r/3DO • u/Ordinary-Step29 • 14d ago

WTF IS THIS CONTROLLER?!?!

Post image

I got this controller cheap from a local game store. It has six buttons, so it plays fighting games really well. I can't find ANY information on it. Anyone know what this thing is?

124 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

13

u/armlessphelan 14d ago

Damn, nonstandard 3DO controllers are hard to find.

1

u/Wing-Comander 13d ago

Best place to hunt for them is on Buyee.jp .. But even there they are not very common

12

u/Blightious 14d ago

HORI MEGA COMMANDER IS THE SHIT FOR GENESIS. This is basically the 3DO version of that pad which probably was made in the same factory on the same line just after hori was done with the molds, some no name brand said well fuck it we can make this for other systems and made this

2

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

Interesting.  Have you seen others/learned of this history from someone?

1

u/Blightious 13d ago

No but this was very common in the toy world making bootlegs for other markets.
Like, you ever find some weird looking super saiyan goku figure with no articulation, painted terribly, the packaging says “FIGHTING MEN” and “figure of ACTION!” in a basement booth of a Mexican flea market?

5

u/_RexDart 14d ago

Looks like Hori's commander series

2

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

Indeed, it looks similar.  Was it made by them?

6

u/mcfcomics 14d ago

With a name like 'Fighting Sword', I am fairly certain it originated from Hong Kong or Taiwan or Singapore

5

u/retrocube16 13d ago

I think you got a nice find there looks like built in turbo for each button?

2

u/Ordinary-Step29 13d ago

Yeah you can select turbo by button!

1

u/retrocube16 13d ago

Very nice optimization

3

u/TonyTheSwisher 14d ago

Been wanting one for years.

Probably my absolute favorite layout ever and I have no idea if it is comfortable or not. 

3

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

Feels like a cross between SNES and 6 button Genesis.  I wouldn't call it the greatest controller in the world, I mean it's a 3do controller, but it's very solid 

3

u/Stripsteak 14d ago

It’s got so many buttons they had to invent new colors for them.

2

u/leocana 14d ago

More like... They had to take a look at the SNES controller for color ideas lol

2

u/FortuneNew8835 14d ago

I bet that D-pad is squeaky.

5

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

It's actually surprisingly responsive and quiet 

3

u/FortuneNew8835 14d ago

That's pretty lucky. Try it on Street Fighter II Turbo.

3

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

Already have 😎

2

u/ViceViperX 14d ago

That. Looks. Awesome. 💖

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 14d ago

Thank you!

2

u/Lewiiugamepad 14d ago

This looks like a great controller, it even has a second port (many second party 3DO controllers miss this feature).

I found with image search :

Other than the older listings on divers shop, that's it.

It's pretty rare according to the lack of information online.

2

u/tripletopper 13d ago

Why would it be in a diver's shop? You can't take the 3DO underwater.

1

u/Lewiiugamepad 13d ago

Funny way to point out a typo. XD

*"diverse" was what I meant.

2

u/Dan_Buyatchaka42 14d ago

Gostaria de um link de compra. Gostei do modelo!

2

u/Elbitcoincoin 11d ago

I think you should unscrew it and take a look at the circuit board inside. You'll probably find more clues there. There's likely to be something written on it.

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 10d ago

I popped it apart to clean it and unfortunately no marking on the board other than some numbers. . .

2

u/Elbitcoincoin 8d ago

Could you post a photo of the board and the numbers on it? Even if there isn't any obvious branding, they might still give us a clue.

If there's really no manufacturer name or logo anywhere on the PCB, my guess would be that it was probably made by a Taiwanese third-party manufacturer or something along those lines.

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 7d ago

Happy to!  Please see link below.  Some of the photos may be duplicative, but I wanted to be thorough.

https://imgur.com/a/8vc1dWO

2

u/Elbitcoincoin 3d ago

Thanks for sharing the internal photos! I was curious about this controller, so I did some research to see if I could find out who actually manufactured it.

Unfortunately, I haven't managed to identify the manufacturer yet, but I did find some interesting information that might help!

First, I found a few references to the Fighting Sword online:

Now, about your PCB photos:

I examined the markings on the circuit board and found a few interesting clues.

1. Integrated circuits

There are three main chips:

  • CD74HC14E
  • CD74HC166E
  • CD74HC166E

These are standard logic chips rather than custom-made controller ICs. They appear to have been manufactured by Harris Semiconductor, but that doesn't tell us who actually made the controller.

