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PC Games (Games) PlayStation (Games) Entertainment Games Hardware

Converting a PSX Controller for PC Use 73

Posted by CowboyNeal from the rolling-your-own dept.
BigMan writes "Anyone that has ever used a Playstation pad will think they are great, but I long ago stopped using my Playstation and haven't touched a console in a while. I much prefer the gameplay and graphics of PC games, but a keyboard just doesn't cut it on driving games. So I set about converting my Playstation pad to work on a PC. There are several converters that cost around $6 to $15, but being a student in search of a part time job I am reluctant to spend the money and it's more satisfying to do the mod yourself."
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Converting a PSX Controller for PC Use More

Converting a PSX Controller for PC Use

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  • I'm not sure I'd call this cost-effective. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Future Man 3000 ( 706329 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:53AM (#6942459) Homepage
    If you've gone through three PSX controllers before you got this to work, I'm going to go through something like five.

    I appreciate the pioneering spirit here, but these things are far too expensive as it is. For the price of another controller I can get a peripheral that'll hook it to the computer.

  • Expense (Score:2, Interesting)

    by SilentSheep ( 705509 )
    Makes me wonder how much it cost him to do it.

    Couldn't have been a lot less than $15 !!!

    Seems like a bit of a waste of time/money!

  • I've never cared for the Playstation controller. You can't rocker the d-pad because it's 4 buttons and not a true cross. I never liked the 'ergonomic' handles on it either.

    You can buy a USB gravis game pad that is very similar for about $10 on eBay. I've got a couple of them laying around. 4 USB game pads and one copy of NHL 2001 makes for some fun.

    • Technically, the PS2 controller is a cros - it's just that the points of it are raised, and the connections are underneath the casing.
    • the button layout is fine, but identical to the SNES. but the d-pad... ugh. that hard plastic led to some very sore thumbs during my THPS2 obsession. not a good controller. it just seems like a cheap copout, only slightly better than an oldschool NES controller.

      Call me a Nintendo fanboy if you'd like, but I think it's hard to argue that anyone makes better controllers. They may look weird, but the ergonomics have been very solid from the N64 on, and the wavebird is a pretty definitive answer to the wirel

  • Just get a PC joypad (Score:3, Informative)

    by tessaiga ( 697968 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:05AM (#6942611)

    There's tons of PC joypads these days that emulate the look and feel of a Playstation controller very well these days. They're usually around the same price or cheaper, and they come with well-written software drivers and other goodies like keyboard emulation for games that don't directly support gamepads. (Which, fortunately, aren't that many anymore.)

    For example, I have Belkin's N45 [belkin.com], which buy.com [buy.com] has for just $16. Been working great for 2 years now, no complaints, and I don't really notice any difference switching between it and a PS2 controller. Plus it plugs in out of the box, no rewiring skills required :) I'm sure there are many other brands that are just as good.

    There are several converters that cost around $6 to $15, but being a student in search of a part time job I am reluctant to spend the money and it's more satisfying to do the mod yourself."
    A quick check says Playstation controllers cost about $25 [buy.com] out of the box these days. This article seems like a cool HOW-TO and an interesting hack, but the article is more about the "geek factor" than being a cost-savings device.

    • This article seems like a cool HOW-TO and an interesting hack, but the article is more about the "geek factor" than being a cost-savings device.

      Hint: You're reading www.slashdot.org

    • /. has the currency wrong. He's talking in pounds, not dollars.

      Regardless, I'm sick to death of the "poor college student" complaints.

      And I'm so glad to hear his dig against consoles. Shut the fcuk up.

    • I saw the n45 at Fry's for $20 and bought it in a heartbeat. Once I removed that stupid bar, I loved it even more. The best part is the d-pad.

      As for these mods, my ex-roommate did 3, only 2 were successful, and in the end it was more for fun than thriftiness since you still need more componnents than just that controller.
  • Hmm .. i personally think it is horrific. The game cube and super nes (super famicom in us?) both have the best control pads of their eras, although for some games you just cant beat the arcades. Nothing will ever be as bad as that glove pad for the nes that the kid in wizard has, uggh what a nightmare.
    • "super nes (super famicom in us?)"

      Other way around. The Super NES was the name used in the U.S. The Super Famicom was the name in Japan.

      As for the Playstation controller, the first ones with analog or force feedback were HORRID for people with medium to large hands and the odd shape isn't easy for young children to pick up on. All the Playstation controller did was add two more shoulder buttons and extended out grip handles without improving the internal contruction. (I've actually snapped one in half w

  • From a usability standpoint, the Playstation controller leaves a lot to be desired. I would rather see someone adapt one of Nintendo's controllers due to Ninty's adherence to more usability guidelines.

