theclaw Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 How much do factory sealed original SNES controllers typically go for? The US pack-in model to be specific. Are they worth the premium (if there's one) over third party lookalikes? I've seen no word about the quality of those, positive or negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STICH666 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 The third party look-alikes are great so long as you sit no more than 2 feet from your SNES. I recommend getting the rubber contacts from the 3rd party and swapping them in your old controller. I did it for mine and the buttons feel as good as microswitches and they now give a firm pop when they are fully depressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STICH666 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) Video Edited March 16, 2010 by STICH666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbd30 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) How much do factory sealed original SNES controllers typically go for? The US pack-in model to be specific. Are they worth the premium (if there's one) over third party lookalikes? I've seen no word about the quality of those, positive or negative. I was fooled into buying one of these from a used video game store and it was crap. Short cord and stiff buttons. Get an original SNES controller if you can. Edited March 16, 2010 by mbd30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) How much do factory sealed original SNES controllers typically go for? The US pack-in model to be specific. Are they worth the premium (if there's one) over third party lookalikes? I've seen no word about the quality of those, positive or negative. I was fooled into buying one of these from a used video game store and it was crap. Short chord and stiff buttons. Get an original SNES controller if you can. Be aware that there were official SuperNes controllers that looked just like that one with the molded Nintendo logo. It's what all model 2 Super Nintendo's shipped with and was also sold seperately in stores in the late 90s in a box with Mario on it, which has also been copied by counterfeiters. The only way to know if it's a counterfeit is to hold in it your hands. If it has a short cord, things like the Nintendo logo aren't crisp and well defined, the plastic feels cheap, and the buttons and d-pad are stiff, then it's a counterfeit. When it's a real one, it feels as good as the controller that shipped with the original model. The only changes were cosmetic. I'd suggest taking STICH666's advice if you have a controller that has developed issues and want to replace it. My start button had been dying on my original controller almost since my console was new in 1995 and finally stopped working a couple of years ago. A button replacement kit bought for a couple of dollars off Ebay fixed it right up and it's been working fine since after just a couple of minutes of work. Edited March 16, 2010 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 How much do factory sealed original SNES controllers typically go for? The US pack-in model to be specific. Are they worth the premium (if there's one) over third party lookalikes? I've seen no word about the quality of those, positive or negative. I was fooled into buying one of these from a used video game store and it was crap. Short chord and stiff buttons. Get an original SNES controller if you can. Be aware that there were official SuperNes controllers that looked just like that one with the molded Nintendo logo. It's what all model 2 Super Nintendo's shipped with and was also sold seperately in stores in the late 90s in a box with Mario on it, which has also been copied by counterfeiters. The only way to know if it's a counterfeit is to hold in it your hands. If it has a short cord, things like the Nintendo logo aren't crisp and well defined, the plastic feels cheap, and the buttons and d-pad are stiff, then it's a counterfeit. When it's a real one, it feels as good as the controller that shipped with the original model. The only changes were cosmetic. I remember ending up with those controllers a couple years ago - with the short cord. They have the Nintendo logo, so I got confused and ordered. Were not what I was looking for. Ended up acquiring used "real" controllers, then took them apart and scrubbed everything with whitewall tire cleaner and a toothbrush. Now I finally have a couple clean, mint, original controllers. The only thing I know to look for is is should say "SUPER NINTENDO" and NOT have the little oval Nintendo logo on it...if you want actual, real SNES controllers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) The only thing I know to look for is is should say "SUPER NINTENDO" and NOT have the little oval Nintendo logo on it...if you want actual, real SNES controllers. Again, that isn't true. While there are plenty of fakes that copy the design, it was also an official controller. I have a brand new SuperNes model 2 here sitting in it's original box bought at Wal-Mart in the late 90s with that controller with the Nintendo logo molded into the plastic, as well as a replacement controller NIB bought from Hills during the same time period and a second spare controller bought from Nintendo's online store a couple of years ago that all use the same design. You need to be cautious because there are fakes and they're plentiful, but there are also legitimate official controllers from Nintendo in this same style. Nintendo switched to it in 1997 and produced it for several years. Edited March 16, 2010 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Does Nintendo still sell NES and SNES controllers? I called them up a couple years ago and bought two of each for my emulation usage (Bought adapaters from someone online so I could plug them into a USB port.