Review your Arcade Stick

[KnownasWolf]

Just figured I make a thread to hear people reviews on their arcade sticks that they own so it will be easier to buy a stick. I will grade my sticks on a 100 point scale.

First of my sticks:

Custom 360 stick with convex buttons from DF:
Had these 2 sticks for over a year now and no problems with them ever. They are used in my home made cabinet and get a lot of play. Great sticks and they respond wonderful. Me and my friends beat on them and they always respond perfectly. Out of a 100 points I have to give it a 100 since I never had any problems with mine and if a move does not work it's my scrubby ass not the stick that is not working.

X-Arcade:
Had the 2 player one first and it is a waste of money :( The sticks are to close together so don't waste money on this on. Out of a 100 I give it a 3 since I was able to sell mine of to a friend for his kids

The single player one:
I swapped the stick for a comp stick and changed the buttons to convex buttons. Very easy to swap the parts but that will cost you an extra $35 which makes this stick expensive. It's not to bad now but I only use it for pc since I seem to get lag on dreamcast. It's a decent stick but for the price really not worth it at all. If you plan to get a stick order a custom one. Out of a 100 I give it 50 since you have to mod the damn thing after paying so much for it.

Dreamcast Agetec "Green Goblin"
Great stick, buttons are nice :) and after a while you get use to the square gate on it. I use this stick all the time on my dreamcast. Still expensive to get since it since it runs around $60 but if you use your dreamcast a lot works great. Only problem is you can't get a converter to use this stick on PS2 and X-Box so it's only a 1 system stick. But it plays great :) Out of 100 I give this stick 88.



That is it for now but soon my stick from Tha-Darkside is coming so I will review that also :)

[b1gazn]

My sticks:

Dreamcast Agetec:
Like Known said this stick is WONDERFUL. The buttons are large compare to my other sticks. But since its a one system stick, I can only play it on DC. But since it has broken, I've been thinking about replacing the stick and buttons and maybe make it a multiple system stick like others here have. I have to give this stick a 90 out of 100.

Universal Pelican Modded:

I bought this stick modded. It was replaced with black competition stick and convex buttons. But since this stick can only be played by PS2, XBox, and Game Cube; I can not play this stick on DC. I havent given the stick that much of a chance since I mostly play on DC. I plan on getting a XBox and it will get more usage later on. I can give the stick a 80 out of 100.

Hori PSX stick:

This stick is has a ball top joystick. The buttons are small and are arched like Pelican stick. The case is smallest of them all and it tends to move around a lot. But still I am able to do lots of the same stuff on this stick that I use to do on the Agetec. I like this stick for the fact that its has a balltop. I give this stick a 85 out of 100 considering the fact that this stick is the CHEAPEST but is being a replace for my Agetec until my HRAP gets here :clap:.

I use to have the SvC Choas stick. But when I played on it the stick was not as loose as my other balltop joysticks. And the button angles are too weird for me. I'd give it a 50 out of 100 (but I've heard others saying they like this stick better than a Agetec).

My next review will be posted when I get my HRAP.

:big ass smile:

[THChardcore]

Mas System's P360, rewired to a psone dual shock and given a light ultimate spring instead of a hard. My stick of choice for Super Turbo and any of the versus games, all the buttons have been replaced with competitions and I plan to add some custom art/lexan to the top of it when I get the chance.

Modded Agetec DC stick. Rewired with both a XBOX pad with a relocated communicator port and a psone digital pad, it works on every system I own with a switch installed under the lip of the vmu slot. Brand new Sanwa JLF with an octagonal gate and sanwa buttons as well as an added 24mm button for select/coin on the side. Perfect for 3S and Zero 3.

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40572

Custom Darkside stick. A JLF battop with custom made octagonal gate with Sanwa buttons and awesome art. Pretty accurate, but I prefer the other 2 sticks most of the time. I mostly use this for SC2 and CVS2.

http://byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Ryu%20Stik1.jpg

[Emissary]

PS Arcade by Interact:
My first stick ever, cost me about 5 dollars at Gamestop and lasted me almost two years worth of Marvel action before I dropped it and busted the microswitches out of the stick. Nice base, ok buttons and stick without modification. 90/100 for a storebought stock stick. Probably a 50 when matched against a modded or hand made.

X-Arcade Dual:
I actually like this and find the distance between the two sticks a problem while sitting. I bought it to play friends but mostly I play alone on it and it is great for me because of the base and arcade style parts. I would rather spend less money on the dual than buy two single player joysticks... if at the expense of comfort. I also like the ability to add adapters, just wish there were an easier way to swap them besides serial cables. 85/100 against homemade I am sure because of player "closeness".

I will hopefully buy a hand made stick once I read some more reviews.

[armad1ll0]

Hori RAP PSX:
85/100 as I appreciate the nice buttons and authentic Sanwa JLF stick. The buttons are Hori and not Sanwa so I mark it down for that. Also I don't like how the JLF is seated, it's a little lower so the stick feels shorter than how it can be. The housing is also way tall. Start and Select are too close to the gameplay cluster. Solid stick though high marks on construction.

Hori Tekken 5 10th Aniv. PSX:
78/100 RAP body but w/ parts similar to the small body Hori sticks. It's a great stick w/ the bundle and can be upgraded to full Sanwa all through. w/o turbo switchs modded 85/100

Hori SC2 PSX:
80/100 Nice stick with fast controls but it can be upgraded. Start is on the right side so it's in the way. Nice low body. Buttons are laid out for SC2 but it doesn't work well for other games. I remapped my buttons and upgraded the sticks to Sanwa JLF w/ optical 95/100.

Hori Tekken 3:
70/100 as it's nice but only has 4 buttons and missing the select button. Upgraded mine with full 6 buttons and a Sanwa JLF stick 90/100.

Hori VF PSX:
75/100 Nice for VF4/evo but not for other games. Controls same as other Hori sticks. Nince Sanwa-ish feel but limited to the square gate.

Hori VF Saturn:
70/100 Same nice body as the other common hori sticks but it only has three buttons for VF. I like these bodies.

Hori OG Saturn:
68/100 Nice Solid body with full set of buttons and turbo but the stick component is on par w/ agetec and not the newer Hori stick components.

Nuby Street Fighter Anniversay Joystick:
65/100 stock is much like a pelican with worse buttons. Bao Lien buttons are not very good in this application. Solid case with dual platform works. The button layout is odd, but the graphics are great. Lots of stick for the price. Upgraded to competition stick and buttons. Adjusted stick height... 80/100

Namco Hori PSX:
85/100 great lowest of the plastic (jpn) bodies. Solid hori components that react fast.

Agetec Dreamcast:
70/100 as components don't compare to hori equivalents. Other than that it works fine. Joystick is weaker than the hori parts.

Sega Saturn Virtua Stick (jp):
70/100 parts compare to the agetec and are similar.

Custom flip-top Sanwa Bat-top JLW & Happ joystick
98/100 as this is near perfection. This stick works well as it can change encoders with a swing open and a couple of snaps. The controls are also easy to service and are top quality. Solid heavy oak case doesn't move.

Stock Pelican Real Arcade:
63/100 stick is a china clone, buttons sometimes stick, nuff said...

Modified RedOctane Happ Competition joystick PSX:
85/100 as it's a solid stick using Happ competition stick w/ Competition buttons and some custom artwork.

Modified RedOctane Happ P360 joystick PSX:
90/100 as it's a solid stick using Happ P360 stick w/ Competition buttons and some custom artwork.

"the Big Handicap" *tuned* stock RedOctane Impact PSX:
50/100 stock RedOctane stick but I tuned all of the components. Joystick is about on par with X-arcade now but the buttons still suck.

*tuned* RedOctane Arcade Stick:
70/100 Sanwa cloned stick which is tuned from their stock config. Custom artwork applied. (60/100 OG)

Capcom SNES PowerStick:
65/100 Sanwa JLW body joystick in a plastic case and poor quality buttons.

