EVO Reminder: Wireless PS3 Stock and Wireless joysticks are banned

[Tim_Static]

(taken from MrWizard’s post at TestYourMight.com)

Evolution 2011 is a Bring-Your-Own-Controller event. We provide the consoles, games, monitors and speakers for every game station, but it’s up to the players to bring the controller they plan to play. This year we are restricting the controllers players are allowed to bring to ensure fair play and guarantee the integrity of the results.

How Wireless Controllers Work

All EVO games will be run on the Playstation 3. The Playstation 3 Dual Shock and Sixaxis controllers are both wireless devices. Plugging your controller into a PS3 for the first time pairs your controller to that Playstation. This pairing will be remembered by the Playstation until you sync your controller to another Playstation. We have found no reliable workaround to remove this pairing (1).

The Problem

Since there’s no easy way to unpair a controller from a Playstation 3, any player who had previously played on a game console may accidently interfer with another game in progress. Consider the following scenario

1. Players A and B sync their controllers to the game station.
2. After they finish their game, Players A and B turn off their controllers.
3. Even though their controllers are turned off, the Playstation still remember that they are paired.
4. Players C and D sync their controllers and begin the next game.
5. Player A turns on his controller and hits the home button.
6. Since he hasn’t yet synced his controller to the new station, hitting the home button will interrupt the game played by Players C and D.

There are a million different ways this can happen. For example:

1. A player eliminated from the tournament puts his controller in his backpack. While he’s walking, some item in his backpack accidently bumps the home button, interrupting a game in progress.
2. A player finishes his semi-final match and turns off his controller. 15 minutes later he is called for his match in the finals of the winners bracket. While syncing his controller to the new Playstation, he accidently hits the home button while before his USB cord is plugged in, interrupting the semi-finals of the loser’s bracket happening on the console he just left.
3. A sore loser eliminated from the tournament maliciously presses his home button to interrupt matches.
4. A player notices that is friend is about to lose a match on a console that he had just played on. He decides to “save” his friend by pressing the home button, forcing a replay of the round.

While some of these may sound far-fetched, each of these scenarios has happened at past EVO events. Some have occurred multiple times. In order to ensure the integrity of future events, we are not allowing players to use controllers which pair themselves with Playstations.

Allowed Controllers

1. Fight Sticks. To our knowledge, all fightsticks made by Hori and MadCatz use a wired connection and do not pair themselves to the PlayStation. They are all allowed.

2. MadCatz Fightpads. MadCatz Fightpad use a bluetooth USB dongle to pair the pad to the dongle. Since they do not create a paring between the pad and the Playstation 3, they are allowed.

3. All PS2 Controllers used with a PS2/PS3 convertor. Dualshock 2 or other PS2 controllers used with a converter box to convert them to PS3 controllers are allowed. For players accustomed to using a PS3 controller, this is your best option.

Specifically Banned Controllers

1. The Sixaxis and Dualshock 3 controllers designed for use on the Playstation 3 are specifically banned. These controllers have been the source of all of our problems in the past. We realize you can make these controllers “tournament friendly” by opening them and removing the batter, but we have no good way to enforce that rule at the scale EVO must operate on to finish on-time.

[Tim_Static]

(taken from TestYourMight.com)

Since we already knew that wireless pads/sticks are banned from Evo, and after a long weekend at PowerUp 2011 dealing with these Dual Shock 3’s, i was planning on making this thread this coming week anyways.

Alright, you’ll need to buy a PS2 Dual Shock 2 (very easy to find, highly recommend a BRAND NEW ONE) which you can find at almost any store that sells video game accessories.

Second, click this link to buy the Inpin Converter: iNPiN PS2 to PS3 Converter

http://www.etokki.com/image/cache/InPin%20converter%20A-500x500.jpg

Not sure the exact turn around on shipping, so order one now. Also check out the SRK TRADING OUTLET for random peeps that might be selling one, as well as eBay or even your local Craigslist.

Any questions, feel free to ask here, or PM me.

[dRxL]

Technical solution?

Please note I’m not trying to pick a quarrel as there’s little to no chance that I’ll be attending and I play with USB-sticks anyway.

I was just wondering if a simple technical solution for unpairing wireless controllers from the tournament machines wouldn’t be to have an extra ps3 around that participants were required to pair their wireless controllers with after each official match? I assume that such a “washing machine” wouldn’t even have to be connected to a display.

I have no idea how easy that would be to enforce at the actual event though.

[hardwire]

how about this

i wont be going but i do hope to go some day and i despise sticks.

when they register you give them a sticker to put on there controller

then when calling for there match you give them there controller and when they come report they turn in the controller

any way just my 2cents and i hope yall figgure somthing out so i can look forward to going some time and not having to be gimped by what controller im forced to use.

[CSword123]

I don’t see the problem in using Dualshock 2s. They aren’t really that different from a DS3 except for the triggers (which is actually a plus for DS2s since the L2/R2 triggers only need a quick tap to input).

[Timstuff]

The triggers on the Dualshock 2 are better for fighters than the DS3s anyway. The joysticks on the DS3 are better than on the DS2s, but in fighting games you will not need them anyway since it’s all about the pad. I have two inpin adapters and there is virtually no lag with them at all. They’re great for fighting games, XIM, and even DDR!

[Carefoot]

Sort of a pain in the ass but not the end of the world. I don’t know why we couldn’t just open the stick and remove the batteries. Or jesus fucking christ, maybe once you win or lose you push the the controller PS button and select “turn off controller”. Whatever I’ve never been to Evo and I only just got a PS3 for evo. But this verdict seems kind of silly ultimately. I do not know what my controller will be in the end.

[Timstuff]

Sort of a pain in the ass but not the end of the world. I don’t know why we couldn’t just open the stick and remove the batteries. Or jesus fucking christ, maybe once you win or lose you push the the controller PS button and select “turn off controller”. Whatever I’ve never been to Evo and I only just got a PS3 for evo. But this verdict seems kind of silly ultimately. I do not know what my controller will be in the end.

Thing is, if you bump the home button and the controller is still synced to another console, you could accidentally cause interference if you are in range. Maybe keeping the batteries unplugged would be a viable solution, but perhaps Evo’s organizers don’t feel like everyone can be trusted to keep their batteries unplugged.

[ahdonye]

People suck and this is by far the best option for EVO to select.

[Carefoot]

Thing is, if you bump the home button and the controller is still synced to another console, you could accidentally cause interference if you are in range. Maybe keeping the batteries unplugged would be a viable solution, but perhaps Evo’s organizers don’t feel like everyone can be trusted to keep their batteries unplugged.

Just remove the 5 screws and it comes off the board. Hardly seems like a hard thing to undertake.

Pretty easy to check if someones controller has had the pack removed. Its lighter and pushing the PS button shows its dead when unplugged.