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theclaw Posted March 16, 2010 Author Share Posted March 16, 2010 Well, that's true. A repair kit and proper cleaning is an option. Though I don't know of anyone online who offers such services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Does Nintendo still sell NES and SNES controllers? I called them up a couple years ago and bought two of each for my emulation usage (Bought adapaters from someone online so I could plug them into a USB port.) Not anymore. They stopped carrying those along with N64 controllers and SuperNes/N64/GCN s-video cables over the past couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Well, that's true. A repair kit and proper cleaning is an option. Though I don't know of anyone online who offers such services. Buy it off eBay for a couple of dollars. They always seem available on there and it's extremely easy to do. Here is one that cost a bit more then what I remember paying, but for under $5 and a few minutes of your time, you can repair your present controller if a button has failed. You don't have to do any soldering. eBay Auction -- Item Number: 370349297805 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Stoneage Gamer has some controllers Here their only a few dollars, and their not exactly like the originals, but their pretty nice IMO, and if the cord isn't long enough for you, he also has extension cables for 5$ each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theclaw Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Thanks. If any of you have a picture of the cover art, please do show me. Just in case the slim chance I ever come across one, I'll know what I'm looking at. I didn't get into SNES until the tail end where pretty much every controller on shelves was third party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Stoneage Gamer has some controllers Here their only a few dollars, and their not exactly like the originals, but their pretty nice IMO, and if the cord isn't long enough for you, he also has extension cables for 5$ each. Actually those are USB version. Here is SNES version: http://stoneagegamer.com/superpadsnescontroller.aspx These are not bad at all IMO, so far probably the best copies I have carried. The only difference that I noticed was the Start/Select are plastic and not rubber. I carried the knock offs with the Mario box in the past and those were pretty terrible, plus very misleading for the customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgler Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) SNES is the only system for which I actually prefer 3rd party controllers. The SNES controller design is perfect in my eyes, but 2 companies did it a little better than Nintendo IMO The Superpad is what I always use. It's just as responsive and durable as the regular SNES pad and also the same size, maybe a tiny little bit bigger, but you'd never notice. It's a little more rounded underneath and not as flat as the official ones. I love the SFC coloured buttons and the cord is a good bit longer than the official controller. Also all the buttons are convex and stick out more than the official controller, so really get to press them good then there is the ASCII pad, which is awesome for it's rapid/autofire features for every button. plus Slow. Form factor is almost identical to the orginal pad, when you are holding it, but the cord is a little shorter. Also sporting those nifty SFC colours! In all fairness this is kind of a 2nd party controller, since it carried the Official Nintendo Seal Totally cannot recommend these controllers enough Edited March 23, 2010 by figgler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgler Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) DP sorry Edited March 23, 2010 by figgler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Figgler, I'm in the same boat, I have both those controllers, and i much prefer them. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't had one, but I like the slight bulk of the controller as opposed to the original SNES Pad (the SNES is just flat on the underside, and those pads have a bulge under the buttons for a bit extra comfort) And the individual button selectable Turbo fire, in semi and full auto, is just awesome. Anyhow, nothing aginst the SNES stock pad, it's probably IMO the best pre analog pad around, and those third party controllers are just as good as the originals, and there's not many third party pads you can say that about. Stoneage Gamer has some controllers Here their only a few dollars, and their not exactly like the originals, but their pretty nice IMO, and if the cord isn't long enough for you, he also has extension cables for 5$ each. Actually those are USB version. Here is SNES version: http://stoneagegamer.com/superpadsnescontroller.aspx These are not bad at all IMO, so far probably the best copies I have carried. The only difference that I noticed was the Start/Select are plastic and not rubber. I carried the knock offs with the Mario box in the past and those were pretty terrible, plus very misleading for the customer. Oops, my bad I did recall seeing them and just did a quick link without looking very closely, sorry for any confusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theclaw Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Uh... I meant that I have absolutely no idea what original SNES pad's packaging looks like. Even if I did find one, I wouldn't know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Tonight I was going to play some SNES games on my emulator, but couldn't find either one of my SNES controllers. What's annoying is that while I located my USB adapater for them, I can't find the controllers themselves. I recalled also that I did NOT buy these from Nintendo a few years ago as I said eairler in this thread -- I only did that with NES controllers (the dogbone style). I probaly got these from EBay used. (If you search under 'original SNES controller' you can find a mess up for sale at any time.) But I wanted new ones. So I ended up following some advice and links here and bought two of them. One I purchased from Stone Age Gamer -- the third party SNES controller he lists for $5. Note that since I have the USB adapater for these allready I figured I'd save the $10 and just continue to use that. BTW, it's my first time ordering from his