SNES Ascii stick:
45/100 plasticy feel with non-arcade quality parts.

Arcadian SNES Championship Joystick:
69/100 Happ ultimate in a plastic case. Nice idea but too light.

NeoGeo AES joysticks:
65/100 nice low sticks with decent sticks but not arcade quality.

[coN]

Korean Sticks from sticknarajin:
91/100 - When i first used a Korean stick, i thought the feeling was very spongy, but after alot of use, i can say that Korean sticks are very accurate, a notch lower than a Sanwa, but BARELY. Advantages over Sanwa sticks - Circular motions are a breeze, and Light Dashing in Tekken is far easier than doing it with a Sanwa stick.

Hori Namco Stick w/ Sanwa parts:
93/100 - Low angled body feels natural along with the button layout. Very fast response.

Custom Sanwa stick encased in a flip top mini MAS style case:
95/100 - Custom stick i built myself. Easy access to interior with the flip of a latch. Sony DS PCB used for best converter compatibility.

Hori Fighting Stick SS modded for PS w/ Sanwa Parts:
90/100 - At first i initially didnt like the design of this stick. (Flat, wide, etc.) But after awhile, it didnt bother me anymore. I would rate it higher but im not too hot about the flat design of it, but it works very well.

Custom Built stick w/ Happ Competition Parts:
75/100 - Works very well, but after using japanese parts for so long, this stick just feels sloppy now. Uses a PS DC PCB for best compatibility, but it still doesnt save it from the low score. Comp buttons are great though.

DC Agetec "Green Goblin" modded w/ Sanwa Parts:
85/100 - Great stick. Sanwa parts make all the difference, but the reason for its low score is the case. Its... I dunno. Feels hollow. I really dont like the way it feels. Modded for use on PS2 and DC.

[N-Ken]

SvC stick: This is actually a great stick, there are a few problems with it though. The button layout is TERRIBLE, it was really stupid of them to design it like this, with the main 4 buttons on the left and the triggers on the right. Makes it a bitch to convert correctly. As b1g said, the angles are a bit weird on the buttons too. One of the few sticks to come with an octagonal gate, and performance wise it's one of the best stock sticks I've used. I'm one of the people that likes this ALOT more than the green goblin. Give it a 85/100

Competition MAS + Convex buttons: My first stick ever, and to be truthful for what it is it's just about perfect. 100% working after tons of marvel, very comfortable to play on in lap or on a table, quality construction. The only complaint really is that it is big, but thats either good or bad depending on your POV. Also the controller cord is difficult to fit in the DC sometimes. And then of course it really comes down to how much you like comp sticks, after using J-sticks for a bit I really like the entire J feel, so for that reason I give it a 87/100.

Pelican Real Arcade Universal: W/o any modding, this stick feels cheap in the components. The shell is pretty good, and the overall design is pretty good(love that cable cubby) but the default parts just feel like they were bought at a flea market in the bad part of town. The buttons feel muddy and slightly unresponsive, and the stick is plain inaccurate. Considering the price its still not a bad buy if you're on a low budget and need multiple system support, just realize that its not Real(nice) Arcade, it's Real(pizza shop) Arcade. 68/100 Modded: Now here's where it starts getting pretty good, Its similar to the MAS, but not as comfortable 80/100

thats all for now, more when I get my HRAP in like 3 days.

[LTK]

Quick question, what's a good stick that is a relatively small size so I can just put it on my lap and play with it? I'm mainly going to use it for Tekken 5, and am perferring the Japanese style ball sticks (Sawna parts I'm assuming). I've looked at most of the sticks you people have mentioned, but I can't really tell whether it's worth it or not. Thanks.

[KnownasWolf]

Depends how much you want to spend.

From what I hear the sc2 HORI stick is nice (but I never used it) it's around 60 dollars or so. Maybe some one will review it. Than there is the HRAP which will be reviewed when people get there's. Other than that check out some of the reviews on the sticks :)

[Circular]

Hori SC2: Solid parts, start and select are out of the way (and recessed, so they're not in the way of anything else). Square gate and Japanese-style buttons and stick. Seems reliable; I've been using mine regularly for a year now, and nothing's worn out or broken. Only problem with it is that it's light; I have to play on the floor, and use my feet to brace it. If you can fit it in your lap (it seems like it'd be big for that, but it might be comfortable for some), you wouldn't have that problem.

[Vic Viper]

ASCIIware PSX arcade stick:

Best budget arcade stick for the PS1 and PS2, if you can't afford those Horis and MASes. If you can find them on a Gamestop, they usually cost 10 bucks or less. They even last long than those Pelican Real Arcade sticks. I had this since Jan. 2003 and it was used and still works. Oh, and get the one Made in Japan and avoid the Made in Thailand ones.

[jericho_mpm]

ps1 ascii stick i give 80/100

capcom power stick snes 65/100

sega dreamcast 90/100

x-fighting 85/100

namco 60/100

sc2 hori stick normal 80/100

sc2 hori stick tuned 95/100

t4 hori stick normal or tuned 85/100

[Tha-Darkside]

Silver Flash (http://www.byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Flash%20Streak.jpg) 100/100

Custom all sanwa stick with optical sanwa flash + octagon gate makes both 2d and 3d games a breeze for me. Custom art and silver pearl paint job also makes this one a real eye catcher. The case is small yet heavy so it doesn't move around on me at all and overall I prefer this stick over my others because of its portability and versatility. The nice thing is it also has a toggle switch to swap button configs and I can easily swap the gate for a square one. The bottom is also see through for an extra coolness factor.


Pelican Real Arcade Universal 60/100

It gets the job done but the parts are poor quality arcade clones. The joystick is comparable to the x-arcade, both of which seem to be happ super clones just not as good, but my biggest gripe is that the buttons are stiff and will often stick, at least mine did anyway. All my problems with this stick is what eventually got me into building my own.


New Ditty (http://www.byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/New%20Ditty%204.jpg) 95/100

Custom art on all 5 sides + Happ p360 with competition buttons. I use this one all the time on 2d games and I almost never miss a move and when I do, I know its by my error so I have no real complaints about this one. I think it plays perfectly but I like to do little "tweaks" here and there to make sure all my sticks play up to their potential anyway.


Soul'z Calibur (http://www.byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Yellow%20Jstik%20Finished1.jpg) 100/100 (for soul calibur only)

I swear this is the sickest stick I've ever used on soul calibur 2, everything about it is perfect for that game. Sanwa JLW with custom octagon gate + sanwa buttons along with custom art on top, back, and sides. It's a specialized stick, so it can only really be used for the game it was made for since it lacks the rest of the buttons for other stuff. I know this should knock my rating down quite a bit, but since it's so superb at soul calibur and because that's my main game I just feel that it deserves a perfect score since I've racked more playing time on this one than any of my other sticks.


DC Agetec 75/100

Nice stick, this is an "as is" rating but with a swapped pcb and sanwa components it'd be even better.


Yellow Namco 80/100

Good stick and pretty durable. The small size makes it a good tournament stick and even though the parts are decent they can be swapped for better.


Xbox Nuby Stick 5/100

Complete crap, steer clear of this thing. The joystick broke after a day of my nephew mashing on it, but the stick was never very responsive to begin with so I just tossed it to the side and let the neighborhood kids have their way with it.


SC2 Hori 70/100

An okay stick, but I hate how close the joystick is to the buttons. The button layout isn't the best when it comes to other games, but my real complaint is that the parts don't seem to be very durable and the case is just too light.


Hori Real Arcade Pro 80/100

I have a friend with one of these. The joystick itself is good, being that it is an actual sanwa jlf, the buttons aren't sanwa but they're still pretty decent. It's just that the overall design is just too "clunky". The thing is big in areas where it doesn't need to be, as a builder I believe in efficiently using space but this stick, for its size, shouldn't have the sel/start buttons situated so close to the action buttons. Once again Hori likes having the joystick right next to the buttons instead of using that extra space on the left side and moving it over about 1-2 inches, the joystick is also mounted a little too low. The stick is good, don't get me wrong, I'm just not fond of the design...at all.