    For example, the buttons on the Playstation controller are marked with an X, O, Square, Triangle and are arranged in a cross configuration. One usability guideline says to "Minimize the user's memory load"... now which symbol goes logically on the north, east, south, and west points of the cross? A casual u
    • Eh, I'd have to say the SNES controller was good for that.. but definitely NOT the Gamecube one. You've got the Z button in a counter-intuitive location, X and Y are irritating to work with (they both interfere with the use of B), and B is a hair too small. Then, on top of this, make the controller have a completely useless dpad.

      No, thanks, just give me the SNES or PSX controller-- they're a HELL of a lot more universal.
      • Assuming that a game is developed (or at least ported) with the controller in mind:

        x
        b A y

        A is obviously larger, being the most important button, the one you're going to use the most, and where your thumb naturally rests. b acts like a cancel button or usually does a 'destructive' action. x and y are only used occasionally, but are still nearby and easy to get to. The buttons aren't really meant to be used in combination, but can be (though the best combinations will always be A with another button or a
        • Given z's placement, it's rarely used for anything important, it almost seems like an after-thought.

          It was an afterthought. Nintendo only added it because developers kept insisting on it. Developers actually wanted 2 more buttons, but they only were able to convince Nintendo to add 1.

          If you dig around in IGN's archives, you'll see a mockup of the Cube controller they created several months before Nintendo officially showed it off. They made it from descriptions developers gave them. It's almost exactly l
      • I can't agrre more, I think the best pad so far was the N64 one.

        For me, the gamecube pad is just too small, and the buttons are neither numerous or uniform enough for, say, fighting games.

        The dual shock 2 has grown on me, and for timesplitters the dual analogue pads are fantastic (not as good as a mouse, but when everyone you are playing is in the same boat, it doesn't matter).

    • Maybe you're right, but can you, or anyone else for that matter, explain why the NES/SNES/GB/ETC controllers have buttons that have the "B" on the left and the "A" on the right? I mean, what the hell. You talk about intuitive, but the last time I looked at the alphabet, "A" came before "B!" Same goes for the X and the Y. I mean...snuh?
      • If you think about the placement of the "A" and "B" buttons with respect to where the finger pressing those buttons actually rests, you will understand the logic of the placement. "A" is the first letter, it's also the primary button, "B" is secondary and therefore a stretch from where the finger's primary rest position is. Same goes for the "X" and "Y" buttons.

        It's not about reading left to right... it's all about the finger position, primary and secondary, when you've got your hands on a controller.

  • hmm (Score:2, Informative)

    by theNote ( 319197 )
    There a ton of controller clones at almost every decent computer store.

    They are very cheap.

    If you are dead set on hacking this thing, you may want to check out www.arcadecontrols.com

  • No (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    "Anyone that has ever used a Playstation pad will think they are great...

    Not true. Not true at all.

    The original PlayStation pad was a direct rip-off of the Super Nintendo pad. They put a couple of extra shoulder buttons on top and added those prong-grips to the back, but that's about the extent of it.

    Sure, they crammed a couple of analogue sticks onto it their ripped-off design few years later, but even then that was only in response to the analogue stick on the N64 control.

    But eh. I've used a PlayStat

    • Your argument is that because the design of the PS controller is not original, the controller is not "great." I believe that the person who submitted this article was referring to the feeling of the PS controller and how it worked for him/her, not the originality of the design. Because you cite no other problems with the controller, I'll have to reject your argument - I am sorry. The statement stands that the PS controller is, in fact, great. Would anyone else like to try to refute this?
  • Some of the motherboard being sold today don't include a Parallel port.
    For US$15 Lik-Sang [lik-sang.com] sells the "PS/PS2(TM)-PC USB Converter" make by a company called Boom.

    Product Features
    # Use Playstation Joypads on your PC (through USB interface)
    # Automatically turns on the PS controller in analog mode, no need to switch.
    # Supports Dual Shock function in games which support DirectX force feedback
    # Analog joystick resolution in 256 positions on each axis
    # Supports all buttons (4 axis analog joystick, 16 buttons)
    # co

  • Xbox controller (Score:3, Informative)

    by KevetS ( 600647 ) <(moc.liamg) (ta) (stevek)> on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:45AM (#6943027) Homepage Journal
    I've gotten used to playing games with the xbox controller. It works great for playing any emulator and I've used it with GTA:VC for the PC and Midnight Club 2 for PC also (not to mention on the Xbox). All you need is an xbox controller, an xbox extension cable, and a usb cable. Strip the cover off the extension and usb cables and match up all the wires. The xbox has one extra wire that won't match up with the usb but other than that it's a pretty straightforward hack.

