Review on 🎮 TOOPONE 2-Pack Classic USB Controller for NES - Gamepad for Windows PC, MAC, Raspberry Pi & Laptop Computer Gaming by Sarjus Baer

I recently got my hands on a Raspberry Pi and got an NES style case for it. No controllers were included so when I saw these retro USB controllers I thought they would be a good fit to complete the theme. What I got was... well, kind of usable. This listing is for two NES style USB controllers. They come in individually printed boxes. The controller itself has three foot cords, which are very short for modern controllers and twice the length of the original controller's cord. The build quality seems satisfactory, although it is not very heavy plastic. At first glance they look very similar to the original NES controller, but I figured out a few things just by looking at them. First, the plastic was the wrong color, a much darker brownish gray than the light gray of the original e. The same goes for the sticker above. The gray printed stripes above the select and start buttons are too gray. Next come the controls themselves. The original controller's A/B buttons are concave, but these are convex (raised, not recessed). I don't mind because I think the more modern approach with softer edges is easier on the thumb. Where this controller really goes wrong is the D-Pad. The altitude is too high. The cross bar of the original regulator has a height of approx. 3 mm. This sits at 5mm. It may not seem important, but it is. Nintendo games are often quite edgy. Many of us who grew up with the NES remember how hard gaming made our thumbs blister. This was caused by the friction of the thumb sliding along the edges of the cross. The larger D-Pad exacerbates this problem by raising it off the soundboard, allowing the thumb to slide farther than Original Equipment. What makes this problem even more apparent is that the cross is quite stiff. Significantly stiffer than the original controller. So you have to slide more and push harder. To test this controller I played 1943, a game I play quite often on original hardware with some issues. By the end of my session, my thumb felt worn on the d-pad, something I rarely worry about when playing original devices. While the controller feels responsive and seems to work great with both my Pi and PC, it really is a fan. I can't see the wrong color because it's close enough. The cable is too short, but you can handle it. But that D-Pad is just...yeah. I don't like it and neither does my finger.