Better 7800 controllers?

[QDBuckwheat]

Recently got a 7800 but the controller is really awkward to hold and stiff. My hands and wrists get sore pretty quickly from playing some robotron. Are there any other controllers out there that are better? 3rd party or  official, don't care.

[HammR25]

Your best bet is getting the Seagull 78 adapter that lets you use any Sega Genesis controller on the 7800 or a homebrew arcade stick.

 

https://edladdin.com/main.sc

 

Otherwise the CX78 joypad probably is less painful than the proline joystick.

 

https://www.best-electronics-ca.com/Best CX78 Upgrade kit 2.htm

[+sixersfan105]

RetroGameBoyz has some nice offerings for the 7800:

 

You mentioned Robotron, so I highly recommend the dual D-pad controller! Makes the control sooo much better. The 7800-themed NES-style pad is solid, too. 

[BydoEmpire]

You can use any 2600 controller as well, but only one button.  That's a great solution for games that don't need 2 buttons.

 

+1 for the Seagull 78 adapter, which lets you connect any Genesis controller and it maps buttons correctly. I use a Genesis arcade stick with that quite often.

 

Member Bratwurst made some really incredible sticks for the 7800, but I'm not sure if he is still offering them.  Thread here:

 

 

[+Muddyfunster]

I made a batch of my own Genesis / Megadrive to 7800 adaptors. I use a combination of regular Sega Megradive controllers, some of the nice 3rd party pads and also the Quickshot QS162, depending on what I'm playing.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

3 hours ago, BydoEmpire said:

Member Bratwurst made some really incredible sticks for the 7800, but I'm not sure if he is still offering them.  Thread here:

 

 

@Bratwurst's controller is pretty much the primary one I'm using these days for most of my Atari gaming. Some games that need crazy accurate control (Slide boy), I will plug in my Retrogameboyz controller.

 

[+GoldenWheels]

At this point a pinned "7800 controller options" thread might be a good idea.  Edladdin and RetroGameBoyz don't seem like they are going anywhere, and finding a better control option is normally the biggest issue WITH the 7800 (maybe being RF only is also tough for some folks).

[+Pac-Lander]

13 hours ago, sixersfan105 said:

RetroGameBoyz has some nice offerings for the 7800:

 

You mentioned Robotron, so I highly recommend the dual D-pad controller! Makes the control sooo much better. The 7800-themed NES-style pad is solid, too. 

 

Just wanted to second this. I have two NES style controllers, as well as the Robotron controller, and they are all amazingly responsive. 

 

Both are huge gamechangers in regards to the 7800 gaming experience.

[+sramirez2008]

I'm also going to sing the RetroGameBoyz praises.  Their NES style 2600/7800 controller is the best one that I've ever come across.  I like it so much that I now own two. 

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

8 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

@Bratwurst's controller is pretty much the primary one I'm using these days for most of my Atari gaming. Some games that need crazy accurate control (Slide boy), I will plug in my Retrogameboyz controller.

 

I agree! I use them almost exclusively now on the 2600 and 7800 games. The size, weight and clickiness of them are amazing for 99% of games. I agree that the throw is a touch long for twitchy games but I can usually power through them just so I don't have to switch them out, hahah.

 

- James

[Bratwurst]

12 hours ago, BydoEmpire said:

Member Bratwurst made some really incredible sticks for the 7800, but I'm not sure if he is still offering them.  Thread here

I can still make them, left or right hand configuration. I think I have enough parts to make ten or twelve more sticks before I'd have to resupply.

 

27 minutes ago, ZeroPage Homebrew said:

I agree! I use them almost exclusively now on the 2600 and 7800 games. The size, weight and clickiness of them are amazing for 99% of games. I agree that the throw is a touch long for twitchy games but I can usually power through them just so I don't have to switch them out, hahah.

I took a look at mine to see about adjusting the throw. I'd make a 3D printed spacer to slip over the actuator of the joystick (it's the black top-hat looking piece of plastic secured to the underside of the stick shaft) but I don't think it could be more than 1mm thick and I'm not sure how durable it could be, I'll have to test that. In the meantime I believe you could wind electrical tape to thicken it, just a fine line between triggering the switch and giving it enough room to reset.

[QDBuckwheat]

9 hours ago, sramirez2008 said:

I'm also going to sing the RetroGameBoyz praises.  Their NES style 2600/7800 controller is the best one that I've ever come across.  I like it so much that I now own two. 

I think these are what I'm going to end up grabbing when I get the chance.

[kynikos]

Does anyone happen to know if the Best Electronics Jaguar pad adapter (https://www.best-electronics-ca.com/review.htm) would work for two button games on a 7800?

[+sixersfan105]

8 hours ago, kynikos said:

Does anyone happen to know if the Best Electronics Jaguar pad adapter (https://www.best-electronics-ca.com/review.htm) would work for two button games on a 7800?

Interesting, I didn't know this adapter existed! But based on the description on Best's site, it appears as though it only gives you one button fire functionality (Button B), and it even references compatibility issues with some two-button 7800 games, so I doubt it'll play nicely or give you two-button functionality on 7800 games. Bummer!

[SS]

I just want to point out that I use the Seagull 78 with a 2.4ghz 8bitdo Genesis style pad for some great wireless 7800 gameplay. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/8Bitdo-Wireless-Gamepad-Original-Genesis-Drive/dp/B07HB1XFQW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=8bitdo+genesis&qid=1625704256&sprefix=8bitdo+ge&sr=8-3

[Tempest]

On 7/1/2021 at 7:34 PM, Bratwurst said:

I can still make them, left or right hand configuration. I think I have enough parts to make ten or twelve more sticks before I'd have to resupply.

What were you charging?

 

Im currently using one of the Atari euro pad (nes style) controllers but it's kind of wonky.  I might look into one of those nes style ones retro is selling.  I need a better one for my MSX anyway.

[Bratwurst]

32 minutes ago, Tempest said:

What were you charging?

 

Im currently using one of the Atari euro pad (nes style) controllers but it's kind of wonky.  I might look into one of those nes style ones retro is selling.  I need a better one for my MSX anyway.

$55 plus shipping. The weight for one stick packed in a box is about 1.5 pounds which runs about $8 to $11 shipping depending on where you're at relative to the east coast.