Super Smartjoy USB Review

Brief Description:

The Super Smartjoy USB adapter from Lik-Sang is an adapter which can be used to plug your SNES controller into your PC. The basic function of the adapter is to allow you to play your PC games or your emulated SNES games on the PC using the SNES controller. Now most emulation fans won't realise how wonderful it is to play emulated games using the actual controller of the console. So take it from me, I've been playing SNES titles on emulators for over 6 years now, and it just feels awesome to use a real SNES controller. Anyway, onto the real review!

What You Need:
  • A PC/Laptop with one free USB port.
  • The Super Smartjoy USB Adapter.
  • A SNES Controller
First Impressions:

Lik-Sang.com sent me a free Super Smartjoy Adapter for review alongwith a SNES controller. They shipped the item using their "Global Priority Mail" (that's the cheapest..) shipping option. The package arrived at my doorstep in 8 working days. This was pretty good considering that it was the cheapest shipping option. Anyway, in my excitement I opened the package and dug out the contents. There were two boxes inside, one contained the Super Smartjoy and the other contained the SNES Controller.


The build quality of the Super Smartjoy is excellent. They've used thick good quality plastic, the USB connector isn't just some cheap interfacing. The controller port is rock solid and should withstand the test of time. The SNES controller they sent me was a standard SNES controller (Not made by Nintendo..). The plastic was a little flimsy, but the controller was highly responsive. Overall, it's a decent SNES controller, and you can't expect more for a price tag of just $2.99.

Installation:

The Super Smartjoy is a true Plug and Play device, on Windows as well as on Linux (I don't have a Mac, but since the box says it's Mac compatible, I'll assume it is..). In Windows XP, the moment I plugged in the Super Smartjoy, it showed up on the game controllers list. (No drivers required!)


Pretty basic game controller configuration over here. Not much to do. On Linux, I had the same result. The moment it was plugged in, it was detected by the system. More on this below.

Usage:

On Windows, I fired up Snes9x (a SNES emulator) so that I could test the Super Smartjoy. It worked flawlessly. Ofcourse, I had to configure it as a joypad in the configuration options.. I have heard that some other "console controller - to - PC" adapters cause slowdowns. There was no slowdown that I noticed with the Super Smartjoy.

On Linux, I could not get Snes9x running with the joypad. For some reason I couldn't get the buttons mapped correctly. This could be because of a distro specific issue (Ubuntu, Breezy Badger) since other people claim to have got it running. So I did the next best thing, I tried running ZSNES. (Another excellent Snes emulator). ZSNES picked up the Smartjoy and configured it flawlessly.

Playing on the Super Smartjoy was indeed a pleasure. The controller is highly responsive and you won't feel any latency between button presses. What's more, the cable of the Super Smartjoy as well as the supplied SNES Controller are pretty long, thus enabling you to really play your games like on a console, rather than sit huddled up near your monitor.

In-Game Shots:

I know there isn't much point in showing you in-game shots, but since I took them, I might as well let you know that I was playing these games using a real SNES controller. (Woohoo!)



Closing Words:

It was a short review, wasn't it ? Well, there isn't much to say about a product that when plugged in does it's job flawlessly. Usually reviews are important to focus on the weak points of a product and know it's problems beforehand. I didn't see any such problems with the Super Smartjoy. The product itself is a well designed high quality adapter and does it's job without failure regardless of the platform it's running on.

If you're a fan of Super Nintendo emulation, the Super Smartjoy USB is an excellent buy for you. The price is right, and what's more, it is definitely a more engaging emulation experience when you have the real console controller plugged in. The point of this review was to tell you first hand that the Smartjoy USB is an excellent product and if you do indeed want to play your SNES games on the PC, you shouldn't hesitate in buying it. You can check out the Super Smartjoy from the links below.

Also, if you buy from Lik-Sang.com, don't forget to use our $5 discount code (at checkout..) which is valid on all orders above $40 in value: LS-189FBF559D

Buy from Lik-Sang.com


Super SmartJoy (SNES to USB Adapter) Super SmartJoy USB
Buy now at
Lik-Sang.com

Control Pad for SFC/SNES Control Pad for SFC/SNES
Buy now at
Lik-Sang.com

Joypad Extension Cable for SFC/SNES Joypad Extension Cable
Buy now at
Lik-Sang.com

Use our $5 Discount Code.

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