Buffalo Classic USB Gamepad for PC

Product Information

Soldering/desoldering work is required for this, and I'm assuming you have some general knowledge of working with a soldering iron and continuity tester. I'm a software/networking person, though, and not an expert with a soldering iron by any means. A steady hand and a lot of patience can be a big help.

Having a wireless controller is a nice modern convenience, but the best latency and responsiveness are still to be found with wired controllers. Many of the wireless controllers you can buy also let you use a wired connection, but if you're only going to use it in wired mode, why pay for a battery and Bluetooth radio you'll never use? So if you’re a gamer who likes classic titles, then you can benefit from having a retro USB controller on-hand. Some models are wired and others are wireless. Wireless models typically require a USB dongle attachment but some brands have Bluetooth compatible controllers. If you have a Bluetooth controller then your computer or smartphone will have to be capable of Bluetooth connectivity.There are so many video game systems to choose from that the "perfect" controller doesn't exist. If you want an authentic retro gaming experience, you'll generally want a controller replicating the feel of playing retro games on the older system. The Suily Retro controllers are also a good choice because they are cheap and are wired so they have a fast response. The Suily controllers are again designed specifically for the NES so you’ll be limited in which games you can play but they are very sturdy, made out of a durable ABS plastic with heavy-duty buttons that can stand up to use. The buttons and power LED all need to go into the front of the controller, followed by the controller board. You need to keep this part of the controller as flat as possible, as the shoulder buttons are prone to slipping out of place and falling out at the worst possible moments. Starting with the AGPTEK Wireless Classic Controller, these controllers are an excellent choice if you want wireless retro gaming. The wireless signal is strong and the battery lasts for a very long time. You can charge them while you play so you never really have to worry about running out of batteries. These controllers can also be used as a generic gamepad for playing PC games on a client like Steam. It would definitely be possible to make more changes to the controller board. Removing the chip from the upper part of the board would be a big start, and could even be used to give a connection point (albeit a small, tough-to-solder one) for each button and cut down on the need to spiderweb connections across the board.

Finally, I connected one of the USB hub's connectors to the keyboard controller's usb cable, and using the multimeter mapped out which pins of the keyboard controller connected to which pins on the connector. I then removed the cable and soldered a short piece of ribbon cable between the keyboard controller and the first port on the hub, matching with the pins that the usb connector would have been connected to. Suily made a few minor controller modifications, specifically by adding etching to the red "B" and "A" buttons. Of course, the biggest change is the somewhat short 5.6-foot cord, which ends in a standard USB-A plug for compatibility with Raspberry Pi, Windows, Mac, and Linux. You'll have no issue diving into your classic NES library, and enjoying favorites like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Ninja Gaiden, and so many more.

Be the First to Share

The original SNES controller design was already great, but the SN30 manages to maintain what made it special while giving it the right amount of polish for modern gamers. The old-school semi-transparent plastic is a nice touch. I put a drop of hot glue on the repositioned capacitors for the USB hub to prevent them from shorting out, and some clear nail polish in the cut traces on the controller board to guard against anything causing them to short together.

The drive I used was a simple plastic casing with a row of tabs along the sides on one half of the case, and a long segmented slot for the tabs on the other half. I got a small screwdriver between the halves and carefully levered them open. Since I wasn't going to do anything with the case afterwards I wasn't concerned when I broke a bit of the slot while opening it.This instructable will detail how I went about modifying an SNES controller into a USB controller with built-in flash drive. This is not a very fancy method, just pulling together bare hardware bits to get the job done. Starting with the NES generation of consoles, the controller became relatively standardized. If your general interest in retro gaming is from this era onward, buying a single gamepad that adequately covers multiple systems is possible. The Suily gamepad is likewise designed with only two face buttons. AS such, you’ll only be able to play games that have a 2-face-button layout. For example, you won’t be able to play Super Nintendo games with these controllers, but you’ll be able to play games for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Some of the best retro game controllers can be Nintendo Switch retro controllers that offer replicas of gamepads for the NES, N64 and GameCube; these are perfect for playing retro games on Switch. Some of the best upcoming Switch games include retro remakes, and some of the best Nintendo Switch games include games that make use of retro controllers, such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate. The case of the hub I used was held together with a single screw, the case lifted apart to reveal a single board.