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Hori Fighting Commander, the best retro controller ever?

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
I was interested in these things until I read that they tend to break down after a while. I wonder how true is that.
Mine has lasted over 450 hours of SFV, and that's the older model with more reliability issues.

I have the new one too and I think the dpad is crisper and the buttons have just a slightly lower profile which shaves milliseconds off of their activation. The only thing I really prefer about the old model is the ergonomics. It does a better job naturally aligning my index finger with the right shoulder buttons in a very comfortable way.

40 bucks for a great pad is worth it IMO even if it does need replacing every 2-3 years.
 
There's never any love for the PC Engine/TG16 controllers
nec-pc-engine-controller-pad-core-grafx-japan-jp-5235f6dd1d67c8997c1547047a252924.png
It feels like an NES / Master System controller done right, snug fit without sharp corners, good dpad and even built in turbo function for those who want to cheat
 

dawgparty

Member
Yes, except it doesn't have a way to emulate the stupid PS4 touch button which is usually the Start button on any emulated games. Total pain in the ass. This may have changed though, I have the 3.
 

BiggNife

Member
Shout out to the Pokken Controller

Works on Switch too!

Yeah, I love it. In hindsight I wish I got two when Gamestop was doing their fire sale. But the new version they're releasing with DX is only $25 so maybe I'll get one of those.
 
it's pretty good but i don't love the d pad.
This, but I have the older model with the rotating dpad. I think vanilla DS4 beats it out tbh

Also recently got the XBONE Elite so I'm eager to try out that pad on a platformer. It feels really nice and clicky.
 

cireza

Banned
Had this controller and I didn't find it that great.

You can't beat the Saturn d-pad, or the 6 buttons Genesis controller.

Edit : it was the other controller with the rotating d-pad that I had.
 

mollipen

Member
I'm going to go against some of the comments about the older model (FC3) because man do I love that this. I have a newer model as well, and I actually don't think it's nearly as good as the older one. The really cool idea of letting the d-pad be rotatable does introduce some issues with it traveling on its own even when completely "locked", but it's still such a fantastic controller. Probably the most usable one I've ever had for fighting games since the Japanese Saturn pad.
 
I'll probably get a couple for the SNES Classic. Any store that is selling them in the US?

The iBuffalo SNES controller is horrible. I bought a few and they suck. Way too light and flimsy and the dpad hurt my finger because of how sharp it was. Never again.
 

Calm Mind

Member
A generation of soft thumbed gamers prefer those circle D-pad to the tried and true God-tier elite classic D-pad.
 
A generation of soft thumbed gamers prefer those circle D-pad to the tried and true God-tier elite classic D-pad.

I find they both have their uses. Those circle dpads are great for games where you have inventory or something like that on the dpad. The classic plus style is obviously way better for dpad movement imo.
 

Ceallach

Smells like fresh rosebuds
I have the hori fighting commander for PC engine. It's basically the same as the snes one. I love even though only Street Fighter 1 and 2 make use of it. Well and Strip Fighter, but that's not relevant
 
61Q%2BXY-FK0L._AC_SL1350_.jpg


The Pokken Tournament has a terrific d-pad and on the Switch it's compatible with pretty much any game that doesn't require stick inputs. Oddly enough, it's kind of a terrible controller to use with Pokken Tournament because using a d-pad to move in full 3D will always feel bad but whatever...
 

MutFox

Banned
Had this controller and I didn't find it that great.

You can't beat the Saturn d-pad, or the 6 buttons Genesis controller.

Edit : it was the other controller with the rotating d-pad that I had.

That controller sucks, have it.
Bought the regular one, much MUCH better.

That part that rotates seems to come loose way too often.
What a stupid design.
 
You can't beat the Saturn d-pad, or the 6 buttons Genesis controller.
What makes these two so great is that the d-pads "float". The d-pad you interact with is actually connected to a lower d-pad by a short shaft. The second d-pad is what makes contact with the rubber membrane and the board. This rocking motion gives the d-pad a preciseness not usually found in circular style pads. There is also something about the size of both d-pads and the distance between them that just... works.

