Thread 717393639

Why is it so hard to find a well made Nintendo 64 controller?
Even the original controller and Nintendo's official NSO remade controller has the notorious infamous analog stick that grinds itself to dust.
Why is it so hard to make a better one, after all these years?
Why is it so hard to build a thumbstick that doesn't suck sixty-four dicks?

It was such a unique design. Still my GOATed Ninty console

>>717393639 (OP)
You can mod an original controller with a Hall-effect stick.
https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/8bitdo-mod-kit-for-original-n64-controller

>>717393639 (OP)
They’re simply not well made. It would disturb the natural order to fix the thumb stick.

I thought the grinding was only because the original US release was unlubed due to regulations.
I also thought that wasn't an issue with the NSO remakes, but I don't have one.

I think Graslu00 was shilling a control stick that supposedly had perfect range, deadzone and sensitivity, but iirc it costs like $150

Because the controller is fundamentally flawed

>>717394214
I opened up and lubed my NSO version. It definitely didn't have any lube applied in factory.

>>717393639 (OP)
The next best thing you'll get will just have to be ordering new gears and dismantle the stick to grease it up, and even then the range isn't fine-tuned and is slightly worse than the OEM parts. I'm sorry.

>>717393639 (OP)
>Why is it so hard to make a better one, after all these years?
There is one, it's called Project Renaissance, the issue is that it's beyond stupidly expensive.

>>717396763
It's also impossible to get

>>717394040
Every single third party "fix" fucks up the accuracy of the original

>>717394040
Does this shit support the transfer pack?

>>717397004
The brick is a rumble pack, so yes

>>717397554
TRANSFER PACK
Not rumble pack

>>717397004
Not the anon you're talking to but If you want transfer pack over bluetooth, it doesn't say if that works or not.

But if you only do the joystick mod (so it remains an N64 controller) it wouldn't affect transfer pack usage.

Also fuck me I hope people don't cannibalize their working controllers with this crap. Only so many of the controllers exist.

>>717398010
Nevermind I think the nso controller don't support it either

>>717396763
>164 dollars for a fucking joystick
do gamers really...

>>717393639 (OP)
Just take care and grease the NSO one. It will most likely outlive you.
8bitdo 64 is nice but has the gamecube stickgates which I hate.

>>717399165
it's for speedrunners who usually chew through a controller every month

>>717393639 (OP)
>infamous analog stick that grinds itself to dust
skill issue
still using the same four controllers decades later
the two we let the kids use have some excessive play but are otherwise totally functional

>>717393639 (OP)
>Why is it so hard to find a well made Nintendo 64 controller?
Because the n64 controller is not a well made controller. It's Hedging Your Bets: The Controller. Just use a modern dual stick controller which will provide a superior gameplay experience.

I got a very fresh N64 controller from a friend and a usb adapter to play project64 on my pc back in '08 and ended up preferring to use a 360 controller over it despite the inaccuracy. Just an awkward controller to use and the arrow keys suck balls.

only the coolest kids had one of these

>>717394040
Gross
>>717393639 (OP)
It's a design flaw not a manufacturing error. There's too much friction going on so unless you're using expensive materials not suited for mass production it will wear out. Personally I recommend buying cheap replacement gears and bowls from China and learning how to repair your own controllers. I used to get my local game store to do it for me but after the owner retired I learned how to do it myself and it's kind of fun.

Never had a joystick problem in my 30 years of gaming and now I constantly see retards spamming threads about "Hal's stick" or whatever. So fucking tired.

>>717401847
People who say this are just too shit at games to notice.

>>717393639 (OP)
this control sucks

>>717401847
I take it you didn't have Mario Party then, the same "tech" that ruined palms also kinda ate through a sticks durability.

That said, that is an exception rather then the rule as far as ordinary play goes, most N64 games don't demand THAT level of wear unless you are unto Speedfaggotry.

WHY THE FUCK IS EVERY MODERN STICK REPLACEMENT SO INACCURATE? IS IT NOT POSSIBLE TO CALIBRATE THEM TO THE RANGE OF THE ORIGINAL?

