RickHarrisMaine Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 How good? Worth trying to pick up somewhere? Best controllers ever made? Any feedback on them? They look pretty cool, that's why I ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorleagueguy Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 ...the joysticks are pretty responsive, but the paddles acted up...so after cleaning them(had to open these babys up to clean them), they work the same, if not better than the originals... ...just my 2 cants minorleagueguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I have one that doesn't seem to work that well. The buttons (which feel really stiff) have to be pressed very hard or they won't do anything. Same with the joystick, which also feels stiff. As a paddle it works nicely, but I think they can only be used as paddles on the Sears Video Arcade II, and possibly the Coleco Gemini. I'm confident mine's just worn-out or has something wrong with the board, since I've taken it apart (which I don't recommend doing unless you have to, it's kinda tricky to put back together) and realigned the parts several times, without it helping much. Also, I don't believe the action is supposed to be that stiff, which, I don't think, it would be if the blasted thing worked properly...the buttons and joystick feel like they need to be pressed exceptionally hard, and even then it's not guaranteed to do anything. I myself am hopeful that it's just mine that sucks, because they are really cool controllers and I still need to get some for my VAII! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almost Rice Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I just got mine. Both controllers seem to have loose connections somewhere near the joystick plug. When they work, they are very responsive. I have not tested the paddles yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIPITBULL Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I don't like them all that much, the joystick is too small and the base is too large for the hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) They feel really good to me, some of my favorite controllers (though I haven't really tried a marathon gaming session with them, so not sure of the long term ergonomics). As you can guess from other replies here, though, they seem to be *really* unreliable. I have two, and one of them has a busted "spring" for the fire buttons - I'll bet this is a really common problem. I opened mine up and the "spring" is literally a single piece of metal wire spanning the width of the controller that holds the fire buttons apart and creates tension when you press them. But you're pressing them against each other, not against the controller. If that breaks, the fire buttons just feel "dead". And given the age of these things, I would bet that metal piece has gone brittle and has broken in a lot of these controllers. It's a really bad design IMO. It would be trivial to replace if you knew anything about metal wire, but I don't. So I don't know what sort of metal to replace it with or where to get it, and I wasn't able to find any info on it on the net. btw, these are the exact same controllers as the Atari 2800 controllers (to go with the Video Arcade II itself - both the system and controllers are just re-badged). Edited February 21, 2006 by spacecadet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I just acquired a SVAII and my 2 cents on the controllers are as follows... The controller casing design isn't bad and relatively comfortable. The inner workings of the stick are cheesy. It's basically like a Proline controller where you have a white plastic mechanism that actuates the dome switches on the board as you move the stick... but you really have to press hard to get the little white plastic tabs to activate the dome switches. Same with the fire buttons, they have a little tab that slides against the dome switch and a straight spring that keeps it all together and provides the feedback... but again, you need to really press it. If this board had tactile "clicky" switches and coil springs it would probably work better with less effort. If the paddle pot needs to be cleaned, you will have a hell of a time trying to pry off the knob/joystick to service the pot. Otherwise I find it more comfortable to hold than the Proline. I may buy a Coleco Gemini combo controller and see if it works... and if it doesn't, I will swap out the harnesses to make it work. I assume the pot is standard with all systems being a 1mohm type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkiker2089 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I have a SVA2 and never use them except for paddle games, which I never play. I guess that explains why they are in a box covered in dust. I use either an Epyx 500 or a Sega game pad. I won't touch the SVA2 controllers. Mine are nos also so it's not that they are worn out. They work fine, it's just a bad design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceDice2010 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Blah. Get a Tac 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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