Retro-Bit Big 6: Six Button OG Genesis/Mega Drive Controller

[Sengoku Strider]

Retro Bit have announced a new concept with Sega's blessing: a 6 button controller based on the original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive form factor.

https://retro-bit.com/big6

3 models have been announced:

Wired for Genesis/Mega Drive
Wired USB for "PC, Mac and other USB compatible devices" - which I think we can presume at least includes Switch
Wireless USB, also for "PC, Mac and other USB compatible devices"



Personally, my all-time favourite is the Japanese 6 button form factor (even over the JP Saturn), but I know some people love the original. It was basically the Genesis' version of The Duke.

And yes, while their controllers are otherwise fantastic, I think we should all cross our fingers that they finally solve the issues with the dpads wonking out.

[DMC]

I gave up on Retrobit recently after having had frequent d-pad issues with their Saturn pads, so bought the raphnet USB adapter instead. Seems awesome so far.
https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/s ... /index.php

[TransatlanticFoe]

Oh yes please, I love the original 3 button pad and hadn't bothered with the 6 button jobby precisely because of the size. Will be nice to finally play Ranger-X properly!

[pablumatic]

I'll have to get a couple of the wireless versions. $15 cheaper than the Nintendo produced 3-button bluetooth Genesis controllers.

[Sengoku Strider]

https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/s ... /index.php

This results in a minimum total latency of 3ms, and of 6ms by default.

This sounds like something designed to give certain corners of the internet conniption fits.

[Martinov]

To echo DMC, I won't go near retrobit again either; I got one of the faulty first batch of Saturn pad from them, and despite several promises to replace it they did nothing about it.

[To Far Away Times]

I played with a retro bit 3 button genesis controller at a retro game convention and I was impressed. Can't imagine this would be any less excellent.

8BitDo makes excellent retro controllers as well. I have their SNES and Genesis 6 button controllers and they are fantastic.

We've come a long ways from the shitty madcatz knockoff controllers of the past. There are third party companies that make controllers that are better than the real thing.

[o.pwuaioc]

I gave up on Retrobit recently after having had frequent d-pad issues with their Saturn pads, so bought the raphnet USB adapter instead. Seems awesome so far.
https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/s ... /index.php

So, between this and Martinov's comment, it seems this was an issue particularly with one batch of Saturn controllers? Can anyone else weigh in here? I'd love to have one of these if the build quality is excellent, but I don't think I own any of Retrobit's controllers.

[Sengoku Strider]

I gave up on Retrobit recently after having had frequent d-pad issues with their Saturn pads, so bought the raphnet USB adapter instead. Seems awesome so far.
https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/s ... /index.php

So, between this and Martinov's comment, it seems this was an issue particularly with one batch of Saturn controllers? Can anyone else weigh in here? I'd love to have one of these if the build quality is excellent, but I don't think I own any of Retrobit's controllers.

I got one back in fall 2020, it wouldn't register left inputs on the dpad after a while. But I was able to replace it; I'd gotten it as a gift from my brother so I forget the particulars, following up on what Martinov said they might have redirected him to go through the retailer for a replacement, I forget. But the replacement did indeed show up once bro finally got around to it.

As to whether the issue was resolved...TBH I don't know. In the interim, a shop near me had an open box Retro-Bit Genesis 6-button, which I took a gamble on. It's been absolutely perfect, and I like the general ergonomics even more than the Saturn pad, so I've left the Saturn replacement in its packaging for now. I'll open it if I ever need it for anything in particular, but in absence of that I'll leave it sealed on the off chance it becomes valuable down the line. Between my RAP V, pro controller, joycons & the 6-Button I'm pretty much covered for digital multiplayer.

But anyway, in general I've been happy enough with their controllers that I wouldn't let the experience with needing a replacement dissuade me from going with them again. They appear to have just about the best latency out there, and the actual dpad design moulding is excellent. Glad to see they've gone with that again here, rather than the original flat Genesis cross pad.

[Steven]

I remember when they announced this a long time ago. Nice to see that it's getting ready to ship. Now hopefully they'll finish working on their Dreamcast and analog Saturn controllers and that new Nomad that they never formally announced.

