NES Max Pad

by Nintendo

Product Features

• Move in angles a regular game controller can not!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004SVYP
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,010 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Great controller for the advanced gamer!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, May 31, 2008

By 

Daniel Sullenberger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NES Max Pad (Video Game)

This is THE BEST turbo controller available for the NES. It's very comfortable, it has grips like modern controllers, and the cycloid control pad protects your thumb from blisters (although it's NOT a real analog controller, there aren't any NES games which use analog controls anyway). It's especially good for top down action/shooter type games (e.g. Zanac, Jackal), and side scrolling shooters, like Gradius.
My only complaint is that it's a little hard to reach turbo B while holding regular A (i.e. turbo shooting while jumping). You have to hold the top right of the controller to do this. However, the MAX is contoured and accommodates this well, so it's still great for side scroller/platform type games (in fact, it's my favorite controller for Metroid).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for some games, annoying for most, November 23, 2010

By 

S. Zeck (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NES Max Pad (Video Game)

I own this controller, and I used it for several years during the early 1990s. The points to recommend it back then were that it was cheap, sturdy, and it has separate buttons for turbo. On the downside, the D-Pad lacks precision and the buttons can be hard to use simultaneously. The main alternative at the time was the NES Advantage.

The D-Pad
The basic NES controller has a '+' shaped D-Pad. It can report up to 2 directional buttons being pressed at once (Up, Up+Right, Right, etc..). The NES Max has the same limitation. However, instead of a + shape, the directional controller is a ring. If you're trying to go purely Right but your thumb is a little too low on the ring, it will act as if you pressed Down+Right instead. When you're the most stressed out at a difficult part of the game, perhaps not holding the controller in the 'correct' orientation, you'll find the controls getting all fuzzy on you.

You also have the option of using the center button in the ring (it moves around within the ring, you have to also press it down to make it register a direction). It's even less precise than using the ring itself.

Turbo Buttons
This has 2 Dedicated turbo buttons. That is, you push the red 'A' button if you want the game to think you pressed/held 'A' once. You push the grey A button if you want the game to think you rapidly mashed the A button like a jackhammer. Compare this feature to the NES Advantage (and some 3rd-party NES controllers of this era), which also had turbo. There was one 'A' button. Then there was a toggle switch to make it into a turbo button. To go back and forth you had to keep toggling it. The NES Max lets you alternate between rapid-fire and precision as much as you like.

Reliability
The controller puts up with a lot of use. It's well-made.

Ergonomics
Pressing one regular and one turbo button is a stretch. If you play with your thumbs, it's very hard to hit B AND Turbo-A at the same time. A little less hard to hit A and Turbo-B. If you are over the age of 5 and you actually try to hold those "grips" on the bottom of the controller, your hands will get cramped very quickly. It's not a modern controller designed to fit your hand. It's a slight restyling of the rectangular classic NES controller.

Price
I remember this being a lot cheaper than the NES Advantage. If your buddy had the Advantage and was using it in a 2-player game, this was a cheap way of leveling the playing field. Price is kinda irrelevant these days since none of the controllers are new anymore.

Overall
My friends and I didn't like it, mainly because of the D-Pad. NES games aren't very forgiving, so imprecise directional controls are almost a deal-breaker. If it weren't for dedicated turbo buttons, this controller would have been thrown out long ago. You can at least transfer some of your D-Pad skills to this controller, unlike the NES Advantage which required you to learn a whole different way to play all your games (like using a Dvorak keyboard).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Controller!, February 23, 2010

By 

Richard Swain "RCS" (Tampa) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: NES Max Pad (Video Game)

You won't find a better, more comfortable turbo controller for the NES. The "D-pad" is great at reducing fatigue in games that keep you moving in every direction, like shooters. The dog bone may be slightly more comfortable, but doesn't offer turbo. Skip the NES Advantage, this is the one to get!