>>717393639 (OP)
zoomer here
how the fuck are you supposed to use this?
you just have to choose are you going to play with the dpad or the analog stick? or both but then not the buttons?

>>717393639 (OP)
They made the controller much better, stop buy china crap.

>>717401961
There was no stick drift in my official xb360 usb wired controller for 8 years..

The reason is because the downsides are the cost of the incredible precision of the 64 stick. Modern sticks have like half the range if inputs, but they can withstand 10x the abuse

>>717393639 (OP)
Unironically how do you break these controllers? I have 4 of the original ones that still work flawlessly since at least the year 2000 (was bought in the 90s but 2000 is my earliest memory of our console), even after playing fucking Mario Party 1.

>>717403362
>wireless slop

>>717403506
after maybe like 1000 hours the stick starts wobbling instead of standing straight in the centre.
it doesn't register as movement unless you move it beyond where it naturally wobbles to
i had one that that was wobbling so severely i would have to almost push it the entire way in one direction before it would register the movement

>>717403214
THIS
THIS
THIS
I bought replacements and they go from 0% movement to 100% in 5 degrees, no in between.

>>717403665
Don't they have a wired version as well?
>>717403506
Usually only speedrunners and smash players break these controllers because they abuse the sticks.

>>717393639 (OP)
The N64 controller is fundamentally flawed and will always face issues.
All you have to do is look at SM64 speedrunners who have to use modded original controllers (steel sticks) to be able to play more than a handful of months before the stick is ground to dust.
Contrast that to the GC controller where even the shittiest "good/improved" version (NSO, GC Ultimate etc.) are still really good with only one or two minor issues.
i.e. My GC Ultimate triggers slightly rub against the casing and for some reason the gate plate is ever so slightly smaller.

>>717403739
They literally don't make em like they used to

>>717403319
Its depends on the game, but 95% of them used the "left position".

>>717403814
That shoulder rubbing thing bothered me so much. Glad I still have a couple original GC controllers

>>717403319
>>717403864
Forgot my pic

>>717403319
The original idea was that you'd play 3d games with three stick and 2d games with the pad. But there are almost no games built like that.

>>717401961
Probably also the types who claim they can't tell the difference between 30 and 60 fps.

>>717403883
>That shoulder rubbing thing bothered me so much. Glad I still have a couple original GC controllers
It actually grinds itself down or "corrects" itself after a short while. But until then it's distracting and somewhat loud. No idea how he didn't notice this during testing. Or maybe he didn't give a shit. Who knows.

Also did you use your Ultimate for minute inputs like ESS? I swear the smaller gate makes the stick way more sensitive in that range for some reason and it's way harder to hold -18. Or is it just me and I just need to get used to the new range?

>>717393639 (OP)
I got a couple of good og controllers and lubed them up. Might see if I can get a steel bowl, but parts are pricey. Seems crazy that there is no affordable drop in solution in 2025.
The 8bitdo 64 controller looks decent for what it is. Ranges are good, but still more sensitive than an original stick.

>>717401304
> Cheap looking d-pad.
> Cheaper looking analogue stick.
Dude, that's gross. Looks like cheap as fuck production quality, those PS2 clone controllers with the wacky button logos were probably much better quality than that. I wonder what company made these I remember some sort of larger controllers with same button faces as pic related.

>>717404102
I get way more stick flick reverse inputs on ult controllers than on my GC or Smash 4 controller. Dunno about ranges

>>717403903
what game could possibly use the "right position"? reaching for A and B would be so awkward and without them you only have L, Z and Start.

>>717404169
I promise you I'm not an 8bitdo shill, but goddamn is their stuff nice. Though it's always one step away from perfection.
I genuinely believe if they ever get in touch with the autismo sphere of speedrunning or Smash players they'll start shitting out the absolute best controllers and you'll no longer have to pay 180 bucks for someone's pet project that ends up flawed anyway.

>>717404210
I noticed weird snapback too, though luckily it's not relevant in my use case.
Funny how every time I see talk to someone who owns a GC ultimate it's always for Smash, but I guess it makes sense.
Thanks for answering!