store. Shipping by USPS 1st Class is another $3 for a total of $8. The second I bought off Ebay here: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 250594165797 Note how the seller says that this a second generation style SNES controller and some of the shortcomings with it, like the shorter cord. Also they claim it comes new in the box shown. I paid a total of $12 for this with (I think) USPS 1st Class shipping also. I'll update this thread once I receive one or both of them and provide a review and feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Tonight I was going to play some SNES games on my emulator, but couldn't find either one of my SNES controllers. What's annoying is that while I located my USB adapater for them, I can't find the controllers themselves. I recalled also that I did NOT buy these from Nintendo a few years ago as I said eairler in this thread -- I only did that with NES controllers (the dogbone style). I probaly got these from EBay used. (If you search under 'original SNES controller' you can find a mess up for sale at any time.) But I wanted new ones. So I ended up following some advice and links here and bought two of them. One I purchased from Stone Age Gamer -- the third party SNES controller he lists for $5. Note that since I have the USB adapater for these allready I figured I'd save the $10 and just continue to use that. BTW, it's my first time ordering from his store. Shipping by USPS 1st Class is another $3 for a total of $8. The second I bought off Ebay here: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 250594165797 Note how the seller says that this a second generation style SNES controller and some of the shortcomings with it, like the shorter cord. Also they claim it comes new in the box shown. I paid a total of $12 for this with (I think) USPS 1st Class shipping also. I'll update this thread once I receive one or both of them and provide a review and feedback. The short comings he states are because those are probably knock offs. Most likely he knows this, but is playing them off as official, but doesn't want people returning them once they find out they don't look official. Thank you for your order BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavica Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 this one is my favorite snes controller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Well, they are being passed off as official -- like I said, I'll know when I get it. That's also why I bought two totally different controllers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 this one is my favorite snes controller I love hat one too, I don't have one, but one of my friends did. I think almost everyone i knew as a kid had third party controllers for the SNES. Hey, half the price, and at least for that console, they could do third party right, good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Well, I said I would update on the two controllers that I bought for my SNES emulation. (Actually, these are normal controllers that would plug into a SNES system, but I use them for emulation on my computer and have a USB adpater I just plug the controllers into). I actually have not received my Stone Age order yet due in part to a mistake on my end. I recently moved into a new apartment. The landlord told me that I could use either of two forms for my mailing address interchangably: 52-2 Veazie Street or 52 Veazie Street Apartment 2 (or 52 Veazie Street #2). I've had normal mail sent to both, but the Stone Age order was placed on the same day that I ordered a couple other things online with some tax refund money, so they were my first packages. I used the 52-2 Veazie Street format for my shipping address. I found out that for some reason the post office people are reading the packages as 522 Veazie Street (yes, it's that long) and that my other packages didn't get delivered due to unknown address and were returned. The Stone Age order package has tracking and as of yesterday morning it's been in limbo. I'm waiting to see if a actuall human looks at the package and it gets brought here or it gets returned. If it's the latter, I'll apoligize to the Stone Age store and offer to pay more money to have it shipped out again to the 'correct' address. The whole thing has been a learning experience and it rather makes me feel stupid. Luckily, I had time to change the address for my EBay order for the second controller, and that just got here today. I really don't know if this is 'official' or not. I'm fully aware of the fact that Nintendo had released a version 2 of the SNES controller to go with the new model 2 SNES system circa 1997. I got the box brand new, still sealed, with the controller still wrapped in plastic. Everything about the box and the controller LOOKS official -- it has the Nintendo seal of quality, the proper wording, and the picture matches that of the controller. It even has the proper model number on both the box and controller. The only thing that makes me wonder if it's a pirate is that both the box and controller do say 'Made in China' on it as compared to the 'Made in Japan' that my original SNES controller has. Perhaps Nintendo had these made in China instead? I don't really know. If this IS a pirate, at least, it's very conviencing. The controller is actually quite good. It's not AS good as the original one, but the differences are minor. The biggest thing is the cord is short....about 3 feet. However, since I'm using this for emulation, the length is fine, as it's like a foot from my computer to where I'm sitting typing this. The controller pad is stiffer then the original one, but the control is just as pinpoint. The button letters are on with a sticker as opposed to being painted. The buttons are the same. The L and R buttons are a little smaller and don't 'stand out' as much as on the original controller. All in all, it's a decent controller, even if it's pirate. I'll compare it to the third party one I bought from Stonge Age when I actually get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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