Old Red Octane 30/100

This is the one with the generic white clicky buttons and the long ball top Japanese joystick clone. The case is great for modding into your own personal custom stick. The joystick isn't accurate and the buttons just feel cheap. I messed around and tweaked the joystick a little but in the end this stick just isn't very good.


X-Arcade 55/100

Happ cloned parts, and way too expensive. The stick is okay the buttons are okay, but the button layout is pretty odd though. Overall it's a mediocre stick that should cost half the price, it's parts are comparable to the ones used in the pelican real arcade sticks.

[Bucket]

Shadowblade

The casing for the shadowblade is smooth with lots of curves, constructed of plastic and metal, it feels quite nice, but thats just about the only good thing I have to say about the stick.
The throw on the stick is horrible, the cornering in the stick will cause great deals of frustration during gameplay. Simple attacks require exageratiing the motion in corners for diaganols to be registered. The buttons are mooshy due to the preasure sensitivity, which is pointless because most games that use preasure sensitive buttons also use an analog stick. The SB is a bad stick, you are better off with a controller than this piece of junk, save your money.
[25/100]


X-arcade

The wooden box that houses the parts is well built, quite sturdy, it is larger than the shadowblade. The standard parts in the x-arcade aren't bad but still not that great. The stick is a generic Super stick. The buttons are generic concave buttons. My problem is the amount of lagg that occurs with use on pc and consoles, which is obviously a major problem. Even modded the stick suffers from the problems of lagg.
[55/100] Standard parts
[65/100] Modded with Comp stick and buttons


Pelican Real Arcade Universal

The casing for the PRAU is sturdy and stands up to punishment, the casing is quite large compared to the sb and x-arcade. The standard parts seem cheap and flimsy, the stick itself has problems staying in the neutral position, which can cause the characters to continuously jump, duck etc. Buttons are concave and don't feel like they will last long. Playability on gc xbox or ps2 without converters is a major bonus. This stick is actually quite good when modded with a happ competition stick and parts.
[50/100] Standard parts
[85/100] Comp stick and buttons

[Ni8wing]

Hey THChardcore,

Can you please post a pic of the INSIDE of your modded Dreamcast Agetec joystick. It looks great. I have one also and I wanna mod it with Sanwa parts too and I also wants to change it to a PS2 joystick. Thanks.

Anyone else out there who wants to post pics of a modded Dreamcast Agetec Joystick feel free to do so. If you can posts pics of both the INSIDE and the OUTSIDE.

Questions: 1)Are Sanwa parts, arcade perfect for japanese arcades? I wouldn't know because I never played on a japanese cabinet. I know Happ parts are USA arcade perfect. 2) How do u put a digital psx pad in a dreamcast agetec?

For me 8 button MAS is the best. 100 out of 100. It has a classic feel. I have about 4 of them and they all rock. 2 of them have 360 and 2 of them have ultimate. 360 is for the latest capcom fighting games and ultimate is for old school games like turbo.

To me X-Arcade Solo just sucks. I like how it looks especially when I put red, white, and blue buttons and red and blue competiton joysticks but I had too many problems with it. I bought 2 Solos and after a couple of months I always had to exchange it because the buttons and joystick wouldn't work. Just yesterday I went to fry's where I bought them and finally gave up on them and exchanged it for store credit. Now I'm just gonna buy an x-box with the 200$ I wasted on them. So if you believe me avoid x-arcade at all costs.

[zapatistab]

Here's my stock:

Custom Stick w/RedOctane case and PCB: Happ Comp stick and Concave buttons. Comp stick plays well and concave buttons give you the same feel as U.S. arcades. Really like the RedOctane case, feels sturdy and is heavy. Good for button mashers and non-button mashers. 95/100

Custom Stick w/RedOctane Case and MadKatz Dreamcast PCB: Happ Comp stick and Convex buttons. Buttons layout is Neo Geo style with the trigger buttons above the C and D buttons. Button plugs were used for the extra non needed holes. Stick is used for Neo Geo/SNK games that were released for the Dremacast, so the button layout works well. Again, RecOctane case heavy and sturdy.
95/100

Modded Neo Geo Hori II: Sanwa Stick and buttons were added. Case is built well and is sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is very quick and not recommended for aggressive stick handlers and button mashers. Gamers that are used to U.S. sticks will needs lots of practice to play well with a Sanwa stick.
95/100

Hori Playstation stick: (Older version) Again sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is not modded, but plays well. The stick is very similar to the Sanwa stick, but the buttons have an out dated feel, compared to the Hori Real Arcade Pro. Buttons a little stiff for a Japanese stick.
86/100

Final Note: Most gamers will say Japanes sticks are superior. But gamers that are new to the custom stick scene and grew up in U.S. arcades, I would recommed starting off with a U.S. stick. (HAPP)

[KnownasWolf]

Custom Arcade stick from Tha-Darkside (pimp stick)

Stick just came in today been playing on it for the last three hours. Now I see why people love sanwa parts so much. From the buttons to the stick every thing responds so nicely I can't even believe it :encore:
Plus I must say that the work that went on to making this stick is insane. The stick is so damn nice words can't even describe it. It's perfect and I love the smaller design since I take the stick along with me to school and work.

All I can say is this stick gets a perfect score of a 100. And I just fell in love with sanwa parts :clap:

[qwazy]

x-arcade: dual stick (modded)
originally it was pretty cheap as you would assume but once i
switched in comp. stick + convex buttons the feel was fine.
nice casing, cabinet feel is good along with arcade parts. my
pc > ps2 adapter that i ordered with it didnt work, so that was
a bust. now it's used for pc only and it works 99% fine. the lag
(if any) isnt noticable.

7/10 nice casing, had to change sticks and buttons.

dreadedfist: custom sticks
comp. sticks + convex buttons feel fine. casing isnt exactly
beautiful but then again, i asked for two budget sticks. regular
contact paper over wood, nothin' special. dreamcast sticks and
do their jobs well. at times, if i have the sticks next to each other,
one wont work, but it's easily fixed by seperating the sticks. not
too big of a deal.

8/10 nothin' flashy in terms of design, but they work perfect.

hori: fighter stick 2
i honestly dont know much about this stick in terms of the parts.
i dont know if their sanwa or what but to be honest,
they work fine. it's not authetic japanese parts (at least
not the buttons i played on at MORE in japan) but the stick
is nice. buttons are a little tough for japanese buttons. i
would expect 'em to be really sensitive and not take much
force to push. they're sorta' in between sensative sanwa
buttons and stick happ convex buttons. the button alignment
is nice, too. jab and short are a little lower than strong, forward
which is ideal.

8/10 does the job, feels japanese. design isnt spiffy
but it was $50. cant complain.

[KnownasWolf]

Just picked up a SC2 stick from Hori for my friend and been playing with it for a few days now. It's a nice stick and for $58 it's the best stick I have played with for that price :tup:

It's a square gate and I am use to Jap sticks so I have no problems with it at all. Also it is just like the DC Acetec stick which I really like.

Very nice stick which I would give a 85 out of a 100.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

PS Arcade by Interact:
My first stick ever, cost me about 5 dollars at Gamestop and lasted me almost two years worth of Marvel action before I dropped it and busted the microswitches out of the stick. Nice base, ok buttons and stick without modification. 90/100 for a storebought stock stick. Probably a 50 when matched against a modded or hand made.



Those PS Arcade were awesome when I first started using them (years ago) About a year ago (4 years after I bought my first one) I saw them on clearance at the PX 75% w/$50 price tag, so I bought every one they had left (which was about 4 or 5 of them and used 2 or 3 of the pcbs to make custom sticks out of. Very easy to work with too.

