Successful Universal Controller Adapter hack! PS2 > PC/XBOX/GC

[Bgnome]

alrighty, this is for all you next gen console cab owners / wannabes out there who want an easy universal controller solution.

http://www.stepmania.com/stepmania/adapter.php

Universal PS2-Xbox & GC Adapter
Compatible
Manufacturer:  Game Elements
Comments:  Works beautifully, very responsive. These are found right now at most Electronics Boutique and Hastings Books & Music locations, $19.99 each.


i picked up this controller adapter at walmart, on clearance for $10.  It is called the Universal Controller Adapter by Game Elements and converts a Playstation Controller (including racing wheels!) to a Gamecube or Xbox compatible controller.  so i knew that folks had hacked xbox controllers by basically adding a usb plug to the end of the cord.  i wanted to see if that would work with this.

much to my chagrin, when i cracked this baby open, i had found 5 little empty holes on the pcb next to the other wires for the connectors.  under these holes you could see the word "USB"!!  (circled in red in my badly out-of-focus pic).  apparently, this was meant to be a usb adapter as well and thus made my job somewhat easier.  i soldered in a spare usb plug i had by matching up ground, power, and the white and green lines by looking at the traces for the xbox connector (which was what i was going to initially solder to anyway).  plugged the newly hacked adapter into my win xp sp2 laptop and it immediately started chugging away as it was detected as generic usb hub, then a generic HID compliant game controller, and then finally as an XBOX game device!  the controller properties interface looks eerily familiar, (ppjoy anyone?) and works like a charm!

so anyone thinking about using playstation pad hacks for putting a ps2/xbox/gc in your cab along with your pc, this is THE adapter to get!

[Gunstar Hero]

Your ideas intrigue me. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.  

[simplygriff]

That's pretty cool to know.  By the way I've seen these at Best Buy too.
-G

[BombProofPlane]

alrighty, this is for all you next gen console cab owners / wannabes out there who want an easy universal controller solution.

http://www.stepmania.com/stepmania/adapter.php

Universal PS2-Xbox & GC Adapter
Compatible
Manufacturer:  Game Elements
Comments:  Works beautifully, very responsive. These are found right now at most Electronics Boutique and Hastings Books & Music locations, $19.99 each.


i picked up this controller adapter at walmart, on clearance for $10.  It is called the Universal Controller Adapter by Game Elements and converts a Playstation Controller (including racing wheels!) to a Gamecube or Xbox compatible controller.  so i knew that folks had hacked xbox controllers by basically adding a usb plug to the end of the cord.  i wanted to see if that would work with this.

much to my chagrin, when i cracked this baby open, i had found 5 little empty holes on the pcb next to the other wires for the connectors.  under these holes you could see the word "USB"!!  (circled in red in my badly out-of-focus pic).  apparently, this was meant to be a usb adapter as well and thus made my job somewhat easier.  i soldered in a spare usb plug i had by matching up ground, power, and the white and green lines by looking at the traces for the xbox connector (which was what i was going to initially solder to anyway).  plugged the newly hacked adapter into my win xp sp2 laptop and it immediately started chugging away as it was detected as generic usb hub, then a generic HID compliant game controller, and then finally as an XBOX game device!  the controller properties interface looks eerily familiar, (ppjoy anyone?) and works like a charm!

so anyone thinking about using playstation pad hacks for putting a ps2/xbox/gc in your cab along with your pc, this is THE adapter to get!

You can do this with everything that has an xbox controller.

I would recommend the Pelican Universal Arcade Joystick for hacking since it has all 3 and no cable swapping would be neccesary

[Dave_K.]

You can do this with everything that has an xbox controller.

I would recommend the Pelican Universal Arcade Joystick for hacking since it has all 3 and no cable swapping would be neccesary

It doesn't look like the Pelican stick supports L3 + R3 buttons (for playstation2).  Not a huge deal since most games let you remap buttons, but some still do not.