Please read through the entire thread before running out and buying one of these. I’ve had great results with mine as have others. A few people are having mixed results so be sure to make an informed decision before spending your money.
Use PS2 controllers/sticks on the Xbox 360
My Max Shooter came in today. As lame as it sounds, its the most hyped Ive been to receive a converter since the Xbox Magic Box (Saturn to Xbox, also made by Mayflash). Id only heard good things about it. Thankfully they were all warranted.
A little background The Max Shooter will inevitably be compared to the XCM XFPS. Its a cloned product with the same purpose: using a keyboard and mouse rather than a joystick. I wouldnt normally be the target audience for it since the last FPS I cared about was GoldenEye on the N64. Between the two USB ports however is a PS2 controller port that will be the focus of this review.
Like the XFPS, the Max Shooter is a passthrough device that requires a wired 360 pad for operation. The licensed controller convinces the 360 that the Shooter is a legit peripheral. The 360 controller can be plugged into either of the two USB ports on the front of the converter. Either a wired MS pad or third party controller will work. A play and charge cable will not because it does not send input to the console.
Once the system is powered on an indicator led lets you know that the 360 has authorized the controller. At this point you can swap a USB keyboard or mouse in place of the 360 controller. Fortunately no swapping is necessary for the PS2 port. Once you reach the dashboard youre ready to use your PS2 pad or stick. On to compatibility
The Max Shooter works brilliantly with official Sony PCBs. This means that it will perfectly compliment a custom stick with either a Sony PS1 digital PCB (no analog sticks) or a Dual Shock. It also works just as well with a PS2 DS though these arent frequently used in custom sticks. I played on it using all three controllers throughout the day without any inclination of lag or dropped inputs. I was able to pull off multiple button presses without a hitch.
How well it works with (insert name of PS2 stick) remains to be seen. Im optimistic because Mayflash are known for quality converters. It worked perfectly with my SFAC 3.5V. It has also been reported to work fine with a HRAP 1 which leads me to believe that Hori PCBs will be fine. I cant recall any converters that worked with one Hori PCB and not the lot of them.
The button mapping is exactly as it should be. It matched the default Controller Type A setting in Street Fighter IV. You will want to remap them in HD Remix because it assigns R1 as HK and L1 as HP. This takes all of 5 seconds to do unless you want to play it like a SNES pad.
PS2, Command, Xbox
SQ = LP = X
TR = MP = Y
R1 = HP = RB
X = LK = A
CI = MK = B
R2 = HK = RT
SE = BACK
SE + ST = GUIDE
Holding the Select button and pressing Start activates the Guide menu. This was a clever and welcome addition. Before I stumbled on to this I was reaching for the 360 controller to hit the guide button.
If youre a pad warrior who favors the Sony dpad over the 360 controller Id even go as far to recommend this over purchasing a Mad Catz Fightpad. Theyll both set you back a similar amount ($60) if you have to pay the eBay tax. Its also compatible with the PS2 Saturn pad if youre lucky enough to have one of those.
My lady who actually plays console FPS also gave it a glowing review. She played through a few levels on RE5 and said that everything was kosher. So you’re also set if you just want to play a FPS using a PS2 pad. The only downer is the lack of rumble. That obviously won’t matter with a stick.
http://www.mayflash.com/maxshooter/max%20xb360/max003.htm
If you purchase one of these on eBay be certain that it looks like the one on the Mayflash page. People use the term Max Shooter and XFPS interchangeably. They are definitely not in the same league.
Unlikely the XFPS I can give this little guy my strongest recommendation. Thats it for this babbling review. Feel free to throw any questions you have in my direction. I’ll be happy to answer them if I can.