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Post by englishinvader on Feb 19, 2012 13:34:44 GMT
My Sega Saturn came yesterday but I haven't been able to play on it because the new old stock ST Propad controller I bought doesn't work. No matter which button I press, the Saturn won't pick up any of the signals.
At the moment, I suspect the gamepad because it was a cheap third party one but is it possible that the Saturn control port(s) are at fault? I'm currently waiting for another pad to arrive so I'm unable to test, but has anyone had any problems in that regard?
I would also like to hear about people's experiences with Saturn controllers and could use some guidance about the best pads to buy and/or avoid.
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Post by frankfjs on Feb 19, 2012 14:32:36 GMT
Never heard of people having a problem with the controller ports, so I don't think it's a common problem.
I take it you've tried both ports? Not much else you can do until your new pad arrives.
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Post by Transatlantic Foe on Feb 19, 2012 18:20:06 GMT
I had a third party pad for the SNES which was shaped like an MD pad - it had terrible responsiveness. From that point, I vowed never to buy a third party pad again. I've got two of the original model European Saturn pads and they're awesome.  No problems with them at all. You can probably get them cheap as chips, I got one with the console and another for £2. |
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Post by grolt on Feb 21, 2012 19:55:20 GMT
Honestly, I love all three Saturn controllers for different reasons. The 3D Control Pad, though, is the best, and for me I'd say it's the best controller ever made. Love the recessed analog stick, makes games like NiGHTS, where you have to be pushing your directional thumb down the entire level with precision a lot more bearable that way. Also, the 6 buttons are perfect for fighters and the analog triggers work great for breaking and accelerating in racing games. It feels solid and hearty in the hands, too.
The US Model 1 controller pictured above feels really good in the hands, and I personally like the size and button layout compared to the smaller, lighter "dogbone" US Model 2. The one flaw with the Model 1 are the shoulder pads. Really flimsy - I've had a lot of problems with them over the years. They don't always "click" when you push them down so it's tough to see if they register or not. The Model 2 has great shoulder pads, but it's very small and light and just doesn't feel as good in the hands as either the Model 1 or the 3D Control Pad.
Since so many great games on the system take advantage of the analog stick (NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon series, most racing games) the 3D Control Pad really is the one you need to get and a necessity as far as I'm concerned!
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Post by ShadowAngel on Feb 24, 2012 17:45:22 GMT
The one flaw with the Model 1 are the shoulder pads. Really flimsy - I've had a lot of problems with them over the years. They don't always "click" when you push them down so it's tough to see if they register or not. They're not built to be pushed down, like you would do it on the SNES Pads. You need to push them back and then they work perfectly. I think it's a design flaw as they work best if you actually put your fingers on the front of the buttons and not on top, but that's really uncomfortable. That Gamepad is just horrible all around. The Shoulder buttons as mentioned are crap, the shape, with those buldges on the back is weird and the D-Pad is one of the most horrible i ever had to use. Those ridges really start to hurt after a while and it's too stiff. The Model 2 has great shoulder pads, but it's very small and light and just doesn't feel as good in the hands as either the Model 1 or the 3D Control Pad. They aren't really "Model 2" but are the original japanese gamepads. They are a bit small (typical for japan) but work a lot better than the NA/EU Version. The D-Pad is great, the pad is more smooth and not so weirdly shaped. I prefer those. Since so many great games on the system take advantage of the analog stick (NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon series, most racing games) the 3D Control Pad really is the one you need to get and a necessity as far as I'm concerned! The Analog Pad is the Gamepad to go on the Saturn, no doubt about it. The D-Pad is great, the Analog works great with the few supported games. Otherwise, get the japanese gamepad. As for third party: Stay away. Unless you find something from Hori, they were and are the best third party supplier for gamepads and Sticks. I have the Fighting Stick SS from them and it even tops the official Sega Virtua Stick in terms of quality. Also the Fighting Commander from them is a pretty good gamepad. |
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Post by englishinvader on Feb 24, 2012 21:20:57 GMT
A week later and I now have three fully working Saturn controllers. I decided to buy used ones from trusted sellers rather than take chances on dodgy new old stock.
I bought the original Mark 1, the grey Japanese pad and the Sunsoft SunSaturn pad. I like all three:
Mark 1 - feels really good for Sega Rally Championship (as long as you use automatic transmission), Alien Trilogy and Virtua Cop 2. I found it very uncomfortable for Tomb Raider, though; TR is definitely a game that cries out for analogue control.
