Part of the nostalgia of retro games is the way they are played. Often the interface was a simple joystick (or joypad) and one button. With Raspberry Pi Pico, CTRLDock Classic SE aims to bring back those halcyon days with the MiSTer multi-system FPGA solution.
Announcing 📢CTRLDock Classic SE 🕹️Ultra-low latency digital and analog interfaces for classic game controllers and peripherals 🕹️Supported on PC, Mac, #RaspberryPi, #MisterFPGA and more 🕹️Board only, USB or multi-system slice casing https:// Available now at t.co/zGn5ly9JCa pic.twitter.com/KqqeW8Z2RaApril 18, 2023
of MiSTer Multisystem is an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) game console designed to accurately emulate late 20th century retro game consoles and computers. Various D-sub connectors were used in various home computers and consoles during this period. From the Commodore 64 to the Sega Genesis (Megadrive), 9-pin D-subs have enough pins to deliver fatalities in “Mortal Kombat” or avenge crew members in “Tarikan 2.” provided. MiSTer Multisystem provides a USB port for the controller. This requires using a playback controller with a USB interface, or another Raspberry Pi Pico-based controller hack.
Controller compatibility
- Atari VCS/2600, 7800, 800, VCS, ST (joystick and mouse), Atari keypad
- Commodore Amiga (joystick and mouse), VIC-20, C64, C64GS, C128, CD32
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum
- Amstrad CPC, GX4000
- MSX
- sega mega drive master system
- NeoGeo Joysticks and Pads
- Paddle mode with sensitivity adjustment
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At $93 (£74.99 plus tax), the CTRLDock Classic SE provides a low-latency interface for Period Accurate controllers to work with the shiny new MiSTer multi-system. The author states that the digital input is “measured as low as 0.7ms” and the analog is 1.4ms. It’s fast enough for button mashing combos and precision platforming pranks. Game controllers, joysticks, mice, trackballs and game paddles are supported and this kit can support his two player games.Nintendo fans will have to wait for future models to offer support Nintendo and Super Nintendo controllers.
On the front of the unit are four controller inputs, two 9-pin and two 15-pin (for NeoGeo controllers). At the heart of the PCB is the Raspberry Pi Pico, a “go-to” board for retro hardware enthusiasts. The Raspberry Pi Pico is surface mount soldered to his PCB and uses castellations to secure and connect the Pico to a larger PCB. Connect the board to the MiSTer Multisystem’s USB port using the USB lead from Pico. Pico can also be upgraded with new firmware as it is released. If you don’t own a MiSTer Multisystem, the CTRLDock Classic SE appears as a generic USB HID game controller, so it can also be used with Windows, macOS, and Linux OS.
At the moment, CTRLDock Classic SE is in production, the unit will not be shipped for another 2-3 weeks. If you can’t wait that long, you can build your own using a Raspberry Pi Pico or his KB2040 from Adafruit as the brain.
