Retro-bit's Sega controllers

[Retro-Bit]

Thanks for sharing. I picked up a Genesis one for use with the Genesis Mini. Like you, I've got a Joyzz that I've been happy with on the original console.

I was disappointed to see that the Saturn Slate Grey isn't in stock yet. I'll be picking up one of those. I'm looking forward to trying it with my Super Gun as well.

Yeah, we were told they have them in-stock they're just waiting for some switches to be flipped.

[bigbadboaz]

I think the Slates are in-stock at Castlemania.

[tusecsy]

I like that the guy super obsessed with nostalgia is all about buying retro-bit controllers. Ebay buddy. Ebay.

Does everything Retro-bit makes suck compared to the original thing? Yes, obviously.

Same with every other company doing this crap.

As long as used originals exist for the same price just buy them, this isn't rocket science folks.

PS. Yes...I've tried them.

[bigbadboaz]

Okay now.

It's pretty well-established by now that these controllers are several steps above what Retro-Bit has done in the past.

As for eBay, no one is finding vintage Sega pads with USB, ten-foot cords, Bluetooth, or 2.4 GHz capability. Not anywhere.

But of course, you well know this already.

[opt2not]

Is other Retro-Bit stuff officially licensed? These Sega controllers are, right?

[donluca]

Okay now.

It's pretty well-established by now that these controllers are several steps above what Retro-Bit has done in the past.

As for eBay, no one is finding vintage Sega pads with USB, ten-foot cords, Bluetooth, or 2.4 GHz capability. Not anywhere.

But of course, you well know this already.

The guy is one of the most irrelevant trolls ever existed. He only posts to complain and fuel flames and arguments without ever bringing something useful to the table. He has his own crusade against Terraonion and now, it seems, Retro-Bit as well.

But by now you've probably noticed how everyone has understood that and no one every replies to him. Just ignore his messages and go on.

He'll probably just go away, like he did for the last months and pop up randomly from time to time to test the waters.

[Retro-Bit]

Is other Retro-Bit stuff officially licensed? These Sega controllers are, right?

Not everything but we have our SEGA licensed controllers, our licensed multi-carts from Data East and Jaleco, our Irem releases of Holy Diver, Metal Storm, and R-Type Collection. We also announced upcoming Toaplan games, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Hammerin' Harry, and Undercover Cops - all licensed. All the games loaded onto our plug-and-play consoles were also licensed. We've been growing our relationships with other prospective companies. We hope that increasing our quality and service helps in getting us there and being able to release awesome licensed stuff.

[Johnpv]

Got mine from amazon today, and while I've only had like 20 - 30 minutes to play with it, it feels pretty dang good. I played some Galactic Attack to try it out, and initial impressions have me happy with it. I also have to say the blue is really nice in person, I think the photos you guys have up for it aren't doing it justice. It's really clear too on certain parts of the controller, makes it very easy to see the internals.

[opt2not]

Got mine from amazon today

whaaaa? I got onto the Castlemania pre-order and haven't received my shipping notice yet. Retro-Bit, do you know if Castlemania is lagging behind on getting these shipped?

[bobrocks95]

Is other Retro-Bit stuff officially licensed? These Sega controllers are, right?

Not everything but we have our SEGA licensed controllers, our licensed multi-carts from Data East and Jaleco, our Irem releases of Holy Diver, Metal Storm, and R-Type Collection. We also announced upcoming Toaplan games, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Hammerin' Harry, and Undercover Cops - all licensed. All the games loaded onto our plug-and-play consoles were also licensed. We've been growing our relationships with other prospective companies. We hope that increasing our quality and service helps in getting us there and being able to release awesome licensed stuff.

I ordered a 2.4GHz Saturn controller along with Metal Storm from Castlemania Games- can't wait for them both to ship! Any updated ETA for standard edition Metal Storm?

[Johnpv]

Got mine from amazon today

whaaaa? I got onto the Castlemania pre-order and haven't received my shipping notice yet. Retro-Bit, do you know if Castlemania is lagging behind on getting these shipped?

I have been watching that Amazon page like a hawk, refreshing it like once or twice a day, and I want to say on Monday I could finally order it, and it shipped yesterday for me. No idea with the Castlemania stuff.

