SNES ASCII pad - worth it?

General Off-Topic
#1

So far I’ve been through a Beeshu Zipper and a Sansui Joycard. These third-party NES controllers are highly regarded by the retro gaming community. The ones I received were broken, requiring me to attempt to open them up and repair them, which was ultimately futile. With the Sansui, it was a problem with the turbo slider switches; I couldn’t get both of them to work in all three positions. The Sansui was very finicky - the problem is that the back screws have to be tightened just right or else there isn’t sufficient pressure on certain sensors. Each of 6 screws has to be just right. I wound up stripping one of the screw heads after fiddling for about an hour. The screws are also deeply set, making it that much more annoying. I gave up on the Sansui.

The Beeshu Zipper was better, but had a different problem. Tilting the controller forward or backwards caused the pause button to activate. I opened the controller and could see nothing obvious that would cause this. In the process of opening it, one of the plastic pegs that held the main wire in place snapped off. I gave up on the Besshu Zipper.

I just want a turbo controller with a D-pad that will work on arrival and not require any repairs or maintenance. The great thing about Nintendo hardware is that it’s nearly indestructible and works fine 30 years later. I know that I could use a PS3 controller for everything but that doesn’t feel as authentic.

The SNES ASCII pad looks like it might be an ideal candidate as an NES and SNES controller, but I have reservations. The ASCII SNES Advantage joystick is a horrible controller due to very poorly designed buttons that frequently get stuck. However, the NES Advantage joystick, also produced by ASCII, was a very solid controller. I’ve never owned an SNES ASCII pad and I’d like to hear some opinions from those who have.

#2

Yes, the SNES Ascii pad is awesome. I’ve heard (but can’t vouch for the veracity of the claim) that Ascii pads were made with official SNES controller parts. Either way, they’re ergonomically very similar to the stock controllers and the buttons and dpad have the same feel (perhaps slightly tighter in the dpad). The turbo sliders are also great, with very fast repeat. The autofire ‘x’ button is a tremendous help in Contra 3 :stuck_out_tongue:

I had one as a kid and recently re-bought one on eBay for ~$12. Well worth it, IMO!

#3

[QUOTE=hunterk;29225]Yes, the SNES Ascii pad is awesome. I’ve heard (but can’t vouch for the veracity of the claim) that Ascii pads were made with official SNES controller parts. Either way, they’re ergonomically very similar to the stock controllers and the buttons and dpad have the same feel (perhaps slightly tighter in the dpad). The turbo sliders are also great, with very fast repeat. The autofire ‘x’ button is a tremendous help in Contra 3 :stuck_out_tongue:

I had one as a kid and recently re-bought one on eBay for ~$12. Well worth it, IMO![/QUOTE]

Sounds like this is the one worth getting. I’m going to go ahead and grab a couple.

also, can you think of any N64 games or PS1 games that even really benefit from a turbo function?

Speaking of Contra, I 1 CC’ed Contra and Super C earlier this year using a regular controller, and I think that’s probably why I have persistent soreness in my right thumb now :frowning: One of the reasons I need a good turbo controller.

#4

[QUOTE=hunterk;29225]Yes, the SNES Ascii pad is awesome. I’ve heard (but can’t vouch for the veracity of the claim) that Ascii pads were made with official SNES controller parts. Either way, they’re ergonomically very similar to the stock controllers and the buttons and dpad have the same feel (perhaps slightly tighter in the dpad). The turbo sliders are also great, with very fast repeat. The autofire ‘x’ button is a tremendous help in Contra 3 :stuck_out_tongue:

I had one as a kid and recently re-bought one on eBay for ~$12. Well worth it, IMO![/QUOTE]

Sounds like this is the one worth getting. I’m going to go ahead and grab a couple.

also, can you think of any N64 games or PS1 games that even really benefit from a turbo function?

Speaking of Contra, I 1 CC’ed Contra and Super C earlier this year using a regular controller, and I think that’s probably why I have chronic occasional soreness in my right thumb now :frowning: Which is why I need a good a turbo controller.

#5

PS1 has a lot of shmups that benefit from having turbo. Dunno about much else. I’m sure n64 has a few but I can’t bring anything to mind…

Congrats on the Contra 1+2 1-cc. I’m planning to tackle the first one in 3 lives pretty soon. It’s going to take some serious practice on the level with the flame shooters; that one’s a real meatgrinder!

#6

[QUOTE=hunterk;29251]PS1 has a lot of shmups that benefit from having turbo. Dunno about much else. I’m sure n64 has a few but I can’t bring anything to mind…

Congrats on the Contra 1+2 1-cc. I’m planning to tackle the first one in 3 lives pretty soon. It’s going to take some serious practice on the level with the flame shooters; that one’s a real meatgrinder![/QUOTE]

Thanks! It definitely felt good to clear those off my backlog. They’re among my favorite games, now.

I would suggest using a Game Genie or save states to practice that level during a practice play through, then beat it regularly during your “legit” run. I often do this to beat difficult games; I don’t have the patience anymore to play the entire game just to get to the one part I need to practice, so I do an initial play through of the entire game using save states and then a “legit” play through without using save states. I’ve mastered/beaten a lot of difficult games this way. Some “purists” may scoff at this, but they are bad people.

Also, just try to keep the spread gun the entire game and fire as rapidly as possible. Don’t even bother with any of the other weapons. This makes it immensely easier to beat both games, but you probably knew this already.

as far as PS1 shooters go, what popular titles are there besides Einhander? I didn’t play much besides RPGs on the PS1. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it to get a turbo controller with analogue sticks. Then again, almost no PS1 games used the analogue sticks, so the SNES ASCII pad might suffice, even though that’s kind of weird.

#7

Most PS1 shmups have rapid fire by default or a control option to enable it. Gradius Gaiden, Einhander, Raystorm, Harmful Park, Zanac X Zanac and R-Type Delta all do.

#8

PS1 has a shit-ton of great shmups: http://www.racketboy.com/retro/phenominal-playstation-ps1-2d-shooters-shmups-library

#9

Thanks, that’s what I was wondering. Looks like most of the shmups on PS1 that I’d be interested in playing already have built-in turbo, making a turbo controller redundant for those games. I think the SNES ASCII pad will cover all my turbo needs, except for Genesis which has a different button layout. Is there a Genesis turbo controller on par with the Ascii pad?