****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I've noticed some complaints about these controllers are just simply wrong, so let's see about getting some updated info to reflect an updated revision of this controller.YouTube reviewers say that the start and select buttons are plastic, but they aren't! It's a rubber membrane and it is not too tall, not too stiff on the press. You could say it feels very much like they just rotated the NES Start-Select membrane diagonally, or similar to the Super Nintendo or Super Famicom membrane, and you'd be right either way.The screenshots currently on the Amazon listing make it look like the A B buttons are concave like the original NES controller (model # NES-004), but they are convex like the dog bone NES controller (NES-039, or HVC-102 for Japan/Famicom) and the SNES one. The buttons actually feel satisfying to press, not hollow or overly clicky. Though they aren't in a straight line like the original, your thumb should comfortably sit right between them and rock back and forth (or hold B while tapping A). No weird hand contortions needed. Regardless of whether it works for you, that is how the dog bone is designed and this controller is faithful to it.The Dpad is a glossy black version of the SNES Dpad. Same shape and size, still has indented directional arrows, but smooth to the touch like the rectangle controller's directional pad, minus sharp corners that poke your thumb. It looks like the older versions had a matte, textured finish on the directional pad. Though that textured pad would be more authentic to the original dog bone controller, this should help you deduce which reviews are out of date. I actually think the glossy black Dpad is better for NES games as you can slide your thumb back and forth really easily, and the lack of texturing makes it feel authentic to the original squared controller's slick directional pad.Controller is about 75% the size of a SNES controller, but equivalent in overall size to an original NES controller. People talk about how cheap the plastic feels, and I think they're just expecting too much heft out of a miniature, retro, wired controller. It does not feel like it will break with usage, but it's plastic, and has no hefty battery weighing it down. Perhaps this complaint was more valid on previous models, but in my hand it feels about the same as the original NES-004, which is also a lightweight controller.The Dpad, A, and B buttons are responsive. I haven't extensively tested for bad diagonals so nothing scientific here, but I see no reason this wouldn't work for most people. I am mediocre at Contra on a normal basis, but this seems to work for it without making you stand up or duck at the wrong moments. The cord is shorter than the original NES-004, which is still too short for a modern living room setup, so definitely get an extension unless you're sitting on the floor in front of your display.For a $10 controller, this thing's a deal. Original one seems to be $30 and up and then you would probably need to open it up and clean the membranes and buttons to get it feeling pleasant. I can confirm this Tomee replica works on the original top-loader NES as well as Retron 3 HD (hardware emulation) and Retron 5 HD (software emulation) clone systems. The Retron 5 seems picky about which NES controllers it likes, but it can use this one, or the 8bitdo N30 2.4Ghz if you are looking for a more expensive wireless option that keeps the original square controller shape while also adding turbo buttons.
