Topic: Classic Pro in U.S. now, but how good is the D-PAD?

I'm a total cheapskate, even when I saw Classic Pro's for import on Ebay, I still held out. And now this thing is available in the U.S. for the same price as the first Classic (even after they said it wouldn't be, lawl). It "looks" nice, but looks can always be deceiving. So far I've heard plenty of great things about the Pro; the enlarged ZL and ZR's, digital L and R instead of squishy analogs sliders, handle grips for less hand cramping. But my biggest concern is the D-PAD, ya know... the primary interface for 2D games, which is what the Virtual Console is built around. I've heard some reviewers complain that the D-Pad on the Pro is alot harder to press, or not as responsive as the one on its flat predecessor (perhaps those folks accidentally bought knock-offs from Hong Kong?) Other reviewers say there's no difference between either's D-Pad at all. I need a solid answer before I'd want to buy one. I'd like to know how well Classic Pro's D-Pad performs when used in Fighter games (Street Fighter), Platformers (oldschool Mario) and classic RPG's (Secret of Mana, Zelda Link to The Past). Currently I'm fine with the original flat model, I love how its D-Pad feels pretty much like a DS with the same textured surface and with smooth rounded edges. But if the Pro has a D-Pad that is exactly the same in terms of feel, or better than the old CC, I may consider joining the crowd.

Mayhaps someone out there can post a video to Youtube of them actually
PLAYING GAMES with it, instead of just holding it and pressing buttons.

I actually like the d-pad on the Pro more. It feels better than the stiff one on the regular CC. I hoped the shoulder buttons were a bit stiffer, but it's an extremely minor issue.

I never thought the flat CC's D-Pad was "stiff," I consider it to be more of a rubbery squishy kinda feel, so you don't need to be as forceful with it, so there's alot less blistering from prolonged play that I'd get from other Dpads (Sony's PS1 to PS3 "separated arrows" design, or the original NES whose d-pad was so damn stiff that when I was a kid, I remember after 2 hours I had to wrap my thumb in a mini cast of paper towel and scotch tape to keep on playing). I kinda wish something like Triax's Turbo Touch 360 d-pad would make a comeback... no pressure needed at all, and no rubber piece to wear out. Took getting used to, but circles / diagonals were easy as hell to do with it, or atleast for me they were.

I couldn't detect any difference between the D-PADs on the CC and CC-Pro - both are the best d-pads I've ever used on a controller. I think the Pro's might have a slightly lower profile which would mean less thumb wear, but I definitely don't have issues with responsiveness.

Alright, so I broke down and got one of these today at Best Buy (because unlike Gamestop, they do full refunds, not just exchange). As far as comfort in the hands goes, I like it... it loses that retro SNES-ish feel, but the handles make holding the controller alot easier. I also like the new L/R and zL/zR's. And despite some people's reports that pressing Start or Select is a chore because of needing to reach over the sticks, I do not have this issue as my thumbs are rather large. My only beef as of the moment is that the particular unit I purchased has a very loose D-pad which slides around and becomes crooked. The sticks are also somewhat loose, they don't feel quite as tight. But then again, when I got my first (flat) Classic, it too had a loose slidey D-pad and it took me several exchanges to get one that I was 100% happy with (no defects), so I expect to do the same with Pro as well. I just hope that I can find one that has nice firm D-Pad and sticks, cuz if all of 'em are like that... yuck.

I think Nintendo could've made a few improvements on the design though, 1: They could've made the tops of the sticks into a concave cup, so the thumb would fall into them and not slide off when they get sweaty (but there's a guy on Ebay who molds his own rubber slip ons for joysticks, so maybe I'll get some of those). 2: While I applaud them for moving the sticks out more to avoid colliding thumbs, they moved them a little too far out imo, as now when I rest my thumb on Y and B in typical SNES form, the right stick feels a hair too close to the side of my thumb. A minor issue that can be ignored... 3: A mostly aesthetic thing, I wish they would've brought back the Yellow, Red, Blue, Green pattern for the YXBA buttons that they had on the Pal SNES and SFC pads as it would've given the Classic Pro some much needed color.

Let me know when they release one with optional grips. I like the flatbottom feel of the original CC.

