So Many Controllers

[tz101]

I have counted the following game systems that all use the exact same controller plug:

 

Atari VCS

Atari 7800

Colecovision

Sega Mark III

Nintendo Famicom

Sega Master System

Sega Genesis

Atari Jaguar

 

That's 8, count 'em, 8 controllers that all use the same plug configuration. So, are they all interchangeable as far as working OK on the other systems in this list?

[The_Laird]

They are pretty much interchangable except the Jaguar, the shape is the same but there are far more pins.

[SRGilbert]

Didn't one of the versions of the Intellivision (INT2 maybe) use the DB9 connector as well?

 

Oh, and the Vectrex too!

Edited June 27, 2010 by SRGilbert

[BigO]

I have counted the following game systems that all use the exact same controller plug:

 

Atari VCS

Atari 7800

Colecovision

Sega Mark III

Nintendo Famicom

Sega Master System

Sega Genesis

Atari Jaguar

 

That's 8, count 'em, 8 controllers that all use the same plug configuration. So, are they all interchangeable as far as working OK on the other systems in this list?

The Atari XEGS Uses the same plug and 2600 controllers.

Not that it's dedicated as a game system, but I think the Commodore 64 is compatible plug-wise and functionally with 2600 controllers.

Edited June 27, 2010 by BigO

[user42]

.....use the DB9 connector as well? 

Technically it is DE9. D= the shape, E = the size, and 9 = the number of pins. "B" is actually much larger (think old serial printer plug, DB25)

 

But DB9 is a very common misnomer....

 

 

 

 

http://www.nullmodem.com/DB-9.htm

 

 

 

[BigO]

Technically it is DE9. D= the shape, E = the size, and 9 = the number of pins. "B" is actually much larger (think old serial printer plug, DB25)

 

But DB9 is a very common misnomer....

It's like centrifugal force. You can go with the technically accurate "centripetal force", but a lot of people will look at you funny and think you're just saying it wrong.

[tz101]

They are pretty much interchangable except the Jaguar, the shape is the same but there are far more pins.

 

Is this really true? I was told that the XEGS light gun will not work with the Sega Master System, yet they both have the DB9 connector.

 

Also, my Lethal Enforcers gun for Genesis has no effect on my Master System, because I tried it to no effect.

[+wood_jl]

Technically it is DE9. D= the shape, E = the size, and 9 = the number of pins. "B" is actually much larger (think old serial printer plug, DB25)

 

But DB9 is a very common misnomer....

It's like centrifugal force. You can go with the technically accurate "centripetal force", but a lot of people will look at you funny and think you're just saying it wrong.

 

....or "gigabytes." Remember when Doc Brown spoke of 1.21 gigawatts in "Back to the Future?" Well, he said it as if it were "jig-a-watts." "Gigabytes" should be pronounced the same way, as it comes from the same root - "giant." But start talking about how many "jigs" you have and I'm sure you'll get some funny looks.

[The_Laird]

They are pretty much interchangable except the Jaguar, the shape is the same but there are far more pins.

 

Is this really true? I was told that the XEGS light gun will not work with the Sega Master System, yet they both have the DB9 connector.

 

Also, my Lethal Enforcers gun for Genesis has no effect on my Master System, because I tried it to no effect.

 

Because they are light guns, not controllers. Work differently.

[+RevEng]

...So, are they all interchangeable as far as working OK on the other systems in this list?

Most of your original list is interchangeable, so far as single button and joystick operation is concerned.

 

Anything more exotic like extra buttons, lightguns, paddles, and keypads do not work when swapped.

 

I don't own a famicon, but if the controllers work like an nes then they won't work with any of the other systems on your list.

[lisalover1]

I thought that Famicom controllers were wired into the console itself. And, as others have said, the Jaguar controller port has more pins.

[Herbarius]

....or "gigabytes." Remember when Doc Brown spoke of 1.21 gigawatts in "Back to the Future?" Well, he said it as if it were "jig-a-watts." "Gigabytes" should be pronounced the same way, as it comes from the same root - "giant." But start talking about how many "jigs" you have and I'm sure you'll get some funny looks.

 

I always thought, both are valid (dialectal) variations.

[4Ks]

They are pretty much interchangable except the Jaguar, the shape is the same but there are far more pins.

 

Is this really true? I was told that the XEGS light gun will not work with the Sega Master System, yet they both have the DB9 connector.

 

Also, my Lethal Enforcers gun for Genesis has no effect on my Master System, because I tried it to no effect.

 

 

I can tell you for a fact that the XEGS gun can't be used on SMS. I wish it could, though.

[Herbarius]

While we're at it, I always wondered at what extend the numerical keypads are or are not compatible.

 

Like: Can you use a stock Colecovision controller as a substitute for a 2600 keyboard controller?

 

Also: Are Sega Master System controllers fully comaptible to the Atari 7800? (utilizing both buttons?)

 

 

Or to put it into a general question: Controllers with the same plug and the same kind of buttons - do they always work interchangably? If not, which are interchangable, which aren't? Are there some instances with unexpected results, maybe like the numerical keypad does function, but the order of keys is reversed, or something similar?