It's disappointing that other pad makers haven't figured out this formula yet. The old Nuby Tech Street Fighter Anniversary pads came close, but the lower d-pad was too thin and the two d-pads were too far apart. The model 2 Saturn pad feeling was there, but the diagonals were horribly imprecise.
 

mitchlol

Member
I have 3 of these. One I travel with, one permanently plugged in and another brand new one in box in case mine ever break. Great controller for use with fighting games or 2D side scroller. I had the rotating Dpad version and it always came loose... horrible idea

I'm a little worried that the next console (ps5) will get a similar style controller but it won't be as good :/ kinda like how the 360 madcatz controllers never made it to xbone or ps4
 
61Q%2BXY-FK0L._AC_SL1350_.jpg


The Pokken Tournament has a terrific d-pad and on the Switch it's compatible with pretty much any game that doesn't require stick inputs. Oddly enough, it's kind of a terrible controller to use with Pokken Tournament because using a d-pad to move in full 3D will always feel bad but whatever...

I did not realize a Switch branded version of this is out on 9/22. Based on my love of the FC, I really hope the d-pad is good. One of the big downsides to the FC is its incompatibility with the Switch. Seeing as Shovel Knight, Puyo Puyo, Bomberman Zero, Ultra Street Fighter II, The Binding of Isaac, and Sonic Mania are Switch titles for me, this would be a welcome stand-in for now. I am ashamed to say that I have mauled my thumb to make the 4 buttons work for a d-pad on the joycon. No accidental inputs with that thing! (just a bloody mangled thumb, hah).

Also looking at Super Meat Boy Forever as a potential buy that will benefit from a d-pad.

$25 only too. What a steal.
 

BiggNife

Member
I did not realize a Switch branded version of this is out on 9/22. Based on my love of the FC, I really hope the d-pad is good. One of the big downsides to the FC is its incompatibility with the Switch. Seeing as Shovel Knight, Puyo Puyo, Bomberman Zero, Ultra Street Fighter II, The Binding of Isaac, and Sonic Mania are Switch titles for me, this would be a welcome stand-in for now. I am ashamed to say that I have mauled my thumb to make the 4 buttons work for a d-pad on the joycon. No accidental inputs with that thing! (just a bloody mangled thumb, hah).

Also looking at Super Meat Boy Forever as a potential buy that will benefit from a d-pad.

$25 only too. What a steal.

I would say definitely get it. It has my favorite d-pad out of all of the controllers I currently use. Plus it works on PC as well, so it's not like you can only use it on the Switch.
 
61Q%2BXY-FK0L._AC_SL1350_.jpg


The Pokken Tournament has a terrific d-pad and on the Switch it's compatible with pretty much any game that doesn't require stick inputs. Oddly enough, it's kind of a terrible controller to use with Pokken Tournament because using a d-pad to move in full 3D will always feel bad but whatever...

wow the DX variant looks so much nicer than the original
 

xevis

Banned
The model 2 Sega Saturn pad is the best there is, the first one is nowhere near as good.

sega-saturn_1244048.jpg

This shit right here. There's never been a better d-pad (I actually own six-button Mega Drive controller, but there's not much between that and this Saturn pad).
 

EricB

Member
f310.png


The logitech F310 is worth checking out - god like d-pad


I have this controller and it is surprisingly good (particularly the dpad). It really flies under the radar, as no one seems to expect much. I ditched my XBox 360 controller (which I never really liked anyway tbh) for one of these on PC, and despite dabbling with my Wii Pro controller and pretty much everthing else available, I keep coming back to this one for most modern games.

That being said, for fighting games or 2D games I use a stick, SNES pad, or something else with a similar form factor.
 

outsidah

Member
So I believe what this thread did is sell a bunch of Hori Switch pads to people like me who had no idea that was coming. Has anyone found a place that has them for preorder? I don’t see them on Amazon JP yet.
 

Dambrosi

Banned
I dunno, OP, I have one for my PS4, and it feels a bit light for my taste (even the 8BitDo SNES pad is heavier), and the D-pad, while accurate, feels somewhat stiff. But it's the lightness that bothers me most about it, it feels like it might break after a particularly heavy SFV or KOF session. And I'm a pad warrior, so I should know!
The SNES Classic Mini is getting its own Fighting Commander next month.
TychoGabeSquee.jpg

I just hope the feel of the controller is just like its elder brother.
I have that exact same controller for the Super Famicom, the dpad hurts my thumb

rqtAvCs.jpg
I have one of those too, though mine seems a bit more worn-in than yours - still accurate as all hell, though. My second favourite retro pad of all, behind the aforementioned D-pad Of The Gods, the Model 2 Saturn pad.