I'm not going to list my other sticks because I don't have time to list them all or can't remember which ones I have.

[saroorhai]

Cheap Sticks

Hais PS2 with analog butons:4/10
It works. thats about it. Dont waste your money. I'm gonna use it for parts for a custom stick, but even for that it's too expensive and clunky. Makes more work than need really. I prefer cheap ps1 madcatz controllers for the board.

Top Max: Enforcer:2/10
This thing is a joke. When I got it the actuay stick would stick to the right, not just the switch but the stick itself. Terrible. Had to take it apart and emss with it. No real centering soring that I could find, it moves back to posisiton by the switches themselves. The buttons are hideous and noisy enough to wake a frat boy after mardi gras. Literally. I might use this to make a dreamcast stick with a vmu slot, gonna try anyway.

SF annversary arcade stick:6/10
Decent case and buttons are half way there, but the stick was sticky out of the box and I had to adjust it. The art work is nice and the box is put together ok, but the stick really dissapointed me. I knew the buttons were not happs, but they are not terrible to me, springier than the pelican one I think. But considering u can get a cheap mad catz ps1 controller for 3 bucks, you can build an awesome stick with happs parts for a little less money.

[ArcadeStickMonk]

MAS Systems Street Fighter stick.

My favorite, even though I bought it and didn't build it. It has a P360 that doesn't suck and I made sure that they only installed six play buttons. The two parallel lines of competion buttons go red, white, blue, which is as close to the US SFII cabs as I can remember or find pics of. The stick and buttons also have SFII styled 8-way and button labels. Black top with red sides.

It has Playstation and Dreamcast on board and it plays great in those modes. It also has MAS's PC support on board, but that works horribly. I have their Xbox adaptor, but it's a game pauser so I try not to use it. I only use this for Street Fighter games on Playstation and Dreamcast, and in those uses it is fabulous. I love that wood smell.


My Soul Calibur stick

Originally a Red Octane stick, I jumped at it when they offered a four button (properly labeled) gray and blue unit. The Happ parts I ordered for it arrived before the unit itself did, RO fucked me over with shipping.

I put a blue Happ competiton stick in to match the graphics and trim, and replaced the four shitty RO play buttons with comps. Start and select are original RO. I felt that the spring tension on the stick was just a little loose for my liking so I relaced the spring with one out of an X-Arcade.

They did a terrible job putting this stick together, the fit and finish are pretty awful, with the blue taping not flush with corners and not even meeting underneath. The clear plastic that displays the graphics and button labels isn't even cut right and is kinda crammed in there. I went ghetto and re-trimmed the trim with clear tape in some areas, just to keep it from tearing off completely. The overall effect is a unit that looks pretty decent from arms length. maybe two.

Furthermore, the RO PCB and\or or cord was flakey from the get go. Unless I fucked something over with my initial soldering the unit had intermittant periods on non-respose from day one. After a week and one tourey, a coupla wires tore off the PCB completely. I attempted to resolder but it still didn't work so I shelved it for a while. Eventually I replaced the RO PCB with a PSOne H series PCB, and neatened up the inside a bit. So now the unit plays very well, with the correct button layout (to my knowledge)for Soul Calibur.

In the future I plan the raise the competion stick a bit, since the layer of plastic makes it sit low. I also plan to rewire it completely for use with external PCBs.


X-Arcade Solo

I don't care how much hate this device has garnered. I like it. I no longer trust it for console use, and I used it for far too long when I did, however my skill at Metal Slug 3 was born on an X-Arcade and that's sill what I use to play it. Whenever I start hitting the emus hard again, the Solo returns to my desk.


X-Arcade Twin

Not my first stick but my first "serious" stick, or at least the first stick that I was serious with. It sacrificed one spring for my RO mod, and the Happ it recieved in return doesn't mess well so the left side right motion is sticky. Like my solo, I rendered the serial port imobile with super glue and a sliver of a D&B Power Card, as two previous X-Arcade twins had to go back due to the port flaking out.

I don't guess I'll even use this much anymore, as I'm sick of people complaining that our shoulders touched when we play. I have all four adaptors, but I don't think I'll be breaking them out again. If it makes anybody feel better about me owning both X-Arcades, I did trick X-Gaming into sending me the Solo for free.


Agetec Dreamcast Stick x2

One of the pair was the first arcade stick that I owned, and I got a hell of a lot of use out of it. The other I bought used, and the stick is noticibly looser.
I love the buttons on these sticks, potentially more than my Happ comps, but the stick in general is quite loose.
Only time I'm apt to break these out anymore is when I convince someone to play Powerstone with me, and that ain't often.


Assorted Interact and cheap Blaze sticks

There's no Japanese style Blaze sticks in this group, so what's to say? They all suck, I bought em before I knew any better.
I do have that Alloy Metal Interact DC stick, and I still say that it looks pretty damn slick.

[KnownasWolf]

Any one get the HRAP with CFJ art how is that stick?

[CrotchMonkey]

Any one get the HRAP with CFJ art how is that stick?
i got it, its basically the hrap with just cfj art on it. the stick is awesome though, i may in the future put some actual sanwa buttons on it but really happy with it stock for now.

[armad1ll0]

bump to continue people adding to this.

[vaioman]

P360 Dc/Ps2 MAS Comp buttons.
This was my first stick, and I've rarely had any problems with it. The only minor annoyance I had was when I first got my walmart xbox converter and it didn't work because of the 3d party psx pcb. Recently I picked up a different one and it works great though, with headset support. Doesn't get much better than this, for american sticks. 10/10

DC Agetec
My second stick, and first time using Japanese set up buttons. I picked it up for $3 and I think that was probably the best deal I've ever had working at EB. Never had a problem with it once I got used to the set up. I prefer this over the MAS sometimes because it's more lappable, so I don't have to be sitting on the ground while using it. 10/10

Tekken 5 stick x2
I managed to sell both copies of tekken 5 and make a good chunk of money back from them, so these were a good deal as well. So far I'm enjoying them, but they seem a little harder to get used to than the DC Agetec for some reason. It might jsut be that I'm rusty as fuck, or that I never played much 3rd strike or cvs2, but I'm trying to change that :) They work great with emulators via usb adapter, and overall I'm happy with them. I was apprehensive when I heard that there wouldn't be sanwa parts in it, but they're sufficient for my amount of use. I might just keep the second one boxed for now and sell later, because I don't know that I'll need it, but I couldn't pass up the deal. 9/10

Comp happ stick and comp buttons
I didn't put this one together yet, because I'm lazy, but I'm sure it will get some use once I do. I've got 3/4" "wood" ready for drilling, and I'm probably going for a small box if possible.

[RagingStorm101]

MAS stick
It's pretty good and it's helped me get better with playing arcade sticks. At first I thought it was too loose but I got used to it. If you just push it a little, it bobs back and forth lol. But someone told me loose MAS sticks are better.

[KnownasWolf]

I picked up another stick :pleased:

Moded agetec dreamcast stick.

Now with sanwa stick and buttons and dual shock pcb. Stick works like a dream but a bit different than my other sanwa since it is hollow inside and it's fairly thin. Only problem is that it got scratched up a bit.

Out of 100 I give it a 90 since the scratches.

