help identifying/finding PSone-specific controller

[Reaperman]

Here's a quick question, and if there's any place to find the answer, this is it:

 

Shortly after the release of the PSone system, there was an odd 3rd party controller which was designed to attach to the front of the system, essentially turning it into a portable (assuming you bought it a screen and battery too). What the heck was this controller called? It'd be easier to find (and buy) if I knew the name of it.

 

 

?

Edited April 8, 2011 by Reaperman

[Austin]

Hm, I've never heard of that but I would be interested to see what it is.

[Reaperman]

I've been destroying google looking for such a device.

 

The closest that I've seen today is this:

 

And just maybe I got confused about the above controller's function all those years ago. But I haven't given up on finding this phantom controller yet.

 

Clipping a controller to the front of the console does bring up a couple problems like needing to deal with the memory card slot, and the shoulder buttons. Not to mention the difficulties involved in actually using the thing.

 

I picked up the official psone lcd today which is what prompted this sudden need.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Reaperman

[+wood_jl]

This is for the PS2, but it is kind of what I thought you were thinking about.....

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008W747/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=atariage&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008W747

[SlowCoder]

Seems to me things like this would make the controller very front heavy. Probably would not take long for your hands to get tired, awkwardly trying to hold the controller up while playing.

[Reaperman]

This is for the PS2, but it is kind of what I thought you were thinking about.....

I've got a couple of those, and they're just great. Screen could be more detailed, but nobody's perfect.

 

Seems to me things like this would make the controller very front heavy. Probably would not take long for your hands to get tired, awkwardly trying to hold the controller up while playing.

I'm not sure it was designed to be picked up and played. That would put an awful strain on the ports, unless it also gripped the system from other places.

 

...But then again, the more I search, the less sure I am that the thing exists. That Joytech that I posted above looks really close in shape to the memory that I have. I've been through countless 'oddball controller' threads on forums across the internet looking for this thing--and all I've found out is that I also want a playstation pachinko controller.

 

I've started expanding my search to battery packs too, thinking that maybe there was a battery platform that the psone sat on that had a built-in controller. no luck yet.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Reaperman

[Rex Dart]

I think I've seen the thing you're talking about, and I believe it was more of an arcadey-style joystick setup, not meant to be held in one's hands.

[Reaperman]

HAH! I'm not crazy. (about seeing this controller, anyway)

 

According to this 2004 DP thread, it was made by "game elements" (possibly aka 'gem gaming') and it was hard enough to get info on back then--even talk of this device is rare. I still haven't seen a picture of it, but at least I know that it does exist. It *may* have been featured in a gamepro holiday shopper's guide (January 2003?). If anybody's got a gamepro stash, I'd love a pic of this item.

 

Ebay doesn't seem to have one. This is going to be one of those 'set up a search and wait a few years' kind of deals, I think.

Edited April 9, 2011 by Reaperman

[Reaperman]

Bingo

 

Below is a shot of the Philips Attachable PSone controller.

 

 

The "game elements" (aka gemini access/gem gaming) controller may be different still, or it may be a rebrand of the Philips. Still looking into it. It's cool that I found one, but the pic doesn't quite line up with my memory of it.

 

I don't know why days of searching have only yielded a single forum conversation and a postage stamp sized thumbnail, but it seems that the internet has a few gaps.

 

Naturally I'm currently shopping for the philips.

 

EDIT:

 

Second style located. This is the one that I remember. Known as the "control element," and sold at best buy. Both philips and gemini seemed to have a controller with this name, so I suspect they're identical.

 

 

EDIT:

(HERE) is an article describing the product, as well as a little info about the gemini/philips relationship.

 

Not quite a happy ending yet, as I still need to locate one for sale.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Reaperman

[Reaperman]

To summarize my experience with this controller, I saw it for one day at the Target store in Camarillo, CA, ~2003-4, clip stripped next to the psones which were rapidly going out of style. A day or two after seeing it, I convinced myself they were worth their price, but they were gone. Totally gone from everywhere. Their presence on the internet reduced to just a couple pictures posted above...

 

So, this controller has actually become one of my weird 'grails' in game collecting. Words cannot communicate the joy I am feeling tonight. After quite some time, ebay's home screen 'following' feed finally turned turned up the goods, and as of tonight, I finally own one of these NIB (granted it hasn't shipped yet). (link) Bravo for correct use of the term 'rare' in an auction.

 

Yes, I have been searching since well before starting this thread.

 

The two pictures from the auction represent the best images I've seen of this controller so far. They are below. It turns out there is only one model with both a d-pad and arcade stick control option. There is actually a memory card slot in the front. Many drinks have already been had in celebration of the winning of this auction. It has been one damn good night.

