Somebody as soon as instructed me that the Sega Saturn controller (the Japanese one, not the chunky American one) is one of the best 2D controller ever made. I don’t bear in mind who it was, however it occurred. The declare caught with me.

I’m undecided I agree, however recreation controllers are a really private selection. For years, we’ve basically been utilizing completely different configurations of the identical factor. To me, 4 face buttons really feel just like the optimum quantity for my thumb to deal with, so my choice is the SNES controller, however I can respect anybody who prefers Sega’s six-button design.

And for these folks, there’s now Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn Wi-fi Professional Controller, which, past simply being a reasonably devoted wi-fi translation of the console’s enter, slaps a few analog sticks on there so you may as well use it for contemporary video games.

You understand, if you wish to.

I had deliberate on beginning to import Sega Saturn video games, however that was earlier than the Analogue Duo shifted my consideration to the PC-Engine. Nevertheless, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Professional Controller isn’t unique to that console. It really works with a bunch of various consoles and PC by means of Xinput and Dinput. For that matter, one of many consoles I attempted it on was the aforementioned Analogue Duo, and it labored simply nice.

That is one thing I’m fairly used to in the case of trendy controllers. It appears that evidently this technology has resulted in a renaissance in third-party controllers. Again in my day, third-party controllers had been typically what you got while you didn’t need to shell out for an official one however nonetheless wished multiplayer. You’d hand them off to your pal, who would complain the buttons stick. It could get caught in a drawer and in some way appeared to disintegrate simply sitting there.

Now, every time I want to make use of a controller, I’ve a tonne of selections. For 2D video games, I normally use my 8BitDo SF30 Professional or M30. For 3D, I take advantage of the console’s native controller or a PS5 Dualsense on PC. My SF30 has analog sticks, however I normally solely resort to them if a recreation is basically 2D with 3D sections or if, sacrilegiously, a 2D recreation doesn’t use the D-Pad. It’s simply not as comfy as a dealt with controller. Then, in fact, there’s my arcade stick and racing wheel, which no lady must be with out.

The Sega Saturn Professional Controller has a couple of drawbacks. The primary is the truth that it at the moment solely has a 2.4GHz model for wi-fi. To be honest, loads of avid gamers appear to desire this as a result of, generally, it has the least quantity of enter lag. It additionally means you don’t have to fret about continuously pairing the controller. Nevertheless, it does imply that you simply’re shackled to a dongle. Even whereas re-pairing with Bluetooth generally is a ache, bodily transferring a dongle isn’t that significantly better. Additionally, if you wish to change between the Saturn and USB dongle, you must clear the pairing earlier than you may pair it with the opposite adapter, so it’s not nice.

The second is that the joysticks type of suck to make use of. They’re very small, and reaching to the center of the controller isn’t precisely ergonomic. That is basically the identical downside I’ve with the sticks on my SF30 Professional. The symmetrical design doesn’t work very nicely on a controller that doesn’t have handles, and since they’re small and really recessed, you want to be conscious of how your thumbs are sitting. Just like the SF30 Professional, I’ll probably solely use them when it’s completely vital. Nevertheless, there’s a constructive to them that I’ll get to.

The construct high quality can also be very devoted to the unique’s, which might be disappointing if you happen to’re used to the 8BitDo M30. That controller has a pleasant matte end and a stable really feel, whereas the Sega Saturn Professional Controller appears like a controller from the ‘90s. Should you’re on this controller, there’s an excellent probability that you really want it to really feel as near the unique as attainable, and it actually does. Through the years, Retro-Bit has gotten rather a lot higher about matching the unique model of no matter they’re reproducing, and that exhibits right here.

The shoulder buttons have a little bit of a unique click on to them, and the D-pad has a bit extra wiggle to it, however neither of these items makes a sensible distinction in gameplay. Nothing about it made me need to swap again to an authentic Saturn controller.

What I do admire, nonetheless, is its skill to perform as a Sega Saturn analog controller. I’m fairly certain the one video games I’ve that help this are Nights into Desires and Christmas Nights. I believed they had been nice with the D-pad, however now that I’ve skilled them in analog, yeah, they’re rather a lot higher. I’m really shocked by the distinction. It’s value mentioning that the triggers usually are not analog, however off the highest of my head, I can’t consider a recreation apart from Panzer Dragoon Saga that makes use of them, and even then it doesn’t use them for something essential.

Switching to analog takes a button mixture, however it’s not too tough. Sadly, you may’t use the symmetrical sticks in Digital On to imitate the dual-stick controller, however Retro-Bit notes this saying, “This characteristic will not be accessible, however we like the concept.” It could be added in a later firmware replace.

One factor I famous about utilizing the controller is that there are 4 shoulder buttons versus the Saturn’s traditional two: R, L, ZR, and ZL. The guide says that R and ZR each map to the Saturn’s R button, which might can help you select the place you need your index fingers to lie, however that’s not right. R really maps to the Z face button. This looks as if a mistake and perhaps will probably be fastened in future firmware.

It’s additionally a bit disappointing to make use of on Change, which maps Z and C to R and L. That is principally Nintendo’s fault. The controller could be nice on the Genesis and N64 (one other 6-button face) channels, however, for some daft cause, Nintendo doesn’t allow you to remap controls for his or her programs. You are able to do it within the settings menu of the Change, however you then’d need to hold fiddling round with it everytime you wished to play one thing usually.

This isn’t an issue with the Sega Saturn Professional Controller, nonetheless. The 8BitDo M30 has the identical downside. Nintendo may do rather a lot higher in the case of supporting third-party controllers.

Except for some “want it had” options, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Professional Controller is precisely what it says it’s: It’s a Saturn controller with symmetrical analog sticks. It’s devoted to the unique type issue with extra capabilities. How a lot use you’re going to get out of the sticks relies in your preferences and scenario.

For me, I’d most likely simply stick with the 8BitDo M30 with out the analog sticks. It’s cheaper, extra trendy, and has Bluetooth model. Nevertheless, 8BitDo doesn’t make a Saturn receiver. Not but, anyway. So, by default, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Professional Controller is my new favourite Sega Saturn controller. Even when I may use the M30, I’d nonetheless most likely escape Retro-Bit’s answer for Nights into Desires.

But when the Sega Saturn controller is to you what the SNES controller is to me, this would possibly be precisely what you’re in search of. The sticks may not be comfy for contemporary video games, however even retro-inspired video games typically don’t pay correct tribute to the D-Pad. For these events, they’re good to have. The construct high quality and faithfulness to the unique management are admirable within the Sega Saturn Professional Controller. Nevertheless, as I stated within the opening, controllers are a completely private selection, so there’s an excellent probability you already know if that is the controller for you.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the hardware provided by the publisher.]}