Also got a tekken 5 stick. Did not get a chance to play on it much since I have a few sanwas but it reminds me of my agetec before mod. Nice heavy stick and very solid. Square gate makes it perfect for ST since I play guile. Out of 100 I give it an 80 since the price is good and the stick is nice. :pleased:

[SoulCaliFreak]

PS2 Pelican Real Arcade: My very first stick. At first, the stick and buttons seemed kosher. I made it work for me and really liked the circle gate. The button layout was comfy as well. Still, the case was pretty cheap and the buttons started to stick. After playing on my friends Mas, I really noticed the difference in quality. I liked the extra long chord and storage. Easy to mod when I get the chance and money, but the case is really cheap. I'd give it a 55/100

Custom Stick from Tha-Darkside: Happ comp stick and comp concave buttons, 1st party dual shock pcb. My first custom stick and one of Tha-darksides early projects. Solid weight due to the modded RO case. Plexi on top, and SC2 artwork. Artwork a bit pixilated, definitely not Byrdo's best stuff (it was early). I asked for a FUNKY button layout for SC2 not realizing that the first party pcb would take care of any issues I thought I'd have. Should've got convex buttons like he told me. The stick itself works great. Button mapping and type aren't my cup of tea anymore and I'll probably mod it and then sell it. Still, 80/100.

Custom Sanwa Stick from Tha-Darkside. Sanwa JLW Bat top, Sanwa 8 button (Pelican Real Arcade layout). Custom octogon gate. Genjiro art on top and left/right sides. This is one of the sticks that tells of the good things to come from Byrdo. 1st party dual shock pcb. I had to get used to the responsiveness of the Sanwa parts for sure. They were reacting faster than I anticipated since the buttons have no dead spot. I've since become very fond of square gates, so the octogon gate doesn't work as well for me anymore. Still, one hell of a stick in a modded RO case again. One of the best looking sticks you'll see out there. 89/100

Modded SC2 Hori: The stick being too close to the buttons is a small turnoff, but I make it work. Sanwa JLF stick w/square gate and Sanwa buttons work great with 1st party dual shock pcb. It's my first mod, a bit crude on the inside, but it works. I wouldn't sell this cuz I'm not ready to stand by my work just yet. Right now, my primary stick till I get my new T5 flash from Byrdo. 80/100

[KnownasWolf]

Bump so we can get some more reviews.

[Chang]

Topmax Enforcer (DC) -- 4/10
Terrible. Stick is too loose and the buttons are too stiff. Almost impossible to accurately do multiple button presses.

X-Arcade Solo -- 6.5/10
First stick I actually liked. Sure it has its problems, but it was the the only decent stick I could get a hold of for a long time.

SF Anniversary -- 6/10 stock, 8/10 modded
Decent out of the box, but I knew I'd never really like it. So I gutted it as per ArcadeStickMonk's tutorial. Much, much better. I'm having a difficult time getting used to the competition stick, probably from the two or three years of using the X-Arcade. I can't parry for jack with it yet, but it's probably because I'm way out of practice in SF3.

Hori Tekken 5 Limited Edition -- 10/10
Oh my dear Lord this is the best stick my hands have been blessed to touch. The corners feel a little weird but I'm having an easy time adjusting. I did a full shinku hadouken parry with it first thing out of the box; something I haven't been able to do since I quit playing 3rd Strike and Double Impact on Dreamcast three years ago. And I never could do multiple parrys consistently even then! Now on to working my way up from being an "awful" player to a "not so bad" one, lol.

[jiji]

Hori Fighting Stick SS (now gutted) - Hated this thing. Horrible, loud, clumsy stick, awful RSI-inducing membrane buttons, flimsy and cavernous body that amplifies microswitch noises. Hori has come so far from this.

Neo Geo AES stick (just sold) - Body has nice ergonomics, stick is okay, but the buttons are mushy and inconsistent and make for near-instant RSI with their awkward placement. Sold it with good reason.

Hori Real Arcade Pro - Love it. Big, solid, smooth, awesome. The Sanwa stick is subtle and precise, and while the stock buttons are decent, they're too inconsistent compared to the Sanwas I've just put in.

Virtua Stick (second Saturn model) - Previously my favorite stick, but it's lost some lustre since I've tried Sanwa parts. Very solid, great build quality, extremely competent for its time, parts are responsive and smooth, and excellent disregarding Hori's current options - though I've been spoiled by better components, and it'd be very difficult to customize.

ASCII Genesis stick (now in the trash) - I can't believe Gamestop (then Babbage's) sold this to me in good conscience for $30 back then when only half of the buttons worked. Bastards. Mushy stick; sticky, quarrelsome buttons. Avoid.

[tuelpo]

Happ-Modded Pelican Universal. 8/10
All comp Mods, pulled the crappy plastic feet, and bonded on anti-skid rubber bottom. I just personally am not the biggest fan of the Americanized-Japanese 8 button layout. I like the Astrocab layout better, but my buddies like the A-J-8 better.

Sanwa-Modded Hori T5. 9/10
I'm different than byrdo in that I like a stick with a gratuitous amount of bulk. this certainly fulfills.
Pulled the stick and buttons, replaced with a Series-H pcb mounted with JB-Weld and screws.

Custom Diamond Plate Steel w/ stainless inserts for stick and buttons. Sanwa. 8/10
More for the coolness-factor than playability since the diamond plate will cause all sorts of havok on your hands. Did this my last week of working in a buddies machine shop as he had a big order to fill and not enough hands so I helped as long as I could play around at the end. I have a lexan top for it when I need to get serious, but I usually leave it out. It's an astrocab layout, but with plugs since it's set up for VF4 now. I'ld post pics, but I'm certain now a former roomate has jacked the old camera, and I'm not to big on buying another. Never used the damn thing.

Cherry goodness. In progress.

Currently working on an all Cherry(the wood not the microswitches) 6 button stick. Not sure if I'm gonna go sanwa or happ yet, but probably sanwa as I'm really only playing 3d fighters now. I'm going to make a custom ball top and shaft cover out of cherry as well to get the total feel right. I wanted to do buttons too, but I'm worried about weight/time involved. the box has it's 3rd coat of stain today, and It's really looking good, very very dark. Cherry is damn expensive btw.

[zapatistab]

[QUOTE=zapatistab]Here's my stock:

Custom Stick w/RedOctane case and PCB: Happ Comp stick and Concave buttons. Comp stick plays well and concave buttons give you the same feel as U.S. arcades. Really like the RedOctane case, feels sturdy and is heavy. Good for button mashers and non-button mashers. 95/100

Custom Stick w/RedOctane Case and MadKatz Dreamcast PCB: Happ Comp stick and Convex buttons. Buttons layout is Neo Geo style with the trigger buttons above the C and D buttons. Button plugs were used for the extra non needed holes. Stick is used for Neo Geo/SNK games that were released for the Dremacast, so the button layout works well. Again, RecOctane case heavy and sturdy.
92/100

Modded Neo Geo Hori II: Sanwa Stick and buttons were added. Case is built well and is sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is very quick and not recommended for aggressive stick handlers and button mashers. Gamers that are used to U.S. sticks will needs lots of practice to play well with a Sanwa stick.
98/100

Hori Playstation stick: (Older version) Again sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is not modded, but plays well. The stick is very similar to the Sanwa stick, but the buttons have an out dated feel, compared to the Hori Real Arcade Pro. Buttons a little stiff for a Japanese stick.
86/100

Added another stick:

Custom Stick w/Happ Parts.
Custom case from Arcadecab.com. Very nice case, the T-molding gives it a nice touch.
The Stick is a Happ Comp Stick w/Ball Top Stick Shaft.
The Buttons are Happ Comp as well.
I was a little skeptical putting Ball Top Shaft in a Happ Comp Stick. But after the install I was happy with the result. The shaft seems a little long, but it's very easy to pull off moves. Much easier than the Happ Bat Shaft. The key is holding the stick like a Bat Top. Compared to a RedOctane case with Happ Parts, this stick is much more superior. The buttons are curved and are closer together.

98/100

[unicron0000]

green DC AGETEC: I replaced the stick's microswitch PCB with a new sanwa one from himura games, and wired the buttons and stick to db-25. I've always loved the agetec stick's super slick, shallow buttons (maybe more than real arcade sanwa's even), the sanwa pcb makes the stick feel pretty much as good as a regular arcade sanwa (which to me is as good as it gets). This is the best portable stick I've played on so far.

blue DC ASCII (cvs optical): This stick is the coolest looking portable stick I've seen, unfortunately the buttons on it really suck, and after a few years of abuse the spring on the stick got shitty (it seizes up and I ahve to open the stick and poke at it some), this stick will be fun to mod in the future, for right now I'll prolly just fix the spring.