Official grey pad - I found TR a lot easier with this one. The shoulder pads are also more conducive to the manual transmission in Sega Rally.
Sunsoft - this is a good gamepad. Quite light in the hands and works fairly well with all the games I've tested it with inc. games that require a lot of fast movement like Space Harrier.
My 3D controller is on its way. Nights into Dreams looks virtually impossible to play without an analogue.
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Post by ritchstorm on Feb 25, 2012 2:31:01 GMT
The mark 2 control pad is very similar to the Mega Drive 6 button pad and those 2 controllers are my favourite of all time to be honest.
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Post by andypandy380 on Mar 4, 2012 0:39:56 GMT
The controllers I have feel really cheap and nasty, the buttons rattle about, I think they're official sega ones, the 6 button md controller is much nicer. I've bought third party controllers thay just refuse to work. The problem I've had with second hand saturns is the console itself refusing to read the disks and just cutting out as its loading.
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Post by englishinvader on Mar 4, 2012 11:39:37 GMT
The problem I've had with second hand saturns is the console itself refusing to read the disks and just cutting out as its loading. That's a common problem that can happen with pretty much any console with an optical drive. I'm led to understand that the Saturn is less prone to drive failure than most consoles, though. One of the things I love about the Saturn is that it's built like a tank. The other thing I love about the Saturn is the library of games. The myth that it's only worth buying a Saturn if you can play Japanese games is one of the greatest falsehoods in gaming history. Apart from the Sega exclusives, most of the big franchises on the PS1 from the mid to late 90s are also available on the Saturn. Having said that, the Marvel/X-Men vs Street Fighter games are awesome and are well worth the investment of an Action Replay cart and a 50/60 Hz modded Saturn. |
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Post by ShadowAngel on Mar 8, 2012 15:16:44 GMT
That's a common problem that can happen with pretty much any console with an optical drive. I'm led to understand that the Saturn is less prone to drive failure than most consoles, though. One of the things I love about the Saturn is that it's built like a tank. Oh, the Saturn isn't really built like a tank. It may be heavy and big but has enough flaws (cartridge slot....) and while the drive itself may not be as bad as the one of the Dreamcast (Laser Rot, Read errors are quite common) it isn't really perfect. As for disc read errors: There are 2 reasons for this. First: It's a top loader and that's not the best thing for optical drives. You push the disc on the spindle, the spindle gets pushed down. Do this for a couple of years and the spindle will actually get pushed too far into the case. If you use the Saturn and you hear some kind of scratching noise, that's the disc rubbing against the case because the spindle is pushed too far inside. You can repair this by taking apart the entire system, push the spindle up, clean everything (dirt and dust are also bad) and then it should work. Second: For some stupid reason nobody understands Sega decided to put the Copy Protection on the outermost ring of the Disc. Usually Copy Protection is put on the innermost ring. The way most people handle Discs can lead to damage, also the craptastic Saturn cases, that can't hold the CD tight, so it flies around can lead to a lot of damage. I've seen some horribly scratched Discs. |
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Post by playgeneration on Mar 8, 2012 15:53:48 GMT
Compared to a fair few other CD based consoles the Saturn seems robust in comparison, Dreamcast and PC Engine DUO's start falling apart of their own accord due to silly design/manufacturing flaws. Although I suppose there's a lot more broken Playstation consoles around for instance simply because they sold a whole lot more of them.
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Post by englishinvader on Mar 11, 2012 8:37:47 GMT
...The way most people handle Discs can lead to damage, also the craptastic Saturn cases, that can't hold the CD tight, so it flies around can lead to a lot of damage. I've seen some horribly scratched Discs. Some of the sellers I've bought Saturn games from have had the foresight to put the disc inside the manual to stop the disc from being shaken about during transit. I also like it when they take the time to wrap the game case in bubble wrap before shipping. I've also received a game disc with a lot of scratches that miraculously still works. The seller neglected to mention that in his description, but the game only cost me a few quid so it's not worth making an issue out of it. |
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Post by Transatlantic Foe on Mar 11, 2012 11:10:41 GMT
How much does it work though? I have a copy of Virtua Fighter 2 I got from Gamestation which plays fine then crashes at the ending.
Then again I have two copies of Code Veronica for the DC which appear to have no damage but barely let you past the opening room, yet a scratched to hell Soul Calibur which works perfectly.
With all that inconsistency, I stick to buying mint discs.
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Post by KnightWarrior on Mar 12, 2012 23:42:14 GMT
I hate the Model 1 Saturn Controller
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