Retro Fighters StrikerDC Sega Dreamcast Controller Review
TL/DR: These are cool if you absolutely hate the stock Dreamcast controller. These are not so cool if you like/love the stock Dreamcast controller.
Recently I picked up a Retro Fighters StrikerDC controller for the Sega Dreamcast. Retro Fighters have released a variety of controllers in the past, with their Nintendo 64 “Brawler” controller being their most noteworthy (and seemingly most-liked among users). Never having used one of their controllers before, I went ahead and grabbed their Dreamcast variant to get some first-hand experience with their products.
The biggest advantage this controller has over the default Dreamcast controller is its shape. It is wider overall with more modernized grips and is more comfortable in the hands. No more sharp handles requiring cramped hand positioning. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.
Let me preface this by saying nothing on this controller is truly awful in any way, it's just that few aspects of this controller surpass the functional quality of the stock, original Dreamcast pad. The StrikerDC is form over function, while the original Dreamcast controller is the other way around.
Starting with the face buttons, they are significantly stiffer than an original DC controller's buttons. They lack the same snappy, tactile feel of the originals, and this can actually cause issues in some games. When I was playing Giga Wing 2, the “A” button would often register longer than it should, causing my barrier to activate when I did not want it to. The buttons just don't snap back up as fast as the stock controller buttons do and this can cause problems. On the positive side, the buttons are larger and closer together, so some players will prefer these over the stock controller.
Moving on to the directional pad, this took some time to get used to. The pivot underneath feels tiny at best and you can press the entire d-pad down in the center. Third-parties never seem to get this part right, and being able to do this causes unwanted diagonal presses in games where accuracy is king, such as shooters and fighting games. I eventually warmed up to it after several hours, but I really struggled with it at first, jumping in Capcom Vs. SNK when I did not want to, and moving diagonally in Border Down unintentionally. After several hours, I found the d-pad really has to be treated lightly if you want to have any amount of success with it. I did adjust to it eventually, but users with heavy thumbs will undoubtedly struggle with this at first.
The analog stick on an original Dreamcast controller is often the biggest point of contention for players. Some find it too sensitive, while others find the grip too slippery. The Retro Fighters pad fixes the later issue with a concave stick and a nice textured ring that runs around the top of it. However, functionally speaking it’s a mixed bag. On some games the analog stick seems to have a large dead zone and it’s barely functional compared to the stock Dreamcast analog stick. For instance, in Tokyo Xtreme Racer, it was nearly impossible to do soft, finessed turns. Just to make sure it wasn’t just me, I plugged in an original Dreamcast controller for a quick comparison, and sure enough, I had no issues performing nice, fluid turns. Daytona USA however, with its more twitch-based gameplay, seemed to control fine with the StrikerDC analog stick. Like with the original Dreamcast analog stick, results may vary from game to game.
The analog triggers on the StrikerDC leave a lot to be desired. They have very little analog range, making it difficult to lightly let off the gas in a racing game. Using Tokyo Xtreme Racer as an example again, I attempted to lightly hold in the triggers to keep my RPM at 4,000. It was nearly impossible to do this on the StrikerDC controller. I then plugged in a stock Dreamcast controller, and as expected I was able to perform this task without issue. The stock Dreamcast controller's analog triggers are extremely smooth in comparison and have just the right amount of analog range, while the StrikerDC triggers are mushy and lack any meaningful range in its various analog states. They might as well be non-analog triggers.
Speaking of which, one nice feature is the inclusion of such buttons, much like on modern controllers. These can be useful in fighting games. While they seem to register fine, these probably should have been face buttons instead. This would have given players a decent alternative to the excellent (but expensive) ASCII Pad FT, a six-button layout controller tailored for the Dreamcast’s many fighting games. This is a major missed opportunity.
One other change that will excite certain players is the controller wire coming out of the top of the controller. For me it was a bit of a non-issue, as the original wire positioning never bothered me. In fact, I am so conditioned to the original Dreamcast controller wire that I kept trying to push the StrikerDC wire into a slot that doesn't actually exist. It’s going to take a while for me to get out of that habit.
For anyone wondering, VMU support is fine. Nothing special there, not that I expected there to be. There is also turbo functionality, but it’s not a feature I bothered to test. There aren’t a lot of games on the platform where ridiculously fast button mashing is a necessity, so I didn’t mess with it. It might be a neat feature for some of you reading. (Yeah, I know—I’m such a terrible “reviewer”.)
The only weird issue I had is the Dreamcast not recognizing the StrikerDC when I first plugged it in. It took three tries to get it to work, the third attempt being the time I plugged in the VMU to see if the controller was getting power. Sure enough, the VMU beeped and the controller started working. This was most likely just a conicidence, but it is something to note.
The StrikerDC controller does come nicely packed in a high quality box. It also comes with some added goodies, like a Retro Fighters keychain and some stickers. This is neat for collectors, but I would have rather had the cost of trinkets and packaging be put into further refinement of the controller’s mechanisms. If you’re not going to get that aspect right, then don’t do it at all.
Overall the StrikerDC is not a bad controller. I just think that if you're fine with the original Dreamcast controller, this is bit of a tough pill to swallow. Outside of basic comfort, you’re not getting a higher quality product, particularly for the $50 it will cost you. The original controller's analog stick, triggers, d-pad and face buttons are all of higher quality, not to mention those original controllers cost significantly less to obtain.
Ultimately, if you love the original Dreamcast controller, give this one a hard pass. If you absolutely hate the original Dreamcast controller for some reason (and I’m seeing there are many of you out there), then it’s probably worth the money. Otherwise steer clear.
