NES Max Thumbstick Mod

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snakeboy1
Posts: 1446
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby snakeboy1 » September 22nd, 2013, 4:48 pm

I just wanted to share this mod that I did on my NES Max.  Like a lot of people, I find that the slider thingy on the Max controller pretty much blows, so I wanted to see if I could maybe swap it out with a more traditional d-pad.  After a Google search, I ended up finding a mod where you replace the slider with a thumbstick from a more modern controller like one on a Playstation or an Xbox gamepad.  It wasn't quite what I was looking for, but it actually works really well.

And if anyone is interested in doing this, it is really simple.  All you need is a screwdriver and a metal file (though sandpaper might work, too).  You just find yourself a thumbstick (rob one off a broken pad like I did or buy one really cheap on ebay) and then use the file to shave off enough of the bottom side of the thumbstick until it will fit into the black plastic piece that houses the slider. If you want step-by-step instructions, you can find them easily with a Google search.

Anyways, like I said, it works well - amazingly well actually.  At least a lot better than I thought it would.  Now what was the worst part of the controller is probably the best.  The only bad part is that it accentuates the other bad things about the Max (too-small size, poorly-placed buttons).  But overall, it is now a pretty decent gamepad that works quite well for any games where you want a controller with auto-fire.

Oltobaz1
Posts: 1605
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby Oltobaz1 » September 22nd, 2013, 6:32 pm


Pretty cool! I might have to tinker with one of my MAXs someday, never even thought it could even be modded. I'm not a big fan of the slider controls myself, never really saw the point.

Irenicus1
Posts: 421
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby Irenicus1 » September 22nd, 2013, 7:59 pm

Good idea. Maybe someday I'll mod a NES controller or maybe just buy one.

Rev1
Posts: 1777
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby Rev1 » September 22nd, 2013, 9:20 pm

This is a really cool idea. I hate the NES Max for the reasons you gave. The joystick was so flimsy and the slide feature just didn't work well. This looks like an elegant solution that not only plays great but looks great. I have an extra max and a broken PS2 controller; I might give this a try.

Gentlegamer1
Posts: 687
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby Gentlegamer1 » September 22nd, 2013, 10:53 pm

You should use red thumb sticks!

http://www.amazon.com/Lava-XBOX-360-Controller-Thumbsticks-PAIR/dp/B005ELD22S/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1379904705&sr=8-8&keywords=xbox+360+replacement+stick+red

[_SL1000_]

snakeboy1
Posts: 1446
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

NES Max Thumbstick Mod

Postby snakeboy1 » September 23rd, 2013, 2:41 pm

[QUOTE=Gentlegamer]You should use red thumb sticks![/QUOTE]

Yeah, I thought about maybe doing that.  And I might still do it.  But I do think the gray one I used looks pretty good.  It matches the auto-fire buttons just about perfectly. 

Also, I wanted to mention that one nice thing about this mod is that you don't do any damage to the original parts of the controller at all, so you can easily reverse it if you want.


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