it would make a difference; I built this pc with pretty beefy parts in 2017 so it isn't some crappy consumer model. Unless my sister's ultra-shitty 10-yr-old macbook is somehow going to recognize the dongle.
Does the light flash when you plug it in?
The light blinks at a steady rate when I plug it in, the computer notices a "USB Gamepad" but I cannot get the pad to interface in any other which way (not detection, no configuration options), and the firmware installer for the 2.4ghz pad does not recognize anything connected to the computer.
Give this app a try. Remove old disconnected devices and find out which is the retrobit receiver and uninstall it from here to start from fresh. It's easier than viewing in device manager.

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

Well, that's 2 weeks so far on a single charge by using start+R to shut the pad down after each use.
bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

Thanks for the testing and the updates. Sounds like a workable solution in the face of Retro-Bit's negligence.

If you are using the pairing command to force it to shut down, though, does this mean you end up having to manually pair the pad again every time you power back up?
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

bigbadboaz wrote:Thanks for the testing and the updates. Sounds like a workable solution in the face of Retro-Bit's negligence.

If you are using the pairing command to force it to shut down, though, does this mean you end up having to manually pair the pad again every time you power back up?
No, it works basically the same, you just need to press start when turning it on to make it connect. I think R+Start basically triggers a disconnect (not unpair) as you get the same light pattern as when you turn the PC off with the controller on.

I actually emailed RB to let them know about this and they actually replied that that know about it and have been telling it to customers! Pretty annoying considering they told me how through all their internal testing they couldn't replicate it and making out it was a problem with my system specifically. All you have to do is leave the pad for 5mins to sleep!

Battery life is great avoiding this bug, I still haven't charged the pad.
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

Sounds workable, thanks again.

And fuck Retro-Bit.
Sargon
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by Sargon »

bigbadboaz wrote:Sounds workable, thanks again.

And fuck Retro-Bit.
Such a shame. These controllers could have been great. It's nice that we have a workaround for the battery drain, but that's still no excuse for Retro-Bit's inability or unwillingness to fix the actual issue... and the subsequent disappearance from this thread without any solutions being offered.
bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

Yep, I'll say it again: they clearly went for quality above their usual standard in the build, accuracy of re-creation, etc. They did try to step up and do justice to the Sega license. Why not follow through in all areas of quality control? It's just inconsistent and self-defeating. Can't wrap my head around it.
Sargon
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by Sargon »

I assume nothing ever got fixed here? It's really a shame that my 2.4 GHz Genesis controllers look and play amazing, but the batteries don't hold a charge when not in use. Retro-bit continues to release new products, but seemingly has abandoned all support for their Sega controllers.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

Sargon wrote:I assume nothing ever got fixed here? It's really a shame that my 2.4 GHz Genesis controllers look and play amazing, but the batteries don't hold a charge when not in use. Retro-bit continues to release new products, but seemingly has abandoned all support for their Sega controllers.
Nope, no firmware updates at all. Have you tried turning the controller off with inputs mentioned in this thread? I do that with my 2.4Ghz saturn controller to get around the issue. The battery actually lasts an incredibly long time doing this. It is a pain in the ass though.
mario64
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by mario64 »

Speak with your wallets folks. Don’t give money to a company which doesn’t stand behind their products.
Sargon
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by Sargon »

SeeNoWeevil wrote:
Sargon wrote:I assume nothing ever got fixed here? It's really a shame that my 2.4 GHz Genesis controllers look and play amazing, but the batteries don't hold a charge when not in use. Retro-bit continues to release new products, but seemingly has abandoned all support for their Sega controllers.
Nope, no firmware updates at all. Have you tried turning the controller off with inputs mentioned in this thread? I do that with my 2.4Ghz saturn controller to get around the issue. The battery actually lasts an incredibly long time doing this. It is a pain in the ass though.
Is that the R + Start combo? Do you have to re-pair it or anything after that, or do you just turn it on and go?
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bobrocks95
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bobrocks95 »

Sargon wrote:
SeeNoWeevil wrote:
Sargon wrote:I assume nothing ever got fixed here? It's really a shame that my 2.4 GHz Genesis controllers look and play amazing, but the batteries don't hold a charge when not in use. Retro-bit continues to release new products, but seemingly has abandoned all support for their Sega controllers.
Nope, no firmware updates at all. Have you tried turning the controller off with inputs mentioned in this thread? I do that with my 2.4Ghz saturn controller to get around the issue. The battery actually lasts an incredibly long time doing this. It is a pain in the ass though.
Is that the R + Start combo? Do you have to re-pair it or anything after that, or do you just turn it on and go?
It'll turn back on and auto-sync next time, at least for my PC usage. I tend to forget the button combo and you have to hold it for a good amount of time before it does anything though.
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bigbadboaz
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by bigbadboaz »

FYI, after being one of the people here who received multiple bad examples of these controllers, I ordered a 2.4 Genesis at the Black Friday price and.. it works! Perfectly! Specifically, I'm referring to the battery issue. And in true working state, these controllers are everything they should be.

So I can say for sure there are bad and good controllers out there. Maybe they fixed the issue and the newer controllers just work, maybe it's a lottery. But for those of you suffering with battery BS, I suggest ordering new and returning the bad controller you have in hand. You have the right to swap out until you get one that works PROPERLY.
SeeNoWeevil
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Re: Retro-bit's Sega controllers

Post by SeeNoWeevil »

bigbadboaz wrote:FYI, after being one of the people here who received multiple bad examples of these controllers, I ordered a 2.4 Genesis at the Black Friday price and.. it works! Perfectly! Specifically, I'm referring to the battery issue. And in true working state, these controllers are everything they should be.

So I can say for sure there are bad and good controllers out there. Maybe they fixed the issue and the newer controllers just work, maybe it's a lottery. But for those of you suffering with battery BS, I suggest ordering new and returning the bad controller you have in hand. You have the right to swap out until you get one that works PROPERLY.
I don't think there are any 'good' 2.4GHz Saturn pads out there as RB acknowledged it was a firmware bug to me. Unless newer controllers have new firmware they've not released to existing owners.
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