It's a damn shame we as hobbyists have to improve products because every company now is run by bean counters instead of engineers. I can guarantee you that the engineers at SNK were ashamed. Great review.
@@ScarletSprites yeah that's every company now. Without exception. Literally every product sold has a planned obsolescence built in. It's actually engineered into the product. So either it's built as cheaply as possible or built to a life cycle, usually when the warranty expires. That's not a coincidence.
True... The bean counters wont listen to us engineers. It tends to be all about cost. not quality. I say, dont sell it if its crap. I think that they actually think that people WONT notice.
I use a neo geo arcade stick pro for all my gaming, if I ever felt the need to go to a pad I would just get a vintage neo geo clicky controller and a usb conversion dongle.
Anyway, I like the original Neo Geo CD controller, but for a couple things - I find the amount of force required a little excessive (Neo Geo Pocket / NGPC thumbstick is perfect for me), and I prefer a round gamut over a square gamut for pulling off smooth arc motions.
I never looked into modding these with micro switches but this is very cool, thanks for sharing. I have a few original CD gamepads and they still work great but unless the prices of the originals become inflated, I’m going to stay with those. I still think this is awesome though, thanks again bud and keep up the great work!!!
I would agree with that assessment. It’s awesome that someone found a way to improve these and I want to encourage things like that. What would be really awesome would be a replacement/repair kit for the originals since those are starting to fail for a lot of people.
Yeah, I’m not holding my breath on that. It might be up to someone like Retrobit if they feel there is enough of a market. Maybe 8bitDo if Analogue makes a Neo Geo console.
More Travel distance = more finger fatigue on combos that require opposite directions. If I had to pick one I'll take the original version for the sake of comfort and speed. Now Imagine having this with additional back paddle buttons, a turbo button, wireless and complete remapping function..
Thanks for making this needed video. Do you have any advice on buying an original? Someone told me they eventually break due to their design. Would you know how to avoid this? Thanks.
Microswitches eventually wear out regardless of where they’re used. They’re usually rated for so many pushes before needing to be replaced. I have two of these pads and they still play pretty well. I’m not sure there’s much advice to give on these as there’s never been a true replacement made for them. Kind of have to get a working one and hope for the best.
You can DM him and see if he still has them or is making any more. For something small and niche I’m sure he’s probably trying to make it easy on himself by not having a middle man and just fulfilling orders as they come to him.
@@ScarletSprites Yea, but then you'd need to use twitter and... no. That's a part of the internet I'll stay well away from. Thanks for the help, though.
I love mine and have been using it a lot. The only issue I have isn't with the mod it's self, but with the plastic the controller is made out of. It seems to get scratched and banged up really easily if you aren't careful.. It's really soft stuff.
The mod is great, I want to keep emphasizing I don’t have an issue with that. It’s really just the play of the control stick that I don’t like. I have t had the plastic get too dinged up but those controllers see very little use (read none) on my side.
So odd that they completely changed the button positions. It went from CD to AC AB BD I never got to play the original neogeo but I can imagine if Nintendo swapped the buttons like that on the SNES mini it'd be infuriating.
I’ll stick with my OG controller but agree that options are never a bad thing. Another great vid. Ordered Pulstar cd and they sent me the color vinyl instead. Not complaining ;)
When I first got into original SNK hardware, about a year ago, I bought an OG AES arcade stick, and a bean stick and a CD joypad.....the joypad has gotten almost no use, until yesterday, by coincidence. It feels great! (for the purposes I've used it). Blazing Star supports it perfectly. I do NOT think I'd prefer it over any fighters, however. I'll report later. :D :D :D I might look into these after the NGASP comes out--if the quality is good, and they come out with a non-fighter-only version, I'll be on that bus! Keep up the good work on the videos!
