Custom stick interest check

Tech Talk
1

Hey SRK… just wanted to spread the word a bit. My dad and I are starting a side business making arcade sticks. (He’s the woodworker I’m the paint/pcb/wiring guy)

Its roughly the size of the Madcatz TE without the angled sides. It shares the exact same layout (aka 8button Vewlix) and the same size plexi’s.

Here is a pic of the unfinished Stick body only with plexi:
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3038/img0202u.th.jpg

I’m in the process of painting one right now that you can see here:
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2289/img1676n.th.jpg

And heres the first prototype i finished, with the TE plexi minus the turbo window… I already have a new plexi from art but have not yet installed it:
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/9403/stickfront.th.jpg

I’d appreciate feedback, different layouts are possible, but it will take longer because we have to make it one-off. I’m in the process of making a site for selling them, and they should be very competitively priced.

I have sanwa buttons in various colors ready to go, and a few JLFs… I’m hoping to focus on selling the unfinished boxes… perhaps just painting or staining them as an option; so that all you do-it-yourselfers will be able to get a quality box.

2

would you be willing to make diy boxes out of mdf to further lower the cost? if so then im interested

3

Not bad but I think the majority of people would prefer a 6 button layout as opposed to 8. You might want to make 6 your default.

4

I’d be interested if I didn’t just buy a case. I think the main thing is a lot of people WANT to try and make a custom stick but the price of a really good case puts them off. If you can somehow make it fairly inexpensive you’ll be good.

5

I’d rather pay for quality. A good arcade stick is, if you do it right, something you may only have to buy once per console generation. Maybe less.

6

maybe

Its a possibility we have considered but due to the fact that we have quite a bit of poplar, it might not be for a while. How much is affordable to you?

7

6 button

Well its pretty simple to not drill 2 buttons, and an option I plan on offering. The first 6 cases we made all had 8 to accommodate all buttons for ps3 and 360.

Thanks for the feedback!

8

For a sanded blank box (unprimed and unpainted), i would be willing to pay 40 + shipping

9

Yeah, don’t get me wrong. I’m saving up money for a Norris case right now because I don’t mind paying that much for a quality case, but I’m speaking for friends of mine. They’re not as into playing fighters but they are interested in making cases.