Sega Genesis USB Controller
posted on 11:15 01/27/2008 by idiot
I'm leaving this evening to go to Endeca training in Chicago. Usually I'd bring my Wii to keep me busy, but honestly I haven't been playing it much. I beat the halfway fantastic game Psychonauts (works fairly well on the PC with an Xbox 360 controller and JoyToKey) and was looking for something less laptoppy than Civ 4 or the Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Anor Beta I've been messing with. So I got the urge to pack a game pad and get MAME and Nebula running on this puppy so I could be the nerdiest boy on the plane.posted on 11:15 01/27/2008 by idiot
Nearly 2 years ago I bought a fantastic Sega Genesis-to-USB adapter (actually, two) from RetroZone. They are awesome, and work perfectly with my 6 button Genesis controllers.. My only minor gripe (which is probably Sega's fault) is the "Mode" button doesn't do anything. If I remember right, you held this button down while turning on the Genesis to make the controller act like a 3 button controller. I remember being annoyed even back then that this button seemed fairly useless. However the Genesis 6 button controllers made the less advanced Sega Genesis the console of choice for Street Fighter II. Throwing fireballs with a shoulder button is something you should only do if your doctor has insisted you find a better way to get carpal tunnel syndrome than trying to type on a keyboard strapped to your back..
Hell yes, son
I spent a chunk of time this weekend getting it all running on my laptop and was instantly reminded of why this pad is so freaking awesome, and why The King of Fighters 98 may very well be the greatest single piece of entertainment in the whole of human history (with the possible exception of those Greek orgies way back in the day). So naturally I went online to blog about the virtues of this only to find out that at some point, RetroZone has stopped making the adapters.
I had emailed them about getting a Genesis-to-Gamecube adapter (for use with the Wii's Virtual Console) last year, only to get this response:
We are unlikely to do any Genesis Wii adapters because of low demand
for our USB products and because not all Genesis Virtual Console
games can use the GameCube controller.
for our USB products and because not all Genesis Virtual Console
games can use the GameCube controller.
As for not all Genesis games using the Gamecube controller, I have my doubts. It's been a year and as far as I know, they all do. But the blame for the low demand (which explains the discontinuation of Genesis USB adapters) is to be placed squarely on you. Yes, you. You didn't buy buy consume consume, and as a result the guy (who is a saint for making them in the first place) has stopped selling them. You can email him at retrozone followed by the at symbol then his domain and humbly request he offer the product again.
I've looked around the net for an alternative only to find this. It's over priced and includes the redesigned 6 button controller. The redesigned controller is ok, but I prefer the originals. Plus if the thing ever gives out, your stuck unless you have solder skills, in which case you could probably build your own.
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