I really wish these didn't have a 10 foot cable. I play at my desk with my Mega Drive sitting on my desk, so the long cable gets in the way and I'll run over the cable with my chair and shit and it's extremely fucking annoying, so I ironically end up liking wireless or the ridiculously short 1 meter (?) cable on the SJ-6000. I suppose I can just use the twist ties that it will certainly come with to shorten it, though.

[o.pwuaioc]

But anyway, in general I've been happy enough with their controllers that I wouldn't let the experience with needing a replacement dissuade me from going with them again. They appear to have just about the best latency out there, and the actual dpad design moulding is excellent. Glad to see they've gone with that again here, rather than the original flat Genesis cross pad.

Thanks! That's heartening. Honestly, could have just been a manufacturer's defect, something wrong with the plant. Small time players get unfairly screwed when things go wrong at the plant, although there is no excuse for stringing someone along for a replacement.

But I think I will take a gamble on this anyway. I really don't like the various 6 button controllers out there, having grown up with a 3 button one and preferred the SNES controller to the 6 button Genny one when it was released. This does seem like the best of both worlds.

I really wish these didn't have a 10 foot cable. I play at my desk with my Mega Drive sitting on my desk, so the long cable gets in the way and I'll run over the cable with my chair and shit and it's extremely fucking annoying, so I ironically end up liking wireless or the ridiculously short 1 meter (?) cable on the SJ-6000. I suppose I can just use the twist ties that it will certainly come with to shorten it, though.

The one upside with an unnecessarily long cable is that the extenders we have can be used for Atari joysticks instead.

[bigbadboaz]

There have been two reports on Reddit the last week alone of the RetroBit Dpads breaking. Doesn't look good in light of their claim three years ago that they had sorted out "the initial batch of wrongly formulated plastic".

[sunnshiner]

I gave up on Retrobit recently after having had frequent d-pad issues with their Saturn pads, so bought the raphnet USB adapter instead. Seems awesome so far.
https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/s ... /index.php

So, between this and Martinov's comment, it seems this was an issue particularly with one batch of Saturn controllers? Can anyone else weigh in here? I'd love to have one of these if the build quality is excellent, but I don't think I own any of Retrobit's controllers.

I got a Retro-Bit usb wired Saturn pad and it's ok. The dpad action's not positive enough so it's no use for shmups (for me), it's like the membrane's the wrong compound (too soft) or something and I had to take it apart to remove some moulding flash from the dpad actuator. The dpad rolls nicely but it can also slide around in the facia 2mm or so, like it needs a thin shim to take up a bit of slack. The buttons are good though and it's ok for fighting games.

[bigbadboaz]

Their Genesis pads are a better reproduction than the Saturn ones. But again, they have NOT fixed the durability of the Dpads.

[Martinov]

Just to confirm. my big beef is their craptacular customer service. I can forgive a bad batch, but when their customer services repeatedly assure me they're going to replace it and then do nothing about it, I'm not likely to go back for business.

Also, for what it's worth, a little while later I caved in and purchased one of Retro-Bit's MD Mini controllers and found it introduced additional input delay (maybe an additional frame or so) over the packed in controllers. I don't want to be burned again.

[bigbadboaz]

Ironically, a lot of people have had great CS experiences. I myself have had parts replaced for the controllers I do have.

It's just a shame/ridiculous that as a unit they don't get that nicely replacing defective parts will never trump just engineering the things properly in the first place. You will still get a bad rep from the fact they broke at all, and we as customers can't necessarily trust that the replacement parts will last any better than the originals (as has certainly been shown with these products.. they keep breaking).

As far as extra lag.. they definitely use a questionable USB chip in some of the pads too. I posted in the original thread how the wired Gen pad I bought would have been perfect, except for the damn generic USB chip that couldn't stay connected to the PC through a standard sleep/wake cycle. Great plastics, reproduction accuracy, button and Dpad feel - all completely worthless because there is absolutely NO WAY I'm reaching around the back of my PC to unplug/replug the damn thing every single time I wake my PC up.

Boneheaded.