Retro Fighters Defender Next-Gen Wireless Controller Compatible with Nintendo Switch, PC, PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 in Black

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 191 ratings

Price: 49.95

Last update: 08-29-2024


About this item

2.4 GHz Wireless technology Pressure sensitive buttons
Turbo functionality Vibration Feedback
Compatible with PS3 (please note that there is no six axis capability) Wireless range of over 30 feet
Compatible with PS1/PS2/PS3/PS Classic/Switch/PC Includes both USB and PS1/PS2 receivers
Includes USB charging cable

Product information


Top reviews from the United States

Branden Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Great controller
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2023
I am writing this after I've ordered a 2nd one of these controllers. My last on was very responsive, has enough charge for several hours of play, and it felt great since it is similarly sized to an Xbox controller.

If I had to give some criticisms, they would only be the R2/L2 triggers are just a bit too sensitive, it takes a little while to charge (but you can play and charge at the same time), and they are not exactly fireproof.... hence the reason I have to order a new one. RIP all my stuff (not the controllers fault)
edgar herrera
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the ps1/ps2 and very good for ps3
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
I'm using it on the ps2 and ps3. Easy to set up and works great for ps1 and ps2 games. Works very good for ps3 games as long as it doesnt need six axes. Sticks feel great and the d pad is very good. Only nitpick is I wish it was a little heavier.
Victor H. Villalobos
4.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT OPTION FOR OLDER PS CONSOLES
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
This controller is great highly recommend it to owners of Playstation consoles, great quality, the D pad is awesome and it even works with the Switch and the PS Classic
Lukáš Volčík
5.0 out of 5 stars True wireless PS2 experience
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023
The controller came with these minor surface scratches across its whole face (it's more visible in person). First, it was a BIG downer since I paid 21% extra import tax to get this controller and it's tough to get rid of scratches on matte surfaces. But thanks to my OCD acting up, I managed to reduce/remove some scratches just by "polishing" it with skin on my finger and ordinary cloth :D the surface is easy to scratch but is of good material.

The packaging was really good so I'm not sure how these minor scratches appeared on the controller, but it could happen while shipping I guess.

Other than that I'm completely satisfied with the controller:
- vibrations are good, only slightly weaker than dualshock. That could be a good thing sometimes, cause some games vibrate way to much even it cut scenes and then your hands feel funky with this strong dualshock rumble
- I saw people complaining about 2-stage button sensitivity but I compared it with DualShock 2 on GTA San Andreas and with Defender it was easier to accelerate the car at 4 different levels of speed... It was actually quite hard to mimic with DualShock in my opinion... So they are definitely NOT 2-way switches and the motion seems nice and analog... maybe even better than DS. People saying it's 2 way switch probably test on bad games.
- On PC where you can adjust sensitivity the analog sticks are fine. But on PS2 where it's not possible they are way too sensitive (they are still good and you can get used to it with practice). It would be PERFECT IF they had a wider range of motion.. the full throttle activates too soon.
- R2/L2 triggers are too sensitive and R1/L1 are too hard :D soft ones are prone to accident presses and hard ones are prone to accident de-presses. For example in metal gear solid 3 I couldn't stay in the first person while shooting, because when I focus on pressure sensitive button I also slightly lose pressure on the R1 trigger which deactivates first-person mode. If those triggers were a little softer, it wouldn't be a slight problem.
- D-pad is not that bad. I like how it feels.

- Minor pro: I saw that the DsHidMini driver plans to also support RF Defender :) wonder if I'll still need my USB dongle or if it will be possible to connect to the PC even without dongle (for example if I lost it, that would be a super cool last option)
Customer image
Lukáš Volčík
5.0 out of 5 stars True wireless PS2 experience
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023
The controller came with these minor surface scratches across its whole face (it's more visible in person). First, it was a BIG downer since I paid 21% extra import tax to get this controller and it's tough to get rid of scratches on matte surfaces. But thanks to my OCD acting up, I managed to reduce/remove some scratches just by "polishing" it with skin on my finger and ordinary cloth :D the surface is easy to scratch but is of good material.

The packaging was really good so I'm not sure how these minor scratches appeared on the controller, but it could happen while shipping I guess.

Other than that I'm completely satisfied with the controller:
- vibrations are good, only slightly weaker than dualshock. That could be a good thing sometimes, cause some games vibrate way to much even it cut scenes and then your hands feel funky with this strong dualshock rumble
- I saw people complaining about 2-stage button sensitivity but I compared it with DualShock 2 on GTA San Andreas and with Defender it was easier to accelerate the car at 4 different levels of speed... It was actually quite hard to mimic with DualShock in my opinion... So they are definitely NOT 2-way switches and the motion seems nice and analog... maybe even better than DS. People saying it's 2 way switch probably test on bad games.
- On PC where you can adjust sensitivity the analog sticks are fine. But on PS2 where it's not possible they are way too sensitive (they are still good and you can get used to it with practice). It would be PERFECT IF they had a wider range of motion.. the full throttle activates too soon.
- R2/L2 triggers are too sensitive and R1/L1 are too hard :D soft ones are prone to accident presses and hard ones are prone to accident de-presses. For example in metal gear solid 3 I couldn't stay in the first person while shooting, because when I focus on pressure sensitive button I also slightly lose pressure on the R1 trigger which deactivates first-person mode. If those triggers were a little softer, it wouldn't be a slight problem.
- D-pad is not that bad. I like how it feels.