It’s funny how that happens. There are definitely games I much prefer the stick to vs. the CD pad. For a while, I really only could play Pulstar with the AES stick because I had been practicing so much with it on my arcade and had gotten used to the stick. Now I can flip back and forth, but probably prefer the CD pad. I’d say if I’m playing on the consolized MVS, I probably use the CD gamepad about three quarters of the time.
Probably if someone wanted to take the time to engineer it. It might be tough though because of the number of directions the Switch Pro-Controller technically goes, whereas the Neo is simply a shrunken 8-way.
@@ScarletSprites yeah man, I understand that. Just wondering since theres crazy bored people on the internet and some one might of figure it out or done so.
Cool that this has been modded in this way but the messed up button layout is a deal-breaker for me! I currently only have one CD pad but should really look to stockpile a few more.... The Brook adapter with a decent micro-switched PS3/PS4 arcade stick is a good solution for fighting games to original sticks though.
I don’t have any current plans for that one. I don’t have a MiSTer yet and probably would want to use it in an arcade cab if I did buy one. Too many competing projects and ideas and not enough time unfortunately. I would very much like to see it in action though.
Actually MiSTer doesn't have much competetition currently if you categorize FPGA and software emulation differently. The only other multi-core FPGA systems I know of are the MiST, the MEGA65 (both very few cores, though) and the Analogue Pocket (which has cores for only handheld platforms).
It’s tough for me to comment because I haven’t tried anything other than the Neo Geo Mini control sticks. I’m not even sure if other USB devices work tbh.
It’s a custom 3D printed part, and halfway through the video I realized I hadn’t asked for permission to show it. That has surfaced before on previous videos and I didn’t want to burn someone who was doing something for the community. As far as the buttons go, that could be accomplished by swapping the wires on the DB15 cable itself. It’s probably more trouble than it’s worth though.
Hey Mike, Glad that you stop by to see Scarlets. I love this controller and recommend to others to purchase one. I think you'll like it just as much bro. I've been playing it ever since I received it. 8^) Anthony..
No, there are switches inside and this is basically a complete rebuild of the thumbstick internals. I know he came up with a DB15 to USB adapter for testing purposes but I’m not sure if it’s application for use with the Mini. He has mentioned that using the clicks thumstick mod on an original Mini would require a redesign of the thumbstick.
Superb video regarding MagicTrashman's modded Neo Geo Mini controller bro. I purchase one from Andre myself and I personally love it. I picked the white version and been playing it on my Neo-Geo AES ever since I received it bro. To show more support to Andre. We will be doing a Q&A article with him with ArcadeAttackUK and that will be published in the immediate future. Also Scarlet, I posted this fantastic video on the Neo-Geo thread on Atariage.com. Your content is on post #20,278 for you to view. Thank you as always Scarlet. Keep up the great work you always provide for us. 8^) Anthony..
Thanks man! I’m hoping the creation of this mod will lead to the possibility of drop in replacements for original gamepads. There are a lot of those that seem to be dropping out of commission.
I do get I’m the reasoning for the fighter games but jeez, you committed to the layout originally why change on a pad now? The beauty of software/emulation too is that you could have included a button toggle in the menu to appease both camps. But nope, didn’t do that.
I mean I'd hate to spoil how he did this for everyone but, eh, not super difficult. Definitely easy enough for Snk to do but it would have cost more for sure. I'm positive the mini was about 20 bucks a piece if they had enough made so every penny save I suppose.
He provided a breakdown of it and some pics via his Twitter. I’m interested in seeing if anyone follows this up and comes up with a replacement kit for all the original gamepads that have worn or broken switches.
@@ScarletSprites Oh well that was very generous of him. Usually to put something that seems complicated into "layman's terms", if you will, publicly would be a hit to business but guess he's just being open.
Is this Magic Trashman's Twitter the only way to get one? I don't have Twitter and I reeeaally don't wanna go down that rabbit hole. However, I do absolutely need these in each color.
