Good pad solution for shmup playing on PC

[stratos]

Sorry if I post this a second time, I did it in "off topic" section, but then I thought that here were probably more people that coul'd answer me that didn't hang around there, so...


Here we go:

I really need to buy a very good adaptor to use my PS2 Dual Shock pad on my PC. It's really frustrating when you are playing your favourite shmups with an old (and half broken) Microsoft Sidewinder pad and you die because you press "down" on the directional button and it input "down-right", making your sprite to collide with an enemy bullet... It's not a digital unaccuracy: the directional cross is anatomically and mechanically unbalanced. I quit with Garegga for this reason (waiting to buy a Saturn for this), and now I'm near to quit also with E.S.P. Rade, since the pad is really my first enemy in my 1CC attempts...


I tried with the only adaptor I found in my town, a cheap one I have to say, but it isn't responsive when you input diagonals... it reacts with a half second delay!!!


So, I'd like to buy a very good product, highly responsive, not necessarily cheap, and I have to buy it from Italy (where I live). Please give me some advices if you know well wich is the best adaptor on the market, and possibly from where I coul'd afford it.


The other chance woul'd be a well made and direction balanced PC pad compatible with windows XP pro... It shoul'd be comfortable, with a mechanically and anatomically well made cross for accrate movements.


Another choice coul'd be an arcade stick: I really prefere the pad adaptor, but if it isn't other chance, I coul'd take it... let me know what are the best products on the market, since I really want to make a very good purchase.


Thanks in advance, see you soon

[Eps]

As I said on the other topic, Play-Asia do Sega's PC version of the Virtua Stick for US$30, plus shipping. Having used the Saturn version I can confirm that it'll be 100 times better than using a pad

[stratos]

Thanks, but I want to take a stick only if I can't find a good pad or adaptor, as a side choice.

[benj]

How about one of these?

[kemical]

*edit* crap i just saw you are in Italy, not sure how much help this is.

I picked a couple of these up from Fry's electronics, like $9 or something.. I think it is absolutely awesome and has gotten me using a pad again, it just feels very comfortable to me (my thumb mainly).

http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/prod/P220.htm

its totally generic, I hacked one apart to use in a custom joystick, just a tiny pcb inside.

[Vertex Zenith]

The other chance woul'd be a well made and direction balanced PC pad compatible with windows XP pro... It shoul'd be comfortable, with a mechanically and anatomically well made cross for accrate movements.

I can recommend the Thrustmaster Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Rumble Force, or the Thrustmaster 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad. These gamepads follow the PlayStation button layout, except that they have even more buttons and the button-mapping is programmable and stored in an internal memory chip. In fact, these gamepads have two connecters at the end of the controller cable: one connecter is for USB on a PC, and the other is for PlayStation 2. Both of these gamepads are the same, except that the former has vibration feedback which works with both Playstion 2 and with vibration-feedback PC games, and the latter's vibration feedback works for only PlayStation 2. See:

Thrustmaster Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Rumble Force:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/eng/d_prd.php?p=T401&fam=5

Thrustmaster 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/eng/d_prd.php?p=T174&fam=5

See also:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/eng/dsp_fam.php?fam=5

And look here for places around the world to buy Thrustmaster gamepads:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/eng/wheretobuy.php


Thrustmaster is a European company (its parent company is Guillemot Corporation, http://www.guillemot.com ), so you should be able to find a store relatively close to you that has these, even if you have to mail-order from an online store.

I have two Thrustmaster Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Rumble Force gamepads, and they work great. The construction of these gamepads feels quite sturdy; not cheap or flimsy. I use them for emulators on the PC. These Dual Trigger 2-in-1 Rumble Force gamepads come with software for use on the PC to get the vibration feedback to work with vibration-feedback PC games--but other than for vibration feedback on the PC, you don't have to install this software to get these controllers to work.

[Vertex Zenith]

See also the below IGN.com review of the Thrustmaster 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad:

"Thrustmaster 2-in-1 Dual Trigger Gamepad--Even with PS2 and PC support and programmable triggers, is it worth your money?," Chris Roper, IGN.com, October 28, 2004:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/561/561506p1.html

[ResOGlas]

I use a USB Saturn pad or Virtua stick. I like em' both.