Retro Adapter
Retro Adapter£29.95

The Retro Adapter is a device which lets you connect old game controllers USB. You can use them in your favourite emulators for maximum authenticity, or with modern games.

Want to play Manic Miner with a real Spectrum joystick? How about Street Fighter 4 with a Sega Saturn pad, the best digital pad ever made? Ever tried playing an N64 emulator without an N64 controller?

With the Retro Adapter you can do all that and more. It even supports 2 players simultaniously for some controllers!

NEW: Use a mouse and joystick at the same time! Perfect for emulating computers like the Amiga and Atari ST.

You can download the manual here: Retro Adapter Manual (PDF)


Some controllers support 2 simultanious players. Controllers with the symbol support the Two Player Connector. Controllers with the symbol have two player support built in.

Game controllers:

Mice / trackballs:

Amiga and Atari mice can be used simultaniously with an Amiga/Atari joystick or Sega Master System / Megadrive pad. This is ideal for emulators.


When plugged in the Retro Adapter works just like any normal USB gamepad or joystick. No need for drivers or anything like that. It will work with any game or emulator, and is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and the Playstation 3.

The Retro Adapter has two connectors, a 9 pin and a 15 pin "D-type". You can plug the following controllers in directly:


For other systems all you need is the right Connector, or you can modify the controller itself while still retaining compatibility with the original system.

Acorn Archimedes Mouse Connector £7.50 
   > Works with 9 pin mice (not the PS2 types)

Amiga CD32 Connector £7.50 
   > Official CD32 control pads

Amiga Mouse Connector £7.50 
   > 2 button Amiga mice. Can be used at the same time as Amiga joysticks (as well as Commodore/Atari/Sega Master System/Sega Megadrive (Genesis)/NES/SNES controllers) so is ideal for emulation.

Amstrad GX4000 Connector £7.50 
   > Standard Driving (spinner) controller

Atari Driving Spinners Connector (2 Players) £7.50 
   > Standard Driving (spinner) controller

Atari Mouse Connector £7.50 
   > 2 button Atari mice. Can be used at the same time as Atari joysticks (as well as Commodore/Amiga/Sega Master System/Sega Megadrive (Genesis)/NES/SNES controllers) so is ideal for emulation.

Atari Paddles Connector (2 Players) £5.00   
   > Standard paddle (Pong) controller

BBC Micro Analogue Connector (2 Players) £15.00 
   > BBC Micro / Master 2x stanadard joysticks
   > Voltmace 14B joystick (adapter box not required, 1 stick only)

Commodore Plus4/C16/C116 Connector £5.00   
 
Dragon 32 Analogue Connector £12.00 
   > All analogue joysticks

MSX Joystick Connector £5.00   
 
Nintendo Famicom Connector £5.00   
   > Famicom (Japanese NES) official and 3rd party gamepads. Note that this is only for the Japanese console with DB15 connectors, for the western version (NES) use the connector below.
   > Supports the Famicom trackball (Marble Madness) controller

Nintendo NES Connector £10.00   
   > NES official and 3rd party gamepads
   > NES trackball (Marble Madness) controller
   > Due to limited availability can take 3-4 weeks to deliver

Nintendo SNES (Super Famicom) Connector £10.00   
   > SNES official and 3rd party gamepads
   > SNES mouse (Mario Paint)
   > Due to limited availability can take 3-4 weeks to deliver

Nintendo N64 Connector £10.00 
   > Nintendo 64 (N64) controller
   > Taito N64 Densha de Go! train controller

Nintendo Gamecube Connector £10.00 
   > Nintendo 64 (N64) controller
   > Taito N64 Densha de Go! train controller

PC-Engine Connector £10.00 
   > NEC PC-Engine gamepad
   > PC-Engine Hori / Avenue (6 button) gamepads
   > TurboGrafx-16 gamepad
   > Autofire and slow-motion modes fully supported

PC Gameport Connector £15.00 
   > Analogue joystick with 4 axis and 4 buttons
   > Special controllers which require drivers are not supported

Playstation Connector £7.50 
   > Original Playstation gamepad
   > Original Playstation analogue gamepad
   > Dual Shock, Dual Shock 2 gamepads
   > Namco neGcon controller
   > Taito PS Densha de Go! train controller
   > Playstation racing wheel

Sega Saturn Connector £15.00   
   > Sega Saturn gamepad
   > Sega Saturn Analogue (NiGHTS) controller
   > Taito Saturn Densha de Go! train controller
   > Virtua On Twin Sticks
   > Saturn racing wheel
Note: takes approximately 4 weeks to deliver
Sega Spinner Connector £7.50 
   > Sega Spinner for Master System / SG1000 / Mark III

Sinclair Spectrum Joystick Connector £5.00   
   > Specify type in notes on order
   > Spectrum Plus 3 Joystick
   > Other types (email first to confirm)
   > Kempston interface joysticks don't need a Connector

TurboGrafx Connector £7.50 
   > Standard controller


Some Connectors support two controllers at the same time so two people can play together. For those which don't you can attach the 2 Player Connector which gives you an extra DB9 socket. You can connect Atari / Commodore joysticks, Sega Master System and Megadrive (Genesis) gamepads, Amstrad CPC and Kempston interface joysticks to it.

With a NES or SNES Connector you can also use Nintendo NES and SNES pads with it. Each player can choose which ever controller they want, e.g. one person on an Atari joystick and the other on a SNES pad.

Two Player Connector £5.00   
   > For Atari / Commodore / Sega, for NES/SNES needs additional Connector (see above)


Like all Keiō hardware the Retro Adapter is open source. You can build your own from a kit or by making your own version on matrix board or stripboard. For full details see the technical site: denki.world3.net

The kit is complete with all the parts you need to make a Retro Adapter. A pre-programmed and tested microcontroller is supplied. Due to the microcontroller being a surface mount part some skill is required to solder it, so the kit is not recommended for beginners or those with no SMD soldering experience. All the other parts are through-hole.

You can view a guide to assembling the kit online or as a PDF suitable for printing.

If you want to build your own Retro Adapter on matrix board but don't have a suitable programmer for the microcontroller you can buy a pre-programmed and tested in DIP (through hole) package.

Retro Adapter Kit £15.00 
   > Complete with all parts and instructions
   > Requires SMD (TQFP) soldering skills

Programmed and tested ATmega168 (DIP) £7.50 
   > Suitable for breadboard / stripboard use


The Retro Adapter features updateable firmware. That means that when a new controller is supported you can simply update your Retro Adapter and start using it. Updates also bring compatibility improvements and new features (such as 2 Player mode).

To update the firmware you need either a Atari / Commodore style joystick, a Sega Master System or Megadrive (Genesis) gamepad or a Neo Geo joystick/gamepad. You can also use a Kempston joystick or a Plus 4 joystick with the Plus 4 Connector. If you don't have one of those you can buy an Update Dongle instead.

You can download updates on the support page.

Update Dongle £2.00