Review: Mayflash Wii Classic Controller PC USB Adapter

So I decided to get one of these for testing. I was very skeptical about just how well it would work and if it was needed for anything. I already knew how to use the classic controller via bluetooth but the idea of plug & play and 2 players is what got me.

Is it really just plug & play?

Does it really work with 2 players?

Read and find out!


Introduction:

So what is it? - Its a simple USB adapter with input for two Wii classic controllers to use them as gamepads in Windows (XP, Vista, 7)

As I am sure you know the Wii classic controler is ideal for certain types of gaming, its very close in resemblance to the old Super Nintendo controllers. The adapter also works with the Pro version classic controllers but I have none to test.

So lets break this down for review.


Build Quality & Design:

The unit is small, its about 3/5ths the size of a Wii classic controller, made from a solid case of plastic and doesn't seem like it would break easy. The cable going from the unit is of good quality and so is the usb header that plugs into your computer.

Four small philips screws keep it closed so that means you can open it to see whats inside

The insert points for the classic controller work well and I dont see them breaking easy but its a not a smooth "glide" like when you connect them to a wiimote, its got a rougher feel to it.

The USB cable is about 6ft long to compensate for the short length of cable the classic controller has and the unit itself is incredibly light.


Performance:

It did just like it was supposed to, it was plug & play. Just plug a controller into the adapter and then plug it into a usb port. Right away windows picked up and installed the standard drivers for a HID gamepad device. Every single button works even the home button and center shoulder buttons giving you a great number of buttons to use.

Here is the real kicker, both analog sticks work as full analog.

If you were like me and previously using a classic controller via bluetooth and hacking this was where that method fell short. The only way to get analog control was with a old old program called PPJoy and its an old 16bit program so it did not work under any 64bit operating systems. But now here it is plug & play full analog support for $16 on a 64bit operating system.

The hacking way sill has its merits though, use of the actual wiimote & the nunchuck, and of course its wireless.

So with one controller working so well I figured maybe I will find problems when using 2 pads at once, maybe it just duplicates the input of the first controller, it was logical to think this since its the first time I would ever use 2 controllers via just one usb cable.

Plug in a 2nd controller, and "beep" a new HID device installs. Sure enough check the Windows Device Manager and I see three devices listed. A usb controller (the adapter) and two HID devices (the two classic controllers)

Here is what my Windows Devices settings looks like:

From Mayflash Wii Classic Controller Adapter

The 2nd controller had every button working and both analog sticks fully functional.

I used it briefly for some 2 player SNES emulation and it was flawless, as close to holding and using a SNES controller I have had in many years.

I have not tried yet but with the fully functional axis this should also make a very good stand in N64 controller as well.

It actually gets better now. The device comes with a drivers disk... I didnt think you needed it for anything but I did read the device details and it said it has "programmable buttons" so figured why not install this software/driver and see what happens.

A very fast install from a mini disk later and now my properties tab in the Windows gamepad area suddenly transformed into a full fledged gamepad setup window.

From Mayflash Wii Classic Controller Adapter

Within this new control panel you can manually select what each button will be on the controller. Meaning if button A = Button 1 you can make it Button 5. This may come in handy for a game that accepts a limited range of joystick buttons. You can also change the X/Y axis around but not invert them.

The real star of the show here is that you can configure both the Dpad input method & the analog shoulder buttons as well as add auto fire.

The Dpad can be set in 3 ways, it can be a regular standard HAT, or it can be turned into button inputs instead, or it can be used as a digital analog stick. This pretty much means compatibility with any game or program.

From Mayflash Wii Classic Controller Adapter

The two shoulder buttons can be set to be sliders (analog) digital (buttons), or both.

From Mayflash Wii Classic Controller Adapter

In both mode its an analog axis but when fully pressed it activates a digital button, pretty neat.

The auto fire is turned on/off for each button you choose and you can also use a slider to determine the speed of auto fire.

From Mayflash Wii Classic Controller Adapter

So what can I say? I am really impressed. I did not expect anything nearly this elaborate or customizable from some cheap adapter out of China.


Value for price paid:

Pretty good Mayflash does not sell there own products directly but via 3rd party mostly on ebay. I was able to find them for $16.00 with free shipping. This is a aggressive price and part of why I was so skeptical of the product.

The total cost to you is higher if you actually have to buy a classic controller as well, but if you have one or two already because you have a wii then this is a cheap way to upgrade those controllers to have a lot more use.

But I can tell you know the product works and was worth every penny.


Conclusion:

Have a Wii? Like emulation on your PC? Get it! This could be a very good alternative to the Xbox 360 controller too I would think as it has everything the 360 has + 1 more button.

I would recommend this as the #1 way to play emulation right now, but only #2 for PC games. The Xbox360 controller is tailored to work on PC and many games for windows titles have profiles set for that controller already. (you can download a controller emulator to fool those games into thinking your using a 360 controller though....)

The only flaw I see with this device is not the device itself, but the classic controllers, having the cable come out of the bottom of the controller is not very good feeling in my hands. Its designed that way because you would normally have the wiimote in your lap. You can remedy this by getting a classic controller pro though it has the cable out the top side, and also adds the 2nd shoulder buttons and the grips.


Hope the review was a good read for you guys, feel free to comment and stuff.

Also here are the drivers for the device I uploaded them incase you ever lose your drivers disk. I could not locate them on the Mayflash site and its a mini disk, I know not every person has a computer that likes to read those small disks.

Download Drivers: HERE

 

That's awesome, I've been looking for a reliable way to play 2 player SNES games on my pc, I'll be picking one up. Great review!

 

The analog triggers aren't seen as axes?

Edit: NM, I see the screenshot where you assign them as sliders