Retro Fighters has just opened pre-orders on their upcoming controller for the Sega Dreamcast: https://retrofighters.com/our-collection/strikerdc-dreamcast-controller/
While I’m excited there’s another controller choice for Dreamcast users, it’s important to remember how important controller quality is: Your controller is your body’s interface between you and the game. The ergonomics and quality of the controller play a major part in your gaming experience, but so does muscle memory; Will big fans of the Dreamcast be able to adjust to a newer controller style after 20 years of gaming on the original? Alternatively, if the quality is high, will this allow a better gaming experience than the original?
My personal experience is this varies greatly and there isn’t a “correct” answer. For example, I used the original SMS controllers as a kid, but as an adult, I prefer pretty much any other controller – I usually use the Genesis controller on real hardware and NES controller when emulating. Alternatively, I can’t enjoy SNES games using anything other than a SNES controller that as high quality as the original.
Retro Fighters is facing a big challenge, as this needs to be a lag-free, high quality controller…that Dreamcast fans want to use. I guess we’ll see if it holds up when it’s released in April and I’m crossing my fingers this turns out to be a quality solution!
