PS2 Hardware

Controllers

I tried several third party PS2 controllers in my quest for a 4 player "The Bouncer" game. Since I wanted to save some money and thought that there weren't going to be many 4 player PS2 games, I bought only the "budget" priced controllers ($19.95). Unfortunately, all put one (the Naki) gave me problems.

Naki Rocker Pad 2 - This was the best of the bunch I tried. I have two of them and neither has shown any problems so far. The analog buttons seem a bit tighter (i.e. harder to push) than the Sony controller while, conversely, the analog sticks are a bit looser. The overall construction feels very sturdy. The extra-wide "bulbous" handles took a little while for me to get use too, but are very comfortable now.

Nyko Omega 2 - After a night of 3 player "The Bouncer", the left analog stick stuck when pushed forward and the R2 button only responded when pushed on the right side.

Pelican - The left analog stick was off-center, so that it couldn't move to the left as much as to the right. This meant that leftward movements were hampered.

Performance Dual Impact 2 - The plastic mold feels cheap. The rumble is too strong. The left analog stick got smashed down in less than an hour of play, but I was able to pull and wiggle it free.