[Retro-Bit]

Got mine from amazon today

whaaaa? I got onto the Castlemania pre-order and haven't received my shipping notice yet. Retro-Bit, do you know if Castlemania is lagging behind on getting these shipped?

Last we heard, he was busy fulfilling all the orders as his stock arrived earlier this week. I am sure they are going through all the pre-orders as we speak.

I ordered a 2.4GHz Saturn controller along with Metal Storm from Castlemania Games- can't wait for them both to ship! Any updated ETA for standard edition Metal Storm?

ETA is late November/early December. We got some preview videos from our factory and wow - it is SO shiny. We hope to have some early review units out before then so people can see all the good stuff.

EDIT: Updated release ETA. Had to check on shipping ETAs.

Got mine from amazon today, and while I've only had like 20 - 30 minutes to play with it, it feels pretty dang good. I played some Galactic Attack to try it out, and initial impressions have me happy with it. I also have to say the blue is really nice in person, I think the photos you guys have up for it aren't doing it justice. It's really clear too on certain parts of the controller, makes it very easy to see the internals.

We are happy to hear the feedback! It can be tough to get a good pic of clear controllers. Too much light and the internals "re-color" the clear side. Too bright a background and then the background overpowers the color. We're leveling up our in-house photography and it'll be more apparent when we launch our updated site (which is much more image friendly).

Also, shout out to everyone who tags us on social with your amazing pictures. We love to see them if you got them.

[Bratwurst]

Retro-Bit, there is also another way to solve this color dilemma. Take that awesome transparent blue and make new cases for the Sega Saturn. Then everything would match for those who want things to match. Perfect solution!

Oh, we wish we could do that. Baby steps!

I would love to buy an aftermarket replacement shell for the Sega Saturn yet I recognize the absurd expense that would lie behind the construction of the mold. Nonetheless count me among the extremely limited target audience for such an undertaking.

It sort of puzzles me that there was a phase for a while there where you could buy PS1, Dreamcast and PS2 shells, but now nothing, really. Handhelds like the GBA but that's it.

[SLS4001SS]

I'm thinking of getting one of the 2.4ghz Saturn controllers for emulators and PC games and I have a few questions about the controller. Does the dpad read as a dpad or the left analog stick when connected to a PC? Can the dpad be switched between dpad and left analog stick or is that a switch only feature? Do the home and select buttons work on PC? Is the x-input layout the same as the wired Saturn controllers? Thank you.

[opt2not]

Last we heard, he was busy fulfilling all the orders as his stock arrived earlier this week. I am sure they are going through all the pre-orders as we speak.

Just got my shipping notice. Nice! I don't know what kind of bandwidth CastlemaniaGames has, I'm assuming he's a small shop with a very skeleton crew, so it makes sense that it's taking a little while to get all orders out.

Looking forward to trying these out and reporting my findings back here.

[Retro-Bit]

I'm thinking of getting one of the 2.4ghz Saturn controllers for emulators and PC games and I have a few questions about the controller. Does the dpad read as a dpad or the left analog stick when connected to a PC? Can the dpad be switched between dpad and left analog stick or is that a switch only feature? Do the home and select buttons work on PC? Is the x-input layout the same as the wired Saturn controllers? Thank you.

It supports D-Input and X-Input. You can switch between the two via a macro. Additionally, those "Switch" DPad macros apply to the USB receiver itself so anything that uses the USB receiver can utilize the DPad macros for DPad mode, left analog, right analog, and A-B/X-Y flip mode. . The manual has all the details. We should have more uploaded on our support site in the coming days.

Just got my shipping notice. Nice! I don't know what kind of bandwidth CastlemaniaGames has, I'm assuming he's a small shop with a very skeleton crew, so it makes sense that it's taking a little while to get all orders out.

Looking forward to trying these out and reporting my findings back here.

Glad to hear it! We don't know how big his crew is but we heard the pre-orders were quite numerous.