Hey Scarlet, I agree 💯 % with this video. I was lucky enough to get a black version from the Magic Thrashman. I use it on my MV1C along with my HAS (Home Arcade Supergun).
Nice! I went white because that was the first of the new batch that he offered. That was really the only determining factor. I definitely think they are an improvement over the stock Mini Controllers.
Very cool mod. Shame the cost is what it is, but I get it... ya gotta make something. I wonder how this impacts the secondary market. Does this drive up the cost of the original? Or drive it down now that there are options that are technically “newer”.
For the time it took a one man team to design and implement, I get it as well. It has to be worth your time to sacrifice hours/days to something. From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think cost of the originals has fluctuated too much. I wouldn’t mind picking up another though soon before they get too out of hand in a few years. I’m hoping a mod like this leads to replacement sticks/switches for originals.
yea and I wouldn't spend 60 bucks on it why not just make a third party controller that is exactly a copy of the old neo geo cd controller that way you do it right?? that goes out to you retro bit and Hyperkin!
Yeah I don’t know why we haven’t seen a good reproduction controller yet. I can only assume they think there isn’t a market for it since the install base is likely much smaller than say a Sega or Nintendo system.
@@ScarletSprites I do like the new neo geo arcade stick other than you have to have a coffee table to sit it on and the button location is still the same. I wish you were in charge at snk then we'd have a kick ass controller 😆
![Perfect D-Pad or The Most Overrated Fightpad Controller in Existence? [8BitDo NeoGeo SNK]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nQrFhkpZahk/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video! I really need one of these. Oh wait, I already have one :D
Hah, thanks for stopping by man. Much appreciated!
@@ScarletSprites Love your videos!
@@ScarletSprites are you aware of anyone making a wireless neo geo pad that can work on multiple modern devices?
nuke RT Unfortunately no. I’ve been really hoping that 8bitdo or Retrobit makes a 2.4G CD style pad. I haven’t heard anything on that front though.
@@ScarletSprites same :( i am considering pickin up a neo geo cd controller and trying it myself but I am not sure how difficult itd be
It's a damn shame we as hobbyists have to improve products because every company now is run by bean counters instead of engineers. I can guarantee you that the engineers at SNK were ashamed.
Great review.
It really confirms that the thought was to keep cost and effort low, and just get it out the door.
@@ScarletSprites yeah that's every company now. Without exception. Literally every product sold has a planned obsolescence built in. It's actually engineered into the product.
So either it's built as cheaply as possible or built to a life cycle, usually when the warranty expires. That's not a coincidence.
I wish that *I* could love this comment on here. 😍
True... The bean counters wont listen to us engineers. It tends to be all about cost. not quality. I say, dont sell it if its crap. I think that they actually think that people WONT notice.
That microswitch click gave me ASMR triggers.
As well it should. It’s second only to angels singing.
I use a neo geo arcade stick pro for all my gaming, if I ever felt the need to go to a pad I would just get a vintage neo geo clicky controller and a usb conversion dongle.
I would love an adapter from NeoGeo CD pad to NeoGeo mini.
did u find it?
Anyway, I like the original Neo Geo CD controller, but for a couple things - I find the amount of force required a little excessive (Neo Geo Pocket / NGPC thumbstick is perfect for me), and I prefer a round gamut over a square gamut for pulling off smooth arc motions.
Thumbs up SOLELY for the RUN DMC reference!
thanks for that!!
I never looked into modding these with micro switches but this is very cool, thanks for sharing. I have a few original CD gamepads and they still work great but unless the prices of the originals become inflated, I’m going to stay with those. I still think this is awesome though, thanks again bud and keep up the great work!!!
I would agree with that assessment. It’s awesome that someone found a way to improve these and I want to encourage things like that. What would be really awesome would be a replacement/repair kit for the originals since those are starting to fail for a lot of people.
hopefully snk makes a modern version of that controller in the future x.x
Yeah, I’m not holding my breath on that. It might be up to someone like Retrobit if they feel there is enough of a market. Maybe 8bitDo if Analogue makes a Neo Geo console.
