How Brook’s Wingman PS2 turned a 20-year-old console into a modern controller hub
There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes with trying to play your PS2 collection in 2026. The hardware still works, mostly. The games are still great, absolutely. But the controllers? The DualShock 2’s analog buttons are oxidising, the thumbstick resistance is inconsistent, and every original pad left in existence is one hard session away from the bin.
The Brook Wingman PS2 Converter is the answer to that problem, and it’s a more elegant answer than you might expect from a $45 adapter.
Pick one up here before your last DualShock 2 gives out.
What It Actually Does
The Wingman PS2 plugs directly into your PlayStation 2’s controller port and lets you use almost any modern controller in its place. DualSense, Xbox Series X/S, Switch Pro, 8BitDo, arcade sticks, wireless dongles; over 135 controllers are supported as of the latest firmware.
The form factor is clever. Rather than hanging off a cable like most adapters, the Wingman is shaped like a PS2 memory card and slots directly into the controller port flush with the console. It won the Red Dot Design Award in 2023, and looking at it next to the machine it serves, you understand why.
There are three ports to know about. The PS/PS2 connector that goes into the console. A USB-A port on the face for wired controllers or wireless dongles. And a Micro-USB port on the side for firmware updates, PC use, and external power when your console’s port needs a boost.
The Engineering Problem It Solves
The PS2 uses a synchronous serial protocol running at roughly 500 kHz to communicate with its controllers. Modern controllers speak USB or Bluetooth. These are fundamentally different communication standards, and bridging them cleanly, without adding input lag, is genuinely difficult.
Brook’s solution runs on an onboard microcontroller that translates incoming USB and Bluetooth packets into the PS2’s native serial format in real time. Independent testing puts the average added latency at between 2.0ms and 4.0ms, roughly one eighth of a frame at 60 FPS. For context, that’s imperceptible in most gameplay, and competitive enough for fighting game players who care about frame-perfect execution.
The hot-swap feature is particularly well implemented. The PS2 was notoriously sensitive to controllers being disconnected mid-session, often requiring a full reset. The Wingman maintains a constant active signal to the console even when no controller is paired, so switching from a DualSense to an Xbox pad mid-session happens in milliseconds without the console noticing.
The Pressure Sensitivity Problem (And Why It Matters)
Here’s something most people don’t know: the DualShock 2 had analog face buttons. Every button on the pad registered not just whether it was pressed, but how hard. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2, Gran Turismo 4, and Ace Combat titles were built around this.
Most modern controllers don’t have pressure-sensitive face buttons, which creates a compatibility problem. The Wingman’s solution is to support the DualShock 3, which was the only subsequent Sony controller to keep this feature. Plug a DS3 in via USB or pair it wirelessly and the full pressure range passes through to the console exactly as intended.
For modern pads like the DualSense or Xbox Series controller, Brook maps the analog L2 and R2 triggers to the pressure-sensitive functions in games that used the face buttons for throttle and brake. It’s not a perfect solution for every title, but for racing games it actually improves the experience.
Power, Compatibility, and the One Thing to Watch
The PS2’s controller port was designed to power a wired DualShock 2, providing around 100mA of current. Running a Bluetooth transceiver off that same rail can push it to its limits, particularly on the SCPH-5000x series Fat PS2s, which have more aggressive power management on their controller ports.
If you hit connection drops or the adapter fails to power on reliably, the fix is simple: run a Micro-USB cable from the Wingman’s side port to one of the PS2’s front USB ports. Brook calls this the dual-tethered setup and it resolves power issues completely.
One important note: if you have a first-batch Wingman PS2 from before October 2023, check the Brook website. An early hardware bug allowed back-flow current from the external power supply to keep the console’s power LED lit after shutdown. Brook issued a revised hardware version with a diode-protection circuit and offered replacements through their RMA process. The current retail version does not have this issue.
Who It’s For
The Wingman PS2 makes most sense in four scenarios. You’re a daily PS2 player whose original controllers are failing. You’re a fighting game or speedrunning enthusiast who needs the lowest possible latency from a modern pad. You want to use an arcade stick on your PS2 without buying a dedicated legacy stick. Or you’re building a preservation setup and want a solution that will work with whatever controllers exist ten years from now.
At £39.99 / $45.00, it costs more than a used DualShock 2. But a used DualShock 2 is already dying. The Wingman will still be working long after the last original pad has oxidised out of existence, and it supports controllers that haven’t been released yet.
That’s the actual value proposition: not a replacement for your DualShock 2, but an insurance policy for your entire PS2 library.
Get the Brook Wingman PS2 on Amazon
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