[it290]

Received my 2.4ghz Saturn controller from Castlemania today and gave it a go playing Xeno Crisis on the MiSTer; achieved my best run to date on the first go. The controller connects super seamlessly and feels totally lagless; haven't tried it on the Saturn yet. Really looking forward to playing some Cuphead on the PC with this baby. Thus far (like the wired version), my only complaint is that the dpad's plastic is a little low quality and lacks the texture and solidity of the real deal. It's very slick, which may cause some missed inputs due to your sweaty thumb sliding around that would never happen on the real deal. I realize that exact duplication of the original plastics is probably not possible, but something just a tad more grippy would be very appreciated.

Also, to Retro-Bit: I think this may be related to the input modes hotkeys for the Switch, but while playing on the MiSTer with the USB receiver I was trying to activate infinite mode on Xeno Crisis which requires an input of Right + B + C + Start. Everytime I tried to do this my inputs would get all jacked up, ABXY would flip and my dpad would no longer function (presumably because it was now acting as a different input). The '3 second' timing didn't seem to be a factor, this was instantaneous. So since these inputs can interfere with gameplay, maybe add another button in a future firmware update or otherwise prevent them from being triggered accidentally?

[bigbadboaz]

If you have any old Saturn pads lying around, good chance you can swap an original D-pad on there. Would love to hear how this works - was pretty clear from photos that the new D-pads weren't properly textured. :/

[Retro-Bit]

Received my 2.4ghz Saturn controller from Castlemania today and gave it a go playing Xeno Crisis on the MiSTer; achieved my best run to date on the first go. The controller connects super seamlessly and feels totally lagless; haven't tried it on the Saturn yet. Really looking forward to playing some Cuphead on the PC with this baby. Thus far (like the wired version), my only complaint is that the dpad's plastic is a little low great and lacks the texture and solidity of the real deal. It's very slick, which may cause some missed inputs due to your sweaty thumb sliding around that would never happen on the real deal. I realize that exact duplication of the original plastics is probably not possible, but something just a tad more grippy would be very appreciated.

Also, to Retro-Bit: I think this may be related to the input modes hotkeys for the Switch, but while playing on the MiSTer with the USB receiver I was trying to activate infinite mode on Xeno Crisis which requires an input of Right + B + C + Start. Everytime I tried to do this my inputs would get all jacked up, ABXY would flip and my dpad would no longer function (presumably because it was now acting as a different input). The '3 second' timing didn't seem to be a factor, this was instantaneous. So since these inputs can interfere with gameplay, maybe add another button in a future firmware update or otherwise prevent them from being triggered accidentally?

Heya, we have firmware for the USB receiver that extends the Switch DPad macros from being near instant to an actual 3-second window. Instructions are included with the download. http://retro-bit.com/controllers-support

[it290]

@Retro-Bit: Cool, thanks for the quick response. New firmware fixes the issue indeed.

@bigbadboaz: Good idea. I promptly took you up on your suggestion and swapped in the dpad from an original gray pad and it definitely improves the grip and responsiveness of the Retro-Bit pad. Prudent advice as this will probably be my go-to pad for a while. The downside is that the white cross on the inside of the pad is fitted a little differently on the repro controllers vs. the originals, which makes the original Saturn controller's dpad response 'flatter' when the Retro-Bit dpad is installed. It still works in the OG controller, but it doesn't feel quite right. Worthwhile if you have a spare pad that you don't mind degrading slightly.

[bigbadboaz]

Nice. I've had that experience too, you can move Sega D-pads around but they don't always feel the same mounted on a different shell.

I didn't quite get from your post - did you try switching the actuator part around as well, or just the pad? Maybe you can get it right with different combinations.

[it290]

I switched both the actuator and the pad. Yeah, might go back and tinker with the original pad at some point, but honestly I have 8 or 9 of them so it's not really a priority. The Retro-Bit pad feels great with the Sega dpad and actuator and that's what counts.

Honestly, not sure that it's possible to mix and match the Sega dpad with the Retro-Bit actuator, since the latter is screw-mounted and the hole is a fair bit smaller than the one on the Sega pad. Would probably take some fiddling to get those two to play together nicely.

[moltomolto]

Got mine from Amazon last night, and it is a really lovely controller. Feels great and I can't sense any lag on my Saturn via PVM.

