looking for "original" d-pad rubber pads for NES & SNES

[infidelity]

I've purchased new rubber kits off of ebay, 2 different places, because I wanted to have fresh rubber parts. After using these new rubber pads for the d-pad, I've noticed the any kind of diagonal pressing action, simply refuses to function without the use of severe thumb pressure to activate it.

This is very noticeable in games like Contra (running while shooting diagonal is almost impossible) & Street Fighter II. (any kind of rolling combination for a special move is impossible)

I wanted to know if there was a place that sells the original rubber pads, or if I have to repurchase original controllers to get them? Thanks!

[nakedarthur]

Also interested if anyone has any good sources for these for any system (Genesis, PS1, etc). For NES I've had really good luck with the ones that Nintendo Repair Hut sells. They feel soft and responsive, not too much pressure needed for the D-pad. I tried their SNES ones as well thinking they'd be similar, but found them severely lacking so I wouldn't recommend those. The best SNES ones I've found so far were at retrofixes, but they're out of stock now it looks like.

[Hoagtech]

I found the L and R buttons on the SNES to be terrible with the third party pad kit.

I could barely jump in Mariokart.

New SNES pads and dogbone NES pads would be amazing.

[infidelity]

The trigger buttons, I had to wedge pieces of thick packaging like you would get from a pack of batteries, between the rubber button and plastic trigger button, that seemed to do the trick, was very responsive no matter where my index finger pressed on it. I even tried wedging a piece on the triggers small motherboard, and the controller motherboard, so that the trigger sensor was pushed up more, making more contact with the button press.

I just purchased the nes set, and sent an email to retrofixes asking when those snes kits will be back in stock.

[Bratwurst]

Uncertain about the SNES Classic since it's not officially out yet, but the controllers (housing, buttons and membranes) that were sold for the NES Classic last year were compatible with the OEM controllers, you just had to swap out the circuit boards with their respective cable. Maybe with a new run in 2018 this will still be the case- and about as close to 'new old stock' as you could get considering they were manufactured to Nintendo's specifications.

[Brad251]

I had the opposite experience with the Nintendo Repair Hut replacement pads compared to Naked Arthur. I found the Repair Hut NES pads to be awful. All the pads were raised to high, the d-pad was too stiff and the a/b pads were slightly too big so you had to squish them to fit. I purchased these pads two years ago so maybe the are different now but if they are the same I definitely wouldn't recommend them. I have also bought some replacement NES pads off Ebay that had a clear pad for the d-pad that were okay. With these pads, the d-pad was raised a little low but still somewhat comfortable and the a/b pads were just alright.

I found the SNES replacement pads from Nintendo Repair Hut to be very good. They are orange and green pads just like the original pads and to me, they have a similar feel to the original SNES pads. I didn't have any issues with the L/R pads not functioning properly. However, Repair Hut doesn't seem to have the SNES pads in stock right now.

There is a company called RepairBox that sells replacement rubber pads on Amazon and I bought some RepairBox SNES pads that are nearly just as good as the Repair Hut pads. The only issue I had with the RepairBox SNES pads is that I had to press down the (L) button extra hard in order for the button press to register but the other pads feel great and nearly as good as original pads.

Another thing I did for NES pads was buy what is called "Doc's Controller Repair Kit". These were sold in the early 90s when you can still find new old stock on Ebay for around $15. The kit comes with replacement pads and buttons and they feel great when you use them with the buttons in the kit. However, the pads are little smaller than OEM NES pads and when you use them with OEM NES buttons, they don't feel that great but are still functional. If you are okay not using OEM NES buttons, the Doc's Repair Kit is a great choice. It is a nice collector's item as well.

[Guspaz]

The SNES classic controllers differ too much from the originals internally. It doesn’t look like any components can be used in the originals. The rubber bits secure differently, the buttons have different sized spokes, etc. Maybe some of the bits might still fit, but it’s not nearly as close to the original as the NES was.

[nakedarthur]

I had the opposite experience with the Nintendo Repair Hut replacement pads compared to Naked Arthur. I found the Repair Hut NES pads to be awful. All the pads were raised to high, the d-pad was too stiff and the a/b pads were slightly too big so you had to squish them to fit. I purchased these pads two years ago so maybe the are different now but if they are the same I definitely wouldn't recommend them. I have also bought some replacement NES pads off Ebay that had a clear pad for the d-pad that were okay. With these pads, the d-pad was raised a little low but still somewhat comfortable and the a/b pads were just alright.

I bought mine a year ago so most likely it is different stock. It seems like all these places are a total gamble with regard to consistency, so who knows if you bought them today. The ones I got fit perfectly and feel very close to my OEM ones, but I've had some crappy ones off eBay that are exactly like what you're describing.

[bobrocks95]

The SNES classic controllers differ too much from the originals internally. It doesn’t look like any components can be used in the originals. The rubber bits secure differently, the buttons have different sized spokes, etc. Maybe some of the bits might still fit, but it’s not nearly as close to the original as the NES was.

I had the same experience with the NES classic controllers too though. I think you'd have to replace the pcb to use it on an original console.

[Guspaz]

IIRC the board couldn't be swapped without some physical modification to either the shell or the board. The start/select button don't have the conductive bits in the same place, so they may or may not work with the original PCB even if you fit it in there.