[Mr. Sakuraba]

Ok ill review the sticks ive owned so far:

Green Goblin (75/100)
Completly stock agetec. Got a lot of use out of it before it started becoming ghetto. I bought it used off ebay so god knows how worn it was before i got it. Still, solid stick in my view. The square gate takes some getting used to but i still think its a great one, love the button size. About to send this one to CoN to put all sanwa parts in it, so ill update when that happens.

Hori Real Arcade Pro (80/100)
To tell the honest truth i think i liked the agetec better. The rap obviously has better parts and more solid construction though so it deserves the better score. Only thing i didnt like about the hrap is it seems to big and tall for what it is. Also i felt the shaft length (omg did i just say that? :xeye: ) was a bit too short to be comfortable for me. Still waiting to get this back from Armadillo with my sanwa buttons and oct gate. Ill update accordingly.

Tha Darkside (99/100)
http://www.byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Darkside2.jpg
First of all just look at this stick. Its fucking beautiful.
Sanwa Flash joystick with semitsu buttons. Small case design makes it extremly comfortable, but still sturdy enough to not worry about. The Sanwa feels like butter , and with no clicky noises either. This stick has let me become a better player, because I can no longer blame the stick for a mistake, its my screwup if something doesnt come out right. Only bad thing i can say about this stick is that darkside did something wacky with the buttons so that fierce punch and Roundhouse are set to x3 punch and kick. So that means if you play A -groove in cvs2 you have to reconfigure your buttons so you can activate your customs. Other than that, perfection.

MAS Supernova with competition stick and convex buttons (85/100)
My first stick. I thought it was great at the time. I have since realized how much i prefer Japanese style sticks to the clunky american ones. Still works fine to this day ( about 2 years later). This is the stick i let my friends play on when we get together. Just feels too big, too heavy and too clumsey. This thing is a bitch to carry around a tourny.

Thats all for now, lets keep em coming guys.

[Izlude]

Sega Genesis 6 Button Stick (http://www.geocities.com/spilskinanke2097/gaming/peripherals/images/genesis-6button-stick.jpg)

Ah yeh, I got fond memories of this thing. I got it way back in 1993 for Christmas w/ Street Fighter 2:Special Championship Edition. Loads of fun! It was a slick stick, I used it for almost every game, even non-fighters. A shame I have no idea where this stick went...disappeared mysteriously several years ago. I'd give it a 90/100!

[Gaijinblaze]

Asciiware PS1 light-grey joystick: The joystick itself feels sort of like a really horrid Sanwa imitation but with a bat-top. It has no spring, but the restrictor plate is square and it has Omron switches with metal activation levers; that's the only thing making the stick return to neutral. Buttons are really stiff and probably can't be changed, because of a plastic rim around them. Overall, it's still usable for some, but not me.
- 60/100

Nyko PS1 black joystick: Totally impractical for today's fighting games. Buttons are small a really close together, but Ls and Rs are bean-shaped for some reason. A cool thing is that the button stack is on a little circular platform that can be rotated. The joystick is ball-top, but just feels retarded. I'm not even sure if there're microswitches in it, actually. Tonnes of rapid-fire stuff, and the plastic body is a weird shape. But like I said, pretty much useless for fighting games.
- 30/100

Custom stick - Happ Competition stick and buttons: I undoubtedly made the body too big... but it's sturdy and plays great. But honestly, American sticks just feel kind of shitty after building my Sanwa one. Requires a lot of excess movement and it bounces when you let it go, but it can't be that bad since people love them. Buttons are good, but I don't like the way the springs vibrate when they're pressed hard. Buttons are in Versus City layout.
- 80/100

Custom stick - Sanwa JLF and Happ Comp. buttons: Really damned good. Stick has a short throw and is pretty sensitive, but will take some time to get used to. DPs are easier but supers are just hell at this point. Buttons are good but have the same drawbacks as mentioned before, and are in VC layout again. The MDF body is a little smaller than my other custom, but a more intricate design and Sanwa buttons would up the score. Actually, it'd be virtually perfect if it had those two things.
- 92/100

[Pimp Willy]

I have built 4 sticks, all based on Red Octane Cases

Stick 1: Enterprise
I had entered into an Enterprise rent-a-car contest, where we had to design a business. Our business was building joysticks. I built this stick all green to match the company colors, and named it the Enterprise. So I have the black red octane case, stripped of the plexiglass (all black base). Black Ultimate Joystick, 6 green competition push buttons, 2 black convex buttons for start/select. Red Octane PCB inside still. For this, I didn't do any soldering, just crimped some wire to quick disconnects, and daisy chained the ground in the same manner.

I'd have to give this a 70/100, most people hate the ultimate stick inside because it's too loose. Plus, the Red Octane PCB is wonky at times, and the stick will go into rapid-fire or auto-fire until it's unplugged and plugged back it.

Stick 2: Patriot
The second stick I built, a little better job wire wise. This time, I also used the black red-octane case, stripped of the plexi. I have a blue competition stick, with 6 Competition buttons going Red (lp + lk), white (mp + mk), blue (fp + fk). The start and select are convex red buttons. The PCB is a generic playstation one controller. This time, for the wiring, I learned to solder and wired it much tighter. I drilled a new hole for the cord to come through, which looks kind of ugly. I am in the process of adding a carrying handle/cord wrap combo to the back of this stick.

I'd give this stick an 80/100, more solid than the first one. This is my main stick that I use.

Stick 3: Patriot Clone
Well, I build this for my friends brother. He had a Real Arcade, and hated it. I modded another Red Octane Case with the Red/White/Blue theme. This one had a Blue Ultimate stick, then Red-White-Blue competition buttons again. The start/Select where white Competition buttons this time. Personally, I prefered the red buttons hovering over the red lp+lk buttons. PCB was a generic PS1 controller. Drilled new hole for the wire coming out of the back. (Side note: While drilling the hole, I accidently put a huge scratch in the black vinyl on the top above the punches. I ended up covering the scratch with a capcom stick I had lying around, so it worked out ok).

Rating: 70/100. Just didn't seem to look as nice as the patriot itself, plus I prefer playing on a competition stick.

Stick 4: Firey Taki

This was modded of the clearance SC2 Stick from Red Octane. The one with grey vinyl, blue printed plexi, and 4 buttons in the SC2 format. I stripped the plexi of the paint, and made it clear again. I printed up a picture of Taki, big breasts and all, and layed her over a picture of a burning forest. The stick was a red competition stick (one I had extra lying around), with 4 red convex buttons (also lying around : (). Sadly, these are the happ clone buttons, not the happ official ones. Start and select also had the same red buttons. All put together, it had a nice red theme layed over the soft grey background.

Rating: 85/100 for style, 70/100 for playability.



I am planning my next stick, and I want to make it "universal" by mounting the 15 pin connector to the case, and attach an external pcb in a box. I've seen it done on this site, and it looks like fun : )

[A.C]

Nearly finished with my first stick. But I'll review it anyway.
http://homepage.mac.com/cramlet/joystick

Ryu stick [7/10]

In terms of function, it is a ten. Comp stick & buttons work like a charm. However it shows signs of being an initial attempt. I fully plan on making each stick better than the previous edition... which is why I started with Ryu. He's hardly my favorite fighter, but he made a good subject for stick #1. So this creation is now my baseline.

The physical construction is solid, but I made plenty of errors. Every panel is hand cut and there is plenty of evidence to prove it. Tolerances were fairly high. The wiring, however, is pretty clean (especially when compared to my dry run result). But it's obvious I'm not a painter by trade. I really need to get better at that.

