Retro Fighters Defender PS1, PS2, PS3, & PS Classic Controller Review

In this episode, we unbox and test out the Defender wireless controller for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, pc, and Switch from Retro Fighters.

For years, the team from Retro Fighters has dedicated themselves to making some of the best third-party retro controllers ever produced. Their original controller, the Jab Pad for the NESm completely changed the design and layout for a Nintendo controller, and that left people curious for more. Next, the Brawler64, reimagined what you could expect from a controller for the N64. They've subsequently created controllers for the Dreamcast and the Genesis. In late 2021, they announced they were hitting Kickstarter with a new controller designed for the PlayStation family of consoles, and the result is what you see here in the Defender wireless controller.

Out of the box, this 2.4 GHz wireless controller includes dongles for both the PlayStation and Playstation 2, along with a USB dongle. This means it will be compatible with the original two PlayStations, and the PlayStation 3! It also promises compatibility with the PC and Switch. It comes in four different colors, black, classic gray, blue, and green. I opted for the Blue version because I've always liked that transparent blue on a PlayStation controller. The cool thing is the PlayStation dongle matches the color of the controller, however, the USB dongle is a simple Gray.

If you've ever held any of the previous Retro Fighters controllers, the Defender will feel very familiar to you. It shares a lot of the design ergonomics of the Brawler64 and the StrikerDC, albeit more refined and even more comfortable in my opinion. The face buttons all feature the PlayStation button logos, square, circle, triangle, and cross and they are all pressure sensitive as well. There are also buttons for turbo, a home button, a punch button which essentially acts as a macro for you, a capture button for the Switch, and of course your four shoulder buttons. L2 and R2 are analog well L1 and R1 are both digital. The analog sticks are incredibly smooth, and they also feature the L3 and R3 button compatibility. The D-pad is decent, not exceptional but not terrible but definitely usable.

After I charged the Defender, I got to playing. I forgot where I put my PSONE S-Video cable, so I simply played my PlayStation 1 games through my PlayStation 2, connected by HD Retrovision cables to my RetroTink 5x. From the word go, PS1 games felt terrific, the analog stick and d-pad both working as they should. One thing that is interesting is you can actually map the right analog stick to mimic the face button functionality, something I don't know why you would want but hey, they threw it in there for you.

Moving on to PlayStation 2 games, it was more of the same, simply exceptional control. After several hours of playing some Ratchet and Clank, I turned my attention to my PlayStation 3. One of the beautiful things about the Defender is how easily it pairs with the dongles. There's no convoluted pairing process, plug in the dongle, hit the pairing button on the back of the controller, and you're now paired to the other dongle. My PS3 DualShock 3 controller batteries have been on their last lives for some time, so having something like this for my PS3 is nothing short of brilliant. I was able to play first-person shooters without issue, racing games without issue, and complex platformers without any issue. This is now my go-to way to play my PlayStation 3.

Next stop, I did a quick test on my Nintendo Switch. I mean, the PlayStation exists because of Nintendo so it's ironically appropriate wouldn't you think? The one thing that shocked me was how much more powerful the rumble was playing Switch games than on the PlayStation. I didn't expect this. I don't know if it's the way that Nintendo codes their games versus Sony or what but the rumble was a lot more powerful. And much like it had with other systems, it worked flawlessly.

Why it RoX:
- Amazing performance
- Terrific battery life
- Outstanding ergonomics
- Includes both USB and Playstation dongles
- Available in four different colors
- USB-C for charging
- Reasonably priced
- Works with PlayStation, PS2, PS3, PS Classic, PC, and Switch

What could be improved:
- USB dongle doesn't match the controller color
- D-pad is a little mushy
- What happened to the Retro Fighter keychains?

Should you buy one?
The Defender is, to date, Retro Fighters' finest controller. The performance and quality is amongst the best I've ever tested for the PlayStation, and that's including OEM controllers. Some may not love the d-pad, it's functional, but the rest of the controller is without a doubt terrific. Add in the benefit of using it with so many different consoles and you have a clear winner. It's comfortable, it's responsive, and it is truly awesome. If you are in need of a controller for your OG PlayStation, PS2, or PS3, this is a must-own.

#RetroFighters #Defender #Playstation