PowerA's Fusion Fightpad For Switch Has Been Inspired By The Sega Saturn Controller

only thing l don't like is the R and ZR buttons

Perfect for Panzar Dragoon

I know very unlikely, but would be crazy awesome to see a Saturn Mini or even ports to the switch.

"R bumper can be assigned as C-stick for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch Version only)"
...Is there another version of Smash Bros Ultimate? 😝

Over priced... Their own pro controllers are 40 bucks. Yikes.

I always found PowerA to be too expensive without much of insentive to buying into them. Don't really see what use they will be for me, but maybe it will be a perfect fit for someone else.

Hm, not bad, and the price is right. It would probably work on a PC, and would be great for arcade emulation in MAME. Hm!!!

I'm not trying to be rude when I say this, but why would people want a controller that doesn't have all the standard buttons? And a 60 dollar controller at that! Sure that's still a little less than the pro-controller, but a slight cost reduction in exchange for a controller that only works with a small handful of games?

Well, just not for me I suppose. Like the Switch Lite this just seems like an inherently inferior version of a product already on the market.

@Mr_Muscle If it did it'd be the perfect controller for M.U.G.E.N too.

Definitely cool, but at 60 bucks? And not even wireless? Yikes.

@Heavyarms55 Fighting games. All fighting game peripherals come with a premium. Arcade sticks and fightpads also near universally are missing buttons and features found on standard controllers. It is hardly an issue though because the people using these peripherals will sink thousands of hours into a single game with them. If it's ergonomic, responsive, and accurate, it's worth it for a fighting game player. I can tell just looking at the controller it'll be a better fit for fighters than the pro controller, even if the D-pad looks a little sus.

@GutayS5 Yeah at that price I would expect wireless and rumble

Just buy the snes controllers from the Nintendo online service. Sure you sacrifice two buttons but you gain a cheaper price, better reliability, and wireless.

@JayJ the buyers they are aiming this towards prefer wired connections as it reduces latency issues.

@cryptologous I can understand the premium price tag for a big arcade style fighting stick at least. Quality arcade sticks are expected to have much higher production quality because they are built like arcade machines which expect to take a lot of abuse.

But this is just a controller... Can you tell I'm not a fighting game fan? I just don't understand.

@Heavyarms55 The Sega Saturn controller is one of THE controllers for fighting and arcade games. It's been imitated many times in the last 25 years but rarely duplicated. Some people prefer controllers over arcade sticks (including me) and if you're going to go for a controller with a fighting game, the Saturn pad is arguably the one to go with.

No clue how this controller will actually stack up though. Most clones usually botch the D-Pad, which is the key part of the Saturn controller.

@X68000 That isn't really the case anymore.

@catsnpizzas Well if that's what you guys like, I guess you like it. Doesn't affect me either way. I just don't understand what makes it so much better.

You mention them being ergonomic responsive and accurate and I have not run into any issues with the pro-controller or or my 8BitDo SNES style controller in those regards.

I have to just assume there is something about fighting games that sufficiently different. I guess if you're going to spend literally thousands of hours on a game, then having a controller tailor made for that game would make a lot of sense. I've never dropped 1000+ hours into any one video game. I think my max was around 800 hours in Pokemon XY doing a lot of competitive and shiny breeding, and even then much of that was spent also watching YouTube and Twitch while grinding mindless stuff. Cutting that out it would be around maybe 400-500 hours. Outside of that I've had a decent few JRPGs that I put 200ish hours into and a few FPS and 3rd person shooters that got 100-150 hours.

Looks like the 8bitdo M30 controller. But that one is wireless, has rumble and is cheaper.

@Heavyarms55 Controllers like these are typically held differently. So the left thumb works the d pad, and the right hand uses your three fingers between the index and thumb on the face buttons, as if typing. Kinda like a fight stick without the stick. I’ve used them before and they do feel quite nice, especially for games like Soul Calibur.

The main thing with fight sticks is comfort. If you ever watch pro street fighter tournies, you’ll see a variety of sticks and controllers cause the participants feel most “at home” on a particular instrument. It largely depends on the user to determine said comfort.

@sixrings Wireless controllers bring with them latency, and this is bad for fighting games, which is the key market for a controller like this. Fighting game controllers of higher quality are almost always wired to reduce input lag.

@Mr_Muscle typewriter/piano key style is the only way I play fighting games. I still haven’t bought the Street Fighter collection but that’s because I need a decent pad first.

@WiltonRoots Same! Plus, it makes sense that the Nintendo users commenting on this are confused, because Nintendo usually doesn’t get the mainstream fighting games on it, only Smash. Now that it is starting to see some classic arcade fighters on it, it makes sense that they would release something for the people that want a fight stick without the stick lol

Floating D-Pads? No thanks. I can only imagine how frustrating it would be playing Street Fighter or KOF with that...and for $60 too!

