Converting a PSX Controller for PC Use

BigMan writes "Anyone that has ever used a Playstation pad will think they are great, but I long ago stopped using my Playstation and haven't touched a console in a while. I much prefer the gameplay and graphics of PC games, but a keyboard just doesn't cut it on driving games. So I set about converting my Playstation pad to work on a PC. There are several converters that cost around $6 to $15, but being a student in search of a part time job I am reluctant to spend the money and it's more satisfying to do the mod yourself."

Comments

Expense

[SilentSheep]

Makes me wonder how much it cost him to do it.

Couldn't have been a lot less than $15 !!!

Seems like a bit of a waste of time/money!

Thats not new.

[mnmn]

There were sites online I saw around 1997 that detailed rewiring Atari 2600 controllers, you know the ones with a stick in the middle of a square box and one red button, they hooked two of those using a PC Y-connector to play them on the PC.

Recently I saw some people alter Sega Genesis controllers to work on the same PC running KGens etc to emulate sega games so they could play the same games on their PCs. Newer Genesis emulators allow two players to play multiplayer across the Internet, if they hooked their TVs on both sides of the Atlantic to their PCs, and use Genesis controllers to play Mortal Kombat3 multiplayer, that would be cool.

And if someone can get a Genesis emulator to run on a PDA and hook up the controller to run off of it, and physically fix the PDA right on top of the controller to make a new kind of GBA, now THAT would be cool.

You're accomplishments are not.

Playstation controller usability issues

[specialJay]

From a usability standpoint, the Playstation controller leaves a lot to be desired. I would rather see someone adapt one of Nintendo's controllers due to Ninty's adherence to more usability guidelines.

For example, the buttons on the Playstation controller are marked with an X, O, Square, Triangle and are arranged in a cross configuration. One usability guideline says to "Minimize the user's memory load"... now which symbol goes logically on the north, east, south, and west points of the cross? A casual user is unlikely to be able to know unless they have spent a lot of time with it and have memorized the configuration. This is unnecessary user memory load when compared to Nintendo's controllers which use a much more intuitive button labeling scheme and arrangement. Less to remember = easier to use.

Re:I'm not sure I'd call this cost-effective.

[Kethinov]

It's cheaper, easier, and quicker to just buy a USB Gravis Gamepad Pro. It's identical to a PS controller minus the analog sticks. But who uses those analog sticks anyway? Their positioning on the controller sucks, just like XBox's. Port a GC controller to the PC and THEN I'll be impressed.