What sort of gamepad do you use for your PC?  I'm in the market for a new gamepad, one that's preferably USB-compatible, and one that follows the standard SNES/Playstation-based design. (i.e. a d-pad, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons, and start/select buttons.)   Basically something that'll work well with console emus. Any recommendations?

I used to have one of the original SideWinders, which worked well enough for most games, save for fighters; the d-pad was just awful for 'em.  But seriously, are there ANY PC gamepads that have decent diagonal input?

The one I used a long time ago was the Gravis Gamepad, which looked like an SNES pad.  Nowadays, many gamepads resemble PS2 controllers.  There are also so-called PS2-to-PC adapters that let you hook up a PS2 controller directly, but I don't know if they are any good.

The original Sidewiders were good for beatem-ups, but I found the D-pad too stiff for shooters and fighters. 

I haven't found a gamepad where the diagonal translated well, except the MAME arcade stick.

There is a connector that will allow you to use a playstation controller on the computer... I think you can find these at a places like radio shack but I can't remember where I got mine. I like the playstation controler a lot in this situation (especially without the analogs), but it's just HORRIBLE for 2D fighters - I can have blisters in minutes when playing something like the Street Fighter Alpha series but I don't play fighters as much as I use to. Still, using the PSX controller for anything like a sidescroller is gravy to me.

I know which pad your talking about, I still have it... I thought the d-pad was a bit stiff on it tho.

I've used the Saitek P880 for the past few years. Everyone seems to hate them but aside from the wobbliness of the buttons I think they're great. I have an X-Arcade stick that I use for MAME now but for everything else it's the P880.

I'm using a Saitek P2500, which works great for everything: from Mame & console emulators, to new Ys Origins & Felghana games.

PS2 style design, USB, 6 buttons helps for arcade fighters, the analog sticks work well, and the D-pad holds up and hits diagonals fine.  It was only like 20 or 25 bucks at Walmart, so it's been a very good buy.

I still have mine too.  I think the only game I ever actually used it with was Earthworm Jim 2.

Right now I use a Logitech Precision with d-pad and no analog stick.  I had a Logitech with analog sticks before and they got messed up so I figured I'd get one with just a d-pad next time.  It of course has the same SNES button layout along with the Playstation style grips and two extra shoulder buttons.

if you have a xbox 360, you can use 360 official pad on your pc, all you have to do is to get receiver and you're good to go(if you want to use wireless one), probably one of the best if not the best pc pad you can get.
many people don't know about this, because such receivers just showed up on the market but I got one few weeks ago and everything works absolutely great.

Depending on what I'm playing it's either a 360 pad (where analogue control is needed), or a Saturn pad via a 3-in-1 PC Joy Box (cheaply available from play Asia) if I'm playing emulators or any kind of precise arcade game. For more intense arcade stuff I simply swap out the Saturn pad for a Saturn arcade stick.

I saw that 360 controller in the PC section while strolling around a Circuit City some days ago.  How does it work?  You need an Xbox 360 console in order for it to work on your PC?  It seems like it would make a good universal PC game controller.

just go and buy 360 pad(wireless) along with microsoft 360 receiver(connect it to the usb port), and you're set(receiver comes with drivers for your windows xp).
works really great.

Thanks for the info.  I'll be sure to inspect the item more closely next time I visit CC.

It worked ok for me.  Nothing else at the time was as good.  I'm sure there have been more recent controllers.

Though the best experience I had was indeed the MAME arcade controller.

I'm actually rather surprised at the lack of PC gamepads around where I am. I went to Circuit City, Staples, and Best Buy, but didn't see a whole lot that I liked.  I ended up getting a Logitech Precision myself at Target, for the very reasonable retail price of $10.  It's pretty excellent; no analog sticks, sure, but that makes for a less cluttered interface.  The design is simple yet well-constructed; light-weight, comfortable to hold, supple button springs, and the d-pad is actually one of the best that I've used in a good while.  It's absolutely FANTASTIC for fighting games. 

Color me delighted.  I'm picking up an extra one tomorrow for my laptop.   ^_^

Yeah, it's nice and cheap, not like that 360 controller which I discovered yesterday was forty bucks (!).  I think it'll be a while before I go for it.  I was playing Super Street Fighter II with my Logitech Precision recently and it's pretty easy to dragon punch your way to victory.  Fortunately for me, pretty much all of the games I'm using for it are 2D, so having sticks may only become more of a concern if I try to play a post-analog 3D game at some point.  Otherwise the jacked up sticks on my other Logitech controller were interfering with the d-pad when I would try to use it in lieu of the busted sticks.  No sticks means no worries when it comes to that centering problem or whatever which sometimes renders them unusable.  I'm glad that it's working for you.

If you look around or prefer to order it, a USB 360 controller is $30 (got mine from Amazon). Personally, I can't wait to get another one and start playing more PS1 games (or any analog games for that matter) on my PC with whomever comes over. It's a snap to install (just don't upgrade to the stupid 1.1 drivers) and works just about perfect with every emulator and PC game I've tried.

Playing fighting games might be a chore for those with particular thumbs, but I have no problems.

Just wanted to give my input.