Sep 11, 2009

PC Gaming With Any Retro Pad

Categories: PC / Mac

Let’s say, hypothetically, that you and your best bud are plopping down in front of your PC to play and emulated version of the NES Contra by Konami. You have always been a hardcore Nintendo fan but your bud was one of those diehard Sega fans from way back in the day and you both wish you could play Contra with the controller of your choice. Well your dreams have just become a reality with an interesting USB device that enables you to attach any of these controllers to your PC

I found it rather surprising that many of these old school controllers just used a 9 or 15 pin connector for its interface. So a hobbyist designer was able to slap together a converter with just a few simple pieces and a bunch of ingenuity. You can plug Atari, Commodore, Sega Master System, Sega Megadrive, or Genesis (3 and 6 button) pads in to the 9 pin connector. Neo Geo pads can be plugged directly in to the 15 pin connector. The Retro Adapter works just like any USB gamepad and is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and the Playstation 3. Too bad there isn’t a Wii and Xbox 360 one available. Here is the interface:

I was soon asking myself how the heck my Nintendo controllers would work because I remember very well that they looked nothing like these connections. Well the designer sells extra attachments for each type of other controller that support a more proprietary connection. There are Saturn, Playstation, N64, and Gamecube adaptors available. I wonder if this would work with my Wavebird? Never the less I think I am going to give these a shot, I just hope they are shipping to the States. Visit Retro Adapter here.

Do you think you have what it takes to build your own? You can either order the kit with all of the parts included or if you really want a challenge you can just go out and get the parts yourself. The designer also made this an open source hardware so you can download the PDF to make one of these bad boys. Grab the PDF right here. Good luck and I hope you have as much fun as I am going to have (as soon as I dig out one of my old controllers).

2 Responses to “PC Gaming With Any Retro Pad”

Retro Adapter: Conecta cualquier pad por USB | El Blog de Manu Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 7:48 am
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E Stephens Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I am really impressed with the evolution of home gaming systems, mainly the PC. Arcades from the 80s as we use to know for those growing up in those days, are long gone. I use to believe there would never be any home gaming system that would rival the arcades back then. May we all treasure the experience. Long live PC gaming and all other gaming systems for in home entertainment.