The art is very simple. It was fairly easy to compile in Photoshop & I printed it off on my home photo printer (Olympus P400). I added in the Chinese/Japanese characters to both fill space and to tell the story of Ryu. The top left are for a journey of competition & spiritual growth. And under the stick is the power of one.

Soon it will be time to start #2....

[DarkGiygas]

SC2 Hori 70/100

An okay stick, but I hate how close the joystick is to the buttons. The button layout isn't the best when it comes to other games, but my real complaint is that the parts don't seem to be very durable and the case is just too light.
OMG I hate the buttons it so much.

[Cannedleech]

sorry to bump an old thread, but i thought itd be better than creating a new one.

Does anyone have a comparison of the T5 custom Real arcade pro vs the regular hori RAP? i know the button layout is a little different, but what about the parts?
Also, anyone know what parts are used in the hori fighting stick 2? can the parts be swapped out for sanwa ones?
One more question: do any of these Hori sticks have lag when used with a ps2->usb converter? i use a super joybox right now, and with official dualshock controllers theres no lag at all. I've heard that the T5 stick that comes with T5 in a bundle is a fake RAP in a RAP case, and has lag, but i dont know about any of these sticks.

Thanks a lot, i've been debating for a while now which stick to buy, and if its really worth it for me to spend 100+ including shipping on a stick.

[The Mullah]

might as well review my sticks sincei ts been bumped.

i'd give my red stick a good 70/100. p360 didn't work properly, and i think american buttons a a bit poo.

i'd give my blue stick 90/100 since it plays perfectly and doesn't move, but i could improve the box design by making it out of the ordinary but keeping the size!

http://members.lycos.co.uk/randomscrubs/

[azmun]

ASCII STICK FT
-Pushbuttons (60/100): The weakest point of this stick. Buttons get mushy after awhile. Probably a good candidate to mod with sanwa or seimitsu.
-Joystick (90/100): Comes with a transparent shaft cover, an octagonal restrictor plate and is the only consumer grade joystick I know that uses optical sensors. Very smooth and quiet.
-Body (85/100): Nice ergonomic design. It has a mid size case which is slightly bigger than the Namco Hori but smaller than the agetecs.
-Overall (89/100): One of Ascii´s better sticks. Too bad this was never released outside Japan.

NAMCO ARCADE STICK
-Pushbuttons (87/100): They feel a bit flat but are otherwise responsive.
-Joystick (83/100): Has a relatively heavier spring pressure that makes it feel a bit too tight or stiff.
-Body (95/100): I like the size and minimalist design of the angled and low bodied case a lot. Very sturdy and has a nice weight.
-Overall (89/100): Arguably the most solid and robust consumer grade stick ever built. Excellent for 2d based fighters.

DREAMCAST "AGETEC" ARCADE STICK
-Pushbuttons (87/100): Great convex type buttons that are light and easy to press. I also like the size, being slightly smaller than Hori, Sanwa or Seimitsu.
-Joystick (87/100): Has a slightly longer throw than Sanwa or Hori. The spring pressure feels just right.
-Body (87/10): Feels a bit hollow but I like the industrial look and wide flat surface which gives you plenty of space. Has enough weight to give it a sturdy feel.
-Overall (89/100): Another great stick for 2d based fighting games. Durable and comparable in quality to the Namco Hori.

SOUL CALIBUR II
-Pushbuttons (86/100): The six buttons work great and are quite similar to the Namco being flat.
-Joystick (85/100): Smooth with light springs.
-Body (82/100): Nice streamline design that´s not too light. Also has nice artwork.
-Overall (83/100): I prefer this over the Namco or Agetecs for use with vf4 evo. However, it´s not a very good stick for 2d fighters IMHO. Some may complain about the distance between the joystick and buttons being spaced very close to each other. But that´s just how they are in VF4 arcade machines. Overall, one of the better sticks you can buy under $50.

[supabeast]

Namco PS1 Yellow Stick: Simple, solid, and relative to its time, 90/100.

Ascii PS1 Grey Stick: Wastes too much space on all those rapid-fire buttons, clicky stick is the noisiest I've ever encountered, convex buttons are lame. But it works fine and will last until the end of time, so 80/100.

NES Advantage: God I miss playing Double Dragon games with that thing. It's a shame Nintendo doesn't make a joystick anymore. The Advantage worked perfectly, and people are still using original ones from the 1980s that work without a hitch. Relative to the time, 99/100.

[hubcapsignstop]

Sega Genesis 6 Button Stick (http://www.geocities.com/spilskinanke2097/gaming/peripherals/images/genesis-6button-stick.jpg)

Ah yeh, I got fond memories of this thing. I got it way back in 1993 for Christmas w/ Street Fighter 2:Special Championship Edition. Loads of fun! It was a slick stick, I used it for almost every game, even non-fighters. A shame I have no idea where this stick went...disappeared mysteriously several years ago. I'd give it a 90/100!

hahaa what a pic, I had that too. Flawless execution for SF2:SCE and Weaponlord on Genny. hahaa (100/100 - but if I used it today I may realize the stick undeservedly gained legendary status via nostalgia)

also had DC Agetec/GreenGoblin (stock). Worked fine for me considering the beating it took. Loved buttons, joystck too loose but once I got used to it I loved the feel (Jap). Layout was easy on the hand placement. Eventually notice that joystick would stick/miss the switches entirely on quick QC motions and would increasingly stick in a position out of nuetral (activating temper tantrum). (70/100?-in its prime)
*If anyone wants to modd this for me please pm me with a price

Old XBox RedOctane (modded):
favorite designed box ive ever played on (love that textured bottom); wish I had another box like it (any for sale?). The stock parts were worthless. Swapped the stick with a Ultimarc J-Stik (thanks to spiffyshoes for advice on the modjob). I installed Happ comp buttons which are cool but I do like the larger area of the sanwas better (sensitivity is not an issue to me). I love the straight across button layout here because the angled layout tricks me into turning sideways and fucking up my n/s/e/w reference on the stick. The stick is real tight and I love this. Dashing, instant air dashing, parrying, are all a breeze on this (i should qualify this statement by saying this was the first time i've used the higher end stick parts). i hate that j-stick tho. I think im having problems hitting the diagonals (DQC motions are so inconsistent it ruins my game), and I cant switch an octagonal restrictor in there. I guess I could try to mod the existing plate itself but id probably fuck it up. Im about to just glue something to that shaft that hit the little levers that activate the switches to make it hit the diagonals easier. I think im going to try that right now- no that wont work because the shaft turns - shit. What if I just wrap duct tape around that bottom shaft part to make it thicker? any ideas? Or maybe ill just order a HAPP comp from the real bob roberts. I think i'll do both. as is this modded stick gets a 50/100 -its killing me.

I still favor the jap design and bit the bullet and ordered a custom sanwa joint (oct. gate) from Dreadedfist. hopefully ill post a positive review in 2-3 weeks.
yes; im a joystick newb
peace

[nasci]

Let's see... man, there has been so many. I'll do the more recent.
1. Hori Soul Calibur stick (Japanese model) 8/10. Worked good, nice small size. worked well with adapters for other systems. Hated the button layout and graphics.

2. Red octane stick(s). I had the new model and also last years. 2/10. Both broke within weeks. This years model was even worse. Did not work well with adapters. Used generic parts.

3. Hori RAP. Nice stick. I can only give it a 6/10. The used a new pcb that did not work well with my adapters. i wound out gutting it and soldering it to a psx pcb instead.

4. Darkside stick. It's a really good stick. Works great.

5. QCF stick. Well shoot, I built this myself. Basically took what I liked and didn't like from all my previous sticks and made my own. Made the case too. So it's my fav. Perfect for me. http://www.quartercircleforward.com/images/sticks/karin-sanwa.jpg

[CrotchMonkey]

those qcf sticks look pretty good, how much you charge for the full sanwa model?