    Once you have the cable made, you just have to locate the driver for the xbox controller (I had a hard time finding it... can't think of the link right now - anyone want to post it here?) and voila! A usb xbox controller. If you've got a memory card for the xbox i think it shows up as a removeable drive since the xbox controller has a usb hub built-in.

    Of course, you could probably save some $ and pick up some el cheapo PC controller... but it's not quite as cool as using an xbox controller to play some mario kart 64 on your PC.
  • If you want a PSX-PC parallel port adapter, you can get them at Buynshop.com for 3.95. Here's the link. http://www.buynshop.com/productinfo/45/VG-PS-PS2PC 4/ [buynshop.com] I have one and it works great with my DDR pad as well as my PS controlelr.
  • I bought a Soyo Kiky-X to play GTA3-VC on PC.

    Be careful, the driver won't let you remap axes, which is a problem for some games. You can do registry hacks to remap the axes with the directinput stuff or some such, but you cannot reverse directions of axes. I put my solution on usenet if you're curious. (grand theft auto vice city pc ps2 controller)

    The best solution I found for GTA3 was ps2 controller for driving and ps2 controller + trackball for walking.
  • For less than the price of a PSX controller you can get a Gravis Gamepad Pro USB. Plug it into any USB PC and it just works, perfectly. And it's almost the same as a PSX controller too. I often see them for 15, 10, and sometimes even $5. Mine has lasted me 3 years so far, and it works with all my games. Highly reccomended, must have.
  • I paid like $9 for my adapter, and I haven't looked back. It worked flawlessly and instantly as soon as I hooked it to my PC. I forget the brand unfortunately.

    Speaking of controllers, I highly recommend the Logitech 2.4Ghz wireless Playstation controllers for just about every type of game*. With a set of NiMH rechargables, they last practically forever (I've had the controllers for months and I've had to recharge the batteries twice).

    Logitech also makes a PC version of the controllers, but they have the s
  • This technique has been available for a long time, and fairly well known among emulator users. In fact, a great number of controllers can be converted to work with the PC, everything from the Turbo Grafx, to the Genesis, to every pre-Gamecube Nintendo controller (not sure about Gamecube, maybe there's even a way to do that by now). In fact, I posted links to how to accomplish the exact same thing in a slashdot discussion back in March [slashdot.org]

    That being said, this certain is a nice page the guy has put up, and t
  • The best place I find for hacks and tricks for console mods, and converters (ie. controllers, VGA hacks) is GameSX [gamesx.com]. The forums are great for new developments, or help in trying to attempt the mods.
  • Radio Shack sells a PS2 to USB adapter for like $10.
    • Must be a Radio Shack in the States. I've search all over the shops in Canada. Can't find the adapters. And it's not _that_hard_ to make one. Just need that motivational boost most seem to lack. Cost of building one is just pennies. Assuming you already have a PS2 controller.
  • The SNES controller is by far one of the best controllers ever. And, with a parallel port adapter [emulationworld.com], it makes emulation a truly wonderful thing (and as accurate and realistic as possible, really). I originally considered a Playstation controller and adapter, but I just don't like the PSX controller. It doesn't feel the same. I also still don't know which button is O, or X, or Triangle, or whatever.

    The SNES pad, though, can do a majority of Nintendo system emulation (which happens to be my personal favori

  • Don't ruin a controller (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Just buy a cheap extension cable and a couple of diodes. It takes about 10 min of soldering.
  • Just a small tip but the best PC gamepad I've seen that emulates a ps2 controller the most is the thrustmaster firestorm 3, it actually has more buttons then the ps2 (unlike belkin or logitech) and is the only one I've found to have push-in analog buttons like the consoles, I've searched far and wide to find a decent controller to play mgs2 and this is the best i could find at duplicating a ps2 controller (I'd get a ps2-pc converter thing but i dont like the idea of a ps2 product on my machine) be prepared

  • DirectPad Pro (Score:2, Informative)

    by JJC ( 96049 )
    Hello. There's a driver for PS-PC parallel port adapters in the Linux Kernel (2.4 at least). The file 'Documentation/input/joystick-parport.txt [charmed.com]' contains a schematic for an adapter and mentions that it's DirectPad Pro compatible. The DPP web site doesn't appear to be there any more, but there's a mirror [arcadecontrols.com].
  • SEVEN YEAR THEORY FAILS IT!

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