If you don’t spend much (or any) time on Facebook these days, you might not be aware of a new and intriguing project that has been underway over the past few months, and current progress looks very promising! But first, we need to go back to where this story all began…
Back in March of 2021, Drew Kenaz put together a DIY guide for folks to mod their US/UK “Model 1” pads with a Retro-Bit 2.4Ghz receiver for wireless gameplay, and we featured it here on this very site.
Fast forward just two months, and our dude Drew was already on to the next big thing… Creating the foundation of a Wireless Mod for our beloved Sega Saturn 3D Analog Control Pad!
Then, on September 7th, another member over on the Sega Saturn Technical Forum by the name of Izzy Patrick “picked up the torch” and started running with it full tilt, claiming to have built their own mod on top of the foundation that Drew had established. Izzy’s mod appears to be a very exciting and ambitious take on the Wireless 3D Pad idea…
The entire plans for Izzy Patrick’s extremely ambitious mod include:
- Solderless Install (no controller modification required)
- Bluetooth to PC
- Mode Switching (Analog to Digital)
- OLED Support
- USB Lipo Charging
- Battery Charge % and Charging Status to OLED
- Tilt Input (Switchable as Analog pad “left stick” or as “right stick” on a more modern pad)
- Rumble Function
- Attractive Integrated Enclosure for OLED Display
- Saturn Receiver for Controller Input
The ultimate goal with this mod is to release as much information publicly as possible so that other 3D Pad enthusiasts can help the project to grow and improve. While Izzy’s time is quite limited, there is a hope to provide assembled units for sale, but this is currently a long way off from being a reality.
Meanwhile, as recent as October 24th, Drew shared that he would be continuing with his own mod and had made some significant progress…
Drew also mentions adding an option to send the analog position logarithmically, so smaller movements, like in a racing game for example, would be more controllable, similar to that of a steering wheel…
Either way, it looks like folks may actually have two different options, if interested in taking their 3D Analog Control Pads into the realm of wireless connectivity. We at SHIRO! will continue to provide the community with updates as these mods reach completion, and we will be sure to post a DIY how to guide right here on the site!
A massive Saturn fan since Christmas ’96, Dave is enthusiastic about growing the community and spreading Saturn love and knowledge to fans old and new. Co-founding the SEGA SATURN, SHIRO! podcast back in 2017 and creating the SHIRO! SHOW in 2020, he seeks to create interesting and engaging Saturn-related content for the community. Dave’s interests circle around game preservation, and he is a huge fan of game magazines and developer interviews.
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