[nasci]

Oh thanks. I'm asking between 150-160 for an all Sanwa stick depending on artwork/colors/etc. And 125-135 for the Sanwa stick w/ Happ buttons depending on artwork/colors/etc.

[laugh]

StickNara's Gae-Jo Stick (Old version from maybe 3~4 years ago)

- It used the all so popular Fanta stick (the best name for a stick yet:razzy:) used in 90% of Korean arcade cabs, but it had the worst no name buttons that I've never even seen before. The buttons worked by touching two metal panels together physically by the pressing of the button. But I gotta say the stick part was extremely well picked by the maker though, since it never failed to disappoint me with executions. Korean sticks need to be picked well, and mine didn't have any corner recognition problems or half circle / 360 input problems. I couldn't find the black Fanta sticks that they used in this one, cuz the black ones are older fanta stick models, so now I got some green ones from Isu Theme Park for replacement. The top wood panel wasn't angled so it hurt my wrists a little sometimes after too much play. This one deserves a 7.5 due to the weird buttons.



DC Agetec Green Stick

- This stick is very sketchy and roughly immitates the japanese arcade stick feel. The buttons are horrible, they won't register as an input unless I press the very center of it. The fact that a button wouldn't maintain a vertical position (keep its surface horizontal) while being pressed is bad, and so it gets stuck against it's own plastic sometimes when I'm trying to press a little desperately and miss the center of the button. The Lever. I've opened it up plenty times to see what was wrong with the lever when it would randomly get stuck on a corner. The metal ring around the bottom of the lever gets easily out of it's place and sometimes causes it to get stuck at corners. The lever is a watered-down version of Sanwa sticks, and not that satisfactory when it comes to execution. The top panel isn't angled for ergonomics, rather the lack of ergonomics. Worth about 20 bucks imo.



Saturn HORI Fighting Stick SS

- I've found this randomly one day, and I gotta say it's surprisingly round when you rotate the stick although it's got a square guide. The buttons don't have any of the problems DC Agetec has, presses with surface up horizontally and registers good even in the heat of a fight. The stick part, however, is even more watered-down than the Agetec, but it plays better than the Agetec and has a good feel to it. It doesn't get stuck at corners and it won't give me a fuckin low fierce when all I wanted was a TigaUppahcut! This one get's a 8.5 out of 10


My custom stick made out of Korean Crown 203 Cabinet Panel

- It's a work still in progress. It uses the panel from Crown 203 cabinet panel (the white part + the black part where the sticks and buttons are actually installed). The panel is sturdy and the angle of the black inner panel and the mapping and spacing of the buttons are comfortable for the wrists and hands. The stick used is Fanta stick, and I'd say it's in good condition considering that I got it used at an arcade. The metal prongs on the microswitches are still very tight, so it's practically new. I put in Crown cab specific buttons in it, and the quality of them are nice. The buttons are made from good plastic, and unlike the japanese buttons that gave me so much blisters from mashing in mvc2, the rounded endges on them are mashing-safe. The score, "I'm lovin it."


The SNES Stick I had in 5th grade that I forgot the name of

- I miss it, period.

[leaveal]

bump

i wonder why this thread died.
it's great help for anyone who wants to buy a stock stick.

[adonis_minus_20]

X-Arcade Dual:

The stock stick and buttons are not terrible, but I replaced them with a HAPP Super stick and convex buttons, much better. I don't recommend for two player as others have said, too cramped. The case is well done and very comfortable to use, with a nice slope to it. I don't use this stick that much anymore, as I have others that I like to use now. I still find it hard to hit diagonals with this, but I still like it for SF/KOF type games. The best use for this stick, I think, is for single player games that use two joysticks, e.g. Crazy Climber, Robotron, Karate Champ (on the PC via MAME). SCORE: 6/10 (unmodded), 7/10 (modded), (9/10 for single player dual joystick games).

Nuby SC2 Universal Stick:

I only bought this stick because it was $20 on sale, but it is indeed a piece of cr@p. I challenge you to do any type of QCF, HCF type moves with it reliably. If you can, you're a better man than me. This stick sucks for fighting games, but since you can use it in analog mode, it's great for Top Spin tennis on the XBox (might be good for other similar games). Can be used on PS2/XBox/GCN. SCORE: 2/10 (9/10 for Top Spin tennis on the XBox).

SF Anniversary Stick:

Stock stick and buttons are terrible. Replaced with HAPP competition stick and convex buttons, much better. The stick has a good feel, supports PS2/XBox with XBox voice over Live supported. The downside for me is the case. The thing is too damn big (tall), and has no angled slope, not comfortable at all. It definitely can't be used on your lap, which is how I like it. The only way to use this monstrosity is to have it on a desk or table, and be standing over it. SCORE: 2/10 (case), 4/10 (unmodded), 7/10 (modded).

Naki Ultimate Fighting Stick:

Stock stick and buttons blow hard, unusable. Replaced with Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y and Sanwa snap-in buttons, much, much better. The stick is wireless and works on PS2/XBox and supports voice over Live. The wireless is nice, but it is flakey, and sometimes it has trouble getting the connection to the receiver. Usually after it connects, it works just fine. The case is comfortable with an angled slope to it, and can be used on your lap perfectly. Downsides are the stick doesn't work with adapters for PC/DC/etc., and also you can't use two of these sticks simultaneously (only one of the sticks will connect and work). SCORE: 2/10 (unmodded), 8/10 (modded).

Tekken 5 Anniversay Stick:

Stock stick and buttons are actually pretty good. cON modded this nicely for me with Sanwa stick and buttons, even better. It still has the stock PCB in it (which doesn't seem to work with adapters for the XBox/GCN, USB adapters for the PC work fine). The case is sturdy, yet comfortable, and can be used sitting in your lap, or on a desktop. This is one of my favorite sticks, I just wish I could use it with adapters for other systems. SCORE: 7/10 (unmodded), 8/10 (modded).

DOA4 Stick:

Stock stick is not bad, but the buttons suck and are hard to press. The case is small, light, and comfortable, and works well on your lap. I replaced the stick with a Sanwa, and it was better. I failed at replacing the buttons, fried the PCB :( This stick is the only choice right now for the XBox 360, so that's why I bought it (unless you can hack a pad). It's not a bad stick, but the buttons do suck, and are a must to replace. People say that you can use it on the PC with special drivers installed, but I heard there are problems with the triggers registering or something, I never tried. SCORE: 6/10 (stick unmodded), 4/10 (buttons unmodded), 8/10 (stick modded).

I tend to like American HAPP style sticks for games that do a lot of QCF/HCF type moves and 2D games, and then the Sanwa style sticks for 3D games and games that require a lot of diagonals. I am starting to get used to doing QCF type moves with the Sanwa's though, maybe an Octagonal gate would help?

Jim

[leaveal]

a stick from stick.pe.kr

as far as i can tell, these sticks are real arcade-grade Korean parts. i don't know much about Korean parts, but i like the stick very much. the buttons, however, don't look like anything i've seen at the Korean arcade. they're not bad, though. easy to press and responsive.

the case is pretty large and there's no angle, so it's extremely difficult to use on a lap. it's annoying that the case wasn't very well designed / done. there are small nail-holes on the surface, and you can't open it without prying the box open. there are no screws. the surface sheet makes it look hot, but on closer inspection, it looks like it was done on a rush.

Good stick, ok buttons. 7/10


VF4e stick: Red

The stick is just like the one in the US T5 sticks, which means it’s pretty good. The buttons are better than Hori’s usual stuff, which surprises me. The casing is very nice. I bought one for modding (I don’t really play VF), but it looks like it’s going to be difficult (no holes on the metal plate.)

If i played VF, I’d probably give this a 7. I don’t, so it gets a 3. :l

[V4MPIRO]

SFAC stick mod it-- 90-100
pelican mod it-------85-100
HRAP------------------95-100
hori T5----------------90-100