Homebrew Which games really test the dpad?

[Deleted member 42501]

As per title, which games really test out the dpad in terms of response, precision and diagonals?

Booted up a VC of SF2 and I could barely pull off any special moves and it got me wondering if the 3DS dpad is that bad or I'm used to using a SNES pad? I know the DSi/DS had wack dpads compared to the excellence of the GB Micro (2nd best dpad ever) but rarely use the 3DS one as almost all titles are nub input.

 

[yuyuyup]

The original 3DS d-pad is an insane joke, the d-pad itself is extremely loose, yet it requires hard presses to register. So if your thumb is slightly moist, the d-pad will adhere to it and you have difficulty adjusting at all, it's like mashing a potato. They improved the D-pad in 3ds xl, and finally perfected with the New 3ds xl (never tried a non-xl "new" 3ds.) I theorize Nintendo made the original 3ds dpad crappy in order to sell a future upgraded model. DSi-xl (the system before 3ds) had a perfect d-pad, why the hell else would they gimp it?
edit: also I liked the original DS d-pad, and the lite version wasn't too bad in my opinion

 

[Deleted member 42501]

I've only tried the n3DS and much like the DSi it feels like its too close to the shell with not enough lift/space to hit the angles properly. I think on the XL the positioning would definitely help as its quite low set on the n3DS with the nub resting where your thumb naturally goes.

It definitely doesn't feel as good as the GB Micro, nowhere near, but I'm quite surprised at how crappy it is because even the Wii U one is awesome.

 

[RickFryMcFly]

As per title, which games really test out the dpad in terms of response, precision and diagonals?

Booted up a VC of SF2 and I could barely pull off any special moves and it got me wondering if the 3DS dpad is that bad or I'm used to using a SNES pad? I know the DSi/DS had wack dpads compared to the excellence of the GB Micro (2nd best dpad ever) but rarely use the 3DS one as almost all titles are nub input.

I would recommend using a regular DS game in your 3DS if you really want to test the d-pad. I can't think of any 3DS games that really "test" it off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some though.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

I would recommend using a regular DS game in your 3DS if you really want to test the d-pad. I can't think of any 3DS games that really "test" it off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some though.

Which DS ones can you think of?

 

[Shifty_13]

Shovel knight specter of torment (3ds) is good I think, there is a mini game where you need to climb to the top of the tower (it's really intense).

Ninja five-o (gba) could be the best option, it's really fucking hard

N-game (nds) could be good for that too.

If you want some top down games then you can try Binding of Isaac (n3ds) or Pocky&Rocky (snes)

Edit: N+ instead of 'N-game', idk why do I keep calling it like this.

 

[SG6000]

I bought Street Fighter IV as one of the games with my launch 3DS. That game alone made it crystal clear within the first day that the new D-Pad was a severe downgrade over the one I'd taken for granted in the DS Phat...in placement, usability, structural integrity.. everything.

Worst Nintendo D-Pad ever, possibly..but I still somehow used it enough to see it's sharp corners disintegrate away to reveal its true colour.

 

[Rahkeesh]

DSi-xl (the system before 3ds) had a perfect d-pad, why the hell else would they gimp it?

By perfect you mean "can barely hit diagonals in shooters, let alone pull of fighting game combos?" Maybe it just some models sinking in a bit much but mine has to be pushed in quite hard to get diagonals to register. This is a similar complaint people make about the Switch Lite d-pad.

The New XL pads are really pretty good for their size, you can feel 8 distinct clicks for all directions. Although I think the Vita pad may have one upped them with easier diagonals and rotation, which is ironic because Sony has never had a good d-pad on their home consoles...

 

[Deleted member 42501]

Vita dpad is the 2nd best of all time, so good. The GB Micro holds the title though as its dpad was sheer perfection in every single aspect from the height in the case, throw, how quickly/smoothly it registered a press and the ease with which you could pull off moves. Who knows, maybe the Vita has edged it now as its been a while since I used the GB Micro...

Placement definitely has a lot to do with its as mentioned earlier as its set way too low, both on the body and in terms of rise. The n3DS small whilst a step above the DSi still shares some of its flaws as it feels like a very similar design.

 

[yuyuyup]

By perfect you mean "can barely hit diagonals in shooters, let alone pull of fighting game combos?" Maybe it just some models sinking in a bit much but mine has to be pushed in quite hard to get diagonals to register. This is a similar complaint people make about the Switch Lite d-pad.

The New XL pads are really pretty good for their size, you can feel 8 distinct clicks for all directions. Although I think the Vita pad may have one upped them with easier diagonals and rotation, which is ironic because Sony has never had a good d-pad on their home consoles...

I entirely believe we probably had different models, mine wasn't like that but you see little differences like that all the time with ds/3ds systems

 

[Deleted member 42501]

LTTP on VC will show you exactly what your dpad is about as you can spin that lil Link around like crazy.

 

[godreborn]

I can't recall if dkc returns uses the dpad or analog stick, but that game can be pretty brutal on the 3ds. I'm quite good at the wii version, but the 3ds version seems to be much more difficult (maybe from holding the system or something). that's why I learned about kit kat slim. you should try rosalina's input redirection. iirc, you can play those fighting games with an arcade stick, then use ntr viewer to see the image on a pc monitor or tv. I've done this before with a ps4 controller (think you need the ds4 app). use slim (especially if your computer is not the best). you're likely to get better fps than the normal kit kat.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

That is interesting, yes you can definitely notice a difference in terms of muscle memory when shifting from one platform to another and in general the n3DS dpad simply isn't that responsive as it needs to be pressed quite hard on the diagonals (not as bad as DSi) but the 4 main directions are quite easy/responsive

 

[godreborn]

I find the c stick very ridged and difficult to do anything with. I've never tried the input redirection with rosalina as kit kat slim has its own. you just need to enable ntr on the 3ds, then input the ip address of the 3ds on the computer. I retested it a few days ago (at least the image being displayed on the computer). I didn't retest the input redirection, so my memory is a little hazy. anyway, it worked first try, no problem. I've heard that at least the the redirection of the 3ds screens requires a new 3ds. I don't know how it might behave with an o3ds.

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here's what it looks like (ntr viewer), there's input redirection too (however, I think it works the same as the rosalina version):

 

[Deleted member 42501]

This fellow built a GB ROM that tests your dpad accuracy. Now with stats!

https://bbbbbr.itch.io/game-boy-button-test