Edited June 28, 2010 by Herbarius

[theclaw]

Didn't some Amiga models use this plug also?

[The_Laird]

Didn't some Amiga models use this plug also?

 

Most home computers did including the Amiga, Atari ST, Atari 8-bits, MSX, Sinclair Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Vic-20, Commodore 64 Etc.

[Hatta]

They are pretty much interchangable except the Jaguar, the shape is the same but there are far more pins.

 

Is this really true? I was told that the XEGS light gun will not work with the Sega Master System, yet they both have the DB9 connector.

 

 

The logic is inverted on these guns. If you use the wrong gun it will fire when you release the trigger, instead of pull it. There are mods around that will fix this, if you want to use an SMS gun on an XEGS.

[Herbarius]

Nobody can answer my questions?

 

Come on, there must be dozens of people here that have both a Colecovision and an Atari 2600, as well as VCS games that use keyboard controllers...

[BigO]

"Can you use a stock Colecovision controller as a substitute for a 2600 keyboard controller?"

No. I haven't actually tried it, but knowing well how the 2600 keypad works and having glanced at the schematic of a CV controller once, I'd give 90% odds against compatibility.

Edited June 29, 2010 by BigO

[kool kitty89]

Many, many home computers use a similar, or identical pinout, at least for up dn left right and fire.

I think MSX, Adam, A8-bit line, VIC-20, C64, C128, C plus/4, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, and several others use it. (I'm surprised it didn't become a defacto standard on the PC before IBM's gameport adapter actually became common -had one of the sound card manufacturers taken it upon themselves to use 1 or 2 DE9 ports with such pinouts -especially with analog support like the VCS/A8, I could see that easily exceeding the standard gameport)

 

Add the Sega SG-1000 mk I and II to that too.

 

iirc Sega and Coleco used different pinouts for the other fire button, so only one is common. (and 7800 did a really weird thing pulling the analog lines and the fire button -presumably to allow both buttons to act as fire on the VCS, but be discrete on the 7800)

 

 

It's a standard D-subminiature connector, a DE-9 specifically (often erroneously referred to as DB-9 -the DB series is much wider), and that's one of the most common, if not the most common of the entire family of connectors: hence it being used on PC serial ports, the Sega Genesis's EXT. parallel port (on early models, next to the RF port), Power Glove, several clone consoles (using SNES/NES controller logic so incompatible with Sega/Atari/etc), CGA/EGA monitors, and more.

 

The Jaguar uses a DE-15 port, same size but a 3rd row of 5 pins, same as used for VGA/SVGA monitors.

 

The PC gameport and old ethernet cards use DA-15 (2 rows, same height as DE-9, but wider), and the PC parallel port uses a DB-25 connector. (that's a real DB series connector, the second letter applies to the size of the socket used)

Edited June 30, 2010 by kool kitty89

[darthkur]

Many, many home computers use a similar, or identical pinout, at least for up dn left right and fire.

I think MSX, Adam, A8-bit line, VIC-20, C64, C128, C plus/4, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, and several others use it. ...Add the Sega SG-1000 mk I and II to that too.

 

 

 

The MSX and ZX Spectrum computers controller ports are wired differently, the Speccy more so then the MSX. The Sega 1000/3000 are exactly the same as the SMS. The ports for the Plus/4 and C16 computers are completely different. They use a small DIN configuration.

[Video]

They might look the same, but weren't necessarily compatible. And Jaguar had a compact d15 pin plug, not a standard d9

 

How about compatibility? I don't think anything would run the INTV2, even though it's a DB9. 2600, some versions of the Odyssey 2, 7800, SMS and Genesi8s had limited compatibility (the newer stuff would run on the older systems, but not necessarily the other way)

[kool kitty89]

How about compatibility? I don't think anything would run the INTV2, even though it's a DB9. 2600, some versions of the Odyssey 2, 7800, SMS and Genesi8s had limited compatibility (the newer stuff would run on the older systems, but not necessarily the other way)

 

Anything that works one way works the other in the same respects, but that's normally limited to the stick/d-pad and one action button: meaning you can play Sonic with a CV, Atari, Genini, commodore, etc controller but you wouldn't be able to pause. (on the SMS it would be fine for a number of games or 7800 too given the fair number that used only 1 button -unless they used the one unique button rather than common, but many games require button 1 on the SMS for start and same for Genesis, so you'd have to swap out controllers)

[Sonic R]

 

Also: Are Sega Master System controllers fully comaptible to the Atari 7800? (utilizing both buttons?)

 

I am able to answer here…

SMS controller will NOT offer use of both buttons on the 7800

 

here is what I experience while playing Astroids - when using the the 7800 joystick, the joystick moves the ship and one button fires and the other button teleports. when using the SMS controller, one button fires but on the d+pad, pressing 'down' will make the ship teleport.

 

and there is another console that uses the DB9 connection — Funtech Super A'Can