Retro Fighters "Brawler64" controller

[Ziggy]

We had some talk about this controller back when it was Kickstarting, starting with this post: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=51502&hilit=n64&start=60#p1108080 . I still have the same complaint about L and Z.

Ya know, I just thought of something. The real problem with the N64 controller is the joystick that eventually wears down. So someone made replacement joysticks, but the dead zone and sensitivity is all fucked up so the stick ends up being unusable for some games. The problem with the original joystick is that the bottom of the actual stick wears down. So why can't someone just reproduce just the stick (not the entire joystick assembly, just the stick part that wears down)? It's only plastic, it would be such a cheap fix. Then, for our broken sticks, we wouldn't have to decide between a shitty joystick replacement or a third party controller such as this one.

[Tanooki]

No doubt with the quality of 3D printing today you'd think someone could start making them with a more durable piece of plastic. Ideal would be metal but that would get expensive.

[marurun]

I don’t think the plastic is as much the issue as the design. It is a relatively thin post and it touched up against the notches. A tougher plastic would still get worn down, and possibly be more brittle.

[Ziggy]

I don’t think the plastic is as much the issue as the design. It is a relatively thin post and it touched up against the notches. A tougher plastic would still get worn down, and possibly be more brittle.

Point is, if someone were to mass produce just the stick part of the N64 joystick, it would be insanely cheap and people could restore their OEM controllers to 100% new condition without having to resort to aftermarket sticks that suck or 3rd party controllers. Even when the replacement part inevitably wears down, due to the design, just pop another one in because they'd cost about one dollar.

It's far from the most robust joystick ever made, but let's not forget that they don't just break down after one use. It will take 5-10 years of normal use for them to wear out, less if you play a lot of Mario Party. BUT! If you put a dab of grease in there, it might not ever wear down.

[nightrnr]

5-10 years? That is very optimistic. I have serious doubts on that as I've had nephews wear down the analog on those cheapo wii classic controllers and nunchuk controllers out in less than one year (junky China make, cheap and low quality, but still).
My pessimism extends to even the quality of the plastic itself.

A cheap part is just going to keep failing (and quicker than the stock part). It turns it into "an aftermarket stick that sucks". I fear even for the controllers I supposedly fixed...

The replacement analog sticks that I have been getting (more than $1 each) seem decent enough so far, but I haven't tested those with my nephews yet.

I am always looking for better options though; it's just that there's rarely a better controller than a good stock original in my experience (for most systems).

[ESauced]

I'm one of the people who never really had a problem with the N64 controller. A lot of people also forget that many of the games designed for it feel more intuitive on the original (i.e, the placement of the Z trigger etc). As a kid I bought one of these as a second controller and regretted it as I preferred the original.



I thought it would be better for the ISS football games,but it never was.

Oh man, I had that one too. It was our third controller and my two brothers and I all hated it so we’d fight over who had to use it during our Goldeneye sessions. The joystick on that thing would straight up fall off in the middle of playing. What a piece of junk that was.

I have 4 N64 controllers that all have great joysticks and I have a few with some wear on the joysticks. I use the worn ones for Smash and Mario Party. Stay away from Mario Party and don’t be overzealous with Smash attacks in Smash Bros and the original controllers are plenty durable.

[CRTGAMER]

I don’t think the plastic is as much the issue as the design. It is a relatively thin post and it touched up against the notches. A tougher plastic would still get worn down, and possibly be more brittle.

Point is, if someone were to mass produce just the stick part of the N64 joystick, it would be insanely cheap and people could restore their OEM controllers to 100% new condition without having to resort to aftermarket sticks that suck or 3rd party controllers. Even when the replacement part inevitably wears down, due to the design, just pop another one in because they'd cost about one dollar.

It's far from the most robust joystick ever made, but let's not forget that they don't just break down after one use. It will take 5-10 years of normal use for them to wear out, less if you play a lot of Mario Party. BUT! If you put a dab of grease in there, it might not ever wear down.

I keep seeing posts quoting the picture of the MODIFIED Superpad 64 and not showing the non modded superpad which has a STEEL shaft on the stick. This is where is has the advantage over the plastic stick I like both the original N64 controller and the Superpad 64 Plus each for the different layout.

The segmented stops are what wears out the plastic base of the analog stick, Look closely at the Superpad, a steel shaft. This would be a better option over a 3d printed plastic stick. ideally just get rid of the stops for smooth spin moves and wear prevention.



Other N64 Controllers - One has Duel Analog sticks

[ESauced]

I keep seeing posts quoting the picture of the MODIFIED Superpad 64 and not showing the non modded superpad which has a STEEL shaft on the stick. This is where is has the advantage over the plastic stick I like both the original N64 controller and the Superpad 64 Plus each for the different layout.

Yeah I noticed that the joystick in that picture looked different than I remembered. But that unmodified joystick was junk. The plastic piece would slide off the metal piece

[chuckster]

Very glad to see this, I may pick one up if it seems to be high quality. Near-mint N64 controllers are about the same price as this thing though, and since I don't play often, I am questioning whether it would be any better in the end.

[SpikeSlania]

Back in the day I used a third party controller similar to the Super Pad Plus but instead said block buster on it. Always liked it better then the original controller since I could hit the dpad and L button no problem. Think the only other console I prefer 3rd party over Original was the Dreamcast, besides using Genesis Controllers on Atari since I'm terrible with joy sticks. But if I did get an N64 again, I would be tempted by this controller and Rogue Squadron