Showing posts with label ASCII Pad FT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASCII Pad FT. Show all posts

Hands On with the Retro Fighters D6 Wireless Dreamcast Fighting Game Pad

The Sega Dreamcast's library is home to a lot of exceptional games, but one of its biggest strengths is undoubtedly fighters. Such standouts as Power Stone, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Soulcalibur immediately spring to mind. While my technical ability with most fighters is probably akin to that of a caveman banging a rock against the ground, I do really enjoy the Dreamcast's celebrated library of fighting titles.

While the Dreamcast's predecessor, the Saturn, came packaged with a stock pad that many consider to be one of the finest entry level controllers for fighting games, the Dreamcast's standard controller pales in comparison, with most complaints being levelled at its D-Pad. This issue resulted in many picking up Sega's excellent Dreamcast arcade stick back in the day. Play styles differ, however, and those who wanted something that they could grip with both hands sought out the ASCII Pad FT. This lovely controller is probably the closest any officially licensed controller got to mimicking a Saturn controller, and it even came with built-in rumble. Build-wise, it was a slightly chunkier recreation of what the Saturn controller originally offered, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It does get deducted points for having no shoulder buttons, however.

But now, in 2025, controller manufacturer Retro Fighters have dropped their latest take on a Dreamcast fight pad, the D6, and it's looking very Saturn pad-shaped! In fact, it clearly takes cues from both the Saturn pad and the ASCII Pad FT, looking like an amalgamation of the too. It even features the exact same circular convex D-Pad.

While some Dreamcast fighting game aficionados have praised Retro Fighters' StrikerDC Wireless controller, it was originally designed to be more of a good all-rounder, whereas the D6 aims to satiate fans of that genre specifically. This controller is available in both black and white, and is compatible with the Dreamcast, Switch and PC. It went up for pre-order in September of last year for a price of $49.99 (about £38). Retro Fighters were kind enough to send us one to review.

Top: StrikerDC Wireless
Bottom: The D6

If you're unfamiliar with Retro Fighters' previous Dreamcast outing, it achieved its wireless functionality with a receiver that connects into the controller port, and the D6 does exactly the same. This does mean that the only option for Dreamcast with the D6 is wireless, although the controller can function wired with Switch and PC by using the supplied USB to USB-C cable.

As the StrikerDC Wireless and D6 controllers don't have VMU slots on them, this receiver is also where you put your VMU. The D6 receiver has additional compatibility with the 4x memory Card, and the upcoming VMU Pro by 8BitMods. It does not currently work with the VM2.

While Sega didn't originally intend for us to squint across the room at our VMU screens, this is the method that companies like Retro Fighters, along with Retro-Bit, have opted to go for to keep their price points down. It also removes the risk of wireless connections being interrupted, which can lead to save data on VMUs being corrupted.

This technical hurdle has been overcome by Chris Diaoglou with his DreamConn and upcoming DreamConn S, but those controllers are —understandably— much higher in price.

Upon plugging the receiver into your Dreamcast, you need to press the triangle button on it, along with the pairing button on the top of the D6 to get the two to pair. While this seems like a relatively simple process, it did take me a few attempts before I could get them to sync together. Despite this quibble, now I've got the controller paired, simply pressing the button on the top of the controller will connect it to the receiver instantly whenever its plugged in.

Retro Fighters unveil a 6-Button Wireless Fight Controller for the Sega Dreamcast


When Retro Fighters' "next gen" Dreamcast controller went to Kickstarter, I recall some of my Junkyard colleagues presuming that it was designed specifically for fighting games. This was due to the company's name, along with the fact the controller's official name was "StrikerDC". It and its later wireless counterpart were, in fact, controllers designed for play with all manner of Dreamcast games, just with a more ergonomic form factor similar to that of modern controllers.

Well, Retro Fighters have unveiled today (9.9.99!) that they are actually now finally bringing us their very own take on a Dreamcast fight pad, with the upcoming "D6 Dreamcast" 6-Button Wireless Controller. Obviously the layout and shape of the controller is very reminiscent of the the beloved Sega Saturn controller, but in a Dreamcast context, seasoned fans will notice a lot of similarities to the excellent ASCII Pad FT, an officially licensed Dreamcast controller designed especially for fighters.

Of course, like Retro Fighters' other wireless Dreamcast controller, there are no VMU slots on this controller, and connectivity to the Dreamcast's trusty memory card will instead be delivered via a VMU dongle that plugs into the Dreamcast's controller ports. This dongle also doubles up as the method with which the controller connects to the console.


Available in both white and black, the controller boasts the following features (from their website):
  • Compatible with Dreamcast, PC, and Nintendo Switch
  • Low latency 2.4 GHz wireless technology
  • A precise and responsive D-pad
  • Equipped with integrated Kailh micro switches for both the D-pad and face buttons
  • Offers multiple modes: left stick, right stick, and d-pad configurations
  • Two customisable modes for C/Z buttons: choose between L/R shoulder buttons or specific “C” and “Z” buttons
  • Compatible with original VMUs, 4X, and the upcoming 8BITMODS VMU Pro

The controller is currently up for pre-order for the price of $49.99 (about £38) with an expected release of 2025.

What do you think of the D6 Dreamcast wireless controller? Are you excited to finally get a wireless fight pad for the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below of via one of our social media pages.