 

Edited April 14, 2014 by Reaperman

[xDragonWarrior]

To summarize my experience with this controller, I saw it for one day at the Target store in Camarillo, CA, ~2003-4, clip stripped next to the psones which were rapidly going out of style. A day or two after seeing it, I convinced myself they were worth their price, but they were gone. Totally gone from everywhere. Their presence on the internet reduced to just a couple pictures posted above...

 

So, this controller has actually become one of my weird 'grails' in game collecting. Words cannot communicate the joy I am feeling tonight. After quite some time, ebay's home screen 'following' feed finally turned turned up the goods, and as of tonight, I finally own one of these NIB (granted it hasn't shipped yet). (link) Bravo for correct use of the term 'rare' in an auction.

 

Yes, I have been searching since well before starting this thread.

 

The two pictures from the auction represent the best images I've seen of this controller so far. They are below. It turns out there is only one model with both a d-pad and arcade stick control option. There is actually a memory card slot in the front. Many drinks have already been had in celebration of the winning of this auction. It has been one damn good night.

 

control element 1.JPG control element 2.JPG

These are rare???.there's like 10 of these at my Local Play N Trade brand new for $10 a piece.Might have a reason to pick one or two up

[Classic Pac]

First of all I don't think there is such a thing as a rare controller, finding the manual for some of them now that's rare.

[Reaperman]

These are rare???.there's like 10 of these at my Local Play N Trade brand new for $10 a piece.Might have a reason to pick one or two up

Actually, now that I'm looking around, there's another on ebay for $50, and one on amazon for $70. It had been so long that I really gave up on manual searching and just let the ebay feed do the work. When I started this, I figured they were pretty common thing, and that I simply lacked the correct vocabulary to search for it. Heck, Ax had never heard of it in my 2012 WTB thread, and I figure he's seen at least a dozen of everything.

 

One thing I do find curious is that all of these Control Elements that are turning up are still sealed.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Reaperman

[Rex Dart]

Finally!

 

Gonna open it when it arrives? I'd like to hear how it works.

[cimerians]

Thats pretty cool...I'd like to know how it works too.

[TwinChargers]

That"s really cool, I've never seen that before. Hopefully it works out well for you. Congrats on finding your personal "grail".

[Reaperman]

Well, tonight it came and I've busted it out. I do have pics, but they will come later.

 

The first thing that strikes me as unusual is that the stick is actually micro-switched(!), meaning that the d-pad is really more of a very short stick with a flat top.

That tends to invite comparisons to a class of controller that this product doesn't at all stand up to. It's probably a shame that they did it this way instead of the 'd-pad on a stick' that I had been expecting. Because of its design choice, the pad has very stiff resistance when in use, and the stick too loose.

 

I'm still formulating an opinion of this, but I'm starting to wonder if a wave of returns didn't cut short its time in stores. It was expensive enough back in 2003 to cause me to hesitate for a few days, so it was not a low cost product, and it's performance is honestly quite low, but I'll get into that later too.

 

Still, I'm thrilled to have finally found one, and look forward to providing more info on it.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Reaperman

[Reaperman]

10th Anniversary Necrobump!

 

I happened to make a video on this thing today, and was reminded of this thread--turns out it was over ten years ago. (gosh I'm old)

If you'd like a closer look at this oddball controller, here it is.

 

 

[+jgkspsx]

How does it play? Did you get over the initial difficulty?

[Reaperman]

1 hour ago, jgkspsx said:

How does it play? Did you get over the initial difficulty?

Nope never really got past the break-in stage, it's more of a curiosity that got my attention primarily because I was unable to find one forever, and it sounds like such a great idea.

 

It actually plays kind of poorly.  The spring stiffness is pretty well suited for the d-pad, and very poorly suited for the stick.  the buttons at 12.5mm aren't much larger than the dualshock's 10mm buttons. I find its easiest to use with the d-pad when being used like a pinball machine (hands resting on the edges, but thumbs operating everything).  This is not how I pictured it working out. A stiffer spring, allowing a focus on stick-usage would probably work out better for the arcade-type games the digital controls are best for. As-is, bringing along a real controller is probably a way better idea.  

 

I also notice that the controller likes to be unplugged or the system restarted for memory card changes (noticed that just after I finished uploading the video, naturally). Eagle eyed folks might notice the card acting two different kinds wonky both initially and upon re-insert. This might be because I use weird/massive/aftermarket memory cards, but I doubt it. I think this more likely has more to do with the atypical way the memory card connects through the controller port. (though I don't know playstation internals at all, and maybe they're always wired together)

Edited May 16, 2021 by Reaperman