Official non-DDR controller FAQ: Ask controller ?s here.

clockwise. · Last edited by clockwise. on Sat May 03, 2003 6:49 am, edited 13 times in total

THERE IS NO REGION BLOCK ON CONTROLLERS.

beatmania

DJ Station Pro - this is your best bet for 5-key beatmania. although the iidx controller is stronger and is backwards compatible, if you're a hardcore 5-key player, and don't plan on getting iidx, the dj station pro is the way to go.

ascii 5-key - loud keys and a decent scratch. however, it's the same price as the dj station pro (at toysnjoys), so you might as well go for the latter.

DJ Man - my pick for a cheap alternative. you can get 2 of them for roughly 55$ off of ebay. a decent scratch, and an interesting keyboard setup. a downside is that it doesn't replicate the arcade experience.

Other Konami Controller - another keyboard-style controller. these are found mainly on ebay. you'd be better off going with the DJ man if you want a cheap alternative. an upside to this controller is that it's often packaged with beatmania, so if you want to get your buying done in one swipe, this could help.

places to get them:
www.toysnjoys.com
www.ebay.com
www.japanvideogames.com

IIDX

Official Konami IIDX Controller - the best. it lasts, perfect response, and is reversable. just buy it.

Rave Discman - don't get this. if you're low on cash, just use the dual shock until you have enough for an official controller. if you do get it for any reason, it would be for a friend to use. they don't know the difference.

Konami ArcadeStyle - better than the best. if you're looking for the TRUE arcade experience, and you have the cash, this is the way to go. the only place >i< know to get it from would be rinkya.com. reversable.

places to get them:
http://shop.himeya.com
http://redoctane.com
http://japanvideogames.com
http://www.yesasia.com

Guitar Freaks

Official Konami Guitar - the best. perfect button response, great picking lever. extremely rare, and is currently sold out from toysnjoys. occasionally, one pops up on ebay.

Topway 3rd Party Guitars - may vary in style. can't match up with the official controller. the buttons are loud and less responsive. the picking lever is surprisingly responsive, though. it appears this is the only way to go if there arent any in stock on toysnjoys or any official controllers on ebay.

Guitar Boy- (CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK. NOT THE ONE CURRENTLY AT JAPAN VIDEO GAMES.) about the same size as the arcade GF controller (give or take a few inches), the buttons are rectangular... unlike the weird shaped buttons on other GF controller. It's certainly a lot heavier than most other GF controllers, which adds to the arcade feel. And finally, instead of having the spring loaded pick tab that's in all other third party GF controllers, this controller has one that works just like the arcade one (it's just shaped a little differently, but it's not spring loaded). credit to The_Real_Enigma

places to get them:
http://toysnjoys.com
http://redoctane.com
http://japanvideogames.com

Drum Mania

Drum Mania Controller - pictured is the third party controller. the official konami controller has the same responsiveness, design, and colors. bad bass drum pedal, and the sound of sticks smacking plastic when you play.

now, any electronic drumset with midi-output should work with drum mania. you need a midi-usb converter. i suggest the..

Yamaha DD-50 - get this if you're interested in playing the drums outside of the game. you can play it standalone as well. comes with two pedals.

places to find them:
www.japanvideogames.com
www.ebay.com

Pop'n Music

Konami Home Controller - good button response. tough to go from home to arcade, due to smaller home controller.

Third Party Controller - up to standards with the konami home controller. cheaper, but if you trust the official konami controller, go for it.

Pop'n Music ArcadeStyle - wow. as the name implies, (much like the iidx arcadestyle), it's identical to the arcade console controller. if you have the cash, and you're a hardcore pop'n player...you know what to do.

places to get them:
http://shop.himeya.com
http://rinkya.com
http://lan-kwei.com

Keyboard Mania

Official Konami Keyboard - perfect response, arcade perfect. but don't get it if you already have...

Any Keyboard With Midi Output - if you have a keyboard with midi output, you'll need a midi-usb converter. an upside to this is that if you have at least a 4 octave key keyboard, you can do two-player. note: keyboardmania 1 doesn't recognize it. only 2nd+3rd.

where to get them:
http://japanvideogames.com
http://casio.com

all suggestions are welcomed.
_________________

got bemani controller questions? official controller FAQ.

1134 · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Hamden, CT

do you know how much those Guitar Freaks offical controllers usually go for? i have an almost brand new one thats been sitting in my closet for like 2 years now

Gwok Dash · Trick Member Joined: 05 Aug 2002 Location: Somewhere

The typical cost of a GF controller ranges $70-$80 USD. Brand new, you'll have people gnawing at your feet if you post it on ebay....
_________________

Coming up with another one...

rampage · Administrator Joined: 24 Jan 2002 Location: Redmond, WA

Thanks for posting this. I have made it sticky.

