PS2 Third Party PS2 controlllers?

[rosemarymenace]

I'm just curious what people consider the best third party PS2 controller to buy now, because I was thinking about hooking the PS2 back up now that I actually have a usable TV again but I also realized I don't have any controllers for it aside from a logitech pad that's nearly useless for racing games because the pressure sensitive buttons on it have worn out

 

[Barnminister]

I wanted to know the same thing, but my research suggests that no specific 3rd party PS2 controller has been widely accepted as a strong substitute. I settled on buying the Wingman PS2 controller adapter, which allows me to use modern controllers. I've been happy with my PS3 controller, but the only minor sacrifice is the lack of support for the pressure sensitive PS2 face buttons. Not a big deal, but they are pretty neat in MGS2.

 

[rosemarymenace]

Pressure sensitive face buttons are something I generally tend to avoid unless the game in question uses them because they tend to wear out over time and that can be problematic for certain games (looking at you NFS Most Wanted)

Post automatically merged: Dec 27, 2024

I've mostly been using a Dualshock 4 with my PS2 via the option in OPL but that doesn't work with any of the games I own on disc which is quite a few now

 

[Stookymalarkey]

I know that 8Bitdo released a controller adapter that lets you use modern controllers (like DS4 or Xbox controllers). I haven't tried it out, and of course it can't emulate the button sensitivity needed on games like Metal Gear Solid 3, but it beats rolling the dice with third party crap on Amazon.

 

[TDS]

The only modern controller I know that supports pressure sensitive buttons on PS2 is the Retro Fighters Defender. I only used one for a little while, but it seemed pretty decent, and it is made specifically to be a modern replacement for a DS2 (they also have a bluetooth version to replace the DS3 with sixaxis and everything.)
R2 and L2 are triggers like modern controllers, so they should work pretty well for racing games that support analog buttons.

 

[ShogunateHush]

A decent option that I use is a ps3 controller with a blueretro adapter. A recent firmware update enabled button pressure sensitivity on sixaxis and ds3, which I can confirm works better than my logitech controller's. I mostly stick to that since it feels more like a dualshock 2

 

[rosemarymenace]

the retro fighters defender actually looks like a decent controller, hopefully it's got better build quality than some of the third party pads I'm used to using

 

[Anim8rDude]

Retro Fighters Defender

This is one of the controllers from Retro Fighters that I use & can also recommend it. 2 years in & still works like a charm & no hiccups with OPL! That back triggers may be a bit sensitive at times but apart from that I absolutely love it. Also works with the PS3 which was also a bonus for me

 

[Patches]

Most should work for you if you don't care about the pressure sensitivity. Sadly for those that do there doesn't seem to be many options for us aside from buying whats left of the old sony stock from various sources. Brook wingman is an interesting option. I usually opt for an xbox one controller or my razer kishi on pcsx2 on pc or aethersx2 on mobile there is some pressure usability, but not as good as ps2 controller.

 

[themoon]

here's me playing almost solely rpgs totally content with the cheap wireless ones from aliexpress.

truth be told i prefer the dual shock 2 to anything, luckily sony made the wires long.

 

[Skeetos]

The only modern controller I know that supports pressure sensitive buttons on PS2 is the Retro Fighters Defender. I only used one for a little while, but it seemed pretty decent, and it is made specifically to be a modern replacement for a DS2 (they also have a bluetooth version to replace the DS3 with sixaxis and everything.)
R2 and L2 are triggers like modern controllers, so they should work pretty well for racing games that support analog buttons.

Wish I would've known about this when trying to find an OEM PS3 controller. This one seems legit.

 

[Stingy Perry]

Just stay away from any MadCatz controllers and you’ll be fine.

 

[Skeetos]

Just stay away from any MadCatz controllers and you’ll be fine.

good lord the amount of MadCatz controllers I went through as a kid is unholy. I remember the Pelican brand being exceptionally garbage as well. I had a Gameboy Advance light attachment from Pelican that broke off the hinge after 2 hours of having it.

 

[themoon]

When I was a kid, every household I with a kid had a MadCatz abomination of one kind or another. I had a MadCatz ps1 controller that wasn't too bad, and they made high capacity memory cards which I liked

 

[Yousef]

I think you can plug in a psx controller if you hsve one.

 

[Stookymalarkey]

I think you can plug in a psx controller if you hsve one.

I believe you can use the DualShock 1 controller on it but it doesn't work with all of the PS2 games. I remember hearing that some outright refuse to take input from one.

 

[themoon]

I believe you can use the DualShock 1 controller on it but it doesn't work with all of the PS2 games. I remember hearing that some outright refuse to take input from one.

This is true, between the psx/ps2 there's a ton of controller cross-compatibility. I actually have yet to come across a time where it didn't work. I use my dual shock 2's when I play psx

 

[rosemarymenace]

This is true, between the psx/ps2 there's a ton of controller cross-compatibility. I actually have yet to come across a time where it didn't work. I use my dual shock 2's when I play psx

for the first few months of owning my PS2 I actually used an original non-dualshock PS1 controller to play the games that didn't require analogue controls because my DS2s were so fucked

Post automatically merged: Jan 6, 2025

in fact me and my friends still use that as the designated "player two controller" whenever we wanna play games that only require digital input