Which Xbox controller is easiest to hack and use for my arcade controls?

[postmortem]

I just got a hold of a new x-arcade tankstick and I want to convert both sides to be Xbox controllers (for the best PC gaming compatibility). Does anyone have any recommendations on which xbox360 or Xbox one controller are the cheapest and easiest to hack? Thanks!

[shaolindrunkard]

Not the cheapest, but I would go with official Microsoft wired Xbox 360 controllers, they have the highest compatibility. Xbox one controllers have the advantage of working on an Xbox one, but the compatibility is actually less than the 360 controller on pc.

You also don't want to go with an off brand like mad catz. Believe it or not, different brands and not recognized the same way on pc. Even though they are both Xbox 360 compatible controllers, an official Microsoft controller is much more compatible with pc games than another brand like a gamestop or mad catz... plus the quality is better.

Now as far as hacking you are gonna have to be at least decent at soldering. Everything is pretty straight forward except for the d-pad. The contacts are tiny, but there are alternative solder points for the d-pad on the back of the controller and I recommend using those...
See this diagram.
http://slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_diagrams/360_diagram1.jpg

Keep in mind that many PC games only allow you to use the left analog stick for controlling your character, so you may want to test the games you want to play first to see if they allow you to use the d-pad for control... You can wire a joystick to the analog stick but its a bit complicated and not ideal...

[postmortem]

Thanks for the info. I've hacked a ps4 controller, so I know all about the soldering. I'm going to be using this for fighting games (ki3, guilty gear xrd, mortal Kombat xl). I'm pretty sure they all work well with Xbox 360 controllers, and none require analog. I have Xbox one controllers, but I heard they are harder to deal with. I'll go with Microsoft xbox360 controllers. Has anyone ever tried this out? https://m.aliexpress.com/s/item/32734301705.html?spm=a2g0n.search-cache.0.0.627a153fFqA1OL

[shaolindrunkard]

Thanks for the info. I've hacked a ps4 controller, so I know all about the soldering. I'm going to be using this for fighting games (ki3, guilty gear xrd, mortal Kombat xl). I'm pretty sure they all work well with Xbox 360 controllers, and none require analog. I have Xbox one controllers, but I heard they are harder to deal with. I'll go with Microsoft xbox360 controllers. Has anyone ever tried this out? https://m.aliexpress.com/s/item/32734301705.html?spm=a2g0n.search-cache.0.0.627a153fFqA1OL

Yeah Xbone controller pcbs are in 2 parts so it make it a bit of a hassle to deal with. And also Xbone controllers do not have the near universal compatibility that 360 controllers do. That's ideal if you are using them for fighting games, they will all be compatible with the d-pad...

That pcb look interesting, only thing I would worry about is if it shows up on pc as a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller. The problem is that the pc looks for a specific joystick id to tell whether or not the game will work with the controller.  That's why you can run into problems using an off brand 360 controller even though it works perfectly on a 360... The pc will see a 360 controller made by madcatz as "Madcatz xinput controller for xbox 360" Or something to that effect. If the game makers didn't add that joystick id to their list of compatible controllers the controller may not work... But they all recognize the official Microsoft controllers...

The other thing you can do if you ever plan on using the tank stick on another console is get one of these adapters, I hear they work great...

https://www.focusattack.com/hardware-pcb/popular-brands/brook/

[postmortem]

 I want to completely get rid of the tank stick encoder board. I went through a ton of testing on my Mame arcade with my other tank stick and found that there is a button limitation if used with USB. If I hold a diagnal direction and all my buttons on player 1 side, player 2 will not be able to pull off certain moves on mortal Kombat, or NBA hangtime. I tested ps2 port with many many keyboards and buttons would stick, or there would be ghosting.. I use an ipac in that tankstick now on my main Mame arcade.

[shaolindrunkard]

Yeah I'm not a big encoder fan myself.

[PL1]

You may want to consider Bruno's XBOXPadMicro firmware on a Leonardo Micro (not a Pro Micro since the firmware uses 32u4 inputs that aren't connected on the Pro) or the customizable KADE miniArcade 2.0 firmware on a 32u4 AVR board.


Scott
EDIT: Forgot that OP is using a PC, not an XBox.   

[shaolindrunkard]

You may want to consider Bruno's XBOXPadMicro firmware on a Leonardo Micro (not a Pro Micro since the firmware uses 32u4 inputs that aren't connected on the Pro) or the customizable KADE miniArcade 2.0 firmware on a 32u4 AVR board.


Scott

The Xboxpadmicro, is for the OG Xbox only, not compatible with pc which what hes looking for...

[PL1]

The Xboxpadmicro, is for the OG Xbox only, not compatible with pc which what hes looking for...

Oops.     Good catch.   


Scott

[AndyWarne]

On this subject:

We have firmware under development for the I-PAC 2 to appear as an Xinput controller on a PC. This is tested and working at the Windows level.

Any suggestions of the "fussiest" game to perform in-game testing for compatibility would be helpful, and I will purchase for testing (or download demo version if there is one).

[bootsector]

For PC there are Arduino Leonardo based solutions as well. Look for XInputPadMicro and PS3PadMicro firmwares.

[DeLuSioNal29]

On this subject:

We have firmware under development for the I-PAC 2 to appear as an Xinput controller on a PC. This is tested and working at the Windows level.

Any suggestions of the "fussiest" game to perform in-game testing for compatibility would be helpful, and I will purchase for testing (or download demo version if there is one).

Will there be updates for the Paclink as well?  I could never get them to work with my "newer" ipac.

[AndyWarne]

Will there be updates for the Paclink as well?  I could never get them to work with my "newer" ipac.

There arent any known issues, if you can drop me an email we can try to investigate.

andy@ultimarc.com

[fablog]

On this subject:

We have firmware under development for the I-PAC 2 to appear as an Xinput controller on a PC. This is tested and working at the Windows level.

Any suggestions of the "fussiest" game to perform in-game testing for compatibility would be helpful, and I will purchase for testing (or download demo version if there is one).

Wow great news. I was wondering if I will hack an Xbox360 controller and get rid of my Ipac UIO. It's too much hassle with some PC games. AndyWarne will you make a new firmware for the UIO?

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