I was totally expecting "this controller just click with me" joke but it didn't happen. It still an awesome video tho.
Haha. The thumbnail was made after the video was complete. I should redo the whole thing.
More Travel distance = more finger fatigue on combos that require opposite directions.
If I had to pick one I'll take the original version for the sake of comfort and speed.
Now Imagine having this with additional back paddle buttons, a turbo button, wireless and complete remapping function..
Thanks for making this needed video.
Do you have any advice on buying an original? Someone told me they eventually break due to their design. Would you know how to avoid this?
Thanks.
Microswitches eventually wear out regardless of where they’re used. They’re usually rated for so many pushes before needing to be replaced. I have two of these pads and they still play pretty well. I’m not sure there’s much advice to give on these as there’s never been a true replacement made for them. Kind of have to get a working one and hope for the best.
Intense angles and views! And building on other comments, controller clicks are the ultimate in ASMR. Fantastic job and great look at this!
Thanks man, much appreciated! I try to make the most of what I have to make something simple at least nice to look at from a visual standpoint.
What was SNK's excuse for not adding the clickyness to their controller??
“Click thumbsticks is very hard to make”
I wish I could buy one of these somewhere. It looks like he's hiding away on Twitter for some reason.
You can DM him and see if he still has them or is making any more. For something small and niche I’m sure he’s probably trying to make it easy on himself by not having a middle man and just fulfilling orders as they come to him.
@@ScarletSprites Yea, but then you'd need to use twitter and... no. That's a part of the internet I'll stay well away from. Thanks for the help, though.
I love mine and have been using it a lot. The only issue I have isn't with the mod it's self, but with the plastic the controller is made out of. It seems to get scratched and banged up really easily if you aren't careful.. It's really soft stuff.
The mod is great, I want to keep emphasizing I don’t have an issue with that. It’s really just the play of the control stick that I don’t like. I have t had the plastic get too dinged up but those controllers see very little use (read none) on my side.
So odd that they completely changed the button positions.
It went from
CD to AC
AB BD
I never got to play the original neogeo but I can imagine if Nintendo swapped the buttons like that on the SNES mini it'd be infuriating.
Yeah, it’s not a big deal for people who weren’t used to the original. But to give no option to map them back on the Mini seemed like an oversight.
I’ll stick with my OG controller but agree that options are never a bad thing. Another great vid. Ordered Pulstar cd and they sent me the color vinyl instead. Not complaining ;)
Awesome to hear that! I’d probably keep the vinyl as well, but I wouldn’t have anything to play it on.
When I first got into original SNK hardware, about a year ago, I bought an OG AES arcade stick, and a bean stick and a CD joypad.....the joypad has gotten almost no use, until yesterday, by coincidence. It feels great! (for the purposes I've used it). Blazing Star supports it perfectly. I do NOT think I'd prefer it over any fighters, however. I'll report later. :D :D :D
I might look into these after the NGASP comes out--if the quality is good, and they come out with a non-fighter-only version, I'll be on that bus!
Keep up the good work on the videos!
It’s funny how that happens. There are definitely games I much prefer the stick to vs. the CD pad. For a while, I really only could play Pulstar with the AES stick because I had been practicing so much with it on my arcade and had gotten used to the stick. Now I can flip back and forth, but probably prefer the CD pad. I’d say if I’m playing on the consolized MVS, I probably use the CD gamepad about three quarters of the time.
Thanks for this awesome review!
Glad it was helpful!
Is there a way to get that clicky stick on a switch pro-controller/GameCube controller?
Probably if someone wanted to take the time to engineer it. It might be tough though because of the number of directions the Switch Pro-Controller technically goes, whereas the Neo is simply a shrunken 8-way.
@@ScarletSprites yeah man, I understand that. Just wondering since theres crazy bored people on the internet and some one might of figure it out or done so.
