I currently have a $7 Saitek P150 pad from Wal-Mart, and it gets the job done, but it doesn't feel quite right to me. Can you guys recommend a better pad that isn't too expensive? The X-Arcade looks great, but no way am I shelling out a 100+ bucks when I'm really not much of a PC gamer.

I have always enjoyed the Microsoft Sidewinders ... particularly the original 10 button design, not the newer 4 button crap. They run around $20.

I like the Saitek P880, it is dual analog and I like the feel of both the buttons and the digital pad and the analog sticks. I wish it had dual shoulder buttons a la PS2, but it does have 6 face buttons and good for fighters, etc.

If you do some searching you'll find USB adapters for almost any console controller so you can use them on your PC. I have a cheap-o one that supports the (ps1) dual shock controller's analog sticks, but not the rumble. Windows views it as a standard 16 button joystick.

I have the Saitek P2500. Same as the 880 but with rumble. I absolutely love it and works great with everything i've tried with it. Should be ~30 bucks. The 880 should be 20.

I've looked at PC gamepads, and IMHO they just don't compare to good console controllers. It isn't exactly cheap, but once again I have to recommend using an Xbox Controller (~$25). You can buy an adapter for around $5, or if you have a USB cable you don't need, you can make your own. The controller ports on the Xbox really are USB ports, just with different connectors. (The controller ports on the PS2 are not USB, so the adapters for Dual Shock controllers need additional electronics and therefore are usually more expensive.) Making an adapter for an Xbox controller is just a matter of cutting some wires and splicing them together. Find out how to do the mod here: http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Mods/xbox..._to_pc_usb.htm

Then you just need a driver for it. Several hobbyists have written drivers for the controller, but I think the best one is XBCD, by a guy known as Redcl0ud: http://www.redcl0ud.com. It also works with the Logitech wireless Xbox controller and the DDR dance pad. Rumble works too, for games that support force feedback.

Redcl0ud has also written drivers for the Xbox memory card, the Live headset, and the Music Mixer microphone. (Note however, that the memory card driver will reformat the card, which will erase any Xbox saves on it and make it incompatible with the Xbox. The driver is just for if you want to use a memory card as a storage device. If you want to transfer Xbox saves to your PC using the memory card, you need the Action Replay drivers.)

Also, Redcl0ud wrote a utility called ControlMK which allows you to use a controller to emulate a mouse and/or keyboard. With this, any control config should be possible.

Logitech Dual Action is $15 at Best Buy after the GGC.

MS Sidewinder USB