Student

dont forget YESASIA They have great deals on IIDX controllers usually.

Also does any of you have a pic of a official Drummania controller, and a link to a good site where I may purchase it.
OH ya and Im pretty sure some one has info about the Konami Keyboard contoller
_________________

If every world problem got solved today, there'd be another one next week -Kerry King

Jmo · Trick Member Joined: 15 Sep 2002

Nice FAQs

Does the DD-50 work well? It looks like the snare and tomtoms are correct to the arcade and the smaller circles on the end would corrospond to the hi hat and cymbol. Is there a footpedal for the DD-50 or how would you use the pedal?

I was thinking of having a website for music game controllers and reader reviews...too lazy

Pop'n Music shouldn't be hard since there's only 2 (konami and KonamiStyle ACS), I've never found anywhere that sold 3rd party.
Keyboardmania there is the official konami one and in KBMII you can use a MIDI keyboard.

Sohcahtoa · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002 Location: Portland, OR

gs68 · Trick Member Joined: 06 Apr 2002 Location: on a plane

You might want to add that the official IIDX controller's turntable is a lot smaller than the arcade's, and that the keys occasionally stick.

Sohcahtoa · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002 Location: Portland, OR

- · Trick Member Joined: 25 Feb 2002

the keys only stick on some controllers, if you get unlucky and get a dud. i don't ever have to clean my iidx controllers. also i know my friend's arcade-style iidx controller's keys started to stick as well.

of course the turntable is smaller, it is also closer to the keys which makes the game less challenging at home. i wrote up a compare-and-contrast of the home and arcade in another thread for more details.

Student · Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 2:26 pm Post subject:

rampage · Administrator Joined: 24 Jan 2002 Location: Redmond, WA

I concur. In the 6 months or so that I've been playing IIDX, I've only ever had the #7 key stick once and require cleaning. When I took it apart to clean it, I modded it (to make it more sensitive, I didn't bother with sanding the keys or anything like other people do.) I haven't had to clean it since.

nothing0011 · Trick Member Joined: 22 Feb 2002

I didnt mod mine or sand the keys down after having it for about 2 weeks now. But I do make it a point to clean my controller every week on Sunday. I do however want to make it more sensitive. Anyone have that guide/FAQ on how to mod? I do feel it would improve my play seeing that I tend to hit the edges of buttons (and in some cases plastic) quite often.

GD-Man · Trick Member Joined: 01 Jul 2002

Um... what do you guys mean by modding a IIDX controller? Sorry for the silly question.
_________________

Gee, the One thing that FrUstrates me the most is when i see a sCreenname or sentence lacKing anY Ordinary rUles foR SpElling and capitaLization. Funny that very few actually have a rhyme or reason behind their methods.

YoshiFan · Trick Member Joined: 28 Jul 2002

Excellent post, I have never played Beatmania (can't get IIDX because I can't play imports on my PS2) before and was thinking about getting one of those controllers with the game but I was never able to find information on them, so this is really helpful.

Student · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 2:05 pm Post subject:

clockwise. · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 2:30 pm Post subject:

yuckmud · Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 5:32 pm Post subject:

Ok, I'm stupid. Thanks for making this thread. I will post my question here.

Hey folks. I got GF 1 and 2 last year for Christmas. The guitar I got broke and I was looking for a new one. I saw how expensive that Konami guitars can get if you want to buy them new (150 bucks?!)

I found 2 websites that sell 3rd party guitars.

One is on Japanvideogames.com and its called Guitar Bay. Its 30 bucks and it looks alot like the arcade verson.

The other is the one they sell on redoctain.com. That is also 30 dollars. My friend said he got one and he can't do the fast rapid notes on it that well.

The one guitar I had was called Guitar Angel (Lame huh?)

So what do you think is the best guitar to get that won't break my bank account

clockwise. · Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 7:50 pm Post subject:

ah! i've never seen that 'guitar boy'. it's a new model, so i can't tell you anything about it. heh, go for it if you want to, let me know how it is.

don't get redoctane. if you still want the RO guitar, get them off ebay for cheaper.
_________________

got bemani controller questions? official controller FAQ.

yuckmud · Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 10:51 pm Post subject:

Is it called Bay or Boy? It looks like an "A" to me. But boy sounds better then bay. Anyways here is a picture of it.

It looks more like an arcade guitar, but of course nothing will be like an accual arcade one. I wish Konami would have made a special verson of the Guitar like they have with the IIDX and the DDR metal pads.