Plan I'm kicking around right now is to relearn ladx on console b/c my buds pie and andy are learning it and having a mutual speedgame with a friend isn't something I've really had before which sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm kicking around the idea of hopefully making an SGDQ Submission (it's been 2 years since last ladx/my run and I think it would have a good chance of getting in).

I'm in the research phases of derusting in ladx, learning all the tech I've missed out on and optimizations, and it's a bit disheartening that I'm immediately running into the same issues I did last time regarding the switch to console/gamecube player: it's really difficult trying to find a control scheme that isn't flat out disadvantaged to a very significant degree compared to control schemes you can setup for yourself on emu (I say this as an emu player).

My options as I think I see it are:
$160 hori gamepad (don't care about speedrun enough to justify a purchase I've heard mixed reviews on)

Gamecube controller (near non-existant dpad so I'd be doing everything on an analogue stick which is very unoptimal, but is what I used for ladx)

Gamecube -> SNES controller converter: I purchased one of these last year and had a bad experience but it's probably worth giving an honest attempt again. Seems like the best solution right now since it's the only option to have a real d-pad while playing this game

Gameboy Advance/SP: I have a GBA, not a GBASP. GBA has a really bad dpad, but I'm not sure if that's a GBA thing or just my model being old and decrepit. GBASP might be worth trying out but like the Hori pad I don't want to dish out like $50+ on a maybe lmao

I think regardless I'm going to suck it up and figure what works best for me, but I'm just kind of venting frustrations on how unappealing and punishing it is to run this game on 'real hardware' due to the unique button prompts you regularly have to do in the game (A+B+St+Sl) (Very fast, very digital movements for menuing which is very obviously suited for dpads/keyboards). I think maybe half a dozen people in the last 5 years have run this game not on emulator and it is easy to see and sympathize why: it's expensive (GCN + GBP), it looks like actual vomit (GBP upscaling 240p looks baaaad), and the control schemes available actively handicap speedrunning (despite practicing a lot at SGDQ at best I only ever got within 2.5 minutes of my emu pb where I comfortably play on a ps3 controller).

Frustrating business dude

Also I've got something cute planned for 12 hour challenge (it's not ladx)