- Minor pro: I saw that the DsHidMini driver plans to also support RF Defender :) wonder if I'll still need my USB dongle or if it will be possible to connect to the PC even without dongle (for example if I lost it, that would be a super cool last option)
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Jaden
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, it works great, an feels a lot better than the old ps2 controllers
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024
If you’ve gotten accustom to the newer generation of controllers this is definitely a great aftermarket option for the older generation consoles, my only issue is that it says it works for a ps3 but it is not detected as a DualShock 3 so people using emulators be warned. I also own retro fighters controllers for the N64, a the switch an honestly will probably only get my aftermarket controllers from this company from here on. The packaging they come in is great very little plastic waste, an the feel of the controllers is great some of them are on the lighter side but nothing feels cheap about them.
Jake Bauer
3.0 out of 5 stars One major flaw
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023
Ok so, the controller feels and looks great! It connects to the USB dongle almost immediately and can be used on many consoles in my house, which is awesome.
The major flaw is, the joysticks are WAY too sensitive! Retro fighters have said on their Twitter that they calibrated the joysticks to be a 1 to 1 match with the OEM dual shock 3 controller, but the problem is the Defender joysticks are physically smaller than the PS3 joysticks. The gates ( the plastic circles keeping the joysticks locked in) are also smaller, meaning there's less overall travel so you hit the maximum stick movement quicker. The dead zone is also more pronounced, so precision movement is impossible, resulting in me crashing my car and missing targets in GTA vice city. Theseare by far the worst joysticks I've ever experienced, and as of right now this controller is unusable to me unless I'm playing basic 2d side scrollers that don't use the joysticks at all. Also the "pressure sensitive" buttons are a downright lie; it's just a 2 stage switch: you press down and have a lot of resistance until it registers about 80% of the way down, then you can really mash the button to get to 100% pressure. There's no gradual increase at all, so lightly backing off the throttle in a racing game just isn't going to work. This isn't a huge deal to me compared to the joystick issue, but still worth noting. I wish Retro Fighters would just release a simple PC program to calibrate and adjust the sensitivity of the joysticks.. for now I'll just hold on to that hope and wait for the new dual shock 3 controller that I just bought on eBay.
Customer image
Jake Bauer
3.0 out of 5 stars One major flaw
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023
Ok so, the controller feels and looks great! It connects to the USB dongle almost immediately and can be used on many consoles in my house, which is awesome.
The major flaw is, the joysticks are WAY too sensitive! Retro fighters have said on their Twitter that they calibrated the joysticks to be a 1 to 1 match with the OEM dual shock 3 controller, but the problem is the Defender joysticks are physically smaller than the PS3 joysticks. The gates ( the plastic circles keeping the joysticks locked in) are also smaller, meaning there's less overall travel so you hit the maximum stick movement quicker. The dead zone is also more pronounced, so precision movement is impossible, resulting in me crashing my car and missing targets in GTA vice city. Theseare by far the worst joysticks I've ever experienced, and as of right now this controller is unusable to me unless I'm playing basic 2d side scrollers that don't use the joysticks at all. Also the "pressure sensitive" buttons are a downright lie; it's just a 2 stage switch: you press down and have a lot of resistance until it registers about 80% of the way down, then you can really mash the button to get to 100% pressure. There's no gradual increase at all, so lightly backing off the throttle in a racing game just isn't going to work. This isn't a huge deal to me compared to the joystick issue, but still worth noting. I wish Retro Fighters would just release a simple PC program to calibrate and adjust the sensitivity of the joysticks.. for now I'll just hold on to that hope and wait for the new dual shock 3 controller that I just bought on eBay.
Images in this review
Customer image
Gregg Roark
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with PS2 and PS3
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
Wanted to cut down on controller clutter so I got this.. works flawlessly so far with ps2 and ps3... connects right away with the included dongles... controller has the right amount of heft; doesn't feel cheap... very responsive... I'll be getting more of the retro fighters controllers for my older systems...
mary hood
5.0 out of 5 stars Super satisfied!
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2023
Im super happy with this controller, i havent been able to find a good wireless ps2 controller until i found this bad boy. Feels great in the hand, perfect size, 10 hour battery life, has rumble functionality, and you can use it on ps1, ps2, ps3, pc, and switch. Definitely worth the price. Ill be buying another soon.

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