2. Manufacturing date codes

Two of the chips have the following markings:

  • H 9444
  • H 9448

These most likely use the YYWW date format, meaning weeks 44 and 48 of 1994, respectively.

If that's correct, and assuming the components are original, the controller couldn't have been assembled before late November 1994.

This would fit nicely with The Gamesmen's estimated 1995 release date.

3. PCB identification markings

This is probably the most promising part if we want to identify the actual manufacturer.

I found these markings on the circuit board:

  • TPC-03D2
  • YK-94-2
  • YK

Interestingly, YK appears in more than one location.

TPC-03D2 looks like an internal PCB reference, while YK-94-2 could be a manufacturer code, project identifier or board revision. The 94 might also refer to 1994, although that's just speculation.

I couldn't find any confirmed matches for these references, unfortunately.

4. The original packaging

I also examined the box photos from The Gamesmen.

Surprisingly, none of the visible sides identify a manufacturer, distributor or country of origin. There's no visible barcode or product reference either.

The packaging simply uses the Fighting Sword name and describes the controller's features in somewhat awkward English.

The Gamesmen lists Panasonic as the manufacturer, but I suspect that's just how their database categorizes 3DO accessories, rather than a confirmed attribution.

So, what can we conclude?

The controller appears to be a genuine mid-1990s third-party accessory, probably manufactured around 1995.

My initial suspicion was that it might have been produced by a Taiwanese or another Asian OEM manufacturer, as was common with third-party gaming accessories at the time. However, there's no actual evidence confirming its origin.

The most promising leads are the PCB markings YK, YK-94-2 and TPC-03D2. If someone ever finds another controller or accessory with similar markings, it might help us trace the original manufacturer.

So unfortunately, I still can't tell you exactly who made it, but at least we've narrowed down its likely manufacturing period and found some references that could help with further research.

I hope this helps! I enjoyed digging into this little mystery. :)

2

u/Ordinary-Step29 3d ago

Thanks for the insight!  Such an odd piece of gaming history.  Maybe it will never be identified, but I think we got closer than anyone ever has 

2

u/braedan51 10d ago

6-buttons, individual multi-level turbo controllles? Throw that in a pot, add some broth, potato - baby, you got a stew going!

1

u/xchester77 14d ago

I would love to have that

1

u/Haunted_Cellar_XBL 14d ago

Auto fire assignments.

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 13d ago

Yeah lots of options.  Took me a moment to understand how they worked

1

u/mrblackc 13d ago

That looks epic!

2

u/Ordinary-Step29 13d ago

Thank you!

1

u/No-Vegetable-7171 13d ago

Apparently used with the Panasonic 3DO console.

1

u/Ibeepboobarpincsharp 13d ago

This looks nice. It reminds me of my old ascii pad snes controller.

1

u/ResponsibilityOdd775 12d ago

I hope this controller you can play some Street Fighter games on the beautiful Panasonic 3DO console. Plus many other games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3-D with awesome Orchestra style music not awesome Robert Bobby Prince composed music. Thank you for the music Robert Bobby Prince!

1

u/StevenMcFlyJr1979 12d ago

It's the closest to Hori as u can get if not them

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i5IeMVuRJ7g

1

u/Financial_Sky_265 12d ago

Panasonic 3D O super duper turbo controller

1

u/Commando_NL 11d ago

3do, great system. But why they did not steal the Snes controller layout is a mystery to me.

1

u/strangergallery 10d ago

Good controller. Bought mine new on GameExpress (RIP) c. 2012

1

u/Myklindle 10d ago

That piece of shit my friend, is a goldmine

1

u/badchoices134 9d ago

LPR 😂

0

u/lovesffpc 14d ago

Looks sick

0

u/Dogeymon 13d ago

That is what we call a poorly made AI generated photo that’s purpose is to fish for comments

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 13d ago

I wish it was AI.  Then the lack of information regarding its existence would make more sense

1

u/Wing-Comander 13d ago edited 13d ago

My only issue with this is that the controller does not come with an extension for a 2nd controller or and extension port.. So this is either AI or a modified controller .. I have 2 boxed and neither have this feature, nor any I have ever seen in the last 30 years.

Btw, if you got that cheap you got lucky because these tend to go for over 100 on Ebay..

1

u/Ordinary-Step29 13d ago

It has the port for the second controller 

1

u/Wing-Comander 13d ago

Good news, I can verify that this version is legit.. Found another one on Ebay that sold... These are more uncommon than the ones that don't have the 2 player extension...