I did see one problem when trying to use this on my HAS Supergun though. Not sure if this is fixable via firmware or what the issue is exactly, but it doesn't really work properly as it keeps spamming one of the buttons without any input on my end. Works fine though with standard wired OEM pads.

[cave hermit]

Will the wired controllers for the original genesis be back in stock on Amazon soon?

My 8bitdo M30 doesn't play nice with Xenocrisis (and the amount of force needed to plug in the receiver flush is concerning), and my hyperkin pad is kind of meh, so I've been looking for a replacement wired 6 button controller, which this seems to fill the niche for quite nicely.

Problem is my local game store (Classic game junkie) sold out of them and needs to reorder, and Amazon only has a few from third party sellers at an inflated price.

[Retro-Bit]

Got mine from Amazon last night, and it is a really lovely controller. Feels great and I can't sense any lag on my Saturn via PVM.

I did see one problem when trying to use this on my HAS Supergun though. Not sure if this is fixable via firmware or what the issue is exactly, but it doesn't really work properly as it keeps spamming one of the buttons without any input on my end. Works fine though with standard wired OEM pads.

Excuse my ignorance here, does the HAS Supergun take USB input? Have you tried it in D-Input mode? On testing with arcade emulators, we noticed the default X-Input mode would cause problems. Let us know and so we can investigate.

[Retro-Bit]

Will the wired controllers for the original genesis be back in stock on Amazon soon?

My 8bitdo M30 doesn't play nice with Xenocrisis (and the amount of force needed to plug in the receiver flush is concerning), and my hyperkin pad is kind of meh, so I've been looking for a replacement wired 6 button controller, which this seems to fill the niche for quite nicely.

Problem is my local game store (Classic game junkie) sold out of them and needs to reorder, and Amazon only has a few from third party sellers at an inflated price.

Keep your eyes on our Amazon store over the next few weeks. We will have sales and more (and restocks, of course).

Where are you located at? I see we still have them in stock on our USA Amazon store.

[strygo]

I received my Genesis 2.4 Ghz controller a few days ago. My Saturn one is due to arrive today.

I'm a huge fan. The build quality, presentation and case, and price are unmatched. I'm using mine for my Genesis Mini. If I didn't already have Joyzz controllers for my original Genesis, I'd pick up more in a heartbeat.

I'll leave it to others to do exhaustive performance testing, but I couldn't feel any lag whatsoever. I didn't notice the controller at all when playing the games. Thank you Retro-Bit!

[cave hermit]

Will the wired controllers for the original genesis be back in stock on Amazon soon?

My 8bitdo M30 doesn't play nice with Xenocrisis (and the amount of force needed to plug in the receiver flush is concerning), and my hyperkin pad is kind of meh, so I've been looking for a replacement wired 6 button controller, which this seems to fill the niche for quite nicely.

Problem is my local game store (Classic game junkie) sold out of them and needs to reorder, and Amazon only has a few from third party sellers at an inflated price.

Keep your eyes on our Amazon store over the next few weeks. We will have sales and more (and restocks, of course).

Where are you located at? I see we still have them in stock on our USA Amazon store.

Those are the USB controllers though, I need one that plugs into the original genesis.

[Fudoh]

Excuse my ignorance here, does the HAS Supergun take USB input? Have you tried it in D-Input mode? On testing with arcade emulators, we noticed the default X-Input mode would cause problems. Let us know and so we can investigate.

Mike (RGB* here on the board), who builds the HAS supergun, offered DB15 to actual Saturn port adapters with his units.

* viewtopic.php?f=4&t=52895

Maybe you could hook him up with a sample controller (one with an actual Saturn connector) to track down the problem and solve it one way or the other.

[Retro-Bit]

Those are the USB controllers though, I need one that plugs into the original genesis.

Oh, oops haha. We checked with our Amazon team and they will let us know what the ETA is on the original 6-Button Genesis controllers.

Maybe you could hook him up with a sample controller (one with an actual Saturn connector) to track down the problem and solve it one way or the other.

We will let our team know. There are so many 3rd party devices out there, it's hard to keep track of all of them.