First thumbs up for the video and now im watching it !
Thanks for sticking around man!
I would love to know what you think about this one vs the one 8bitdo just came out with vs. the original.
In short, the throw distance of the Neo Mini’s stick ruins it for me. I just never got used to that vs. the original.
Cool that this has been modded in this way but the messed up button layout is a deal-breaker for me! I currently only have one CD pad but should really look to stockpile a few more....
The Brook adapter with a decent micro-switched PS3/PS4 arcade stick is a good solution for fighting games to original sticks though.
Yeah, I just can’t get passed the button layout either. I’ve tried. It’s just not going to happen.
I own the last real Neo Geo. Before they were bought out by a soulless casino company. Long live the Neo Geo Pocket Color!
I do like the NGPC, it’s a fun little system. I think I’ve logged more hours on that than I have a GameBoy.
I also hate how they got the lettering of the buttons wrong.
Nice mod but perhaps a little too expensive. Do you plan to review the Mister FPGA Neo Geo core ? Will love to know what you think about it.
I don’t have any current plans for that one. I don’t have a MiSTer yet and probably would want to use it in an arcade cab if I did buy one. Too many competing projects and ideas and not enough time unfortunately. I would very much like to see it in action though.
Actually MiSTer doesn't have much competetition currently if you categorize FPGA and software emulation differently.
The only other multi-core FPGA systems I know of are the MiST, the MEGA65 (both very few cores, though) and the Analogue Pocket (which has cores for only handheld platforms).
Currently, what is the best option for a second controller for the snk arcade stick pro, other than a 2nd arcade stick pro?
It’s tough for me to comment because I haven’t tried anything other than the Neo Geo Mini control sticks. I’m not even sure if other USB devices work tbh.
Dude open it up! Wanted to see the actual internals. Also how hard is it if we wanted to rewrite the buttons to the correct orientation?
It’s a custom 3D printed part, and halfway through the video I realized I hadn’t asked for permission to show it. That has surfaced before on previous videos and I didn’t want to burn someone who was doing something for the community. As far as the buttons go, that could be accomplished by swapping the wires on the DB15 cable itself. It’s probably more trouble than it’s worth though.
I hear ya man. At least we don’t have to worry about China stealing the intellectual property- they already fucked it up
I’m probably banned in China since that Neo Mini review. Scarlet Sprites stands with Hong Kong!
Damn right!
Hey Mike, Glad that you stop by to see Scarlets. I love this controller and recommend to others to purchase one. I think you'll like it just as much bro. I've been playing it ever since I received it. 8^)
Anthony..
Got a couple of these...they’re great
Wait what? They rotated the button positions? WTF?
Are the clicks just for effects then? Shame they cant just make a neo geo pad usb compatible adaptor mapper.
No, there are switches inside and this is basically a complete rebuild of the thumbstick internals. I know he came up with a DB15 to USB adapter for testing purposes but I’m not sure if it’s application for use with the Mini. He has mentioned that using the clicks thumstick mod on an original Mini would require a redesign of the thumbstick.
Superb video regarding MagicTrashman's modded Neo Geo Mini controller bro. I purchase one from Andre myself and I personally love it. I picked the white version and been playing it on my Neo-Geo AES ever since I received it bro. To show more support to Andre. We will be doing a Q&A article with him with ArcadeAttackUK and that will be published in the immediate future.
Also Scarlet, I posted this fantastic video on the Neo-Geo thread on Atariage.com. Your content is on post #20,278 for you to view.
Thank you as always Scarlet. Keep up the great work you always provide for us. 8^)
Anthony..
Thanks man! I’m hoping the creation of this mod will lead to the possibility of drop in replacements for original gamepads. There are a lot of those that seem to be dropping out of commission.
Can you use this controller on PS4?
No idea, I don’t have a PS4. The modded version is a DB15 connector. If something like that exists for PS4 then I suppose it’s possible.
