PS2 to USB Converters

[Lord Nepenthean]

I just wanted to recommend these to all of you.  PS2 to USB converters are the greatest things ever.  If you EVER use a controller on your PC for gaming, you need one of these converters.  They work really well with every emulator I've tried them on, and I imagine they work just fine with any PC game that supports USB controllers.

Radio Shack carries (or used to anyway) a one-controller version that works great, and that I used for a long time.  I think it was like $10 or so, and well worth it.  I was going to get another for two-player gaming, but they were out of them or don't carry them anymore.  eBay came to the rescue with a lot more options, including the four-player converter that I ended up purchasing for $10 or so.  Shipping was a ripoff at $9, but for a four-player PS2 to USB converter that works perfectly, it's worth it to me.  (The four-player one even claims to support the rumble feature on PC games that have it.)  These both work with PSX controllers as well.

The Evil Leon can testify to their awesome power, but he did have one problem with the one he bought from Radio Shack.  His worked fine with regular PSX and PS2 controllers, but when he tried using a (I think) Interact arcade stick controller, he ran into problems.  Still, for what they cost, I think they're a great investment.  The PC controllers out there just don't cut it (especially when it comes to D-pads).

[Izret101]

If i played more PC games i would definately buy one of these. I have used them myself and almost did buy a converter at one point when i was playing StepMania and alot of ROMs on my computer.
Definately agree though that most PC controllers and joysticks just don't hold up. They just dont have the right feel and are not made as well when it comes to functionality and for the joysticks calibration.

[Arrrhalomynn]

Do the analog sticks work in it as well?

[Lord Nepenthean]

They did with the PlayStation emulator I tried them on, but I haven't tried using the analog sticks on anything else yet.

[jonlester]

If it's not too far off topic, has anyone tried this Stelladaptor yet? You can use your Atari 2600 joysticks through your USB ports.

http://www.atariage.com/s...th=31&products_id=267

I might get one at some point but it's not what I'm in the most hurry to have.

[danvx6]

1. Watch out for cheaper converters ir you are going to be using a dance pad with it, some of them dont allow 2 opposing directions be pressed at once, meaning you cant do the up/down or left/right combinations, most of the ones that work for dance pads are imports that can be bought online

2. almost every pc controller with analog sticks has square-shaped holes for the analog sticks, so when you push the stick into a corner of the square there is more motion in this direction than there should be, this can make many games harder to play

as a side note, NEVER buy a Saitek P880, it has problems with emulators and has the square analog issue

[Izret101]

Also that controller is a minimum of 6 years old and when i was at curcuit city today it still was selling for its original price of 20 bucks. There is something seriously wrong with that.

[Mike Leon]

Saitek controllers suck donkey wang. In fact, every PC controller sucks donkey wang. If you absolutely MUST buy one because someone is threatening to play Enya Cd's if you don't, then get a MS Sidewinder. They're still crap, but they're like crap that comes out really fast and doesn't require much wiping, as opposed to crap that takes nine hours to get out and then an entire roll of toilet paper to clean up and then plugs up the toilet causing it to overflow and poo-water leaks through the floor boards and ends up all over your brand-new, factory-sealed Neo Geo AES.

I've got a PS2 - USB converter (Mike stole the idea from me) and they are most surely the way to go. The analog sticks do work, but you obviously don't get actual analog control unless the game you are playing supports it. Don't lie, I know you were wishing you could make Mario move at variable speeds.

[Odonadon]

I HAD to buy the converter for one main reason: NHL 2005.

I'm in a league with a bunch of guys at work, and of course I have NHL 2005 for both PC and XBox.  The gamepad for my PC is too dissimilar to the XBox controller, so I had to buy the adapter to get the feel as close as possible.  I practice on the XBox, and play the tournament games on the PC.

Also (and I haven't tried this yet), I'm betting that Soul Calibur 2 arcade stick I bought will rock with MAME.

OD

[Lord Nepenthean]

I don't know anything about them, but there are also X-Box to USB converters on eBay, if you would prefer to play with an X-Box controller:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eB...;item=8136421161&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eB...;item=8135313150&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eB...;item=8136627796&rd=1

Let us know if that Soul Calibur 2 stick works with it, too.  I'd be interested to know since the stick (not SC2) Leon had didn't work.

[Izret101]

The Soul Calibur stick he is talking about has plugs for Xbox PS2 and Gamecube. So a whatever to PC adapter will be an easy choice.

[Odonadon]

Yes, well, unfortunately, the arcade stick doesn't seem to work with the adapter.  I'm baffled.

OD

[Lord Nepenthean]

This link was found by Odonadon first, and I found it over at his board (go there now).  I just thought you all should see this.

NES to USB conversion instructions

[Izret101]

That is so awsome. I would make one just because it makes no sense.

[Lord Nepenthean]

Of course it makes sense.  Lets say you have 200 NES games but are living in a dorm (closet-sized room at best) so you can't take them all with you.  You can play your games via an emulator, but using a keyboard doesn't exactly give the same NES experience.  To the rescue comes the USB NES controller.