I am interested in this for my Switch and PS4. It is a pity it doesn't appear to have cross compatability.

Cool but I'll wait for Retro-Bit's bluetooth wireless official Sega Saturn controller instead. I just hope it's compatible with the Nintendo Switch.

@Heavyarms55 The point of a fighting game is to beat other players. The "end game" is to beat players who can beat the majority of other players. It's (ostensibly?) sport. To maximise the quantity and quality of play and practice time, you kinda need a peripheral that'll function at a beginner and tournament level simultaneously, and can put up with rigorous routines.

The Switch Pro controller works for beginner button mashing and not much else. The D-pad is one of the worst I've ever used, and that's completely fine for the casual player or anything that isn't strictly a fighter. But try performing even a rudimentary input like a DP input or a quarter circle consistently during a match and you are gonna be throwing the controller in a minute. You don't want to play against people who are good at the game with it because they'll punish every mistake you make as a result of a bad controller, and you don't want to practice with it because you don't want to develop bad habits due to having to compensate for an inaccurate peripheral (like avoiding DP inputs entirely).

This controller is certainly on the pricey side and only a select few controllers have had an accurate floating D-pad in the past but given the price tag, I'm giving PowerA the benefit of the doubt that this will still largely be worth the coin for prospective pad players seeking out a new controller. If the D-pad isn't good and the buttons aren't tactile and responsive, I not only fully agree irrespective of context that this is an overpriced controller, but I also actively condemn it.

I should also quickly note that while arcade sticks are indeed built like tanks, they are still massively overpriced, arguably more so than controllers for what they do at the mid to high end. The fighting game community actually has a lot of overlap with the hardware modding community because so many players end up building their own sticks (forking out a few hundred bucks for the same buttons on a fancier box can sting) for a fraction of the price with comparable rigidity. Controllers are a fair bit more complicated to put together so pad players have to make to with whatever the market dictates 99% of the time.

I`m sold because of analog/digital switch.

Correction: u can do the same with 8bitdo GBros thanks to new firmware so i`m NOT sold.

What is it with third party controllers for the Switch? I see endless colour variations of PS4 and XB1 controllers but they're always official. Every other week I read about a new third party Switch controller. I'm happy with my pro controller thanks.

@cryptologous While I can understand a competitive person wanting the best equipment available, I just don't buy your criticisms of the official Switch Pro controller. While it's not perfect, it's the best controller I've used in over 20 years of gaming and I've played every major game console released in that time span with the only exceptions being the Saturn and the Dreamcast.

It's an extremely comfortable controller with an extremely long battery life, responsive and reliable buttons, analogue sticks and triggers/bumpers. While I agree the D-pad isn't the best I've ever used, it's also far far from the worst and perfectly adequate for perhaps all but the most hardcore fighting game players who appear, from what people are telling me, to hold controllers to different standards from the rest of us.

@Carck Can't remember but I used Xbox 360 controllers for fighting games and while I can technically do all moves, in the middle of a tense fight, I frequently end up missing moves or doing something I did not intend to do and it does not take a rocket scientist to tell that the floating D-Pad which can (for example) very easily change a 'forward' input into a 'diagonal up' input is the cause of that. Other highly rated third party controllers with floating D-Pads that I have used also have this problem but this is a problem that is basically non-existent on the PS4 controller (or any PS controller for that matter!).

The dpad looks faulty... For 60 bucks... Cant believe my eyes!

@MaxlRoseGNR Same goes for Xbox one Controller. Bought it for my PC. RB button (I didn't even play that much) suddenly it got a bit loose and when pressing it nothing happens in game unless I press 10x hard then it does something. And that for a 60 bucks controller. Even official ones are faulty. My old xbox 360 controller I have for 12 years and all buttons still works! My only problem is that the wires from inside isn't working that good... I get all the time disconnection. So I had to buy a new one and XBOX One controller doesn't deliver. I expected quality. I had one before as well and I dropped it a few times and I started to see how fragile it is. They ask the same price for a controller that doesn't even have quality. They went cheaper and still they ask from customers the same price. Quality dropped that's for sure. At least make sure you ask the right price instead of the 60 bucks. I went DPD brand. but that analog stick can get broken easily as well. Now I don't trust any brand atm

@Heavyarms55 I hope I'm not misunderstood. It is a wonderful controller, arguably my favourite of the last decade. It is not a good controller for anyone who wants to play fighting games against other players competently though. It isn't a matter of holding it to different standards; it is a matter of acknowledging which tools are right for the job.

