Lost Rider's blog

If you came here looking in hopes of a fine piece of literature to stir your heart, sorry to say, you're out of luck.

Instead I have a question regarding the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. I recently had the pleasure of getting my greasy mitts on one. I've had a blast with it so far, but the controller has been giving me hassle.

It seems that the diagonal 'buttons' on the D-Pad aren't particularly responsive and require a nigh on ridiculous amount of effort to get working. I thought at first that contacts were perhaps a little dirty, so I asked Mr. Somebodyinmyfamily to take a look at them. Sure enough, the contacts were dirty, but even after they were cleaned, the diagonal buttons still refused to work.

I thought at that point that maybe I'd gotten a bit unlucky and the controller was broken, as it did look quite well worn. So I went and bought another one. While it appeared to be in better condition than the last (although the contacts were dirty again), the diagonal 'button' on the D-Pad was just as unresponsive than before.

So, my question then. Is this a common problem amongst Megadrive/Genesis controllers, or is Lady Luck in a bit of a mood with me?