Retro topic: N64 controllers

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SubCog

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N64 controllers are an interesting beast nowadays. On one hand, the controller was revolutionary, introducing the first console thumbsticks for dramatically improved control in 3d space.

Also, the crazy 3 prong design! It's like 3d controls were so new, that Nintendo hedged their bets, just in case the market totally rejected the stick and just wanted to keep using the d-pad.

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On the other hand, the thumbsticks are a very primitive design, relying on little gears inside the device, rather than the modern potentiometer-based thumbsticks that you see on all modern controllers. The sticks deteriorate over time, and nowadays it's tough to find a good one... most n64 sticks are super wobbly nowadays, with huge deadzones.

There are 3rd party controllers currently manufactured, but they are terrible quality. The sticks feel terrible, and have large deadzones and poor calibration.

There are several strategies that people use to try to fix their original n64 sticks. Some folks use the tape method, while others look for 3rd party replacement sticks. Unfortunately the replacement sticks are poor quality, the mechanical pieces manufactured with low precision. One popular choice is to replace them with a gamecube-style stick, which feels much better and is more sturdy. Unfortunately, the gamecube-style sticks use cheap electronics, and are poorly calibrated, leaving you with large dead-zones and fewer degrees of analog control.

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I've tried several replacement sticks and I've been super frustrated that there's no good solution. I've even purchased replacement gears, bowls, etc., and each make some improvements, but will break down over time. So after much research I've decided to this solution:

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A guy in Germany has designed his own n64 controller board, coupled with a high quality potentiometer, and well calibrated for n64. It's meant to replace the inner electronics of the typical gamecube-style replacement stick (which you have to buy seperately). I've ordered 4 sets from him, and I'll report again once I receive them and try them out. Many people say this is the ultimate solution, and should basically last forever.

The other interesting option is this kickstarter, where these guys are manufacturing newly redesigned n64 controllers. I've ordered a couple, and will report on those when they ship in November.

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Anyways, I've been struggling for years to find a good solution, so I'm excited to finally get this figured out this year. Do you guys struggle with n64 controllers?
 
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Yeah I saw that kickstarter last week. Its interesting, waiting to hear some reviews of it.

Have you tried the Hori mini pad? I know they are quite expensive but they are supposed to be a massive improvement over the standard controller. The button layout being a bit cramped, as well as the steep price has deterred me so far.

Luckily my 2 original N64 controllers still have great sticks, and the two others that I got later second hand had bad sticks but I replaced them. The replacement sticks as you mentioned are definitely not as good especially when you need precision, but they are good enough for games like Mario Party which is the ultimate culprit game for destroying analog sticks.
 
I was never a big fan of the hori. It's got a nice stick, but I don't love the size or layout. Plus they're impossible to get these days, at least for a price I'm willing to pay. Frankly, I bought 4 sets of the german replacements, for less than the cost of a single hori.

btw, your mom's a hori.
 
Sweet. I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

I managed to find a n64 pad at a retro game store that was really tight. Looked and feels new. So for the time being I'm happy with that one. I just know that it won't last forever.

Quite frankly however odd it may be I love the original n64 layout for maximum nostalgia. I would love a proper stick replacement. I do have one pad that could use one.
 
BababooeyHTJ said:
I managed to find a n64 pad at a retro game store that was really tight. Looked and feels new. So for the time being I'm happy with that one. I just know that it won't last forever.
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I have 2 now that are decent. On one, the bowl was still good so I replaced the gears and it's my best controller. The other is running a replacement stick that's okay-ish. But I definitely feel like I'm running lower and lower on good sticks.
 
I'm going to **** post, so ignore if you like using N64 controllers of any kind.

The controller layout can never be redeemed, regardless of modification or upgraded internals.

Xbox style or PS3/PS4 style controllers have won the day for a reason and the only way forward is emulation using those controllers or something like the retro fighters solution. I've seen the usb "N64" controllers at microcenter and gagged.

End of ragging on N64.
 
Yeah, the N64 controller overall kind of sucks. Can't argue there.

But you need to remember it was a revolutionary controller at the time. By all accounts its the first controller to have an analog stick designed for movement in a 3D game environment.

Designs are seldom perfect on the first try. It took a few generations (Xbox360/PS3 era) before it was done really well.
 
Vectrex had an analog stick way before. It wasn't a 3D system but those didn't exist at the time!

Also I think the original dualshock was really good. Sure it's been improved upon but I still think it's quite good even by today's standards (provided the game you're playing doesn't need analog buttons.)
 
borat said:
Vectrex had an analog stick way before. It wasn't a 3D system but those didn't exist at the time!
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That's the point, the N64 controller was the first to be designed for 3D game environments.

There were certainly other analog stick controllers previously on other retro systems, like from Atari for example.
 
Jkmetal23 said:
I'm going to **** post, so ignore if you like using N64 controllers of any kind.

The controller layout can never be redeemed, regardless of modification or upgraded internals.

Xbox style or PS3/PS4 style controllers have won the day for a reason and the only way forward is emulation using those controllers or something like the retro fighters solution. I've seen the usb "N64" controllers at microcenter and gagged.

End of ragging on N64.
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Meteor_of_War said:
Yeah, the N64 controller overall kind of sucks. Can't argue there.

But you need to remember it was a revolutionary controller at the time. By all accounts its the first controller to have an analog stick designed for movement in a 3D game environment.

Designs are seldom perfect on the first try. It took a few generations (Xbox360/PS3 era) before it was done really well.
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It's true that despite how innovative the n64 controller was, that it kindof misses the boat.

imo the first really modern controller is the dual shock 1.
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However, you have to consider that Sony massively missed the boat too, as the original Playstation controller had no sticks at all... it was basically an snes controller with extra shoulder buttons and the grips from the virtualboy.
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Only after the n64 controller launched did Sony realize sticks were needed. What's amazing is that Sony realized that dual sticks would be so useful... very few PS1 games used those sticks in the modern way, where you use one for movement and one for camera. Sometimes I wonder if the dual shock was sortof an accidental success... Sony's like "we can't just add a stick or else people will say we're copying Nintendo, so lets add 2 sticks!"... only later did we get dual analog controls for fps games and such.
 
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Mangler said:
Didn't sega release their analogue controller for the saturn before the release of the n64?
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If you want to get technical that controller was designed for use with Nights into Dreams on the Saturn, originally released July 5, 1996. The N64 was originally released June 23, 1996. Close!
 
I received my converter PCBs today. There's actually quite a bit of work required to install these. The little boards came separate from the potentiometers, so I soldered those together, then you have to unsolder the little cables from the donor joystick and solder it onto the new board. Then there's a procedure for calibrating the stick.

I put one controller together, and it works okay, but the calibration is really uneven. Apparently there's an updated firmware available that's supposed to fix this issue, but I had to order the equipment from China to be able to flash it. I guess I'll post another update once I get those parts in.

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