My favorite Sega controller – aside from the six-button digital (Japanese) Saturn pad – is the Agetec joystick.
Technically, it does have Sega hardware. The OEM PCB is Sega branded. The rest of the OEM equipment is fairly good for its vintage (circa 1999). The joystick is loose like the JLF and the buttons fall in between the Sanwa OBSX-30 and Seimitsu PS-14-P buttons in sensitivity. Pretty good for a joystick that does not have arcade parts!
I didn’t keep my Agetec in stock condition. I played with it a few times with the original PCB but with upgraded parts – LS-32-01 and six OBSF-30 buttons. After the break-in of those parts, I removed the original PCB and the new parts to dremel holes for Start, Select, and Home as well an RJ-45 adaptor. I painted the exterior off-white as well.
The revamped Agetec has a decidedly Macross theme with an Art Hong plexi replacement for the original metal plate and a plexi art for the VMU slot… I keep the original VMU holder and glued it in front of the original VMU slot.
The joystick mod is still as yet unfinished pending spare monies and ordering of new parts but the interior is planned out for the MC Cthulu and RJ-45 adapter when they’re bought and ready to bit fitted.
All in all, it was an involved mod but ended up being one of my favorite joystick cases… Thankfully, the 2.0 MC Cthulu firmware revision enables it to be used with the Dreamcast through a Saturn pad converter so I no longer need the original PCB.
I’ve got plans for a second Agetec conversion but they can wait until the money situation improves.