How Bad Is Input Lag With USB Dongles?

[Cannon | 1]

I've been trying out different emulators recently and was thinking of buying genuine controllers, like SNES and PS2. I was going to buy dongles I can connect to my PC, but was wondering if there is any noticeable input lag or any more than using my Logitech F310 controller.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

I've not generally noticed any at all.  Honestly, emulation-wise, the only input lag I ever notice is with poorly coded/ported emulators, most notably anything non-MAME on the Raspberry Pi or anything but GB/GBA on the Retron 5.  If there's any lag due to using a USB adapter with an original controller, it's absolutely not noticeable to me, and I get fussed at on FB all the time for noticing how laggy things like RetroPi and the NES Classic are.

[ifightdragons | 234]

Yes, despite the fact that many won't notice it, USB and Bluetooth controllers usually add a lot of easily noticeable lag, especially if playing old games that weren't coded with lag in mind. Add to this the inherent lag of emulation and a modern display, and it soon becomes borderline unplayable for some games that require twitch reflex inputs. Even platformers like Mario will feel off, due to jumping being registered too late.

That's why FPGA + 2.4G controllers is such a popular combo; Ultra low latency, even on modern displays with inherent lag.

Edited August 14, 2021 by ifightdragons