PS1/2 Planning to buy new DualShock 2 controllers

[MushGuy]

Is there any licensed controllers you'd recommend to buy, whether it's wired or wireless, that actually work like the official controllers do? I'm asking this because I currently own an official controller, but the round buttons are all worn but still working, and two bootleg controllers from eBay that only work for the most part. Or should I just stick to official? Thanks in advance.

 

[slaphappygamer]

I went with something like this here.
The shell wasn’t exact and the analog sticks were a bit grindy. I didn’t expect it to be exact given the price. I opened the controller and cleaned up the rough areas and now it works fine.

In the past, I’ve gone for a similar search that led me nowhere. The closed I found was this, but my cat fucking are the analog sticks. I didn’t feel bad, because those controllers didn’t feel right anyway. They were too bulky.

I’d go with some wireless knock-offs and clean them up as needed. I’m going to try and put the guys of that wireless controller into a legit ps2 controller to see what that result is.

 

[MushGuy]

I went with something like this here.
The shell wasn’t exact and the analog sticks were a bit grindy. I didn’t expect it to be exact given the price. I opened the controller and cleaned up the rough areas and now it works fine.

In the past, I’ve gone for a similar search that led me nowhere. The closed I found was this, but my cat fucking are the analog sticks. I didn’t feel bad, because those controllers didn’t feel right anyway. They were too bulky.

I’d go with some wireless knock-offs and clean them up as needed. I’m going to try and put the guys of that wireless controller into a legit ps2 controller to see what that result is.

Which rough areas, may I ask? And how did you clean them? This that I found pretty much should show the kinds of controllers I currently have:

 

[slaphappygamer]

Oh yeah. Those are the best ones to have.

This is the one I got

After using this controller for the first time, I immediately noticed the grinding and sticking. I took everything apart and cleaned the buttons in warm water and dish soap. I had to sand a bit under the analog stick as it was rubbing hard on the inside. It felt like it was grinding. Sanding it down relieved that issue. I did something similar to the r2 button as it too was sticky. I can’t say it feels sturdier than the stock wired controllers. They feel the same. One controller is 20 years old and the other is a new total generic knock off. I think I paid $10 for this controller. This one works fine now.

 

[MushGuy]

Oh yeah. Those are the best ones to have.

This is the one I got
View attachment 220869
After using this controller for the first time, I immediately noticed the grinding and sticking. I took everything apart and cleaned the buttons in warm water and dish soap. I had to sand a bit under the analog stick as it was rubbing hard on the inside. It felt like it was grinding. Sanding it down relieved that issue. I did something similar to the r2 button as it too was sticky. I can’t say it feels sturdier than the stock wired controllers. They feel the same. One controller is 20 years old and the other is a new total generic knock off. I think I paid $10 for this controller. This one works fine now.

I might consider buying one soon. First I'll have to check with the local retro store to see if they have it, and while i'm at it, to trade in the old fake controllers that I bought from eBay several years ago. The right of the d-pad in one controller doesn't work fully well, and in the other the R3 function doesn't work at all. Yeah, they were pretty defective and I think it's best to get rid of them now.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

Oh yeah. Those are the best ones to have.

This is the one I got
View attachment 220869
After using this controller for the first time, I immediately noticed the grinding and sticking. I took everything apart and cleaned the buttons in warm water and dish soap. I had to sand a bit under the analog stick as it was rubbing hard on the inside. It felt like it was grinding. Sanding it down relieved that issue. I did something similar to the r2 button as it too was sticky. I can’t say it feels sturdier than the stock wired controllers. They feel the same. One controller is 20 years old and the other is a new total generic knock off. I think I paid $10 for this controller. This one works fine now.

I just ordered one of those. My local used game store has a couple Dualshock 2's for $20 each, but I didn't take the gamble on buying a used almost 20 year old controller. I know that's a pretty decent price, but my last used DualShock 2 started drifting after a couple years. And I really only played my PS2 for the Kingdom Hearts games years ago.

 

[MushGuy]

@slaphappygamer Oh, another question if you're still available. How's the precision on the analog sticks? Are the buttons pressure sensitive, too?

 

[slaphappygamer]

When the controller first arrived, the sticks were horrible. However, after I took the controller apart and sanded the bottom of the sticks down a bit they are much better. I haven’t noticed if they are pressure sensitive. I’ve tried in GTA vice city and timesplitters future perfect. I don’t know if those games support the pressure feature. I’ll try The Bouncer tonight. That game supports the pressure sensitivity of the analog sticks.