Post#8 » Fri Mar 11, 2022 12:20 pm
I bought this controller recently and thought I'd bump this to share my thoughts.
I ordered through Amazon initially. I've been playing racing games, so the first thing that I tried was Sega Rally 2 and Daytona USA 2001. The analog stick seemed to be acting strange out of the box. Since these games both have calibration settings, I checked and noticed that the game was only recognizing 80% of the input when tilting left.
I contacted Retro Fighters customer support, and they shipped me a new unit immediately, which I received about two days later. The stick on this one feels firmer and does not have the same issue thankfully.
After using it for a while, my general thoughts are that it's very comfortable to use, but feels very light and cheap. The overall ergonomics of the controller are an improvement on the original design, but unfortunately the build quality seems to be fairly mediocre overall. It does feel more substantial with a VMU and rumble pack inserted, so if you get one I recommend loading it with peripherals. The best parts of the controller are the D-pad and analog stick. In racing games particularly, the stick can feel more precise than the original, even though I don't love how loose it feels (which is actually brought up in the FAQ's that come with the controller). The D-pad feels sturdy in all directions and is certainly an improvement. Elsewhere, the buttons feel nice and tactile, but are spaced more closely together - this isn't too noticeable, but I would have preferred if they had kept the same distance.
Overall, I'd say this is a fine controller, but far too expensive for what you're getting. For $25 or so, I'd say it's a no brainer, but at $50 it's tough to recommend. I will commend their customer service, because it was extremely prompt, and they sent me a new unit immediately and without question.