>>717404335
My experience with them is mixed. I got an SN30 pro+ controller and the d-pad was just awful. Inaccurate and scraped against the plastic. Sold it. I gave them another chance with the m30 which is fantastic. Bought another. My go-to controller for 2D games.

>>717393639 (OP)
Just emulate (or play decomp/recomp ports where available) at this point. Emulators can actually translate a typical stick's inputs to what games expect (including imitating the range of the widened diagonals of the original stick gates). No affordable stick replacement option for use on real hardware is replicating the analog ranges or zoning correctly.

>>717393639 (OP)
I have original controllers.
I played the fuck out of mario party1-3
they work just fine even now.
take care of your shit you worthless trog.

>>717404169
I was disappointed when I got my 8bitdo 64 controller. Mostly because they were blatantly made ages ago but stockpiled due to the Analogue 3D's delays, thus feeling less robust than their modem stuff.

>>717404506
It never feels correct. Emulation is a giant cope.

>>717404201
idk mine worked great. also you didn't need 3 hands to enter the shadows of the empire cheat code.

>>717404598
>>717404169
Ahem: >>717403362
Pic related exists.

>>717404308
I think it was meant for shooters, but the A/B being so hard to press makes it unappealing in the end so everybody just held it in "left position" and treated the c buttons like the dpad.

>>717404559
>>717403506
>>717401847
This conversation is for people who actually play games.

>>717404308
it was useful for gauntlet since it let you shoot in a different direction than you were moving.

>717404559
Yes sweetie, we heard you the first two times.

>>717403362
ew

>>717405119
> 8bitdo shills in damage control mode.
300 people rate it 4-5 stars, how its an eww? You are retarded? 8bitdo color choices and built quality is always a joke, only their sanwa parts stick is any good because they didn't make almost any of it.

>>717404559
Here's your (you) that three tranny tried to deny.

>>717405192
For n64 the stick is the key thing to get right. I don't care where it comes from

>>717401847
It's like >>717401524 said, the stick has way too much friction so constant prolonged movement wears it out a lot faster. If you just stick to platformers for example it's much less likely you'd run into it than if you did frequent mario party minigame nonsense.

>>717405460
Didn't I post the wired one? That's more a bluetooth issue than a stick issue. BT is not recommended for gaming. 2.4ghz is the only decent one.

>>717403506
When there are a half-dozen reports like yours in the thread, I suspect it's niggers and spergs with no fine motor control.

>>717405882
nigger sperg detected

What is with this new weird zoomer belief that the n64 had poor manufacturing? I still have my original grey n64 controller. I played a lot of games on my console and my controller held up so well over the years I never replaced it. I had 2 other controllers and just gave them away over the years. I can’t think of any modern controller that will last as long as a n64 controller, or even a quarter as long. the only people fucking up their n64 controllers are either weird speed runner freaks, or someone doing something with them that’s autistic. the fact my n64 controller still works at all is insane let alone that it basically controls like new. My guess is I will die before this controller breaks at this rate.

>>717393639 (OP)
not a single of our 4 controllers had that problem even through 1000s of hours of mk64 and goldeneye
perhaps you need some mechanical finesse when operating these sensitive devices

He's really just going at it huh

>>717403362
I'm good brah

>>717405192
>300 people rate it 4-5 stars
Are you serious?

>>717401304
I love this thing for the most part, but the Z button sucks balls.

>>717404308
It's the best way to play Bangai-O. It's also an extremely rare japan-only game with a production of just 10,000 copies. So it basically doesn't exist.

>>717393639 (OP)
dlo

>>717393639 (OP)
Just buy an OEM or a knock off and replace the parts yourself. Nintendo 64 has been something of a DIY console since the aftermarket. It's not difficult to do either.

>>717400086
Speedrunners don't run N64.

>>717407231
How do you play Kirby64 on this abomination?

>>717407231
How is the analog on this? The N64 pad used an optical sensor that gave it specific range and sensitivity that's near impossible to replicate with the other analog sensor technologies

>>717393639 (OP)
Modretro will make one