hey guys, I want a sega sturn controller for my pc, but I know theres some knock offs and cheap builds floating out there. Is there any notable manufacturer of them or model type thats worth buying?
The Sega Logistics Services Official Saturn USB Gamepad. The high price drives a lot of people to the knockoffs, because SLS stopped making these ~10 years ago. Aside from the USB connector, these are Model 2 Saturn controllers. No compromises. I use mine for emulation of Genesis games and Streets of Rage Remake, and it's tops.
I got one of those free USB Saturn controllers you'd get for signing up for PlaySega in 2009. The plastic was as cheap as a Happy Meal toy, and the d-pad broke within about three months. However, I swapped shells and buttons with one of my original Saturn controllers, and it's served me well ever since. Doing something like this is probably a significantly cheaper option than the $110 official controller, though I do love the color.
If you combine a Play Sega USB controller and an original Model 2 Saturn controller like Josh suggests, as of posting that works out to $33.79. If you're willing to fiddle with some screws, this should be viable. I bought my SLS when they weren't so scarce, so I paid about the same as you would for Josh's option. If I ever need a second one of these controllers, I'd probably do it his way.
I got myself a Retrolink Model 2 Saturn style pad, it's been good to me so far. Though I do hear the plastic isn't the best quality stuff, so you can also swap parts with a real Model 2 Saturn pad to get something higher quality. Might be a lot cheaper than some of the other options listed so far in this thread; my pad only cost me $10 on eBay!
If you're worried about being burned, buy a sega saturn -> PC adapter and use a real saturn pad instead. Saturn->PC adapters are pretty cheap.
Oh goddamn, I aint paying 100 bux for that official one-_- And Id prefer a saturn one, I already have a 6button genesis controller. Might as well just grab one of those retro link ones for right now since there aren't too many options atm. Then most likely grab an official one from some local game shop. thanks for your help guys.
This is the controller I use for emulation: It has a very similar layout to that of the Saturn controller. Also the stick isn't analog, its neo geo styled, and is clicky. I quite like it. It was pretty cheap, but its build quality is excellent.
I'll throw my voice in for this option as well. I've got a Saturn/Dreamcast/PS2 USB adapter for work, and it's worked extremely well for me.