😂 at the thumbnail. Yay! Now its clicky again!
That was the best part of making this video.
Now if only I could use this to play some SSX Tricky.
I really hope that the new Arcade Stick Pro will have microswitches!
@@banananutloaf1094 It surely was. Its great!
@@RetroMoments yay
Does this controller work in pc with an usb-c adapter, please?
I don’t own any adapters like that to test. You should probably ask @MagicTrashman on Twitter to confirm.
That button layout.....why, SNK?
I do get I’m the reasoning for the fighter games but jeez, you committed to the layout originally why change on a pad now? The beauty of software/emulation too is that you could have included a button toggle in the menu to appease both camps. But nope, didn’t do that.
🏆You win thumbnail of the year.🏆
Thanks, I enjoyed it. 😅
I need this gamepad, but i need usb =*(
I mean I'd hate to spoil how he did this for everyone but, eh, not super difficult. Definitely easy enough for Snk to do but it would have cost more for sure. I'm positive the mini was about 20 bucks a piece if they had enough made so every penny save I suppose.
He provided a breakdown of it and some pics via his Twitter. I’m interested in seeing if anyone follows this up and comes up with a replacement kit for all the original gamepads that have worn or broken switches.
@@ScarletSprites Oh well that was very generous of him. Usually to put something that seems complicated into "layman's terms", if you will, publicly would be a hit to business but guess he's just being open.
One quick question - besides the clicky-ness, does the mod actually improve precision of the controller?
No, and in fact I’d say it does the opposite.
@@ScarletSprites thank you for the quick response
Is it compatible with the Switch?
No, just original Neo hardware. It has a DB15 connector, not a USB.
Nice video! :D would it be possible to make one of these pads work on the ps4? maybe an adapter or a mod?
Probably, but that’s beyond my set of skills. The Neo pads also only have 4 buttons, start and select.
@@ScarletSprites Thanks for replying back :D gonna keep searching for a way to make these babies work, wish me luck guys ^_^
Okay I'm gonna come out with something a little more controversial here, but... MetalRockJesus is a way cooler name.
I’d watch.
Is this Magic Trashman's Twitter the only way to get one? I don't have Twitter and I reeeaally don't wanna go down that rabbit hole. However, I do absolutely need these in each color.
As far as I know, that’s the only way. It’s just one guy doing custom work basically.
Hey Scarlet,
I agree 💯 % with this video. I was lucky enough to get a black version from the Magic Thrashman. I use it on my MV1C along with my HAS (Home Arcade Supergun).
Nice! I went white because that was the first of the new batch that he offered. That was really the only determining factor. I definitely think they are an improvement over the stock Mini Controllers.
Very cool mod. Shame the cost is what it is, but I get it... ya gotta make something. I wonder how this impacts the secondary market. Does this drive up the cost of the original? Or drive it down now that there are options that are technically “newer”.
For the time it took a one man team to design and implement, I get it as well. It has to be worth your time to sacrifice hours/days to something. From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think cost of the originals has fluctuated too much. I wouldn’t mind picking up another though soon before they get too out of hand in a few years. I’m hoping a mod like this leads to replacement sticks/switches for originals.
Hack the neogeo mini for best Image.that is the mod we need.
Agreed.
The mini was disappointing, on the other hand the arcade stick pro was amazing
Yep, I share that same opinion.
yea and I wouldn't spend 60 bucks on it why not just make a third party controller that is exactly a copy of the old neo geo cd controller that way you do it right?? that goes out to you retro bit and Hyperkin!
Yeah I don’t know why we haven’t seen a good reproduction controller yet. I can only assume they think there isn’t a market for it since the install base is likely much smaller than say a Sega or Nintendo system.
@@ScarletSprites I do like the new neo geo arcade stick other than you have to have a coffee table to sit it on and the button location is still the same. I wish you were in charge at snk then we'd have a kick ass controller 😆