We love the Nintendo and, but they aren't perfect. On one hand, they both let you play dozens of classic 8-bit and 16-bit games, including some of the best titles ever made. On the other hand, their controller cables are infuriatingly short.

1. Lowered For Windows Pc Classic Gaming Controller Gamepad For Mac Free
2. Lowered For Windows Pc Classic Gaming Controller Gamepad For Mac Pc

8bitdo offers an ideal solution with the SN30 2.4G. This SNES-style gamepad looks and feels almost identical to the controller included with the SNES Classic, but it's completely wireless.

At $24.99, it fixes the biggest sticking point of an otherwise fantastic retro gaming experience, and earns our Editors' Choice. Design The SN30 looks and feels just like a Super NES controller without a cord. Instead, a micro USB port sits on the top edge for charging. Everything else is spot-on SNES: a gray gamepad with four face buttons (A, B, X, and Y), two shoulder buttons (L and R), a four-way direction pad, and Start and Select buttons. The A and B buttons are purple and convex, while the X and Y buttons are periwinkle and concave, a dedicated detail from the original controller design. An alternate model, the SF30 2.4G, is based on the Super Famicom controller design. That gray gamepad is a slightly different shade from the SN30 2.4G, and the face buttons are four different colors and all convex.

Lowered For Windows Pc Classic Gaming Controller Gamepad For Mac Free

The receiver is an 0.4-by-0.9-by-2.1-inch (HWD) gray dongle with a NES/SNES Classic controller connector on the end (the same connector used by Wii accessories). A vertical strip of horizontal bars running along the top of the receiver evokes the design of the original NES. A blue LED on the front flashes when looking for the controller and glows steadily when connected. According to 8bitdo, the SN30 can last up to 25 hours of gameplay with its 180mAh battery, and can charge in 60 minutes. The gamepad didn't falter through several hours of testing.

Gaming The SNES Classic usually requires you to physically press the reset button on the system to return to the main menu from a game. The SN30 offers a shortcut so you don't have to get up to change games. Pressing Select and Down at the same time will jump back to the main menu on the SNES Classic or NES Classic. While the SN30 is designed for use with the wireless receiver connected to a SNES or NES Classic Edition, it can serve as a wired gamepad for a PC, Mac, or Android device. When connected over USB, you can hold the Star button and A, B, or X for three seconds to put the SN30 into X-Input mode for a Windows PC, D-Input mode for an Android device, or a MacOS-friendly mode. It's a nice extra, even if the lack of wireless support and the fact that the gamepad has no analog sticks limits its usefulness on other systems. I played through a chunk of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES Classic using the SN30, and it worked perfectly.

The gamepad connected to the receiver immediately when I turned it on, and all controls functioned as they should. Besides the freedom of using it without an annoyingly short tether to the SNES Classic, I couldn't feel any difference between the SN30 and the stock wired gamepad. I also connected the SN30 to a NES Classic Edition. Once again the gamepad worked flawlessly, and I had no problem using it to bust through Heat Man and Wood Man's levels in Mega Man 2.

The X and Y buttons double as A and B buttons alongside the actual A and B buttons, offering some choice in the otherwise minimalistic NES control layout. More importantly, the direction pad and buttons are responsive enough to jump on the disappearing blocks to get over lava. SNES Classic Companion 8bitdo's SN30 2.4G is a spot-on wireless version of the original SNES gamepad.

Lowered For Windows Pc Classic Gaming Controller Gamepad For Mac Pc

It feels just as good as the controllers included with the SNES Classic, but without the painfully short cable tethering you to the system. If some of your favorite games can be found on the SNES Classic or NES Classic and your couch is more than three feet away from your TV, this is a must-buy accessory, and an Editors' Choice.

Meet the GamepadBlock Overview Connect your favourite arcade and original game controllers to your computer (Windows, Mac, and Linux, including Raspberry Pi™) with the GamepadBlock. The GamepadBlock is an Arcade and Original Game Controller USB Interface for your computer. Are you working on your own arcade machine? Or are you building your own retro-gaming machine with original controllers? The GamepadBlock is the ideal device for easily connecting original gamepads and arcade controls like joysticks and buttons to your computer. It is connected to your computer via USB cable. Depending on the controller mode you can connect up to two gamepads to the GamepadBlock.

It is fully HID compliant so that you do not need to install any drivers. Windows, Mac, and Linux are supported, which also includes system-on-chip platforms like the Raspberry Pi. You can use two or more adapters on one computer. What is special about the GamepadBlock? There already exist USB interfaces that allow you to connect arcade controls.

And there are also other USB interfaces that allow you to connect one type of original game controllers or another type of controllers. In some cases these interfaces also only allow to connect a controller for one player. The key feature of the GamepadBlock is that it supports a whole range of controller types at the same time. It, therefore, combines several of the individually available adapters within one device. And since the GamepadBlock is USB HID-compliant, it can be used on Windows, MacOS, and Linux including system-on-chip platforms like the Raspberry Pi or Odroid.

For all gaming consoles that are supported two gamepads can be connected. And you can even switch between the controller types via a virtual COM port. Terminal Pin Controller Wire 1 DB 1 Player 1 2 DB 2 Player 1 3 DB 3 Player 1 4 DB 4 Player 1 5 DB 5 Player 1 6 DB 6 Player 1 7 DB 7 Player 1 8 DB 9 Player 1 9 DB 1 Player 2 10 DB 2 Player 2 11 DB 3 Player 2 12 DB 4 Player 2 13 DB 5 Player 2 14 DB 6 Player 2 15 DB 7 Player 2 16 DB 9 Player 2 GND DB 8 (GND) Player 1 and Player 2 For Genesis / Megadrive controllers you can use 6 button controllers. Switch to 6-button mode with the button combination “A+B+C+Start+Up”.

Setting the Controller Mode You set the Controller Mode with the DIP switches A, B, and C The controller mode determines how the GamepadBlock polls the terminal inputs. You need to set the three DIP switches according to the controller that you want to attach to the GamepadBlock. To activate the new configuration, you need to unplug and reattach the micro USB cable. The following table shows the needed DIP switch settings for all supported controller types: A B C Description 0 0 0 Arcade Controllers 1 0 0 Super NES Controllers 0 1 0 NES Controllers 1 1 0 Genesis/Megadrive Controllers 0 0 1 Not used yet (Arcade Controllers as default) 1 0 1 Atari 2700, Atari 7800, 800XL, Amiga, C64, C128, Sega Master System, VC20 1 1 1 Not used yet (Arcade Controllers as default) Updating the firmware The firmware of the GamepadBlock can easiliy be updated via the USB connection.

We recommend to update the firmware before first use. This ensures that you get the latest firmware version with the maximum of features. To update the firmware we have developed the tool “GamepadBlock Updater”.

You can find detailed instructions about the tool and a how to for updating the firmware on. Getting it and Support. LUFA Library Copyright (C) Dean Camera, 2013. Dean at fourwalledcubicle dot com www.lufa-lib.org Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that the copyright notice and this permission notice and warranty disclaimer appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of the author not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. The author disclaims all warranties with regard to this software, including all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall the author be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this software. TL;DNR The GamepadBlock is an easy to use, multi-platform USB interface for connecting arcade controls as well as various original console gamepads.

Up to two gamepads can be connected. You do not need to install any drivers, only connect the controllers and you are ready to go.

The GamepadBlock can be updated via USB for future enhancements. You can find technical details, videos and tutorials above in this article.