Update:

I went back to the Best Buy up the road and got my refund, then walked to Gamestop in the mall and talked to the guy about my experience with the slidey D-Pad and wobbly loose sticks. He informed me about their "Customer Satisfaction" policy and he pulled out a razor and opened up 2 of the white controllers for me, both had the same problems, after that I told him to just give me the last white one they had and that he didn't have to open it. He'd already been nice enough. I got it home and it's got the same damn defects, loose D-Pad and sticks. After that I'm convinced all of them are going to be like this. Pretty sad, as it means I won't be buying another one again. I already have two flat models, and both of them feel great... D-Pad stays where it's supposed to, sticks are tight and don't wobble. I'm pretty disappointed though, Nintendo should've put more quality control into this product, instead of sending out controllers with defects. I mean, I'd expect this if I'd bought a Chinese copycat off Ebay, but this was genuine product with the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" from two different stores.

Have you considered that maybe they're not defective, maybe they're just designed like that

If that's how they're "designed" to be, then that's bit of a flaw in the design, no? I'd expect loose D-Pad and sticks only if I had bought the thing second hand from someone who used it aggressively for quite a while. But brand new, there shouldn't be anything like that wrong with it. Sure, it is an update to be more comfortable for 3D games but this thing was still made for the Virtual Console, which is mostly 2D games anyway. The original flat Classics (or atleast the ones I have) feel better in terms of firmness of the D-Pad and resistance of the analog sticks...(and atleast I could play a Fighter without feeling like I might break something on it) the several Pro's I held barely had much resistance at all, about as resistant as the sticks on my hollow featherweight Saitek P880 PC controller. Like I said, maybe this was just a bad production run, maybe after enough emails and returns they'll make the next batch better, til then I'll stick with the flat style.

Maybe its just a difference from controller to controller. Like the minus button on my Wii-mote is kind of funky. It is probably a small difference that happens between controllers randomly.

So then I guess I need to go make 5 or 6 more exchanges until I get one that actually has a firm D-Pad and analog sticks. Or I suppose I could open the Pro up with a screwdriver, try to find some thin double sided foam tape and cut little slivers of that to put under each section of the D-Pad to keep it from sliding around in the housing (did that once to a cheapo Madcatz PS2 controller), but the sticks would still be loose.

Is there a white CC Pro out in Europe? I can't imagine one black CC Pro looking good amongst all the other white Wii hardware and accessories.

Sounds like you've got a duffer to me. My black CC Pro is solid. Sticks spring back just as the CC ones, the D-Pad is has a higher profile, but it's responsive and doesn't "slide around." It's basically the best control pad I've ever used. Sounds like there might be a bad production run there. Maybe you should try getting a black one and see if that's any different.

Maybe I'll try that... the only reason I wanted white was so it'd match the color of my Mayflash adapter. If I do another exchange and it's the same way, I'm just gunna give it my my friend who said he'd trade me his practically new flatty for it.

Well, after playing with CC Pro yesterday for my second playthrough of Sakura Wars I can confirm that the D-PAD can be moved very slightly at an angle because there is less than 1mm gap separating the case from the edges of the pad itself - of course this is also true of the Classic Controller so I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to or not. If so I cannot think of any d-pad using a similar mechanism (external hard shell with buttons/pads that protrude through it) that this isn't true of and it certainly doesn't affect gameplay.

I got a pretty good Classic Controller Pro in my Monster Hunter Tri Bundle. I'm a bit anal when it comes to the condition of my controllers as well. The D-Pad and analog sticks are firm and stiff. The only thing that is a tad loose is the Z-R button but it's not a big deal. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I got a good one. This controller is so comfortable too. I don't see myself ever going back to the original Classic Controller. I'm sorry to hear that you hit a bad batch of controllers Weebz. Maybe this problem is only present in the white controllers. You should consider giving the black controller a try. Good luck!

interesting. I got mine as a Japanese import on Amazon a few months ago. Maybe the Japanese one was better after all (it cost more because of the import....)

Got one today and I think the D-Pad works pretty well. My only complaint is that the Select and Home buttons are further away from everything else than I'd like them to be.

^ Import or stateside purchase?

Saw this at Target the other day, and was so tempted to pick one up. It's going to be hard to drop $20 on the Pro at the moment though, because money is a bit tight, and I really want to download Sin & Punishment before the sequel hit's the Wii.