Also, N64 above Gen/MD and PS4? Even in terms of just the D-pad? lol no, sorry, that's not a preference, it's not even an opinion, it's just plain wrong. Sorry OP.
 
I actually own the controller, phone clip, and even that bluetooth speaker because I was a sucker for its aesthetic.



Astute observation about charge characters. 100% agreed. I am not that great of a pad player for fighting games but the same issues arise in a game like Contra 3: Alien Wars due to needing accurate diagonal inputs for aiming.

I got one free (NES30) with my Analogue NT mini. It did seem really good at first. But I a/b tested it against a wired NES pad and a dog bone, and the dpad has issues. Especially for stuff with diagonals like Contra, or shmups. A lot of false positive inputs when you try to do diagonals. I surprised the amount of praise these get when they are obviously a bit dodgy.

Dpad is...decent. Not great. In my mid, about as good as the relatively rare xbox360 pad with the chrome / teist out dpad. Serviceable but not great.

I replaced the NES30 with a pair of the new RetroUSB clicky wireless NES controllers. Dpads on those are stiff/clicky due to the micro switches, but very accurate.
 
I have one and it works great for SFV. I still went ahead and upgraded to a stick, but if you just don't want to identify a fighting stick, I highly recommend this pad.
 
The SNES Classic Mini is getting its own Fighting Commander next month.

Is it just me or is Turbo/rapid-fire feature (which I assume that's what those little switches are) completely unnecessary in this day and age? I feel like it was a forgetable gimmick in the old days, but I can't think of any game on the SNES Classic that I would want to use it with... except maybe Contra or Star Fox?

By the way I have one pre-ordered on Amazon Japan (they sold out quickly) that I'm willing to part with.
 

Arklite

Member
Yeah the Hori pad is pretty great, easy recommendation for pad players looking for fighter focused features and broad compatability. The USB Saturn pads are fantastic but they lack inputs to use them with newer 2D games comfortably.

Of the current gen consoles I'd say the DS4 probably has the best D-pad but I've not tried the Wii U Pro with fighters to count it fairly.
 

gelf

Member
Yeah the Hori pad is pretty great, easy recommendation for pad players looking for fighter focused features and broad compatability. The USB Saturn pads are fantastic but they lack inputs to use them with newer 2D games comfortably.
Yeah that's the only issue I come across still using a Saturn pad. Steam's remapping options have helped me a lot though recently. For example I'm able to map the often required but missing back button to a long press of start, that helps getting through menus.

How I wish Sega would put out a new version with extra buttons and compatibility with both PC and consoles though.
 

EricB

Member
Because of this thread I just ordered a PC/Xbox version of the HFC that should come in by Friday, yolo.


Get back to us with how you feel about (and if it works). As I stated earlier, I got the PS4 version and, despite having a dedicated PC mode switch, I haven't been able to get it to work on PC at all.
 

Renekton

Member
Best dpad in existence is the Xbox S-Type dpad. There seriously isn't anything better. Second best would be the Saturn 3D Controller.



It can be further improved by grafting a 3D printed dpad on it that eases diagonals.



Both of these are my pics btw.
Don't the Xbox pads have deadzones?
 

Paragon

Member
Any controller with a Nintendo-style d-pad does not belong near the top of the list in my opinion.
What makes the Saturn pad great is that it's circular, and the pad is 'floating' rather than balancing on the pivot point.
vycikck9usd8.gif


Nintendo-style d-pads are balanced on the pivot point, which makes them inherently "unstable" and want to roll around.
dpadioss6.png


That might be fine if you mainly play fighting games that use rotational inputs rather than platformers, shooters, or basically any other type of game.
Since the pad is a + shape rather than round, I find that they tend to want to hit diagonals more than they want to hit cardinal directions too.

Get back to us with how you feel about (and if it works). As I stated earlier, I got the PS4 version and, despite having a dedicated PC mode switch, I haven't been able to get it to work on PC at all.
When you say that you haven't been able to get it working at all, do you mean that it's not being detected by the PC, or that games aren't using it?
Because it's probably a DirectInput device rather than XInput, since it's a PlayStation controller - which means that newer games won't use it. (DirectInput is deprecated)
Try opening up Steam Big Picture Mode, going to the controller settings, and enabling/configuring "generic gamepad support". You may need to disconnect the controller and restart Steam before it works correctly the first time.
 
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