Take two people who've never played a game in their life, force them to put 10 hours into a first person shooter like Counter Strike, one with a mouse and keyboard and one with a controller, and it likely wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone if the player using the mouse completely stomped the controller user. The mouse is better suited to the context. Do the same for two players with Dark Souls PVP, and the controller player will most likely stomp the mouse and keyboard user. The controller is better suited to the context.

Likewise, dedicated pads and arcade sticks are a considerable amount better suited to fighting games than the majority of standard controllers, with the PlayStation controllers being the notable exception. It's also worth noting that every mainstream fighting game (Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Mortal Kombat 11, Injustice 2, maybe Guilty Gear/BlazBlue/SamSho, etc) makes frequent use of the DP and quarter circle motions I mentioned above, as well as a litany of other execution-heavy commands all centred around the D-pad.

Anyone who wants to beat other players online owes it to themselves to not frustrate themselves senseless inputting the wrong commands on a controller not designed for fighting games. Fighting games are hard enough as is, with what few accessible and execution-light fighters that do exist (Flappy Fighter, Fantasy Strike, Pocket Rumble, Divekick, etc) being relegated to relative obscurity by no fault of their own. Until Riot Games win over the masses with Rising Thunder, the importance of dedicated fighting game peripherals for anyone looking to reach online competency isn't going to subside. I don't know what your perception of what even just a "decent" fighting game player is, but for context, it is often said in the Tekken community that you are a "good" player (not great, not even close) after playing Tekken an hour a day for two years. That's over 600 hours for a non-hardcore player to reach baseline decency, so hopefully that puts things a little more into perspective.

tl;dr the Pro controller is a ridiculously good controller. It is clearly not designed with fighting games in mind though.

@FriedTofu I was just thinking this. The upcoming Panzer Dragoon game immediately came to mind upon seeing the shape of this controller.

I've been dreamimg of ! controller like this, but not for $60.. I know times have changed, but I bought two of these (same exact style) for $50 total on PS2 back in the day.

@Heavyarms55 You admit to having never played the Saturn, which is cool, a lot of people haven't, but I don't think words will help you understand how much better the Saturn controller, especially it's D-Pad, is than most. Most controllers have serviceable pads, they get the job done, and if you've never used anything else, you would probably be none the wiser. But once you use something like the Saturn pad, you'll see the issues with other controllers. Modern controllers in particular tend to neglect their D-Pads because most people play 3D games and the D-Pad is often relegated to stuff like toggling items.

But almost any 2D game benefits from a great D Pad. You don't even have to be a big time fighting game fan to notice and appreciate how smooth and responsive it is.

That being said, if it's not for you, then it's not for you, and that's OK. Just know that there is a difference and there is a market for this. But definitely, if you get the chance, try out a Sega Saturn with the model 2 pad (it initially had a different controller in North America, which some people like, but the original Japanese one / model two controller is what this one is aping)

@DarthXenos nope but there are three types of controllers here, and this functionality only applies to the Switch Version of the controller, not the Xbox or PS4 one

The Sega Saturn (ver. 2) had the BEST controllers (for fighting games)!!! Now, if they'd only release the same type of fight stick from Ascii back from the Sega Saturn.... Until this day, I feel like it's the best arcade stick due to the standard "bat style" joystick and button layout. Just hated how clicky and noisy it was...

Kind of a tough sell when 8bido sells quality controllers in similar styles for cheaper, not to mention they're packed with more features.

At $60 this should at least be wireless. The 8bitdo M30 is and it's cheaper while still looking and feeling like a six button Sega controller.

If this was wireless I would be there as would be perfect for Street Fighter Collection.

@ReaperExTenebris I am in no way a pro at fighting games so it does not bother me the latency. Would much rather sit back and lounge on the sofa. With wired controllers, I usually end up pulling them out of the machine so with Switch I would tip the dock over.

@Carck I understand. i just think that at $60 it should have bluetooth and a nice cable so people can choose between convenience and performance.

This could be good for fighting games

Oh dude I want this!

@Mqblank I agree... I mean, I'm a fighting game fanatic, and have been into them since ever since even before they became mainstream, but I'm in no way a tournament player (at least these days) and instead, I just really enjoy playing them for what they are, so the latency issue isn't a problem for me, as well.

Shockingly expensive. How long has PowerA even been around? I feel like I’ve only been seeing them over just the past couple years. I trust their quality like they were MadCatz. Even if they’re good, a wired standard size controller at that price is ridiculous. Looks gorgeous though, at $20 I’d probably buy it

If you click on "Why wired?" on their site, the top thing they list is that it's almost half the price of wireless... And yet this pad is going to cost $60? No thanks.