Saturn pad works perfect... too bad VMU doesnt
If you want to play with your Saturn controllers on your dreamcast, this gadget will do the trick, and is probably the only way for you to do so. The Saturn controller has a much better D-Pad than the Dreamcast one, and it also has 6 buttons on the front, making it much more intuitive for playing fighting games.

However, forget all about the VMU compatibility. The VMU port simply DOES NOT work. AT ALL. The VMU will not be detected by the dreamcast console, period.

This could have been a major problem, but it is actually not much more than an inconvenient, since you can bypass it in the following way: Simply plug in a regular DC controller with a VMU in another controller port, and the game will load your saves from the regular controller, while you're using the Saturn pad to play.

VMU support would've made this a perfect product, but fortunately the Saturn controller works perfectly and that's the most important.

Quality control is mediocre, but does what it does.
I've come across complaints for this product across the 'net ever since it was first released in late 2000. Decided to purchase it as of early 2008. Hey, that's a reasonable margin for the manufacturer to correct a few flaws, right?

Not really. Total Control 3 has been, and will forever be, used for two groups of arcade gamers craving decent control on their DC's. Those gamers are the fighting game fans and the Virtual on fans.

Early reports of the TC3 cited a list of quality control issues, most frequent being that roughly half of all TC3's ever produced actually worked with the Saturn pad/Twinstick. Now it is 2008. while the recent TC3 model works, it still has some flaws.

My gripe is that the actual unit itself is extremely sensitive to dirty connections. Now my DC and Saturn pads have had their control ports pre-cleaned with a healthy splash of windex. Even so, the TC3 only detected my VMU every 2 seconds. Then an error would pop up. Not good. I unhooked the VMU but honestly, I really needed it. The memory slot is now useless, nothing more than cheap addition.

Okay, VMU gripe aside, do the saturn pads work? The answer is yes, Thank God. Unlike other adaptors (Xskillz Dream Connection anyone?) it actually maps the L and R triggers on a DC pad to C/Z on a Sat pad. So we can finally play Street fighter the way it was meant to be played.

I have yet to test my Twinsticks - my other adaptor, the Dream Connection 3in1 seems to do the job just fine, although most VOOT players swear by the TC3 (apparently, it has a pause button to compensate)

So there you have it. The current TC3 is still somewhat iffy in terms of quality, but it seems to do 2/3's of the job well i:e - playing with saturn pads. Just forget about the VMU compatibility and you're set. I plan to purchase another TC3 so maybe I can compare them later. Cheers.