Hey guys, contemplating a project using a 49-way stick; used to be a huge fan of Blitz '99, and with a new downloadable Blitz title coming that’s supposedly taking it back to the roots, was playing around with the idea of building myself either a minicab or just a stick using an old-school 49-way joystick. I’ve read up on the tech a fair amount, so I don’t so much need info on making them work/interfacing with them (I’ll be throwing a USB AVR at that job), but I do need to source them.
My understanding is that Happ got the license from Midway to keep producing them for replacements, but honestly $84 (the direct price) was a little more than I wanted to invest in just one part of what’s effectively a dumb little project. Has anyone seen any of these floating around/being sold on other decent parts retailers? Are there any decent knock-offs or alternatives to the Midway design (doesn’t need to be pin-compatible, just 49-way and I can take care of the rest) that can be found for cheaper? Does anyone have any other ideas for cheaper/more readily available alternatives? I’ll probably post a WTB in the Trading Outlet to see if anyone has any lying around they’d be willing to get rid of for cheap, but I figured I’d ask you guys for other ideas first. Thanks in advance!