Type

Used retro controllers

Original pads, joysticks and paddles from the console makers. These wear in predictable places: rubber contacts under the buttons go soft, analog sticks loosen, and cables crack where they leave the shell. Third-party copies and outright fakes are common, and many listings don't say which they are. Check the maker's name and model number molded into the back, the feel of the buttons in a video, and the cable and plug against an original. A worn original can often be cleaned or rebuilt, and a fake one usually can't.

7 models we cover.