Hello there to all on here, i stumbled across this place Googling a problem i am trying to solve.
I saw one or two threads about these controllers but none that come close to my dilemma.
I bought two of these SLS pads 9 years ago, barely used them so they are in great condition. Bought for my PS3, which i barely used too.
I have been researching how to use them on the Nintendo Switch and found a few videos on how to use the original port SS pads on the Switch:
The Magic NS that is used in both videos is getting a Xinput signal from the original port SS controllers.
I even bought a Retro-bit Saturn controller to work with my Magic NS but i ended up with one of the dodgy snapping d-pad ones.
Didn’t even last a day. Replacement coming from Amazon tomorrow but i fear its going to be another one from the dodgy batch of controllers. Amazon could have a warehouse full of the dodgy ones.
If that is the case, then it will be a refund, not a replacement.
But i have two SLS USB SS controllers just sat there and i have no way of making my USB SLS pad transmit an Xinput signal to the Magic NS. There must be a converter out there that can make my SLS pads be recognized by Magic NS or directly to the Switch.
My Hori Fighting Stick Mini with the PS3/PS4 selector switch works (both modes) with the Magic NS, as does my wired Xbox 360 controllers.
Open to suggestions or maybe someone has already been successful in getting the USB SLS Sega Saturn pads to work on the Switch.
You can get a 8bitdo Mod kit for the Sega saturn and put it inside the SLS pad.
Only see them being sold in the US, i’m from the UK myself.
You can buy one from their web site
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So i bought the adapter from Amazon that is seen in the first video and it does have the x/d input selector that is needed for it to work on the Mayflash Magic NS. Nice. Only £15 too. Doesn’t work very well with my 3D pad though.
However, i went and bought the blue Mayflash Universal adapter from the 2nd video link on Ebay for £29 to try with my SLS USB pads first, which didn’t work. D-pad works but the only recognized button was the start button, and that was registering as the Y button on the Switch. So it might have been £29 spent needlessly.
But the Mayflash Universal Adapter works on my XB1X and the 3D pad does work on the XB1X so it has opened up quite a few possibilities on that front.
So overall, its been quite a journey but my next one, getting one of my Model 1 controller PCB’s into one of my SLS shells. Wish me luck i guess, thanks for throwing some ideas my guys.
Something worth noting is that Retrobit revised the controllers. The newer models supposedly fixed a issue with directional pad durability, and more relevantly, the new ones are being advertised as Nintendo Switch compatible on Amazon. There were discussions regarding these matters at the Shmups forum thread for these controllers, which involved a Retrobit representative. Here is what what was writen regarding Switch compatibility.
Revisions to Controller builds
Manufacturing changes happen to many products all the time. It can be as small as the carboard makeup of packaging to something more significant like wiring. The only new significant update is the new Switch compatible USB SEGA Genesis and Saturn controllers that will be hitting the market and these will replace the mostly sold-out USB Controllers that are not Switch compatible. The boards are updated and include macros for Switch as well as a few other changes. In part because of their popularity, we have had to up our manufacturing quantities and we know some products may come out improperly. We will continue to address those issues and we appreciate all the feedback from the community as we hope to reduce these issues going forward.
That was written in may, and it looks like they followed through on that. There is extensive conversation in that thread, suggesting that Retrobit actually cares about making this a good product and customer satisfaction, so it might be time for me to give the company another chance and buy some of these for myself. It was probably Sega’s fault anyway considering what happened with my S.L.S. controller.
The adapter based solution might not be entirely obsolete for people who already bought a controller, because these a little cheaper and have the versatility to be used on multiple systems, but buying a newer controller is probably the better overall option for anybody who just wants to use a Saturn type controller on the Nintendo Switch and nothing else, especially since the N.S. is not much cheaper than a brand new controller.
The older stock is marked as “(model 1) (old version)” on Amazon and the stock for it already looks like it has been depleted, so you probably do not have to worry too much about getting the old one by mistake, unless you buy it used for some reason.