As we all know, the Sega Dreamcast is a fantastic console for fighting game fans. It was superbly supported by the likes of Capcom and SNK with a series of arcade-perfect ports, making it one of the premier platforms for lovers of one-on-one brawlers such as Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Marvel vs Capcom and Last Blade.
It's a shame, then, that the console's bundled controller is so utterly unsuited to 2D fighting games. Not only does it have a pretty awful D-pad, there are only four face buttons, and the L and R triggers are analogue rather than digital—a massive handicap when playing games that require a six-button setup.
To its credit, Sega was aware of this. It released an excellent arcade stick alongside the console, which is perhaps the weapon of choice for many Dreamcast fighting game aficionados. For those who prefer gamepads, ASCII Corporation created the brilliant Pad FT ("Fighting Type") in 1999, and this quickly became a viable alternative to Sega's stick—so much so that picking one up today can often be an expensive proposition. While it's not quite as good as the legendary Sega Saturn pad, it gets very, very close and is easily one of the best input options for Dreamcast-owning fighting fans.
You can imagine, then, how excited I was to learn that Retro Fighters was creating a spiritual successor to the Pad FT in the form of the Retro Fighters D6 wireless pad, a new controller for Dreamcast, Switch and PC. At first glance, the inspiration is obvious; the Retro Fighters D6 is a close match for the Pad FT, with a few cosmetic exceptions (there's no VMU slot, for example, and we have a few additional function buttons, which I'll cover shortly).
In terms of ergonomics, the Retro Fighters D6 sits somewhere in between the Pad FT, Saturn pad and 8BitDo's M30 controller. The 'prongs' are slightly larger than the ones on the M30 and Saturn pad but very much in line with the Pad FT—although they're more rounded here and, therefore, a little more comfortable.
The front of the pad has the all-important D-pad and six face button setup, along with the Plus and Minus buttons (another reminder that this pad also works with the Switch) and the Start button. A set of LEDs shows which controller number the pad is assigned to. On the bottom edge, we have a switch that allows you to toggle the pad's input—D-pad, left stick, and right stick are the options (this comes in handy when using the controller with your Switch). On the top, you'll find the 'Menu' and 'Screenshot' buttons, as well as the USB-C charging port.
The $50 Retro Fighters D6 cannot be physically wired to the Dreamcast; although there is a bundled cable for wired use, it's USB-C to USB-A and, therefore, only works on Switch and PC. When playing on Sega's console, you have to use the wireless dongle, which plugs into the console's controller port and has space for a VMU (the same unit was used for Retro Fighters' StrikerDC wireless pad).
Let's now talk about the real reason we're all interested in this controller: the D-pad. It goes without saying that controllers aimed at fighting games live or die by this element of their design; the precise, flowing inputs required to pull off special moves demand a particular type of pad, and, at first glance, it would seem that Retro Fighters is onto a winner here. It has replicated the look of the rolling pad that makes the Saturn and Pad FT controllers so perfect for the genre; the 'rolling' aspect means that controller movements are effortlessly smooth and accurate, allowing players to pull off special moves with ease.
Unfortunately, the D-pad on the Retro Fighters D6 is slightly different to the ones I've just mentioned; it used Kailh tactile micro switches (as do the face buttons). Ordinarily, this would be a positive—these switches are precise, have a long operational lifespan and make a satisfying sound when pressed (and released). However, by combining this system with the Saturn-style rolling D-pad, Retro Fighters has created an offering which, in my opinion, isn't quite up to the standard of the one seen in the Type FT.
As any fighting game fan will tell you, the most basic test you can perform with any D-pad to see how suitable it is for this type of game is by selecting Ryu and pulling off a few Hadokens and Shoryukens. Personally, when using the Saturn or Type FT pads, my success rate is practically 100%, but with the Retro Fighters D6, it drops dramatically; sometimes, even pulling off simple Hadokens feels like a hit-or-miss affair.
I have a few theories on why this might be. Firstly, the Kailh switch system is better suited to a stick-style pad, like the one seen on the excellent Neo Geo CD controller. With a rolling D-pad—which has a cross shape on its top—it's hard to get those flowing movements to land correctly all of the time. Another big difference here (and this is a likely side-effect of adopting the Kailh switches) is that there's a lot less travel on the pad than there is on the Saturn and Type FT controllers, which place the pad itself on a relatively tall stick-like 'stem'. The D6's lack of travel makes it harder to 'roll' your thumb around and accurately pull off the required directional inputs.
Before this sounds overly negative, I will add that, with a bit of practice and perseverance, it's possible to acclimatise to the Retro Fighters D6's pad. After a few hours, my success rate definitely went up. However, when I return to the Saturn pad, special moves feel instinctive and natural—and despite a lot of playtime, I've yet to reach the same level of comfort with the Retro Fighters D6. All it takes is one fluffed input to make you doubt your controller, and sadly, those are more common than I'd like with this pad.
It's a crying shame that this issue exists because, in every other regard, the Retro Fighters D6 is a beautiful controller. It's comfortable to use, has low input lag thanks to 2.4GHz connectivity and can be used on Switch and PC. There's even the ability to toggle between two button modes for the C/Z buttons, switching them between L and R shoulder buttons or more specific C and Z commands. Also, it goes without saying that if you're not looking to play fighting games, this controller is a good match for other 2D genres which don't require flowing directional inputs, such as shmups and platformers.
Ultimately, though, a fighting gamepad is always going to be judged on its D-pad, and while the Retro Fighters D6 certainly offers an improvement over the default Dreamcast controller in this regard, it's sadly not in the same league as the very best examples available.
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